Amblers Club Run - Sunday 6 December _ 0930 Start!

[Mark Pope]

The weather is looking much better this week so I propose an extension to last week's aborted ride. The route is:

Brackla - Coychurch - Pencoed - across the Common - Bryncethin - Sarn - Fountain - Cefn Cribwr - Pyle - A48 - Laleston - Dipping Bridge - around the Coast - St Brides - the Lanes via Monknash to Llantwit Major - Llanmaes - St Mary Church - Cowbridge - Llantwit Major Road to Nash - across the ridge - Ewenny - Bridgend - Brackla.

It's around 50 miles, with a coffee stop option at either Cafe Velo or Costa's in Cowbridge. See you Sunday at the slightly later Winter start time of 0930.

Mark

[mal jones]

I ll ride over coity c'mon and meet you in Bryncethin bout 9.45

[Mark Pope]

Great, see you there Mal.

[Mark Pope]

Well that was a tough but enjoyable ride in initially very windy, wet conditions. Five hardy souls set out from Brackla with a strong tailwind to Pencoed before we turned into the wind to cross the Common to Bryncethin. We had the pleasure of Harpo's company for the ride over the Common and we were happy to shelter behind him until he left us at Sarn to head off to a wedding while we carried on to Fountain and everyone's favourite climb up to Cefn Cribwr. At the top we were joined by Clayton and Adrian, who was having an easy day after riding with Onit yesterday. After a hard ride into the wind as far as Pyle things eased off slightly as we headed back to Bridgend, Ewenny, around the Coast and a coffee and cake stop at Cafe Velo.

After the break we headed through Llanmaes and St Mary Church where our average speed took a battering as we were held up by a slow moving flock of sheep that were out for a Sunday morning stroll. Once we had navigated our way around Shaun the Sheep and his 300 mates we carried on through Cowbridge, climbed the hill to Nash before crossing the ridge back to Ewenny and home. The distance was just over 49 miles at an average speed of around 16mph, which I've adjusted to take the ambush by Shaun and his cums into account .  Out today at various times were:

Terry
Haydn
Andy's dodgy knees
Jonathan Spinks
Clayton
Adrian
Mark P

[mal jones]

Sorry I missed you had a few probs this morning so went out a bit later for a short ride just as well don't think I could have managed 16 mph ave in that wind!!

[Tom]

I thought Clayton had sprung from nowhere when we saw you again Mark.Actually we thought you'd have been long gone which shows how hard it was into the wind today!

[Mark Pope]

Hi Tom,

Yes it was a real slog to start with. When we had ridden 27 miles I heard Andy say it was the hardest 27 miles he'd ridden in a long while, which cheered me up because I was knackered and had thought I was the only one struggling. It was fine after coffee and toasted fruit loaf in Cafe Velo though!

[Andy S]

Thanks Mark and all,tough day at the office
This was a game of two halves,and I didn't enjoy the first all that much,and the second(22 miles)was worse(for me anyway)
2 rides since early October,each 4 weeks apart,has blown any aerobic fitness I had