2021: Another year like no other? The journey to cycling redemption

I think it's fair to say that for everyone 2020 was a year like no other and there can't be many people whose plans were not turned completely upside down last year. It was both frustrating and alarming, probably in equal measure. As I write this intro, 2021 is showing signs of promise of a change of direction in the battle against Covid-19, but I think it's fair to say that 2021 will be another year of frustration and looking forward. As things stand I am not planning any foreign trips in 2021 and I suspect that it will be a case of taking opportunities as and when they present themselves.

But for all that we can still ride our bikes and for that I am grateful. As the weather improves and the days get longer so the opportunities will surely come. It would be nice to think that we can get the chance to ride outside our immediate locale, last year's highlights were very much the few days away in far flung places like mid-Wales. In the meantime, 2022 planning is already underway and it seems sensible to use 2021 as a platform to build on for next year, so here goes...

December 31st 2021: Back to the Future

And so that was 2021, all done and dusted now and we can put it to bed, for better or worse. As the dust settles on what has been another traumatic year I am left reflecting on what an astutue purchase my smart trainer has proved to be. Completing nearly 4500km indoors this year has been quite a revelation to me, with no fewer than 8 rides over 100km in length. Who'd have thought it? It has probably given me the get-out now when the weather looks less than favourable of just heading into the pain cave for an hour rather than braving the elments outside. Not that the garage is all cushty, it can be develish cold in there sometimes. And for all the convenience it really doesn't beat getting out on the road in proper fresh air with the wind on your face and the sun on your back (not that we've really seen much of that this year).

The sun sets on another year of riding December has been a quiet month, although in the end I did manage to push the total over 1000km to make it 11 months out of 12 for 2021, which feels quite an achievement for me. Having signed up for the Cycling Weekly 5000 mile challenge again, and having completed that by the end of July, it then remained to see just how far I could take it. In the end I fell just short of last year's record total, but I think it has been a more relaxed year on balance. A grand total of 334 rides, of which only 160 were outdoors tells only part of the story. Fewer rides with Helen, primarily because her work commitments have been greater, and less adventurous on the awaydays front (not helped by lockdown persisting until April at the start of the year). Having said that over half my Decvember rides were with Helen, so perhaps we managed to correct the balance a little bit there. No real standout rides in December, just a series of steady local outings with only one foray over Whitegates. As I look forward to 2022 and the prospect of (hopefully) finally getting to ride LEJOG that is a ride which I feel will likely feature strongly in the first 6 months of next year. Which about sums up where we're at right now. There is huge uncertainty at the moment, for me it is hard to see 2022 being radically different to 2021, despite the persistent postulations of politicians and business that we are through the worst. That remains to be seen, but right now it is hard to see how I can get my hoped for trip to the Pyrenees back on track. All we can do is retain some optimism, keep fingers crossed and leap into the next 12 months. Here goes...
Totals for December
Real Distance ridden: 444km
Total ascent: 3058m
Virtual distance ridden: 590km
Virtual Ascent: 3375m

Total figures for 2021
Distance ridden: 13,376km
Total ascent: 112,190m
Longest ride: 132.30km


Best rides:There haven't been many standout rides during 2021, such has been the continuing impact of Covid on our lives. 'Tourist' rides have amounted to less than 900km away from home. Probably THE standout ride of 2021 has to be the Wild Wales Challenge at the end of August, a real leg breaker in the Berwyn mountains which tested Helen and her ebike to the limit and had us grovelling at times but savouring the spectacular countryside and the atmosphere of the event. Away from that the rides elsewhere in the Cambrian mountains of mid and north Wales have all been enjoyable, particularly our outing with the Busens over to Devils Bridge and down the lovely Elan Valley. The other memorable day out on the bikes was heading along the north Wales coast to Llandudno in September to catch sight of the Tour of Britain stage on the Great Orme, again great atmosphere as the professionals showed us how it should be done.

December 3rd 2021: One last push for 2021

And so we come to December. Winter is knocking at the door, we have actually had some snow (not a lot, admittedly) and a cold north wind is blowing in that very traditional winter way. For the first time this year I have not managed to ride 1000km in a month, falling some way short in November for a variety of reasons, not least the weather, but also with holiday and other trips away. Once I got over the inevitable disappointment it actually felt like a weight lifting. Despite that I have now topped over 12,000km for 2021 and with a month to go may get somewhere close to last year's record total, so it's not all doom and gloom. November finished with a second indoor Gran Fondo ride which was strangely satisfying. Riding 100km on the smart trainer is so very different to riding the same distance out on the road and the fatigue of the effort is hard to define. But it still hurts, just in a different way. My final ride for November was a real one, out on the roads and heading up to Whitegates and Ffrith, somewhere I have not ridden for a while. I have to say that no records were in danger of being broken as I took it very steadily, but the sun was shining and it made it a ride to enjoy and savour, even if I had to backtrack thanks to a long overdue road closure in Ffrith as the subsiding road surface there finally gets some much needed attention. December started with yet more indoor rides, both on Zwift and BigRingVR (I do try to split my efforts over the two platforms as they each invoke a very different ride experience). Yesterday, though, Helen and I ventured forth on what looked like an unusually calm and (marginally) warmer day, taking to the Greenway and River Dee cyclepaths for our first local ride together in over a month. No café stop sadly, but we were home in time for lunch.
Totals for November
Real Distance ridden: 491km
Total ascent: 4239m
Virtual distance ridden: 378km
Virtual Ascent: 2353m

November 23rd 2021: Another Cumbrian visit

The Pyrenean class of 2008 reunion ride Only a fortnight after our south Cumbrian holiday I found myself back in the county, staying with Paul for a few days and with the chance to get some more Cumbrian cycling under my belt. On Saturday, and despite some pretty typical Cumbrian November weather (ie rain and cool) I met up with Cal, Mike and Jeremy at the Priest Mill café in Caldbeck for a reunion ride of sorts, joined as we were by Paul King meaning that there were four of us from that epic Pyrenean Raid trip from way back in 2008. Well met indeed, and we soon found ourselves reminiscing and catching up after far too long. Eventually we forced ourselves out of the Priest Mill warmth and saddled up, heading in a roundabout way to Orton Grange down near Dalston for a lunch stop. The drizzle was not too bad and, actually, soon desisted, though the intense greyness of the day was harder to shake off. Nevertheless as we crested the common above Millbeck the views to the Pennines were surprisingly clear and the sun even had a go at making an appearance. We were soon riding the Crown 10 course to Durdar, swapping lockdown stories and enjoying each other's company. From Durdar we rode the gentle downhill to Dalston, roads I have ridden so many times in the past, a real trip down memory lane for me. By the time we approached the A595 roundabout and Orton Grange the rain had returned and our timing seemed perfect. Orton Grange proved to be an inspired choice with fine scran to be had along with coffee and good craic. Pretty soon an hour and a half had passed, the rain pounding down outside and we were in no great hurry though the day was fast slipping away. From Orton Grange our group split asunder as alternate agendae meant going in different directions. With the rain now retreating, Jeremy and I headed via the Cumdivock and Rosley TT course to Church Hill before we bade each other farewell and I slowly hauled my way up Brocklebank, albeit with the hint of a tailwind. As I crested Caldbeck Common the rain clouds rolled in from the northern fells and as I rolled back down into the village to find my car yet again the timing was perfect at the end of what was a thoroughly enjoyable reunion ride.

Solway sunset time at Silloth with Criffel on the horizon Two days later on Monday the weather was altogether different with sunshine and no sign of the rain clouds. I was spending a couple of days doing some work at Shamrock in Waverton as the house goes to the market (again) but after some lunch I grabbed the chance to ride out from 'home' on a bit of a memory lane trip round the Solway coast. It seemed a bit strange to be heading out on the road to Waterside, Fletchertown and Aspatria, something I have done so often in the past. The views to the Lake District mountains were simply sumptuous in the afternoon sunshine, with the Solway equally resplendent away to the right. Despite the alarmingly close pass by a lunatic four-by-four driver with trailer as he bounced off the central bollard, narroiwly missing my front wheel, I was enjoying the ride and found myself now winding down the narrow roads to the coast just outside Allonby, where the views across to Criffel were worthy of a camera stop. Ahead now was the long run up the coast road to Silloth, a 13km delight with a tailwind (though purgatory when the wind is against you). Today was a tailwind and,as the sun slowly settled towards the horizon I rolled onto the Silloth cobbles and down to the promenade steps by the lifeboat station. The light was gorgeous by now and I cruised along the prom stopping for some photos along the way. The downside was that the end of daylight was not far away, unlike Shamrock which was still some 20km away. Never mind, the sunset light was worth it and I stopped for more photos on the road to Skinburness and across the saltmarshes. As I headed for Abbeytown the sun finally did set and the Blackdyke wind turbines were silhouetted against a blazing glowing sky (more photos). From Abbeytown my route took me along the Waver river and through the little hamlet of Lessonhall, daylight now well and truly gone. As I rumbled up the lane to Shamrock there was still a vestige of light to the west, all that remained from a lovely afternoon Solway sunset ride.

