Llanfair.....400

[Delph Cyclist]

The route sheet suggests you return from Holyhead using A5025, B5109 and B5420 to Menai Bridge.  This is just by way of variety, and you could just return down the A5 if you wish.

On Saturday evening, the A55 was quiet so I returned down the dual carriageway without incident.  If you follow suit, just take care at the slip roads.  You would come off at junction 7 onto the A5152 and A5 through LlanfairPG to Menai Bridge.

(I suspect an administrative error, as this bit of A5152 is just 200 yards long, with the rest of A5152 something like 70 miles away as the Wrexham inner bypass)

I also used A55 from junction 12 to junction 16.  It's even more important to ensure the road isn't busy, as this stretch of dual carriageway doesn't have any shoulders.

[Delph Cyclist]

Is the GPS track up to date following your route check? I.e. Ready for me to take and manipulate to my taste?

It is now.  But you could have manipulated it yourself.  I consider the route sheet "definitive" and I would encourage my riders to create their own GPX files by way of familiarising themselves with the route.  As it happens, I can't seem to get my routes onto RideWithGPS as routes, and they now show as trips.

[Delph Cyclist]

I thought you should know that Bucklow Hill Lane closes for good on 18th May, severed by the new link road between M6 and M56, so Saturday's Llanfair 400 (at 380km) might well be your last chance to ride down it.

[Ella]

Just looking at the route sheet... it's like a choose your own adventure.

[Delph Cyclist]

The 200km control will now be in the Tollhouse Café at Penrhos Country Park near Holyhead, rather than in my gazebo in the Country Park.  Look for the Audax UK banner.

[Delph Cyclist]

Minor changes made in green to the route sheet at http://www.delphcyclist.info/Llanfair.html to include the Tollhouse Café control, and a correction in section 5b (which only the affect the very fast or out-of-time riders).

[DCLane]

Bike ready for this (I hope - it's a newly built Ridgeback Platinum) and kit mostly packed.

I just hope the predicted rain holds off!

[Delph Cyclist]

Bike ready for this (I hope - it's a newly built Ridgeback Platinum) and kit mostly packed.

#

Platinum!  Wow, I bet you get very nervous about leaving that outside cafes. 

An aluminium bike would feel as if it were coming home, as the 200km control is overlooked by the tall chimney of the nearby Aluminium smelting plant.  Look for the chimney, with Holyhead Mountain behind it, as you cross Anglesey to reach the half-way point.  On the return leg, you should have the glorious sight of Snowdonia lit by the setting sun.

I saw none of this last weekend thanks to the low cloud.

[The Seldom Killer]

Looks like we'll get little favour from the wind tomorrow. At least there isn't much rain forecast.

[Exit Stage Left]

At least the forecast 'Near Gale' has been downgraded. We can treat the event as a rehearsal for PBP head and sidewind discipline.

[The Seldom Killer]

Aye, I suspect I might benefit from some of that for treking across the Great Plain of Hungary.

[Feline]

I am holed up for the night in the Adlington Travelodge ready for this. I'm still undecided what I'm wearing. It doesn't look like it will be short sleeved jersey weather but how many base layers?

[DCLane]

I am holed up for the night in the Adlington Travelodge ready for this. I'm still undecided what I'm wearing. It doesn't look like it will be short sleeved jersey weather but how many base layers?

Can't sleep ... so my thoughts are: l/s base layer, s/s jersey plus arm warmers. Shower jacket. 3/4 tights plus leggings. I'm only wearing a s/s jersey (Ravensthorpe CC) as I don't have a l/s club one 

[Revellinho]

Windy  but dry  along the n wales coast.

[Wobbly]

So... how was it?

[Revellinho]

I fear it would not have been kind to a Pashley.

[Wobbly]

I'm guessing it was a bit brutal in a windy kind of way,

[Ella]

Making a big sad song and dance about DNFing this killing PBP ambitions for the year.

BUT lots of good bits. Enjoyed stomping along Chester Greenway and even with the crazy headwind loved that beautiful Welsh coast line. That endless up and down narrow country lane climb in the dark was good in its own way. Really tested my bicycle set up, and still dead happy with my SP8/B&M Luxos set up. Still find the secret night time world that's just for drunks, cats and audaxers exciting.

Hope everyone who wanted to get around got back ok, don't know everyone's names who chatted and pedalled with me, but thanks! Thinking of you when I was tucked up in bed with the cat this morning.

[Exit Stage Left]

First ride in the VC167 colours, although I spent a lot of time in an Adrian Hands Society top.
A hard ride, making use of wheelsucking skills, especially to the first control. Thanks are due to all those I sat behind, especially Gordon Pannica, who set an admirably even pace from when I joined that group at Llanfair PG.

We made use of all Mike's main road suggestions. Local yahoos often use the second string roads such as the A5 after closing time, as the Police patrol them less than the A55 Expressway, so it's swings and roundabouts. That possibly gave us an additional cushion of about an hour, allowing recovery at Abergele and Chester Services, at the cost of some mind-numbing riding.

