Mille Cymru - Welsh 1000 - 23-26/07/2010

[Manotea]

S'a funny thing. I'm sworn to Fixed Gear this year, and I couldn't contemplate this ride on fixed gear. Only a few in AUK could, and I suspect they were on the ride, or tested it beforehand.

But I cling to the slender hope that I might manage it one day with a full set of gears. I grovelled my way round the Midlander 300 last year with Scottlington - and he has heroically tamed the dragon this time around, so I'm going to hang on to that and may well try it next time.

BCM '11?

A fixed BCM is so last year...

[simonp]

The BCM is a good ride to delude you into thinking Welsh hills are easy.

[Hummers]

I want to hear more about this toad and why was it so good  

My ride was the usual mixture of the good, the bad and the stupid, the good - most of the weekend, especially the Tregaran mountain toad [...]

The Tregaron Mountain Toad

Little is known about the Tregaron Mountain Toad (bufo cambriamontana) as it is a solitary and rather shy species. It is thought to share common ancestry with the Giant Swiss Road Toad (bufo titanhelvetia) and the fearsome North American Undertoad (bufo garpus). The size of a fully grown adult is not known with any certainty due to poor weather conditions and the frequent near exhaustion and unreliability of mind of most who report seeing it. Estimates range from 15cm to several 10s of metres.

What is known is two rather unusual habits that distinguish it from its North American and Swiss cousins. Within its native mountain environment the toad is known to gather small rocks and in an almost ritual like manner, carefully crush them into small gravel like pieces. These, it distributes in small piles along the narrow roadways that cross the area. In particularly active seasons, it is known to be able to cover almost the entire roadway for several kilometres.

But perhaps the most unusual behaviour exhibited by bufo cambriamontana is the creation of its distinctive scarlet marker towers. Over a period of several years a solitary toad will build a structure over 2m tall, usually in an isolated hollow. Coloured red, due to special pigment glands in its hind legs, this structure bears a remarkable resemblance to a GPO telephone box, once common in the 20th century. Indeed, from a distance it is often indistinguishable from a functioning phone box, the only difference being its complete isolation from any human habitation. Scientists have speculated as to the function of these constructions, the most widely accepted hypothesis being some form of territorial or wayfinding marker. However, others have suggested it affords shelter, possibly to its young, during particularly inclement weather conditions.

 

H

[thing1]

For anyone confused where it's gone, a new thread was split off with discussion of a weekend of mc1k-based day rides / PBP qualifiers for next year.

Mille Cymru-based day rides 2011

[vorsprung]

Another blog entry

Mille Cymru: with Paul and Toby « Audaxing

Anyone who has ever wondered what it might be like to ride over a mountain with Paul and Toby in the middle of the night should read this.  So probably a limited audience 

[Paul D]

Another blog entry

Mille Cymru: with Paul and Toby « Audaxing

Anyone who has ever wondered what it might be like to ride over a mountain with Paul and Toby in the middle of the night should read this.  So probably a limited audience 

This is what Tony Blair must feel like after Mandelson's biog.

I'd like to point out that Vorsprung seemed happier than he's letting on about both the Chinese and the late night conversation. He's right about the last few miles though - I really did just want to listen to my tunes.

[vorsprung]

I'd like to point out that Vorsprung seemed happier than he's letting on about both the Chinese and the late night conversation.

The chinese was fabulous, great idea

The late night conversation was fine.  Damn, I just remembered another Toby/Jamie exchange that should have gone in the article

Jamie: "I kind of start to think about stuff, and then the thinking becomes a dream and then I fall asleep on the bike and fall in the hedge"
Toby: "So don't think about stuff!  Just ride the bike!"

[iakobski]

Does anyone know if the other chap on fixed finished?

[Panoramix]

Does anyone know if the other chap on fixed finished?

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

[αdαmsκι]

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

  So Dr. Volio didn't finish?

[simonp]

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

  So Dr. Volio didn't finish?

Try making different assumptions, see if you come to the same conclusion. 

[mattc]

Does anyone know if the other chap on fixed finished?

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

Didn't we see him riding the wrong way, possibly somewhere nr Brecon?

[Typical fixer, I was leapfrogging him the whole event. Very 'dour' expression from the start, but pretty cheerful! Somewhere before StDavids he said "I must thank John for arranging this lovely walking holiday".]
It was very strange to be riding an event with so few fixies.