November 11th 2021: Cumbriancyclist on tour

Heading for the Cartmel Peninsula on NCN route 6 It has been a long while since I last rode a bike in Cumbria and longer still since I explored some of the roads on the delightful Cartmel Peninsula in the south of the county. We were enjoying a week's holiday in the village of Stainton, not far from Kendal, as an autumn getaway ahead of my birthday and had taken bikes with us. Sadly, the weather gods were far from kind and much of the week we stared at rain clouds and, indeed, rain. Last Thursday this changed as a window opened with the promise of a dry day, albeit a grey one, so we pumped up the tyres and sallied forth. There is a pretty comprehensive Sustrans network in the area with route 6 heading pretty much past our door so we started with this, riding south along quiet lanes towards Milnthorpe, Cumbria's southern outpost straddled on the A6. Autumn colours have been striking this year and everywhere the trees were vibrant offering a glorious rural vista as we rode. Once through Milnthorpe we looked out for a 90 degree turn right onto NCN 700 and now headed north on the flat coastal roads which line the River Kent as it meanders gently out into the Morecambe Bay estuary. This was all very reminiscent of the Solway area in north Cumbria, so familiar to me from my years in Waverton, and we enjoyed the easy riding. After several kilometres we hit the A6 just south of Levens and had a short section sharing with the traffic on one of Britain's major trunk roads. Perhaps not Sustrans finest hour? Once into Levens and thankfully off the A6 we briefly resumed our acquaintance with route 700 before heading west on route 70, headed straight for the dramatic rocky outcrop of Whitbarrow Scar, a huge limestone cliff which rises dramatically out of the flat coastal plain. With the colourful treescape at its foot it was an arresting sight demanding camera time.

Riding toward Whitbarrow Scar from Levens At the wonderfully named village of Witherslack our route direction now shifted more south and we crossed under the busy A590 via a traffic light controlled underpass and onto another quiet lane which wound its way across Meathop Moss, the village of Arnside seemingly just ahead (although the Kent estuary prevents direct access). In Meathop village we encountered a hill for the first time since Levens as the road skirted round Meathop Fell. It felt a bit of a shock to the system after so much cycling on flat roads, reminiscent of Holland at its finest. Soon we crossed the River Winster, a tributary of the Kent which by now is a huge estuary of sandbanks and channels, but mainly obscured by the Cumbrian Coastal railway line which we were now accompanying as we headed into Grange-Over-Sands. Grange came as a bit of a shock to the system. Suddenly we were amongst traffic, lots of it. Grange is the major conurbation round these parts and it would seem that anyone and everyone heads for town on a Thursday morning. After some 27 kilometres it seemed a good opportunity to stop for coffee and an Edwardian parade on the roadside had a couple of tearooms to choose from. We settled down on the pavement seating and enjoyed a pleasant coffee break (with cake, of course) and plotted the next phase of our tour.

In the heart of historic Cartmel village The Cartmel Peninsula is an area all on its own, isolated from much of the Lake District by the A590 road to the north. It is a myriad of country lanes and small villages, many of which have history. The village of Cartmel is probably the most interesting with its 12th century Priory and its iconic racecourse, as well as a lovely village square surrounded by pubs. The road to it though is far from easy, as we now found. Having negotiated the streets of Grange we turned north, still on route 70, and hit the steep sharp climb to High Fell Gate, a climb I remembered from the Christmas Cracker sportive which the BCW guys rode every year back in the day. It was soon over, however, and we now cruised down the hill into Cartmel village. What a lovely little place Cartmel truly is, picturesque and quaint in equal terms, with little backstreets, historic artefacts and old buildings at seemingly every turn. The Priory, clearly, is the centrepiece, although it is remarkably difficult to get a good clear view of it as it is surrounded by the village houses and businesses. At one turn we came across an old wall-mounted advert for Raleigh Cycles, a photo opportunity if ever there was one, before riding under an archway into the main square where we suddenly felt the call of lunch. The Priory Hotel had outside seating, it wasn't raining and they were open for business. Perfect. The proprietress was accommodating and helpful and before long we were tucking into soup, bake potato and a cheeky beer as white vans came and went as they sought their next dropoff.

Once lunched, we went in search of a closer look at the priory on what was Armistice Day, with poppies adorning the church grounds. It is a truly splendid building with a remarkably chequered history. Our route now took us south-west to Cark and Flookburgh, two more names from my cycling past. We were back on route 700 now, albeit briefly, and we rode yet again on flat coastal lanes past Cark Airfield and across the Cumcrian Coastal line, just as a train carrying its nuclear payload trundled innocently by. Back on the B road we climbed through ALlithwaite and then we were swooping back down into Grange, rejoining route 70. It was not time to retrace our route, all the way back to Witherslack, Whitbarrow and finally Levens. By now the greyness was turning to drizzle and the best of the day was behind us. At Levens there was a real sting as we hit the steep slopes over the shoulder of Sizergh Fell before dropping down to the entrance to Sizergh Castle and once again found ourselves on the banks of the River Kent. It was familar roads now back to base, climbing through Sedgwick village and Crosscrake before dropping down into Stainton via the back road, just as the rain really started to come down. Perfect timing, and an end to an enjoyable Cartmel touring ride which, for me, rolled back the years.

November 5th 2021: 5000 miles outside

As October rolled over and with the clocks now officially resigned to five months of winter time we managed a couple of local rides. Helen's e-bike is off the road at the moment after a routine service discovered hairline fractures in the rear wheel rim, not ideal from a safety perspective. Alf Jones Cycles and Cannondale are on the case and we are hoping it will be back before we head for our holiday in Cumbria. In the meantime her hand has been forced and our last October ride was our regular Tilston loop, with Helen on her trusty Hoy. It proved to be a bit of a shock to the system after many rides on her Neo, but she survived and it was good to do a joint ride, they have been few over the last couple of months for one reason and another. November kicked off with what turned into a longer ride than intended (my miscalculation) as I headed out to Queensferry and the Greenway (it's been a while) before looping south round Chester through some familiar old haunts (Barrow, Waverton and Aldford before returning via Holt and Rossett. I did a rough guess beforehand and reckoned about 60km, it ended up being nearly 85! Not even close. Still, it was a pleasant enough ride out. And it turned out to mark a milestone as I clocked up 5000 miles of outdoor riding in 2021 during the ride. Sadly, as I write this I am feeling below par as I now seem to have developed a chesty cough on the back of a cold, not the ideal preparation for our Cumbria holiday. I am taking the medication and keeping my fingers crossed. Roll on Cumbria!
Totals for October
Real Distance ridden: 777km
Total ascent: 5704m
Virtual distance ridden: 341km
Virtual Ascent: 2948m

October 28th 2021: The end of summer is nigh

A refreshment break at the Boat Museum on our Wirral Adventure Ride This weekend sees the change from Summer Time to Winter Time as the clocks go back and our evenings are plunged into darkness. That may sound a tad over-dramatic but I do find it a difficult time of year to adjust to. Already the days are getting ever shorter and it is advisable to carry nightlights on the bike in case a planned ride overruns and we end up heading home in the dark (it happens). The weather, too, is more of a mixed bag and much of Britain is, as I write, experiencing some bad weather as rain and winds sweep across many parts of the country with flooding and damage the outcome. Opportunities for riding on my Cannondale (best bike) are fewer (it doesn't like the bad weather!) and my default ride this month has been the Kinesis titanium bike, complete with full mudguards. Having said that we had a weather window on Monday and I ventured forth on the Synapse and ended up racking up another Gran Fondo ride which was a real bonus, the fourth ride of over 100km this month which is amazing. This came on the back of an epic Gran Fondo outing celebrating Phil's birthday with a complete circuit of the Wirral. Along the way we discovered the Manchester Ship Canal, Polish roadsigns, a fantastic off-the-wall café in Eastham, a weather-damaged Black Pearl at New Brighton and a block headwind on the coastal wall to Hoylake. In the end I rolled home in the dark as our progress was somewhat slower than planned, but it was a cracking day out.

The UCI World Track Championships have now been and gone, with a strong performance by the Italian track team who won the most medals (10), although both Germany and Netherlands won more golds. For Team GB it was a modest performance with just 2 gold medals. Interestingly, both were in the Omnium with Ethan Hayter comfortably winning the men's event and Katie Archibald winning the women's event. The British team had a very experimental look about it, typical of where we are in the Olympic cycle. For Ethan Hayter it rounded off a stellar season and came off the back of a fine ride in the National Road Race where he finished third and National Time Trial which he won. He really is one for the future and it will be interesting to watch his progress next year. The British National Men's Road Race was a cracking race with Ben Swift coming out on top after a fine tussle with Fred Wright, Swifty successfully retaining his title in the process. The women's title was won by Pfeiffer Georgi who finished well ahead of Josie Nelson. We are now into the close season and the usual round of transfers and contract negotiations is in full swing. It looks rather as if Geraint Thomas will roll out for yet another two years in a Team Ineos jersey, having been with them since 2010. Meanwhile the evergreen Alejandro Valverde has announced that 2022 will be his last season (again). At 42 he will be, shall we say, a mature rider but he still manages to compete at the top level and you never know, he may yet stand on the podium in major races.

