Started out with 10 today;
Mark Pope (trying to beat the earliest puncture record)
Bowmer (Raphas newest model)
Patrick (He'll do the Rhigos one day)
Tom (struggling with gears)
Johnathan Spink (the silent assassin)
Matt (pure climber)
Mike (I'm glad he doesn't train properly!)
Paul L (Yorkshires 2nd finest)
Karl (pure descender)
and me
Mark Pope went for the 'Earliest Puncture' record with his tube nipping before we even got off the Brackla roundabout. Tom informed us this was not the earliest, which happened before the roundabout. So close Mark! 15 minutes later, we were heading for the hills, leg stretcher over Llangeinor before a really nice climb up the Bwlch today. Mr Bowmer tried to get one over on me up the top of the climb to no avail 😉 Johnathan, Paul, Patrick and Tom got off the Chasers train at this point and went their own separate ways.
Descent to Treorchy where Karl nearly chopped a few sheep in half, well avoided 👍
Up the Rhigos we went, first time for a couple of the bunch. Mike, Matt and Karl led the way, me and Bowmer battled it out (me taking the points.....again!) and Mr Pope very close behind. Descent down to the roundabout where we passed Chris Reed on the way up....(he later informed me that he was waiting at the top of the Coity climb for us, then decided we must've gone a different way after MP's puncture issue, soz Reedy). And another familiar face as we stopped near the roundabout at the bottom. Terry who had been due to do the TT but had punctured on the way to the start. He could've at least had some kind of cycling productivity for the day and motorpaced us all the way home!!! 😉
All the way down to Neath where we stopped for coffee at Costa. Then on to the inevitable smash up along Harbour Way. Rich had a burning desire for victory down here, if only to show his sponsors (Rapha) what he was made of!
Home via Margam and Stormy.
Great route, great day, great company, thanks all.
It's my birthday next Sunday so we need a good coffee stop for some decent birthday cake
Cheers
