Twice the length of Wales

[juliet]

So, last year I tried to ride twice the length of Wales in a weekend. And packed at 470k (3/4 of the way).

This year it was back again for another bash. But this time with the company of the lovely uon.


Charlotte, Liz, doop & I drove up on Friday - arrived around 4, so plenty of time to faff around in the Travelodge repacking all our bags in obsessive and rather nervous fashion, have showers, go to Chepstow for large plates of curry, & retire somewhere around 8pm. Various other audaxers were encountered in the Travelodge carpark/corridors.

Chepstow - Bronllys (c. 80k)
0600 start on Saturday, requiring a 0500 departure from the Travelodge for the trip over the bridge to Chepstow. Joyous. I have finally, however, nailed the "crap first stage" problem by discovering that if I eat breakfast immediately before the off, I'll do a lot better. This year it took a good 20k or so for me to be dropped by the end of the main pack, which was a significant improvement on last year. It's a fairly fast stage - a few drags up (notably through the Brecon Beacons, which looks nearly flat but definitely isn't), but you get payoff in the form of some fantastic descents. Got into the cafe control ahead of the Plan (and thus with time in hand), and with plenty of people still hanging around the cafe. Again, unlike last time where I was one of the last in. Splendidly fast service - uon even managed two breakfasts in the 40 min or so we were there.

Bronllys - Tre'r Doll (c. 105k)
It may have started raining a bit by now - it was grey and off/on drizzly most of the day. But not enough to warrant waterproofs of any sort. The main feature that I remember of this stage is the long, long drag along a road up the side of a valley. At least this time there was no headwind. We stopped halfway through the stage for sandwiches, which were very, very welcome indeed. I was managing the climbing surprisingly well, though not as well as doop (who is lighter & stronger than me so climbs better). The beautiful views did help significantly - Wales really is gorgeous. It might even be argued that those valleys are at their best when it's slightly overcast (see userpic from last year!). "The Ballad of Green & Grey" kept running through my head...

Also the Welsh appeared to have kindly resurfaced all the roads in advance of our arrival - splendid stuff.

Once again: payoff from the climbs in the form of some absolutely cracking descents. doop may climb faster than me but I can descend faster than him :-) The last little bit into the control seemed interminable - I'm sure there are new hills there since last time. I accidentally dropped doop, and spent an anxious 5 min outside the cafe waiting for him. It transpired that he'd stopped for a quick scoff of some jellybabies as he was running out of oomph.

Jacket & beans & coffee & Coke & sweeties duly scarfed down... Charlotte & Liz pitched up after us - they'd stopped for chips & tea in a cafe en route.

Tre'r Doll - Dolgellau (c. 45k)
A short stage, but a couple of tough climbs. A very long, slow drag first (past the Centre for Alternative Technology again! We waved to the hippies.), which I found a bit of a struggle. Having doop's company was v helpful for the avoidance of getting excessively grumpy. Eventually we got to the DOWN, but then it was back UP again past Cadair Idris. Which is beautiful. I remembered this as a worse climb than the previous one last time, but this time found it easier. Being able to look across at the mountain does help. After the top of that, it's pretty much downhill all the way to Dolgellau - another absolutely fantastic descent. I love going downhill in Wales - nice wide roads, nothing too alarming on the steepness front. Although I couldn't quite make the most of this one as I got stuck behind a learner driver who couldn't corner as well as I can. Bah.

Then the second worst 1.5k of the ride, viz, the very steep lane up to the youth hostel. I walked the steep bits. (The worst one? Doing it again 170k later, coming back from Menai.). We'd collected Liz and Charlotte on the way down the hill, as well.

Lots of veggie pasta left at the YHA. Hurrah. Encouraging words from Mark (organiser) & Sabine (helping out). Discovered Tuggo, packed with a broken bottom bracket, who was helping out/earning his lift back to Chepstow by fixing Arabella's bike, waitressing, making encouraging noises at people, and so on. Hard luck to have that sort of mechanical failure, though.

Dolgellau - Menai (c. 90k)
On again into the evening. I reckon I had at least an hour on my time at this point last year - we left the YHA just before 7pm, I think. I'd been a bit tired on arrival, but was feeling better again for the food and a brief sit down.

Did not miss the turn to the Barmouth toll bridge this time. Bumpbumpbump but the advantage of not being one of the fast lot is that you don't have to pay the £1 toll... Stopped at the Spar to stock up on junk food for me, then headed up the fast rolling coast road to Harlech. It had stopped raining, but the overcast sky sadly meant that we didn't get the spectacular sunset over the sea that I saw last year. Harlech Castle still damn pretty, though, even if one does have to climb a hill to get there. UP the incline to Penrydadeud (er, sp?) then DOWN again on the other side. Passing Steve A on his way back up - very impressive. (I think that made him about 100k ahead of us?).

The sun finally set as we were on the nice woodland lane to Beddgelert. We stopped there outside a pub for a glass of Coke and some crisps, and to be eaten alive by midges. Bastards. It was definitely raining by now, but still not actually cold enough to bother with the waterproofs.