October 10th 2021: An accidental Gran Fondo

As we slip inexorably into Autumn, the leaves start to make their transformation and the nights draw in, the challenge of a monthly Gran Fondo ride grows. Not that it is really an issue, after all riding 100 kilometers during daylight shouldn't really cause any problems, even in December. Nevertheless, the colder days, the mixed weather and darker evenings do present a bit of a mental blockage for my part. I had already ticked off my October Gran Fondo early, heading out for a lovely ride over Halkyn last week, exploring some long forgotten and, indeed, previously uncharted roads on my way and finishing with a local loop to tip me over the century (a loop too far in some respects as I picked up my second puncture in a matter of weeks thanks to the generosity of a local farmer who had seen fit to clip the hedges but had failed to clear up the mess). On Sunday Helen and I fancied a bit of a ride with the weather being settled and still vaguely warm, so we set out with the intention of maybe 70 kilometers including a café stop up at Net's on the Dee Estuary before turning inland and winding our way through the Cheshire back lanes north of Chester. The good weather had brought out the cyclists in their droves but the outdoor seating at Net's is sympathetic to the current Covid situation and it is always pleasant to sit there with a brew and enjoy the birdlife and estuary views. As we bimbled along past Capenhurst (and its splendid and majestic bug hotel), Backford and down to Mickle Trafford I began to think along the lines of extending our ride and nudging our distance for the day to over the magic hundred. In the end we diverted onto the Greenway (surprisingly not TOO busy for a Sunday) and back over the River Dee and home for a spot of lunch before heading out for a shorter loop south to complete our Gran Fondo. I confess I do like to tick off at least two a month if I can so the chance really was too good to miss. Commitments elsewhere in October might make riding another one difficult so it really is a case of grasping the opportunity when it presents itself. Helen doesn't manage too many Gran Fondo rides, her last one was the epic Wild Wales Challenge at the end of August, so she was certainly up for it.

Sonny Colbrelli wins the Paris Roubaix classic The pro season has finally drawn the final curtain with a bit of a flurry as the delayed Paris-Roubaix classic weekend offered up a generous helping of truly memorable cycling. First there was the women's race last Saturday which saw some mixed weather conditions which contributed in no small way to the way the race panned out. On the first cobbled sector Lizzie Deignan rode away from the entire field and, basically, she was never caught. It was an audacious but brilliantly executed ride and demonstrated that, on her day, she really is one of the top riders in the world. It remains a shame that when riding in Team GB colours this never seems to happen but as the first ever winner of the wommen's Paris-Roubaix event she certainly showed some style and commitment which was well rewarded. On the Sunday the men's race served up an absolute classic, thanks almost entirely to the weather which was atrocious, the first wet Parix-Roubaix since 2002. It was carnage at times, as riders went down time and again in the muddy and slippery conditions, and the fields was splintered into many groups. At the front a small elite group got away and the selection came when Gianni Moscon attacked with just over 50km to go and was chased by a small band of four including race favourite Mathieu van der Poel. Moscon suffered a puncture and then his replacement bike failed to handle properly in the conditions so he was caught with about 15km to ride and it came down to a three way slugfest between van der Poel, Sonny Colbrelli and the young unknown Belgian rider Florian Vermeersch. Van der Poel tried again and again to get away but Colbrelli's determination saw him get back on time and again and eventually, as the three gladiators entered the Roubaix Velodrome it was clear that we would enjoy a sprint finish which ultimately went to Colbrelli as the three slumped exhausted to the ground. Watching Colbrelli's emotionaly outburst of both tears and joy was quite something, but you also felt for Vermeersch who came so, so close to what would have been a brilliant victory. It really was a fitting final curtain to the 2021 season. Perhaps they should think about holding the race in October every year?
Totals for September
Real Distance ridden: 788km
Total ascent: 6271m
Virtual distance ridden: 277km
Virtual Ascent: 2283m

September 27th 2021: The Mawddach Trail and other stories

Helen heads out along the Mawddach Trail from Dolgellau After our week away in mid Wales we were back in residence last week, enjoying some unseasonally warm and pleasant weather. I managed a grand Gran Fondo outing mid-week, ticking off 112km mainly out in the Cheshire countryside to the north and east of Chester, maintaining my record of at least one 100km ride per month since the start of 2014. With a couple of shorter local rides to rack up some miles as September winds down, Helen and I decided on an awayday on Saturday, heading out west to Dolgellau for a bike and boots double header. Our walk on the famous Precipice Walk will linger in the memory, coming on the back of a gentle outing on the eponymous Mawddach Trail, which we had last ridden as part of our Lon Las Cymru long distance ride back in 2019. Our intention had been to cross the iconic Barmouth Rail Bridge, always a highlight, but the bridge is currently closed as part of a major 3-year refurbishment programme, so instead we headed for the seaside at Fairbourne. Starting in Dolgellau the old now defunct railway line, one of the many victims of the Beeching cuts and closing in 1965, the shared use path starts by following the Afon Wnion downstream to meet the Mawddach at Penmaenpool where a magnificent wooden toll bridge is one of the highlights of the ride. We stayed in Barmouth some years ago and rode the trail, taking in a crossing of the toll bridge along the way. Today it was not on our agenda, but it was still worthy of a photo or two. A Saturday in September is a busy time on this part of the trail but as we headed down the estuary the number of walkers (and dogs) decreased and progress became ever easier. The surface is generally good gravel and, obviously, is pretty flat so progress was easy despite a nagging head-breeze. A few photo stops were made before the river bent south-west and Barmouth's bridge hove into view. The tidal salt marshes here are part of an Titanium meets steam in Fairbourne RSPB reserve and we spied a number of birds along the way, notably egrets and Canada geese. Eventually the trail turns north to head for the bridge and we left it at this point to join the main road to Tywyn before turning off into the village of Fairbourne, home of the delightfully quaint Fairbourne Railway which chugs along the coastal dunes to Barmouth Ferry Station where it is possible to catch a passenger ferry across the mouth of the estuary, especially useful for the next 3 months I imagine whilst the bridge is closed. We were lucky enough to pass a steam train chugging out from the village bound for the dunes as we rode to the end of the road there for views across to Barmouth town. After a few photos on the dunes and looking up the river to the cloud-covered Cadair Idris massif we returned to the road for a photo opportunity involving bike and train, a bit of a geeky moment but one which I relished! As we rode back into Fairbourne we spied picnic tables outside the Fairbourne Golf Club and grabbed the chance of a coffee stop. Most golf clubs are pretty well appointed, Fairbourne's is, shall we say, more earthy in its appeal but the coffee was good and the views added to our impromptu stop. Suitably refreshed we continued, back to the main road and then onto the Mawddach Trail once again for the return ride up the estuary to Dolgellau. The nagging breeze now turned into a tailwind and we breezed along, enjoying the clearing views of the hills as the clouds rolled back (though Cadair Idris remained stubbornly clad in the grey stuff). After some 35km we eased our way back into Dolgellau just in time for lunch and headed for the local chippy to round off an enjoyable morning ride.

The men's 2021 Worlds road race heads into town The last week has seen the 2021 World Road Championships played out in Flanders with some interesting results. From a British perspective perhaps the most impressive ride came from young Zoe Backstedt who won the junior women's roadrace title on Friday, beating the American Kaia Schmid in a two-up sprint finish. Coming on the back of her silver medal in the junior time trial event clearly she is a face for the future in British Cycling. Which is more than can be said for Lizzie Deignan who yet again showed that she doesn't have the legs for major events. In her own words she didn't have the legs as she faded to finish down the field after her teammate Anna Henderson put in a strong performance to put her into position to challenge for a medal. Her 2015 title win looks increasingly distant and begs the question as to when British Cycling will start to back some of the younger and, frankly, more promising riders. Yet again BCs tactics in the road race seemed misguided. The highlight of the championships was surely the elite men's roadrace which was won, for the second year running, by an explosive Julian Alaphilippe who showed elan and panache, attacking repeatedly before finally staying away at the third time of asking some 17km from the finish. By then the field had been whittled down to a small elite group (including Tom Pidcock who eventually finished a creditable 6th). The pre-race favourites such as Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel had no answer and seemed more worried about each other as Alaphilippe made his decisive move and in the end he had a comfortable margin to allow him the luxury of celebrating as he crossed the line. He has been a proud wearer of the rainbow jersey for the past 12 months, it seems unlikely that he will change his style in the coming year. Chapeau.

