Well, it was a washout, a bit of a disaster, but it's the most fun I've had
on a bike! Weather started dull, got bad, then went bad to worse, just
before it went ridiculous. After a false start on the first hill, changing
gear wayyy too late and grinding to a halt, I seriously surprised myself on
the climbs, armed with a triple chainset and walkable shoes and expecting
to use both, but never went below the middle chainring (42x28).
It all started with a rude awakening at 5am, to get us to Bala for the 8am
start. At five past eight we realised the start time was in fact 8:30. Half
an hour of precious sleep lost! Anyway, at 8:33 we were on the move, in the
drizzle. Ten miles of easy warm-up hills later came the first steep and
serious climbs, past lots of gates and unsurfaced bits of road, catching up
and passing a large group who must have gone the wrong (ie. easy) way out
of Bala, and zooming down into Dolgellauu for the first checkpoint and a
cup of tea.
Next were the serious climbs. Part way back up the same hill we just came
down, to a point where the route sheet said "take third right and ascend
climb". Eh? To get to that right turn there was a climb anyway. We soon
found out what it meant, rapidly getting steeper to what must have been
about 1 in 4, on a gravel surface. Half of the riders ahead got off and
walked. I dug deep and stayed in the saddle until the last hundred yards,
front wheel skittering about in the gravel, then when I had to stand up the
back wheel skidded about so much I thought I'd go over. But no, I got
there, and amazed myself in the process.
Another steep stretch came round the corner, then we were up on the moors
below Cadair Idris. As far as I could see, two miles or so, was a constant
line of cyclists, and stuck along the way, three cars. Two of them stopped
at the side of the road, sat at the hillside and watched us all roll by,
getting soaked again after we thought the weather was brightening up, but
one got impatient ... we showed no sympathy!
It was tipping down, my legs were plastered in muck, I could hardly see
through my rain-coated glasses, and the mist was down on the road anyway,
but I was enjoying being on a bike more than ever. Until the descent
started ... the road by now was single-track, potholed, grassed down the
middle, and covered in mud and sheep [censored]. Brakes were pretty useless, non-
existent at times, several times I only just made it around the corners,
and twice rolled onto the muddy verges at 20mph, how I stayed upright I
don't know!
It was a long slow descent, brakes held firmly on for most of the way,
until I finally met the coast at Llyngwril, and met Chris who, typical
Chris, had descended at 30mph and hardly touched the brakes. Don, further
back, had no such luck - he had made it around a corner at 20mph but the
gorse bushes snagged his arm and took him to the ground. Lots of cuts, lots
of bruises, gaping hole in nearly-new £85 jacket, buckled back wheel ... he
made it down to Llyngwril but there was no chance of completing the whole
ride, with another hill en route to the next checkpoint at Tywyn, never
mind the Dovey Forest and the grand finale on Bwlch y Groes.
So at 35 miles we cut it "short", returning to Dolgellau on the main road
for a café stop. Ironically the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out
now. It wasn't without incident either, I stopped for a nature break at the
side of the road and stepped into knee-high nettles (silly me, I worre
shorts). Even with injury, Chris, Neil and Don turned on the gas while I
stopped which meant I had some hard work to do to catch them with stinging
legs - it took 3 miles at hard pace, the swines!
Into Dolgellau we were nearly hit again by a woman reversing obliviously
into the road we were very visibly rolling down, before walking into a very
posh-looking café, still very soggy and covered in mud and injuries. We
were ushered out to the tea garden for tea and toast from the finest china.
18 miles along the A494 remained to Bala where the car waited. Chris and
Neil raced on to bring the car back towards me and Don, riding back at a
slow manageable pace, which didn't get much higher than 10mph. Halfway Don
packed in and let me go ahead to Bala. By the time I got there, Chris and
Neil had got the car, picked up Don and were back at the car park waiting
for me. I was waiting for them too, at the wrong car park entrance. 20
minutes later we found each other. 65 miles ridden in 5 hours, only half of
which was the Wild Wales route, but we were given our slate plaques anyway,
now I'm feeling so guilty I'll have to go and ride it properly!