Sunny start in Brackla with a few knees on show. Realised at 8:57 I’d managed to pick up an empty water bottle and for the first time ever, came out of Gregg’s £1 down without a sausage roll in hand.
Nige, Paul, new-pacer Ben, and myself set out on a short route giving a good chance of making it back in time to see the important attacks go in RvV. Ben rode with us for the first time on RR3 and immediately demonstrated the importance of representative population samples when forecasting expected average power (are you following this?) by rattling along at 300-400w on the “definitely the ambly social bit of the ride” from Treoes to Llantrisant.
Because the Pacer’s possess the kind of navigational acumen social riders can only dream of our Komoot route worked perfectly taking in all the best pedestrian footbridges in and around the Pontypridd area before depositing us on a needlessly busy route to Aberdare that ran parallel with our usual less “close-passey” roads through Mountain Ash.
Surprisingly decent coffee in Bradleys before the true mastery of the route planner’s art shone through with a warming spin up Maerdy mountain to shake off any café legs. Stop in Tylorstown for Paul to remind us all what a terrible idea tubeless tyres are on a road bike before a little dig up Penrhys and a serene glide up to the ice cream van on the Bwlch. For obvious reasons I can’t comment on what happened on the descent. I lost sight of Nige before the first corner, sat up like he was trundling to the Co Op to pick up a fresh packet of Worther’s Originals and disappearing into the distance.
Good ride (I thought) and back in time to see Pogi being Pogi.