September 18th 2021: Tackling the Ystwyth Trail

Riding out on the Ystwyth Trail, across Cors Caron After nearly two years and thanks primarily to Covid we were long overdue a holiday. Heeding Mark Drakeford's impassione dplea to holiday in Wales we had booked a week in a log cabin in the heart of mid-Wales, inland from the fishing village of Aberaeron, a few miles south of Aberystwyth. This is not an area we were familiar with so it was with some excitement that we embarked on our week away, the bikes safely stowed in the car along with all our other holiday paraphenalia. The most notable feature of the area was that it turned out to be very much on the hilly side. Nothing major, no big climbs, but lots of punchy steep ups and downs in the coastal hills that punctuate the myriad river valleys that seem to flow into the sea along the Ceredigion coastline. If we were going to ride our bikes we needed to choose our route carefully. As we had other activities on our holiday agenda there wasn't much scope for cycling but we did manage one full day on the bikes and picked out the Ystwyth Trail as being worthy of exploration.

The Ystwyth Trail is a 34km Sustrans cycle route based on an now disused railway line linking Aberystwyth with Tregaron in the Teifi valley, part of what used to be the Great Western railway line to Carmarthen. It is very much a mixture of old rail bed and quiet roads, and parts of the disused railway trail do challenge the road cyclist as we were to discover. It is also worth noting that it is not flat, despite the railway link. Helen was on her old Hoy bike which meant that she was working on 100% Helen-power, which added to the challenge. We headed out on Wednesday morning with a dry forecast, bikes in the car, for the short drive to downtown Tregaron, a bustling hub in the middle of nowhere at the southern end of Cors Caron, or Tregaron Bog as it is also known. Having quickly put the bikes together and powered up our Garmin units we headed out from the well appointed car park onto the B4343 road which heads north bound for the Ystwyth valley some miles away.In a short while we reached the Cors Caron car park and turned off the road and onto the trail. Cors Caron is a large expanse of boggy wetland north of Tregaron and is designated a National Nature Reserve. The infant river Teifi flows through the heart of this wetland, bound for the Irish Sea at Cardigan (Aberteifi). The feat of building a railway line through this area back in the 1860s must have been noteworthy, sadly it did not survive for which cyclists and walkers can be thankful as it is a marvellous resource along this stretch, the surface being reasonably good, even for our road bikes. No indication at this stage of the rougher stretches ahead.

Helen on the riverside section of the Ystwyth Trail, to Llanilar Once we reached the northern edge of Cors Caron the route now turns to the north-west and climbs to the highpoint on the Trail near Ystrad Meurig, the watershed between Teifi and Ystwyth valleys at some 200m. By now the path is down to a narrow strip of mud, not much wider than a tyre which made it interesting when encountering cyclist coming the other way. After a couple of kilometres we left the old railway bed for the more agreeable surface of the B4340 and almost immediately plunged down a steep hill into the Ystwyth valley before being sharply pulled up as the Sustran signs indicated to us the need to turn off and cross a small stream, the Nant Cwmtarw via a footbridge (there was a ford option but frankly such a crossing seemed unwise). Suddenly we were heading back up again once again on a narrow muddy track suitable for mountain bikes perhaps but certainly not for our bikes. We resorted to Shank's Pony and followed this track as it wound its way up through the forest to rejoin the old railway which was emerging from thick undergrowth to the south. What followed would have been fine on those mountain bikes but was decidedly less enjoyable on our bikes as the muddy gradient of the embankment took the railway down the valley floor some 2 kilometers before, yet again, the signpost indicated that we should rejoin the road. This was a steep greasy 18% downhill ramp with a road surface that resembled liquid slime, not ideal for steering or braking. We chose to walk! Finally we were down in the valley, on easier roads and enjoying ourselves again. Sure enough, it didn't last and once again we were back on the railway bed, slightly easier going now though still muddy before crossing the B road which comes up the valley. At last we found ourselves alongside Afon Ystwyth and the going became notably more pleasant, on a level trackbed with good gravel under tyre and we now sallied along, enjoying the bubbling water to our right and the sunlight breaking through the trees as we approached Llanilar station, some 10 kilometers from Aberystwyth. We stopped for a photo opportunity only to discover that somewhere along the way I had picked up a rear wheel puncture, amazingly my first puncture of 2021. There is never a good time to get a puncture, and with lunch now very much on the menu, this delay was irritating to say the least. It was soon fixed, the offending spelk removed from the tyre, and we were on our way again. After a very enjoyable section alongside the river we suddenly found ourselves on a rough walking track for a kilometer before emerging onto a minor road which finally brought us to the busy A487. Some Sustrans jiggery-pokery brought us finally to the only tarmac section of the old railway bed, the last 3 kilometers into Aberystwyth, emerging under the steep sided Pendinas hill with its distinctive monument which overlooks thew town. The last few hundred metres through a housing estate brough us out on the main road inmto Aberystwyth where we crossed the Rheidol and turned left to find the seafront. We had made it.

Enjoying the moment on the seafront at Aberystwyth Aberystwyth is an ancient university town and Victorian seaside resort and plays the part well. There is a mix of delapidated decadence and modern tat, but some of the architecture is quite breathtaking. We rode north along the seafront past the old castle ruins and the imposing and magnificent University building, the somewhat reduced pier (it used to be much longer apparently) and towards Constitution Hill and its iconic funicular railway, searching all the while for somewhere suitable for lunch. It was 2.30 and our tummies were rumbling. Truth be told there seemed little to inspire and we ended up returning to the pier where the chippy sold us curry and chips which we took with us up to the grass mound in front of the castle for lunch with a rather magnificent view in the warm afternoon sunshine. Washed down with our flasks of coffee/tea which we had fortunately carried with us (the chippy was unable to do us tea or coffee), we felt relaxed and able to enjoy the moment, the sound of the waves washing over us as we watched the Aberystwyth world go by. After exploring the castle and finding an ice-cream kiosk further along the prom we felt recharged and ready for the return journey - including that steep hill which we knew awaited us.

Rather than ride the trail along the river we chose to use the busy A road up the valley to Llanilar and then take the less fernetic B road to Pen-y-bont at the foot of that hill. With the sun shining and a full tummy we enjoyed the ride, but with an accompanying sense of foreboding as the climb approached. It didn't disappoint, the steep tarmac reducing Helen to a grinding halt and she was once again walking. The climb out of the Ystwyth valley does deliver some fine views back down toward the coast and we were soon back on the bikes riding toward Ystrad Meurig where we rejoined NCN82 at the wonderfully named Strata Florida station. All that remained was the pleasant flat section back across Cors Caron and down to Tregaron to complete our epic day out to Aberystwyth. It had been quite a day out.

September 13th 2021: A Grand Tour of Britain

After the predictable outcome of the Vuelta in which Primoz Roglic confirmed his victory with an impressive final stage time trial, with Enric Mas and Jack Haig rounding off the podium, the pro-cycling scene continued apace as the 2021 Tour of Britain kicked off in Cornwall. The latest version of this firmly established British tour took the peloton up through Cornwall and Devon into Wales, with stage 4 heading north from the little fishing village of Aberaeron to finish atop the magnificent Great Orme at Llandudno. Well, it would have been rude not to!

At the foot of the Marine Drive climb on the Great Orme Bizarrely, Aberaeron is close to our holiday chalet next week where we head to come Saturday for our first proper holiday since Covid arrived. The race followed a route through the Cambrian Mountains and Snowdonia, many of whose roads I have ridden so the route was full of interest. However, we chose to intercept the final stages of the day's racing on the Great Orme itself, picking a suitable vantage point on Marine Drive to watch the drama as it unfolded. We loaded the bikes into the car in the morning and headed along the north Wales coast to Colwyn Bay, the plan being to ride NCN route 5 through Rhos, Penrhyn and Llandudno before grabbing some lunch and picking our spot. The cycle route along the seafront is always busy with visitors to the north Wales seaside though by comparison to our previous visit At Easter it was much quieter and less stressful. We made good progress and were soon climbing the steep slopes of Little Orme to drop down into Llandudno where the crowds were gathering. By the time we got to the pier at the foot of Marine Drive there were still a couple of hours or so before the race was likely to be approaching, time enough for one lap of the Orme and some lunch. Marine Drive is a one way toll road which makes it decidedly quieter and more cycle friendly, but cars were still being allowed onto the circuit so we had to watch our backs as we enjoyed the spectacular ride, stopping for photos and to suss out likely vantage points for spectating later.