[simonp]

Does anyone know if the other chap on fixed finished?

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

Didn't we see him riding the wrong way, possibly somewhere nr Brecon?

[Typical fixer, I was leapfrogging him the whole event. Very 'dour' expression from the start, but pretty cheerful! Somewhere before StDavids he said "I must thank John for arranging this lovely walking holiday".]
It was very strange to be riding an event with so few fixies.

We did see him riding the wrong way.  I was Lanterne Rouge due to oversleeping by 45 minutes that morning, and a mechanical to boot.  I was on the way up some big climb when he came flying down it (I didn't realise it was him at the time).

I met him at Llandovery where all was explained.

[Hot Flatus]

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

  So Dr. Volio didn't finish?

He was riding gears, which apparently was "so much easier", even though he seemed to be going so much slower 

[αdαmsκι]

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

  So Dr. Volio didn't finish?

Try making different assumptions, see if you come to the same conclusion. 

I did consider the fact he may have been using gears, but that seemed so outlandish that I banished the thought from my brain.

[Chris S]

Dr Volio? Gears?

 

I feel fai.....

*thud*

[Tewdric]

If you mean Mike (on the Langster), the answer is Yes. He was the only one to finished on fixed.

  So Dr. Volio didn't finish?

He was riding gears, which apparently was "so much easier", even though he seemed to be going so much slower 

He professed on Monday morning that using gears seemed like cheating because there were no hills any more, merely additional flat bits that had to be ridden more slowly..

[Hot Flatus]

I'll have him on a 20 speed carbon machine by next summer 

[simonp]

Dr Volio? Gears?

 

I feel fai.....

*thud*

Still want to give it a go?

The difficulty of the ride wasn't his reason for riding on gears.

[Chris S]

Praise Jeeeezus... he's cured!

I didn't mean it.

[Manotea]

I did sense a disturbance in the (fixed) Force. I understand MV had a doctors note.

Thus demonstrating that gears can be used in extremis by the weak and infirm, sniff.

(It does of course mean that he's going to have to go round again sometime to do it properly...)

[JayP]

There was one rider who made it to the end of day 2 but didn't finish. Me! I got back to LW 10 mins before time (0750 Sunday). Up till then I had had 90 mins sleep at LW after Leg 1 and four roadside dozes on the way back from Cilgerran -so at least two or three hours sleep had to be the next thing. In my befuggled state I just thought well that's it , no chance now. So I packed. The fact that Mrs JayP (Elaine) and camper van were at LW made packing an easier choice.
 
I enjoyed the rest of the weekend helping out at LW, and the nice pub-lunch John  treated us to, but my regret at packing has kicked in and mounted daily since. This post, if I'm honest, is me trying to exorcise the regret demon. 

I am now astonished that I failed to calculate that from 8am Sunday I could have had 4 hours rest at LW and still have had 23.5 hours ( AUK times from 0630 start) remaining for the remaining 350k - ample.  Phil Dyson did attempt to explain my options to me but I cut him short which was both rude and stupid. So MC1K is unfinished business for me. 

[mattc]

I am now astonished that I failed to calculate that from 8am Sunday I could have had 4 hours rest at LW and still have had 23.5 hours ( AUK times from 0630 start) remaining for the remaining 350k - ample.  Phil Dyson did attempt to explain my options to me but I cut him short which was both rude and stupid. So MC1K is unfinished business for me.  

"ample"? Sounds quite tough to me. For me anyway, especially riding it all alone in probability. Lorra hills, another night on the road ...
I don't know your abilities, but you may have made the right call.

Your ride was what I expected myself - to get back late on Day2 and call it a day. I don't think anyone packed on day 3 - you might have been the latest DNF?

Were you the chap that failed to help me find my bike at LW?!?

[scottlington]

I rode - briefly - with a chap from Oz. He was wearing various Audax Australia and Audax Victoria tops etc. We bumped into him a few times over the course of day 1 and 2. The last time I saw him was on the climb leaving Pendine. Does anyone know who he is and whether he finished? I could be wrong (probably am) but I think his name was Greg...

[ludwig]

There was a Gareth Evans from Australia. With a name like that it might have been a homecoming for him