[Feline]

Well ....... that didn't go quite according to plan 

There were some really good bits of the ride- great to meet Ella and sit in the sun outside Fortes in Colwn Bay. The scenery of the coast route was fantastic.
Bad bits were getting myself a bit confused on navigation because I had stupidly joined the out and back routes together and couldn't tell them apart on my Garmin. Ended up riding the return route on the way out more than once. No idea why I did such a retarded thing, must have been in a rush last week. Lesson learned spend more time creating my own routes instead of being lazy next time. The multiple choices of route confused my addled brain!

Having survived riding almost entirely on my own for 205km (I am too slow to join groups at the moment really) into the stonking headwind and having 45 mins in hand, I was horrified to find the wind turned and there was STILL a bloody head wind as I left Holyhead 
It was to be a strong cross/headwind on the way back too. And it even had the temerity to start to rain. It was fantastic the cafe remained open at Holyhead country park right to the bitter end. Very friendly service 

Then ran into stomach problems (this is becoming a pattern, really suffered for the 2nd half of my 300 too). I think when I'm pushing myself to ride something I'm not really fit enough to do my body now says 'no' in this way 
As I rode into Bangor I realised all those nasty gradient bridges up and down over the A road on the cycle path lay ahead. I was having stomach cramps and therefore getting slower. Any chance of a sleep had disappeared. Did I want to slog away to Abergele only to be out of time or without time to sleep? I decided it was a no. At that point I was within the time limit and could have got to Abergele by 3am if I could have maintained the same pace, but I thought I couldn't.

So I rode to Bangor Travelodge at 1am who didn't have any rooms but turned a blind eye to me sleeping on the floor in the foyer. It was a bit cold and hard but probably better than what had been ahead of me on the road. The first train was at 9.15am so had to hang around and munch a full English breakfast and get more sleep in the Little Chef when it opened.

On the train I was joined by Drew who had ploughed on out of time to Abergele and packed there. He had a ticket to Crewe which I pointed out was over 30 miles from the start. So he got off with me at Chester and we went to Stockport which left only a 5 mile flat pootle back to Poynton. We could undoubtedly have got back sooner if we had cycled, but would have been wrecked so I think was the right decision. Both of us would have survived it without the bastard wind so put that one down to bad luck.

The big question now is am I going to be fit enough for the WCW600??

[GraemeMcC]

I'm guessing it was a bit brutal in a windy kind of way,

It was brutal hanging onto the back of Steve & Julian (tandem) at imperial evens into the wind. They were stars to the first control. Or more like a blazing VC167 Comet with a Trans-Macc-Mercury tail.

Photos here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/captaincontours/R40XPU.

(MemSec / AndyC - PM me if you want any full-res originals)

[L CC]

I'm guessing it was a bit brutal in a windy kind of way,

It was brutal hanging onto the back of Steve & Julian (tandem) at imperial evens into the wind. They were stars to the first control. Or more like a blazing VC167 Comet with a Trans-Macc-Mercury tail.

Photos here: https://www.flickr.com/gp/captaincontours/R40XPU.

(MemSec / AndyC - PM me if you want any full-res originals)

Awesome! Can't wait to get in the tandem chain gang with them

[Pedal Castro]

Not done a proper edit of the video captured on this ride but I did like the bit of the ride by the sea 

Edit: The virb edit direct upload to youtube is clearly rubbish, I'll try again later.
Take 2

[paulworthington53]

In a word, tough. Headwinds that seemed to stalk you, especially en route to Colwyn bay. Enjoyed the section from the turn to abergele, especially the lanes. Shared the work with dclane (for it was, possibly, he) and Paul.  The rain was short lived enough to not bother me and I managed to get half an hours kip in maccy's. After Elton I seemed to get my second wind so the flight path home was swift, if not fast. Still finished in full value time with a little over an hour to go. Seriously doubting whether it is possible to do the 600 based on this showing.

The major downside was seeing the crash just before the Dee bridge happen 50 yards behind me. I heard an almighty bang and turned to see a car on its side. The driver seemed to be a bit out of it (in a drink/drugs kind of way, maybe) so I kept my distance from him. Rang the Feds and got on my way as all seemed OK and an off duty copper had turned up. Shook me up alot and I began to get quite emotional thinking of my own family back home (not helped by the fatigue). I had to seek company for a chat otherwise I would have been a mental wreck. Many thanks to Paul for unwittingly helping me out at quite a difficult moment

Many thanks to Mike for his route and kindness throughout.

[DCLane]

A summary of my 419km ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/301452748

•Started late due to M62 being shut [note to self: check travel news before leaving next time]
•Mechanical issues [2nd note to self: properly check the bike next time], meaning I kept passing and re-passing the same people. Apologies to anyone who saw repeated deja vu from the rider in the Ravensthorpe CC jersey   
•Wind in the face
•Sand in the face
•Sand in the bike from falling/being blown into sand
•Too many 'hangers on' not contributing to the work, leaving me doing 200k on the front / mostly solo on the outward leg
•GPS worked going out, not back
•The A55 at speed is fun
•Met several interesting audaxers going back, including Paulworthington from here. Thanks Phil (Un Petit Tour) for the directions via your GPS!
•Not as flat as you might think

But done!

Many thanks to Mike for organising this who went above and beyond what I would usually expect.