The weather was still undecided, but the forecast was for it to stay dry. We lived in hope. After our fast descent off Marine Drive, with spectacular views of the Conwy estuary, we passed the team buses gathering on the western promenade and found a nearby café from where we could watch the weather and the increasing number of team buses negotiating the tight space available, all entertaining stuff. Our food took forever, but was worth the wait (and the accompanying cheeky beer) and we still had plenty of time to ride back through town and up onto Marine Drive for a second time. By now cars were being turned back at the tollhouse, and it was strictly bikes and pedestrians only. The crowds were now gathering although sadly very few cheered us as we rode up the race route to our viewing place on a sharp corner high on the climb. And then we sat down to watch and wait. The race was in full tilt, but the Tour of Britain website gave precious little detail on their live feed so it was difficult to know quite what the state of the race was until the first motorbike outriders arrived sometime later followed by the race car with loudspeaker who told us that it was all back together in a single bunch, Team Ineos now on the front and bossing it, presumably in their attempt to protect Ethan Hayter's narrow race lead. The crowd excitement grew palpably and more outriders passed before, finally, the peloton rounded the headland below us and raced up the steep climb towards us. It is a 10% gradient but the riders made it look easy and they were soon upon us with Ineos and Deceuninck-Quickstep vying for the front, Tim de Clerq on the front in his trademark style alongside Michal Kwiatkowski. It was, shall we say, a reduced peloton but both Hayter and Wout Van Aert were prominent towards the front. And then they were gone, some 8km from the finish lineatop the Great Orme and we would have no idea who won until we got home later that evening! Ah well, such is the joy of watching live.

Mark Cavendish leads a small grupetto up Marine Drive For us the race was not done as there were still plenty of riders still to come, including a small group led by Mark Cavendish who was playing to the crowd in his role as a senior rider in the peloton. The crowd were happy to take part and cheer him as he eased past us on the climb, which I have to say he took far more comfortably than I was capable of doing. Who says Cav can't climb? And still they came, in dribs and drabs, mini grupettos of sprinters, domestiques and the like. It was some 20 minutes before the back of the race finally passed us, by which time the race would have already been won at the finish line above us. We remounted our bikes and followed the race (at a respectful distance) back down into Llandudno where riders were gathering outside their team buses, their day's work done. We carried on through town and joined the throngs of spectators who were now making their exoduc en masse, some by bike and many by car. It was chaos, but we made progress and were soon back on NCN5 along the front in Rhos where we spied an ice-cream seller. Of course, it had to be done, and we sat on the prom enjoying fresh ice cream and views out to the hundreds of wind turbines which line the coast there. We now had but a short ride back to Colwyn Bay and the drive home, sharing the experience of what had been a thoroughly enjoyable day as we went. All that remained was to watch the TV highlights later that evening and see if we could spot ourselves on television!

Following stage 4 and the next day in Cheshire (which I enjoyed on TV rather than heading out to find a roadside viewpoint in the rain) the Tour of Britain then headed north to Cumbria, yet more racing on roads I know and love, before culminating in Scotland over the weekend. Going into the final stage Ethan Hayter was in pole position, narrowly ahead of Wout van Aert who had already won 3 stages and looked dangerously good. In spite of Ineos' best efforts it was Van Aert who seized the day, winning the final stage sprint in Aberdeen ahead of veterans Andre Greipel and Mark Cavendish and with Ethan Hayter unable to gain enough bonuses to maintain his lead. It was a fine finish to a fine edition of the race which had been marked by some intense racing and spectacular scenery along the way. And, it has to be said, the strongest man in the race won. Chapeau.

September 2nd 2021: Into Autumn

Kev on the NCN route 5 near Hawarden Bridge And so, almost imperceptibly, we find ourselves slipping into meteorological autumn. I am old-fashioned and regard autumn as starting with the equinox but as we have been experiencing what feels like autumn for several weeks now perhaps I need to reset. Anyway, August has gone and what a mixed bag it was, with days of warm sunshine intermixed with days of overcast grey conditions. Rain was in short supply so, from a cycling persepctive, I should perhaps be grateful. After a slow start August gathered momentum and, in the end, I have had a busy month with over 1100km ridden, inside and out. The obvious highlight was the Wild Wales Challenge (Helen is still recovering) but there were plenty of other notable rides too. In the last couple of weeks I have managed a pleasant trip up over Halkyn with Helen and a long day out into Shropshire via the Ceiriog valley, a cracking day on the bike with some new roads explored along the way. As a final warm-up before the Wild Wales Challenge Helen and I took an easy spin out along the river to Net's on Saturday for coffee and cake in the warm sunshine, mixing it with plenty of cyclists, runners and walkers along the shared use cycle paths. Out of the blue I got a message from Cumbrian Kev suggesting that he could make an awayday of it and come down for a social spin, something we have talked about since I moved down here permanently. As September arrived we earmarked the 1st as a mutually acceptable date and Kev made the long journey south from Carlisle, his first long drive since pre-Covid days. We had a cracking day out on the bikes, I took the opportunity to show him a variation on our Halkyn Mountain/Connah's Quay ride, taking in plenty of views and wild Welsh country lanes as well as a lengthy café stop at the Pet Cemetery up at Brynford. We chewed the fat, put the world to rights and solved Carlisle United's promotion problems as we took in all the passing scenery. It was wonderful and very soporific. We have promised ourselves that we will do it again - soon!

The Olympics have gone, we now have the Tokyo Paralympics and, once again, the British cyclists are setting the world alight with their achievements. Top of the show is Dame Sarah Storey who has won 3 more gold medals (on both track and road) to add to her impressive tally. She now has a grand total of 17 gold medals across two disciplines (she started life as a swimmer way back in Barcelona in 1992) as well as numerous silver and bronze medals making her the most decorated British Paralympian of all time with 28 medals. Significantly, all of her cycling medals are gold! It is, perhaps, interesting to note that once again the British cycling athletes have led the way and have won 10 gold medals to date, ahead of the swimmers who have 8. Internationally the next most prolific nation is Netherlands who have won 9 golds, and these two are way ahead of the competition, the next best being France with 5. Sadly the Paralympics do not seem to have garnered the same TV coverage that the BBC provided for the Olympics, Channel 4 have the rights and I confess I do not find it as readily accessible, perhaps let down by their lack of a proper sports website within their internet offerings. This is a shame as finding TV coverage of Sarah Storey's exploits has proved difficult.

Alongside all this the Vuelta is now reaching the end of its third and final week and the shakedown is proving interesting, in parts. As expected Primoz Roglic has shown himself to be in a different class to the rest of the field and, having loaned the red jersey to Odd Christian Eiking for a week he has now taken it back and seems likely to wear it all the way to Santiago di Compostella on Sunday. The intrigue comes with the remaining podium places, currently occupied by two Movistar riders, Enric Mas and Miguel Angel Lopez, both of whom have looked the best of the rest. Jack Haig and Egan Bernal have tried hard to upset this order but increasingly this now looks unlikely, though the final day time trial could still herald some surprises. Team Ineos have had a disappointing race with Bernal and Adam Yates sitting in 5th and 6th places respectively and both looking below par. Once again Richard Carapaz has proved that he punches well below his weight, despite winning Olympic gold, and ultimately withdrew from the race. It has been a tough race, with the weather playing its part, but it has retained intrigue to the last.
Totals for August
Real Distance ridden: 840km
Total ascent: 7992m
Virtual distance ridden: 289km
Virtual Ascent: 1594m

August 29th 2021: Wild Wales Challenge 2021

Wow, what a day that was. The Wild Wales Challenge certainly lived up to its name, it was a challenge - and a half. Having been on my bucket list this is a ride I can now tick off with pride at a job well done for both of us. Merseyside CTC put on a great show, and even arranged some splendid weather, albeit after a shaky start. After a hellish early wake-up call at 5.45 and a quick breakfast we drove the hour or so west to Bala in dull, low cloud, fearing the worst as there was little sign of any of the hills we would be riding amongst for most of the day. In Bala we found the rugby club, HQ for the event, and proceeded to assemble our bikes and keep our fingers crossed for improving conditions. A flicker of sunshine for a brief moment got our hopes up, maybe it would be ok. Sign-on was straightforward and we collected our timing bracelets (so much easier to deal with than something attached to the bikes), had a quick coffee and were ready to go by 8.45 (only slightly after the advertised last start time of 8.30 - I should stress that we were not the last to start either.

