My Community
General Category => Club Runs => Topic started by: Andy H on April 30, 2014, 08:07:22 AM
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Planning another long one, in the hope that Chris G can make it this time.
Planned route is:- http://connect.garmin.com/course/6420231#
Open to variations on starting place and time depending on who may be interested. Post your intentions here.
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Decent route. No idea if I'll be able to ride, for a number of reasons. But I will if I can!
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If there are a few doing this I can meet you at mcdonalds in talbot green. Just need a time.
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Will see how many and who are interested then agree a start time.
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Weather looking OK for Monday, so going ahead with planned ride. Will alter route to allow for ice-cream/lunch/coffee stop in Hapus Ice Cream Parlor in Machen.
WARNING! Lanes around Pontypool/Blaenavon don't have the greatest surface, so don't bring your 'best' carbon wheels, if you're coming along.
Route has plenty of climbing, some toughies and gets us to different parts of South Wales.
All welcome and I'd prefer to start at 8 a.m.
Post if you're coming along and arrange a meet if you're not starting in Brackla
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This new diet Oly has me on leaves me with screaming legs around the 50 mile mark, very unpleasant :(
So as much as I would like to join this one I don't think I would make it with all those climbs.... is that an alternative climb up The Tumble around the 60 mile mark?
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Jason :o :o :o
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Yes Jason, its through the lanes on the course of Blaenafon triathlon.
Suggest you ditch the diet for the day!
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My thoughts exactly. Ditch it the day before also, to be sure to be sure!
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You might be right there, I guess I just need the right amount of carbs the day before and stick with what used to be my usual breakfast for these rides... I'll have to speak with him on Tuesday about it and perhaps take an easy ride tomorrow to see how I feel.
Does anyone know what the numbers are looking like for Monday?
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I'm working on my permissions. Keen to partially make up for very little cycling all week. Happy with Andys proposed 8am start time. Be good to have more than 3 this time...super route!
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And I'll probably knock about 2 hours (or40miles) out of ride by joining and leaving you further east
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I'll canvass the amblers tomorrow morning!!
Leave Brackla 8.am Llantrisant 8.30ish
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That looks like a great route - I hope to make it - confirm tomorrow. I remember doing that climb between Machen and Rogerstone with Rob J and Mark Ellis - I also remember the descent being worse than the climb - steep and 'technical'.
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PS - also looking forward to seeing if I can stay with Andy H on the climbs given how skinny he was looking at CIP the other morning :P
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Revised route allowing for going out via Llantrisant.
http://connect.garmin.com/course/6420231#
With the mileage and climbing involved, I suggest starting from Talbot Green/Llantrisant at 8 am, unless there is a sudden 'flood' of interest of people from Bridgend way!
This would make it about 90 miles.
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Ok ~ Looks like I'll be up for this one... the climb at the Tumble makes the rest of the climbs look pretty insignificant :o
Start at Talbot Green is good for me, I can always meet a little later if there are more people wanting to ride from Bridgend.
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I'll be there. I'll be at the Talbot Green start at 8am at the L'Oreal roundabout, unless directed otherwise. I'll check the forum again tonight in case meeting place is changed - don't want to miss this one - looks like a potential epic, and I've saved my legs a bit with a shorter ride today (that's so I can survive rather than attack the climbs).
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Can't face this(8 at L'Oreal as much as anything else!)but will probably go over the Bwllch if weather as good as BBC promise at the moment.If anyone else fancies a shorter Bank Hol ride happy to meet up
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Will be same place and time as Allan.
Can I make one suggestion - cut out some miles and take in my opinion a better route from caerphilly mtn to lower machen by descending into caerphilly and taking the lovely van lane through the forest, rudry and to connect with route further east at lower machen in time for that evil climb north over into risca that Andy has snuck in?
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Does the following route look correct taking in your Van Road Route Rob?
http://www.strava.com/routes/372081
Ignore the return journey west of Crumlin, I'm thinking of loading it to the Garmin as an Escape Plan should my legs fall off after The Tumble (although I'm going to have breakfast tomorrow to try and avoid those leg pains).
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Yes Jason and thanks for correcting me - van road not van lane! As long as its OK with Andy?
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Routes never written in tablets of stone, I'm fine with that.
As it happens I was east of Cardiff yesterday so drove from Began to Rudry and there was quite a bit of flooding where it's low lying, so detour is good idea.
