Making Hay 200 20th March

[border-rider]

 I was only thinking of your silly 23 mm tyres and delicate carbon frame

[Jaded]

So, Flatus won the Audax then?

[phil d]

It was indeed remarkable how the wind dropped after Hay.  The route from there to Monmouth is really pleasant - if anything I think you get better views of the Monnow valley in that direction.

I managed to use all three of my spare tubes   I was even more diligent on the third time, knowing that patches don't stick very well in the damp, and finally found the tiny piece of glass deep in the tyre.

Despite these unplanned delays, still my fastest finish for a while, and was still feeling good at the end.  So fitness must be returning.

Good to meet a number of fellow yacf-ers, and put faces to a few more monikers.

[Andydauddwr]

We had a fast steam around en tandem, ignoring the prescribed route in a number of places in favour of faster a-roads with better surfaces.  Highlight of the day was finding that the cycling prohibition on the A449 S at Usk has finally been lifted ( ), so we were able to steam back down to the Coldora and from there to take the A48 back...

AC

[border-rider]

I'm not sure I'd fancy riding the A449 

[Tewdric]

  indeed!

[cyclone]

But what a dragstrip on a tandem....

ps well done mr Flatus must have been the red light jumping in Newport that got your racing juices flowing (so thats what carbon does  )

Clunked it round, paid the price for ignoring the feed stop in the Granary and the last bit was sooo sloow but as PhilD mentioned it was a nicer ride than expected (and he can motor too...)

[border-rider]

mmm

Just extracted the bike from the car.  There wasn't much point in cleaning it before the ride

[Hot Flatus]

I think my rims are about 2mm thinner than when I started off yesterday

[border-rider]

I fitted a substantial rear rim last week, and with that and leg-braking was able to spare the front to a very large extent.  No obvious wear to either wheel

I've ripped through quite a big percentage of an Open Pro before now in similar conditions though...

[Philip D]

Did anybody else notice the staggering number of toads (both squashed and unsquashed) on the road? I even saw an unfortunate pair that were squished while in flagrante delicto.

[border-rider]

There've been loads and loads and loads of toads on the roads hereabaouts for the last few days.  Our lane is covered in little flat bodies and we even have one squished in our yard

When i was loading the bike into the car on Friday night I had to use a headtorch so i could walk without treading on them all.

[mattc]

I recall 103 weeks ago squishing loads on the Dean after dusk. That was a mostly wet ride. 51 weeks ago the same event was pretty dry, and not a toad to be seen.

(Lots on LEL too, no idea if there is a link to late July!)

[cyclone]

Did anybody else notice the staggering number of toads (both squashed and unsquashed) on the road? I even saw an unfortunate pair that were squished while in flagrante delicto.

+1 and 1 dead badger... suprised over the numbers of amphibians, counted at least 40...