Helen on the long climb out of Bala The route was broadly an anti-clockwise loop, heading out into the heart of the Berwyns and then north to the Clwyds before returning over the fringes of the Denbigh Moors. If that sounds hilly that's because it is. And there was no warm up, it was straight into the brutality with the 13km climb to the Berwyn Moors at just under 500m. We managed to miss a turn on the offical route (my bad) but we were soon rejoined half way up the climb and had the satisfaction of riding the full B4391 climb, including the steeper forest section lower down before the gradient eased as we got higher onto the moors. As we climbed the cloud was slowly burning off and the hills were now coming into view, with the promise of sunshine ahead (we hoped). The summit is marked by the county boundary and we rode into Powys and the lovely Tanat valley, enjoying the scenic descent to Llangynog, albeit accompanied by a few more cars than was comfortable. In Llangynog the route dives off onto an unclassified lane which snakes along the contours on the east side of the valley, winding through fields and woodland with high hedges and grass up the centre of the road, the sort of road where meeting a tractor might be a challenge. We didn't! At Penybontfawr our route now climbed again, this time on a sharp lumpy road over the shoulder of the Berwyn mountains and down to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, a small village which acts as a gateway to the majestic Pistyll Rhaeadr high in the heart of the mountains, in the very shadow of Cadair Berwyn. Fortunately we weren't headed that way, but instead we were now headed north and up (again) following the delightful Afon Iwrch up onto the open moors, yet another high road reaching over 430m. As we climbed we were passed by the official event Sag wagon, a momentary cause for alarm until they reassured us that there really was no pressure, no-one was getting left out on the road (unlike some sportive rides I've done in the past). At this point, and with just 30km ridden we were still managing Helen's battery usage very carefully and our pace was well within the official allowed limit, so we pressed on bound for the first control point down in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, after 40km. The road high on the moors proved to be as spectacular as it was remote, with amazing views of the high Berwyns to the west of us. Time to take some photos! The steep descent was one to be taken cautiously, trying hard not to spend too much time admiring the scenery, before we rolled into the control point at Llanarmon village hall, officially last on the road (we should be very proud).

Spectacular scenery high in the Berwyns We were fed and watered by an enthusiastic event control team, and we chatted some more to the lads in the Sag wagon, feeling ever more comfortable that we were not out of order enjoying ourselves and taking our time. This was not a race and, even if it was dark before we returned to Bala, they would be waiting for us. I suggested that this was unlikely, even at our modest pace. Coffee and cake was welcome, a toilet break necessary, and we clocked in and out before continuing on our way, heading now down the lovely Ceiriog valley and an appointment with the fearsome Church Hill (gulp). At Glyn Ceiriog the route takes a left through the village before starting to rise, innocently enough at first until we reached a sharp left and watched the tarmac spiral upwards into the trees. Church Hill was upon us. This was probably the most brutal section of the entire day, with relentless 25% ramps as the road passes the aforementioned church and keeps climbing - and climbing. We weren't frightened to walk at this point. Cyclists who insist on the need to stay on the bike on gradients like this have my admiration but I have long since abandoned any pretence that this is either enjoyable or necessary. I am happy to walk. And this is one of the reasons I moved to MTB cleats years ago. Behind us the views into the deep Ceiriog valley were worthy of a glance (and a photo), but we needed to press on. Nearer the top the gradient eased and we remounted before coming across the Sag wagon who informed us that we were not, in fact, last on the road after all. A moment of celebration perhaps. There was little respite as we now faced the steep and tortuous descent to Berwyn in the Dee valley, just west of Llangollen. Once again we managed to go astray in the maze of tiny lanes which litter this hilly terrain, but ultimately we popped out in the same place to cross the busy A5 by Berwyn station on the nostalgic Dee Valley railway, just as a steam train pulled into the station, perched on the line high above the waters of the River Dee. It was a perfect photo opportunity, it had to be done.

Steam distraction on the Dee Valley Railway at Berwyn At this point the official route heads up, yet again, climbing steeply to the dramatic Panorama road beneath the Llangollen escarpment. In order to make things slightly easier for us I suggested that we rode up the main Horseshoe Pass road for a couple of kilometers before turning off and rejoining the route at Pentredwr, at the foot of the infamous old Horseshoe Pass road and our next appointment with a brutal incline. The main road was exceedingly busy, perhaps not surprising for a lovely August Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon, and we were glad to be off it and back on track, even given the thought of what was now in front of us. The road through the village is pleasant and, ahead, the trees hide what is to come. As we left the last houses behind we now became aware of the climb as, without a hint of warning, the tarmac tips upwards into the trees, the views disappear and my Garmin was soon registering in excess of 27%. I always wonder just how accurate Garmin units are on slopes such as this and I suspect the answer is to take it all with a pinch of salt. Suffice to say it was chuffing steep and once again we were walking. Ahead of us a game fellow competitor (we were mixing it with the field by now, such was our progress) was determined to ride the full climb, albeit in short chunks of about 100m at a time. As we walked she rode and rested, the gap never really closing but not particularly opening either, proof if ever we needed it that walking isn't necessarily slower. Out of the trees and across a cattle grid the heather-clad slopes of the Llantisilio hillside provided a lovely backdrop to our pain, and the views down the climb and into the Dee valley as we got higher were gorgeous (more camera work). A few cars whose drivers insisted on taking this narrow scenic route rather than the much easier main Horseshoe Pass road disturbed our purgatory, but eventually the gradient relented and we were back on the bikes and cruising to the ridiculously busy Ponderosa Café which is sited at the summit. Here, much to my relief, was the Sag wagon who informed us that there would be food at the next control. I was getting worried that we might miss the cut-off time but, as our organisers were proving, today was about enjoying ourselves, not worrying about the detail.

Tackling the steep climb on the Old Horseshoe Pass The next section demanded a route alteration due to a recent landslip and we were now sent down the official Horseshoe descent, mixing it with the motorbikes who flock to this climb in their droves. After that it was on to the wonderful Nant y Garth and the most sumptuous descent you could wish to enjoy. Helen quite simply loved it and she doesn't really do descents. The gradient is perfect, the bends neither too tight or too shallow and the road surface is, generally, good. It is 8 minutes of pure joy. I haven't ridden the descent since 2012 and it is hard to understand why. Yes, it is a nice climb too, but the descent is far too good to leave it that long before going again. At the foot we turned off the main road and up to Graigfechan, in the shadow of the Clwydian hills, before crossing back over the Ruthin road and gently rolling into the village of Pwllglas on the major A494 highway which heads west, eventually back to Bala. Pwllglas was significant, for here was our second control point and, more importantly lunch. True to their word there was, indeed, food available, with drinks and plenty of enthusiastic support. Our Sag wagon companions arrived and we chatted again like old friends. Sadly, we saw them no more as their role took them on the long route to the finish and we were opting for the (slightly) shorter route back to HQ. We were now no longer last on the road, and as we left for the last leg, a lone rider rolled in bringing up the rear (to be fair he had suffered a mechanical).

Welsh place names to savour as we head for home As we left we were joined (loosely) by a trio (the same riders we had followed up the Horseshoe) and we enjoyed the next section in their company - well, sort of, their navigation was slightly suspect and we continually caught them up as they prevaricated over which way to go at the various junctions. From Pwllglas there was yet another climb, taking us up toward the Clocaenog Forest which we would skirt along, again high above the Clwyd valley, winding along lovely country lanes and descending into the delightfully named village of Melin-y-Wig where we crossed the Afon Clwyd and continued down into the Alwen valley and Bettws Gwerfil Goch. By now our legs were feeling the effects of all the climbing, but we knew there was one last brute to contend with and it came shortly after this, after crossing the busy A5 at Maerdy and straight onto the steep ramps through Hanging Wood. My Garmin suggested that this was 23% but the fact that I didn't climb off suggests it was probably less. Nevertheless, it was steep and fortunately, as the road levelled out, there was a fine viewpoint which gave me a photo opportunity and a bit of a rest! Helen, sensibly, was walking her way up and we shared some jelly babies for energy before continuing along a pleasantly undulating road, heading south-west to cross the A494 at Bethel, just as we clocked up 100 kilometers for the ride. Time for a cake bar to celebrate!

Job done, Wild Wales Challenge complete It is tempting to say it was downhill all the way now to Bala, but we knew better. Nevertheless, what was left was pretty straightforward, after we managed to dash across an incredibly busy A494 (everybody heading home after a day out at Bala). The descent to the River Dee at Llandderfel was enjoyable enough and crossing the old bridge over the river felt like a signifcant moment. A short climb from the river and a gentle spin back to the Llangynog road we had climbed much, much earlier meant we now just had a handful of kilometers left, still lumpy to be fair, but basically downhill into Bala. We whooped with joy as Llyn Tegid came into view, a smile in our hearts that we now in sight of the finish and, after a fraction under 9 hours, we rolled into the Rugby Club and fell off our bikes, job done. Clocking in and handing back our wrist timing chips we were rewarded with coffee, cake and a splendid commemorative slate plaque. We managed to persuade a fellow competitor to take a photo and we felt the day was complete. At just under 112km and with 2300m of ascent it had been a tough old day, quite probably, for Helen, her hardest ever day on a bike. We had managed the ebike perfectly and, amazingly there was still 20% of charge left in the battery. Unfortunately her phone battery had not lasted so well and had died, so we would have been unable to alter the settings if we had wanted to. It was time to enjoy the scenic drive home and crack open a celebratory beer to toast what had been a great day out on the bikes. We should add a huge thank you to Merseyside CTC for their organisation of a wonderful event, and to the two chaps in the Sag wagon who kept us going with their banter, smiles and support.