See you at L'Oreal roundabout at 8
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Considering I only mentioned it as an afterthought yesterday afternoon I was quite surprised to find 6 other Oggies waiting at the Triangle for a shorter Bank Hol ride.Andy S,Steve C Wayne,Jonathan,Roy Andrew F and I set off on the planned route.Andrew F wasn't feeling 100% and decided to turn back at the bottom of the Bwllch.The rest of us pressed on,amused to see the sheep on the top clustering in the lay-by awaiting the arrival of the ice cream van.They're not so stupid as sure enough he rolled in a few minutes later and threw them a load of cones(no ice cream though).
Steve had a high speed blow-out going down the Bwllch but thanks to what appeared good bike handling skills from my vantage point half a mile or so behind remained upright.
Roy fell off at v low speed turning left up toward Maesteg not having ridden that hill under-estimated the steepness and couldn't get down the gears in time-no injuries except perhaps tp pride.
Wayne peeled off in Maesteg to go and visit his Mum(brownie points to him).All of us except Jonathan turned left to climb Shwt(very nicely re-surfaced btw).Jonathan was probably heading direct to McDonalds as he was on a diet which meant he can't eat before mid-day and did the ride without breakfast!
Finally Steve paid for dropping us all on all the hills as he got hunger knock a few miles from home and had to go foraging for food.
Even with the puncture we were home in under 3 hours-can't tell you distance or metres climbed etc as I haven't had a computer for 7 years!
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4 out for the slightly shortened Bank Holiday epic, Allan, Rob, Jason T and myself.
Set off in cool conditions but at least able to get short sleeve shirt and arm-warmers out, sun trying to make an appearance.
Steady pace out via Groesfaen to the first climb of the day, Church Road, up to Pentyrch. Gentle warm up to prepare the legs for what was to come later.
Rapid descent to Taffs Well, then Tongwynlais and Caerphilly Mountain via Heol-Y-Forest and Pen-Y-Bryn. Pace still pretty steady at this point, climber(s) still holding back and 'measuring the effort'.
Slight detour from Rob's part of the route, led us to ask directions of a local in an estate off Van Rd in Caerphilly. Classic answer, "don't know why you'd want to go up there for, (about Rudry) there's nothing up there 'mun'!!
Rob starting to get the bit between his teeth, shot off up the climb to Rudry, leaving the rest of us to wonder.......
Great views from the top but weren't there for long as we headed down to Lower Machen, sharp left turn after the church and onto the climb to Ochrwyth, toughest of the day so far, only just over a mile long but with several sharp inclines reaching 15%, even tougher was going down the other side, steeper, wet, twisting and poor road surface, meaning great care needed.
Followed the B road through Risca, Cwmcarn and Abercarn to climb up to Hafodyrynys, only a mile at 8% but the climbing was now starting to tell. Quick blast along the A472 and A4042 took us to the Old Abergavenny Road rejoining the A4042 at LLanover before turning off again at Oak Lane for the highlight of the day, 4 miles of climbing, 1500+ ft of ascent, gradients of 15%+. Throw in water, mud, potholes and generally bad surface and this makes it a very tough climb. Rob hit the climb hard from the off whilst I stayed on Allan's wheel for as long as I could, trying to warn in advance about the various sections, Jason bringing up the rear. Lost Allan's wheel after about 1/3 of the climb and was glad to make it up the climb with having to stop as conditions were v. slippery. This is a tough climb, views from the top almost worth it!!
Waited at the top for Jason but realized he must have missed a turn, so I descended while Allan and Rob carried on (mutual agreement). Met Jason about a mile down the hill and had the joy of climbing back up. As both Jason and I had done some extra climbing we missed out the final climb and headed for home.
Coffee, ice-cream and walnut cake at Hapus in Machen provided just about enough energy to make it back to Llantrisant, very tired the merest rise in the road prompting a down shift in gears.
Good day out, thanks for the company.
91 miles 6 hours 2199 meters (enough to qualify as an epic?)
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I think so, even allowing for Allan and I copping out half way round your triathlon course and taking the easy way home. That was one heck of a climb up to blorenge...though I am sure it would be much easier after a swim and knowing you have a run to follow!
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Superb effort from you today Andy. Thanks for agreeing to let Rob and I head on (allowed me to take son Number 2 out for his first road ride) and allowed Rob to avoid doghouse (just). The fact you could face going back up that hill after descending 1 mile I think is a demonstration of your Ironman credentials - I would not have been able to do it. Despite the pain it was a brilliant ride - absolutely fantastic route. For future reference, Rob and I can recommend the road from Tredegar to Blackwood - wide maim road, but very quiet, and really scenic.
As always, Rob's climbing was awe-inspiring.