The climb through the Llanberis Pass (i.e. over the shoulder of Snowdon) seemed longer than last time. uon was making a splendid job of it, though, sailing onwards ahead of me. Bloody grateful to arrive at the top - quick sweeties-and-drink break, before heading down. I didn't enjoy the descent as much as last year - the rain made for roads that were both slippery and hard to read, and I was nervous about losing control. It feels like it should be downhill all the way to Menai, but unfortunately this is not quite so. Nothing too dramatic, though - but by the last few k, doop was really feeling it. (In retrospect, even if it *was* only 5k to go, possibly we should have stopped for him to eat another Mars bar or whatever).

Over the bridge to Anglesey and the control. Where there was very very good veggie soup, and rice pudding, and tea. And Pro Plus (OK, we brought that with us. And passed some on to MattC, on his way out as we arrived). doop was looking pretty green on arrival, but we took the best part of an hour, and by the end he was seeming rather more the thing. Still ahead on last year - didn't bother trying to sleep on the rather hard floor.

Menai - Dolgellau (c. 80k)
The night stage. Always going to be slower. The route goes round the other side of Snowdon, and is described on the route notes as "gently undulating". Gently undulating my arse. It has a dirty great LUMP in the middle. After that, it might qualify as gently undulating. Bah. doop was feeling pretty tired by the time we got back to Beddgelert - Charlotte and Liz passed me here while I was waiting for him. The climb up to Penrhydadeud (sp again?) wasn't quite as bad as I'd feared, but it didn't fill me with great joy either...

Waited at the top of the hill, just above the level crossing. As doop came past me, I suggested a flapjack stop at the bottom of the hill, and warned him to take care on the level crossing. Set off myself. Completely failed to take my own advice. Realised halfway over the crossing that I was at a terrible angle to the rails, and attempted to correct this. Bike went one way, I went the other, and did a splendid faceplant onto the tarmac. Amazingly, I got away with a tiny chip in my front tooth, very minor abrasions, and a tiny bruise on my knee. The bike was unscathed. Given that people have been hospitalised before from coming off there, I was incredibly lucky. I could certainly have quite easily broken a tooth. (Must visit dentist to check no real harm done.)

Off again for the last 40k. Both of us were now struggling a bit on the climbs - and there's a horrendous climb on the A470, past a disused nuclear power station. I walked a fair chunk of it. It's not as downhill after that as I'd like it to be, either. We were steadily losing time - at least the sunrise was pretty, shining red/gold off the mountains across from us. I started to think about packing, but tried to ignore it. Or to worry about it once we reached the YHA.

Finally into the youth hostel just after 0630. People having breakfast - we found a spare bed and collapsed to the sounds of Liz snoring across the room.

Dolgellau - Aberhafesp (c 70k?)

We got up again at 0830 - officially after the control close time, so from now on we'd be bumping off the minimum time. Not great, but I needed the sleep, or at least the dozing. We briefly discussed whether to pack, but both decided to give it a bash. Without doop's encouragement I'm not sure I'd have made it out of the door - I was feeling knackered and knew that there was a horrendous climb straight out of the start.

doop couldn't face breakfast, which was a bit alarming; but we set off anyway just after 0900. Up, up, up, up. I gave up and walked. And burst into tears. doop (going faster than me despite his increasing look of Ill) waited for me and made reassuring noises till I calmed down. I stuck the MP3 player on for the next bit of climb, and though I still walked a lot of it, it did help my mood.

The final steep bit we both walked. Cheerful again enough by now to make jokes about it being a WALL not a road. I pointed out the place where, last year, I lost patience with the elastic on the knees of my bike shorts & chopped them up with my penknife. FINALLY over the top, and a absolutely fantastic descent.

Unfortunately, by now doop was having serious trouble not only uphill, but also on the flat and downhill. Not being able to eat didn't help; and it later transpired that he'd done something nasty to his knee (although he was too out of it to really notice at the time). We'd taken 2 hours to do 25k - which would have still been feasible (the climb uses up a *lot* of time, but the rest of the stage is pretty rolling and you can make up the time), but not without being able to push it fairly hard on the flat/downhill.

So we had a discussion, and decided to pack. Perusal of the map revealed that there wasn't much in the way of train options, so we intended to keep plugging along the route, and possibly hole up in Newtown till Monday when Charlotte and Liz could come and rescue us.

Except that after that, I put my MP3 player back on, set off, and found that I was doing really well. And I really, really didn't want to pack - but neither did I want to abandon doop in the middle of Wales on his own. Argh. I stopped to wait for him, and found an encouraging text from my dad - and wanted even less to pack. Then, when doop caught up, the first words out of his mouth were:
"Or I could pack, and you could keep going."
After a brief discussion - and me bursting into tears again - we decided to go for that. Wished each other luck, and off I went.

And I did fairly fly the next 35k to the control. The ipod really, really earnt its keep. Out of time, nevertheless, by the time I reached the control - but I was assured that it was actual finish time that mattered, and that everyone was on my side, by the lovely chaps staffing the control. They gave me tea, a bananana, and an enormous plate of beans-on-toast, before waving me off with wishes of good luck. They also remembered me from last year, and politely agreed that yes, I was in a much better state this time around.