August 17th 2021: Back to the garage

After a quiet month in the garage in July, the return of our seasonal weather has prompted an increase in my use of the smart trainer since August ticked over. The forecast yesterday suggested less than ideal outside weather (in the old days I would either not have bothered or done a short hour or so round the block), so I warmed Zwift up and sat down to a 3 hour plus session on the trainer, ticking off a steady 100km ride round Watopia. With a lunch stop after 60k, it is an agreeable enough way to ride, though I would still rather be outside, truth be told. This was my second long ride of the month as I clocked up a 130km effort last week on a grand circuit out into the leafy lanes of West Cheshire, headed for Delamere and Tattenhall via Capenhurst. The weather held fair (for a change) with just the one short shower and it proved a very enjoyable outing. On the Wild Wales Challenge front Helen and I have bitten the bullet and thrown our hat into the ring. We will go for the shorter option, still a challenging 116km route with well over 2000m of climbing. Managing Helen's ebike battery should prove interesting on the day. We got a copy of the route card by email yesterday and it looks an intriguing route with some hard climbs on the way, including the old Horseshoe Pass and the road between Glyn Ceiriog and Llangollen. Perhaps I should invest in an ebike between now and August 29th!

August 8th 2021: Olympic Gold

The 2020 (deferred) Tokyo Olympics have come to a close and, with it, comes the chance to reflect on the 2 weeks of competition. Regardless of your view on whether the organisers really should have persisted with the insanity of going ahead in a country where the pandemic still has a vice-like grip and a city which is in lockdown, it is probably true to say that they got away with it. There were relatively few Covid cases in the Olympic bubble, although the rather sterile spectacle of empty stadia and the lack of atmosphere must have had an impact on the athletes. From a cycling perspective it has been yet another successful games for Team GB (in spite of a certain Radio 4 presenter who insisted that the British cyclist had performed badly). The track cyclists were to the fore, but there were successes too for Tom Pidcock in the MTB event and the BMX riders joined in as well. All in all Team GB finished top of the Cycling medal table with 6 golds ahead of Netherlands (with 5). No other country got more than 1. The exception was the road cycling where the British strategy of picking 3-week specialists for a series of one day races failed, yet again. I, for one, cannot fathom the thought process behind this planning but it patently doesn't work. The highlight (for me) was the final track event which featured a certain Jason Kenny (remember him?) who reached the final in rather uncertain style but then proceeded to smash the entire field and won at a canter to take his seventh gold medal and ninth Olympic medal in total, making him Britain's most successful Olympic athletre of all time. Not far behind came his wife, Laura, who also won gold in the inaugural Olympic madison making her the most successful female cyclist of all time. Quite a family. A mention of Matt Walls' performance in the omnium would not go amiss, he took a comfortable gold in a class field with some impressive rides.

On the domestic front the year has slipped quietly into August and the weather has assumed a typical British summer feel, with disappointing levels of sunshine and temperatures below normal, a contrast to a month ago. A series of local rides inched me over the 1000km mark for the month, and this continues the record for every month so far this year. We managed a social ride with Pete and Sharon too which was nice, after "Freedom Day" on July 19th where the Covid restictions were, alarmingly lifted entirely in England. This is not the place for a social commentary on the rights and wrongs of Covid policy, but it is true to say, I hazard a guess, that Covid has not run its course yet (if ever it will). Early August saw me away for a short walking holiday with some old Cumbrian cycling friends, and a couple of local rides outside is all that I've managed so far, one of which was with Helen and her sisters when they visited us this week. Helen and I are contemplating the Wild Wales ride on August 29th, an annual Cycling UK event organised by Merseyside CTC and taking in a sporting hilly route around north Wales, the route not being announced until entries close (this year on August 14th). With Helen on her ebike this is eminently within her compass and it would be good to add to our collective palmares.
Totals for July
Real Distance ridden: 848km
Total ascent: 7606m
Virtual distance ridden: 226km
Virtual Ascent: 1869m

July 19th 2021: Vive le Tour pt 2

Mark Cavendish and Tadej Pogacar on the podium in Paris And so the curtain comes down on the 2021 Tour de France which has been a race of interest without really quite catching the imagination. Primarily, I guess, this is because Tadej Pogacar has been in a completely different class to the rest of the field and with no stand out contenders to take him on it has really been about the competition for the podium places. In the end this really fizzled out as there were only two riders involved and it was Jonas Vingegaard who comfortably took the runner-up spot ahead of Richard Carapaz, thanks in part to superior TT skills on the part of the young Dane, as well as his ability to match Carapaz in the mountains, indeed he had more than that as he really was the only rider who tried to actually take the race to Pogacar. What would have been interesting was how it might have panned out if Jumbo-Visma had committed to supporting Vingegaard once it was clear the Roglich was not fit to continue after his crashes early in the Tour. Sadly they didn't, preferring, I suspect, to hedge their bets and go for stage wins with Wout van Aert delivering three sumptuous victories, one each on a mountain stage, the second time trial and the final sprint on the Champs-Elysees. He undoubtedly is a talented rider though I am not sure he really has the make-up of a GC contender at a Grand Tour. Nevertheless he is exciting to watch. His sprint victory in Paris, sadly for British observers, meant that Cav was unable to eclipse Eddie Merckx's record of 34 stage wins at the Tour. Cav finished 3rd in the end behind Van Aert and Jasper Philpsen, enough to secure his second Maillot Vert 10 years after his first which in itself is a remarkable achievement for the 36 year old, and this leaft him tied with Merkcx on 34 wins. Hopefully he will be back next year to have another go. Even so, despite that disappointment it has been an amazing three weeks for Cav, taking 4 sprint victories and suffering through some tough mountain stages with the complete backing of his team, Deceuninck-Quickstep, the antithesis of Jumbo-Visma in terms of team commitment to one rider. It has also been salutory to watch Chris Froome struggling through, gaining fitness stage by stage but clearly not yet the rider he was. That Team Israel Startup Nation were prepared to let him ride as road captain showed a loyalty and faith to a great rider who, hopefully, will yet fulfil his ambition to return to competitive form next season. They should be commended for an approach which shows the human side of cycling (are you watching Ineos?). Ultimately, though, it was Pogacar who took the plaudits for an assured and mature ride, dominating the rest of the field and showing very little sign of weakness. His team, much derided by the media, were in fact conhesive and in control when it mattered and helped to deliver him to winning positions on the two big Pyrenean stages. Compare and contrast with Ineos who had a terrible tour as they tried to set things up for Carapaz but clearly lacked the strength in depth of previous years. Carapaz himself was unable to finish the job on those occasions when Team Ineos laboured to put him in a winning position, his eventual third place was probably about right but he deserved no higher. The fact that Ineos celebrated his podium finish in each of the Grand Tours spoke volumes about their ambitions. So much for Dave Brailsford's words last autumn after the Giro about riding more aggressively, and trying to win stages. Back to the drawing board for them I think. And, finally, the wait for a French successor to Bernard Hinault continues as, in turn, Guillaume Martin, David Gaudu and Aurelien Paret Peintre all showed flashes of brilliance but are clearly far short of being real Grand Tour contenders. Maybe next year?

Synapse posing on the moors above Nebo, looking to Snowdonia Away from the pro scene July has proved, so far, to be a fine month for cycling outdoors with some fabulous weather. I managed a second Gran Fondo ride last week, my very own Tour de Malpas, revisiting some favourite old haunts in the leafy lanes up and down the Cheshire-Welsh border, and thoroughly enjoyable too. Today I grabbed the opportunity for another awayday, returning to the heart of Snowdonia and revisiting a ride over the moors on either side of the Conwy valley from Pentrefoelas. It was a baking day, and my hottest ride of the year so far. The scenery is gorgeous and the long climb onto the Migneint is a delight. I spent rather more time cycling than taking photos this time, enjoying the climbs properly (if enjoying is the right word!). Only 50km but worth every minute. I have also discovered a new local climb, the steep and sinewy haul up to Bryn Common from Llanfynydd, one to test Helen's ebike sometime soon I think. Even now there are new roads to be found and explored. That's what makes riding such a delight.

July 9th 2021: Away with the bikes

Climbing to The Arch, through Cwmystwyth After far too long and with Covid restrictions easing (though we still exercise our common sense and take precautions as seems necessary) we finally realised an ambition of introducing Pete and Sharon to the undoubted delights of the Elan Valley and the mountain road to Devil's Bridge in deepest mid Wales. It is an area I visited a couple of times late last summer and enjoyed so much that it felt rude not to bring Helen and our friends back here. As they all now have ebikes the hills are no longer a problem, even on a 75km ride. The route is demanding with some 1200m of ascent, but it is undoubtedly a cycling extravaganza with spectacular scenery, whooshing descents and plenty of wow moments along the way. Not a ride to be hurried, rather savoured. And we did.

