Spend a day on a raid into the Brecon Beacons - ideal for winter training ride. Only one (optional) hill & a few rises. Good controls used throughout. Varied terrain - all easily ridden on road bike.
Simple route, with minimal navigation required - mainly on B and minor roads. Hot / cold food & drink available at every control, to keep you going on an early winter ride.
Instant validation available for this event, so no need for brevet return SAE.
Soft copy of Routesheet & GPS supplied to entrants - so no need for route-return SAE.
Reasonable all day car park now available next door to ride departure / arrivee (£4 all day).
Or go completely electronic and use Paypal, details from
http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/16-394/The route (as with most BlackSheep CC events) follows minor roads, lanes, B-roads and a few unavoidable A-road sections. And generally in that order of preference. There is a section of river-side track - but this is generally of a good standard and is easily ridden with a normal road bike. Most of you know my physical stature, I ridden this event numerous times on 23mm tyres and haven't have any particular problems.
Ride in the tracks of parts of the 2014 Tour of Britain, see if you can match their climbing speeds as u exit Abergavenny
The ride heads west from Tewkesbury through the Severn vale towards Ross-on-Wye. We then follow the Wye valley to Monmouth. Then a virtual bee-line west following the old (and old old) A40 to Abergavenny. The route then follows the Usk valley (along the south side of the River Usk) all the way to Talybont-on-Usk.
The return route retraces back to Crickhowell, then uses the A40 to Abergavenny. The road is usually quiet on a Saturday afternoon - I've never experienced any problems using it.From Abergavenny you take the road back through Rockfield and Monmouth to follow the cycle route back to the third control at Symonds Yat East. The route home is largely a retrace back to Tewkesbury.
The controls are all fairly evenly spaced, there will be places to stop in between controls should you so wish. The controls at Monmouth and Talybont-on-Usk have handled many AUK events in the past, and The Saracen's Head at Symons Yat is a favorite with walkers, canoeists.
The first control is The Kings Head in Monmouth, it's a JD Wetherspoon PH, so they'll have a full range of hot food and drink.
Talybont control is The White Hart PH, they have a huge selection fine real ales, and does good food and has a lot of experience of handling AUK events. The White Hart does have a stamp, but sometimes they misplace it, so if that's the case - please get a receipt or ask them to sign and time your card. There's also the very pleasant and friendlyyou Talybont Stores & Café at the far end of the village that does light bites.
The control at Symonds Yat East is "The Saracens Head PH", again they do food (and beer), they're also doing a "special for cyclists". From my own experience I found that a coffee and one of their flapjacks is enough to give you a boost to get back home. The staff will be pleased to stamp your brevet card - they have one of mine with a "Ladybird" on it. They also have a "Wye Valley Walkers" stamp.
The ride's in GMT, you will probably need lights for the first half hour (or so) of the ride, and again for the latter part of the day.
For the campers, there's a camp site 10 - 15 minutes from the start, quite a few cyclists have used it in the past - and have rated quite highly.
http://www.croftfarmleisure.co.uk/ As for B&Bs in the area, it is probably best that you use Google to search for your requirements, Or try Tewkesbury Tourist information centre
http://www.outofthehat.org.uk/,
There's both Premier Inn
http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/TEWBRE/tewkesbury and Travelodge
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/401/Tewkesbury-hotel both about a mile from the start, (both on M5J9),
The JD Wetherspoon (also the departure / arrivee) in the centre of Tewkesbury is also a hotel
http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/hotels/the-royal-hop-pole.
Once again the weather is "guaranteed"
Free light breakfast for all starters.
ALSO AT GREAT PERSONAL EXPENSE, FREE FOR ALL RIDERS along route from 18:00 hrs.
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