Aberhafesp - Weobley (c 80k)
Up & down to Newtown, and then the longest climb of the ride. The 7k to the Knighton turn was OK - gentle steady incline, nice views, sit & twiddle. The intermittent steeper bits after that less so - again I was off the bike and walking at intervals. But it was beautiful, especially on reaching the moor-y bit at the top. With sheep, and ponies, and a BABY PONY which was arguably the cutest thing I have ever seen. Also I had REX on the ipod, score. I absolutely loved this bit - fantastic fun. I cheered myself aloud as I passed the place where I packed last year - from now on in I was officially Doing Better.

Lovely run after that down (well, mostly down) to Knighton. After that I started getting a bit weary/slow/out of it. I really needed some more caffeine, but I'd foolishly forgotten to get any Pro Plus from doop. No shops/pubs seemed to be open for me to get coffee or Coke. Argh. With about 10k to go, I finally found a pub, and downed a glass of Pepsi, which perked me up enough to get me to Weobley. Although I was somewhat underimpressed by all the English lanes (the ride does maybe 30k in England) around here. Poor surfaces, 'orrible uphills/downhills - if I'd wanted that sort of thing I'd have stayed in S England and done a Dave Hudson ride. Bah. I particularly disliked the "sharp left, easily missed, opp 'The Forge'" - it was covered in gravel, twisty, and went first UP then DOWN. I walked almost all of the former.

So to Weobley: where the control was, again, shut. Not only was the control shut, but the shop was shut. Having counted on restocking on caffeine/sugar here, I was a bit taken aback. After walking in small circles for about 5 minutes (I was a little tired and confused...) I picked a pub, where they did an enormous plate of chips very fast. Sadly no coffee, but Coke did stand-in duty, and they refilled my bottles with water & Coke as well.

I figured by now that I was almost guaranteed to be out of time. But I'd gone in promising myself that I would finish, not that I'd finish in time. And that was definitely going to happen now; and you never knew, I might pick it up more than I anticipated. So onwards, in reasonably upbeat mood.

Weobley - Chepstow (c. 80k)
More nasty lanes, bah. But a pretty sunset - the weather all of Sunday was lovely, in fact. Finally onto the A466 and heading towards Monmouth and Chepstow. Rollercoaster hills - OK until the last hill before Monmouth, which was a bit of a pig (I rode most of it but walked the final bit).

Immediately out of Weobley, my right knee was suddenly agonisingly painful. Shooting pains of the "make you feel slightly sick" variety. But there was no way I was packing with only 80k to go - anyway, what would I do? So I hoped that the ibuprofen would cut it, and kept going. (It eased up a few k in - no idea whether that was ibuprofen, stretching it out with a bit of walking, finding a good pedal position, or just endorphins. It hurts a bit today.)

Miraculously, I found a petrol station, open, and with a coffee machine. I have never before been so glad to see such an ugly building. Coffee and more sugary stuff helped the shining hour significantly.

Dusk fell as I hit the A466. I saw a hunting barn owl; and bats. One bat swooped right across my light-beam, which was amazing. The road was more or less deserted - just me, the forest, and a car about every 15 min. I spent most of my time singing along to the ipod, very loudly. No idea what the owls and bats thought of that.

Weird pedestrian-underpass wiggle through Monmouth, then back on the road for the very final leg. I knew I was going to finish by now, and was feeling actively cheerful. More rollercoaster hills, but nothing I couldn't get myself up with the aid of my lower gears.

I was knackered, though - kept hallucinating cyclists and street signs by the side of the road, and my gears had developed personalities and were having conversations of sorts with each other. (This is not quite as mental as it sounds - not all of the back cassette gets on equally well with all of the front cassette. You can't actually use all the 27 gears on my bike - only about 20 of them.) I'd also been having to stop for a pee approx every hour on the hour for the entire day - caffeine allergy there, marvellous.

Saw the Severn Bridge through the trees, and rejoiced - a little too early, as there were another 2 lumps more to crack before heading down into Chepstow.

Only another couple of k to go - when I saw a car by the side of the road, and someone standing by it. And - were they flagging me down?

Mark, the organiser - I was lanterne rouge, and they'd shut up shop and come out to find me. He assured me that all was fine, I'd be validated, and congratulations on a job very well done. Then waved me off as I headed down to the (now closed) control, outside which doop was waiting for me. Charlotte and Liz were already in & over at the Travelodge showering.

Back over the bridge with doop (very very slowly - his knee was shot & I was v touched that he'd managed to get over to meet me), to a hot shower, tea, and bed.


My that was long.

Anyway: I did it! I am still a bit shellshocked, tbh. Massive credit to uon, who kept me going for a full 30 hours, plus the next 12 hours in absentia by sending frequent texts. He did a fantastic job himself - made it to 470k in the end, which is 170k further than he's ever ridden before, on a much hillier ride than he's ever done before. A bloody impressive effort. And chapeau to all who rode, especially the ever-marvellous Charlotte and Liz.

Also: I love my bike very much!