We met up with Pete and Sharon in the little market town of Rhayader where the ride starts and finishes, the route following my ride of last September. No early start as we had driven down on the morning and it takes a good 2 hours from home, but the days are long at this time of year and we had a forecast of fine weather, so what's the hurry? From Rhayader the ride launches straight into the stiff climb up onto the moors above the Elan Valley, passing limestone steps as the Nant Gwynllyn river tummbles from the moors, and before long we emerged onto the boggy upland of Blaen Fign, before equally quickly starting the short descent to Pont ar Elan where the Elan Valley experience begins. But that is ours to enjoy later, right now we continued on heading north west alongside the infant Afon Elan on the glorious mountain road to Aberystwyth. This is wonderful cycling country, expansive views and little traffic (though the easing of restrictions and the staycation phenomenon meant that there were rather more vehicles than when I visited last year. Eventually, after several kilometers of gradual climbing we reached the boggy moss of Gors Lwyd, the watershed between the Elan and the Ystwyth valleys. The road does an abrupt left turn here and now heads west through a narrow gap in the hills and down into the historical mining valley of Cwm Ystwyth where, once upon a time, all manner of minerals and metals were hewn from the ground. The result is a bit of a mess, but the heritage of this area is very real. And the road is lovely. Once through the tiny village of Cwmystwyth we now kept to the right and began climbing again, on the short 3km ascent to The Arch, a rather incongruous stone arch which straddles a bit of tarmac next to the road, built in 1810 to celebrate the golden jubilee of King George III. Apparently the road used to run through the arch which makes sense. Handily placed picnic tables meant we could stop and enjoy a brew and cake which we had carried with us for just such an opportunity.

Team photo at the Sustrans sign outside Elan Village The descent to Devil's Bridge is quick and technical, a real joy on a bike. The town is a bit of a honeypot location at the end of the Vale of Rheidol railway and the pubs and cafés were buzzing. We headed onward, turning south onto the B4343 which crosses the hills back into the Ystwyth valley before making a sharp left turn onto the B4574 where the tarmac suddenly reaches for the skies for a short section, not great when you have scrubbed all your speed to make the turn. Those ebikes certainly showed me how it is done as I was left struggling up the incline. The road now winds and undulates its way back to Cwmystwyth village to rejoin our outward route and at this point we now retraced our tyre tracks back up through the mine workings and hillside farms to Gors Lwyd, a lovely climb on a fine afternoon (as this was). Motorbikes passed us periodically, this is clearly a favourite route for bikers of all descriptions. Soon we were spinning down the upper Elan Valley once more, bound for Pont Ar Elan and another appointment with history.

The Elan valley reservoirs are an industrial engineering masterpiece, construction having started back in the 1890s, and provide water to Birmingham via a 73 mile aqueduct. Each dam is different in character and style, but perhaps the most impressive is the first, on Craig Goch reservoir. A road crosses the dam and we turned and rode across to see the view from the other side. Last summer this was very busy, today it was quieter although there were still a number of visitors admiring the stonework and the scenery. The road which heads down the valley winds alongside each of the reservoirs in turn, giving us a chance to enjoy both the ride (it is after all a long descent) and the scenic views that each reservoir has to offer. All too soon we were passing alongside the last reservoir, Caban Coch, where the aqueduct starts its long journey, before the quick descent to Elan Village where the navvies who built it all were housed all those years ago. It is now a visitor centre. After stopping for a quick team photo all that remained was the undulating ride back to Rhayader and an appointment at the wonderful Lost Arc café on the banks of the river Wye, where I can vouch for the salmon curry which was just the ticket after a great day out on the bikes.

July 7th 2021: Vive le Tour

The 2021 edition of the Tour de France is now at the halfway stage, with today's monster double ascent of the Ventoux the icing on the cake for those who enjoy the mountains stages. But this year's race has been action-packed from the outset. Crashes and bad weather have taken their toll with pre-race favourites like Primoz Roglic, Geraint Thomas and Jack Haig all badly affected. Indeed, Roglic and Haig are no longer on the race and Thomas has lost so much time that he is now there solely in a domestique role for Richard Carapaz who seems a mile away from the undoubted talent that is Tadej Pogacar. Talk of Pogacar having no team, and being found out this year after flying under the radar in 2020 seem to have been wide of the mark as he has been in imperious form, winning the individual time trial stage last week and almost winning the weather-affected stage into Grand Bornand at the weekend but for a brilliant solo ride by Dylan Theuns. Basically he skipped through week 1, avoiding trouble (unlike many of his rivals) and gaining time, and since taking the maillot jaune in the Alps his team has been solid in their defence. Other teams are struggling to mount a plausible challenge and it already looks like they are squabbling over podium places. But this is the Tour and who knows what lies ahead. Accidents and mishaps apart it seems likely that Pogacar will run away with the prize but you never know.

Mark Cavendish takes his second stage victory of the 2021 Tour in Chateauroux The real story of the 2021 Tour, however, has been the continued and stunning resurgence of a revitalised Mark Cavendish. He is racing simply because Sam Bennett failed to recover from a niggling knee injury and yet he has grasped the opportunity in some style. Coming into the Tour seemingly stuck on 30 Tour stage victories and with barely anyone giving him a hope of winning another one he has, so far, swept to 3 magnificent and emotional stage victories, all in finish towns where he has won before, and the second being at Chateauroux, scene of his first Tour victory way back in 2008. He now stands on 33 stage wins, just one shy of the magical record of 34 won by Eddy Merckx during his career, thought by many to be insurpassable. Whilst Cav won't entertain discussing the record it must surely be on his mind and there are still 3 sprint finishes on this year's Tour, including the final stage on the Champs-Elysées. If he can make it through the mountain stages (which in itself will be quite a feat) you just never know. He just might even come back with the Green Jersey as well.

Back home on the bike the summer weather has now reverted to type. The first half of June was warm, sunny and inviting. Since then it has been more about dodging showers and don't worry about the sunblock. After what seems an age (actually about 18 months) Helen and I finally got to ride again with good friends Pete and Sharon, enjoying a gentle 52km bimble through the lanes, taking in an outdoor café stop at Manor Wood near Broxton and grabbing some culture exploring the little-known Holt Castle, which none of them had visited before. It was all very low key and yet so enjoyable. We have an awayday ride planned with them later this week, weather permitting, down round the Elan Valley. Should be great. On Monday I managed to squeeze in my July Gran Fondo ride, a longish day out in Cheshire and stopping for an extended coffee break at Pete's before continuing and finishing a 120km outing, so far my only outdoor ride in July.
Totals for June
Real Distance ridden: 983km
Total ascent: 8974m
Virtual distance ridden: 78km
Virtual Ascent: 771m

June 22nd 2021: A Conwy Valley Tour de Force

The last 18 months has been difficult for all of us. For myself cycling has been a real lifeline but with precious few chances to ride anywhere other than near my home in north-east Wales. As restrictions have eased (again) there have been opportunities to ride further afield and on occasions I have grabbed the opportunity when it has arisen. Given the chance I love poring over maps and dreaming up short loops which can be easily done in a day, including travel to and from home to a suitable starting point. This ride was one such opportunity and starts and finishes in the small village of Pentrefoelas in the Conwy Valley.

Climbing onto the Migneint Moors from the Conwy valley Afon Conwy rises high on the Migneint, a wild and remote moorland between Ffestiniog and the A5. It falls from Llyn Conwy which nestles among the higher peaks of this wilderness and tumbles its way, first east and then north to the Irish Sea at Conwy, some 55 kilometres away. This ride explores both the Migneint and also the moors above the small village of Nebo to the east of the valley, takes in some spectacular views and some exhilarating cycling. Although relatively short at just over 50 kilometres in length it packs in nearly 900 metres of climbing (and descending!). With stops for admiring the view and taking photographs it took me just under 3 hours. Refreshments can be found on the route, notably in Betwsy-y-Coed and Llanrwst.

The mountain road winds across the Migneint wilderness Starting from the public car park in the centre of Pentrefoelas, just off the A5, the first kilometre or so heads west along the A5 until the turn onto the B4407 moors road, shortly after crossing Afon Conwy, our first encounter with this majestic river. The road is signposted for Ysbyty Ifan and a gentle ride follows the Conwy and meanders into the small village. Ysbyty Ifan has a long history and was a stopping point on a number of ancient pilgrimage routes as well as being home to a medieval hospital. The Church of St John now stands on the site of this old hospital. From here the long climb to the Migneint really starts, gently at first before ramping up at Blaen-y-coed farm. The scenery is green and enticing, with the higher ground just offering the odd glimpse. Notable here is the bulk of Arenig Fach, one of the two Arenig peaks to the south. It is lovely scenery, reminiscent of the Yorkshire Dales in parts, and softens the blow when that steep section finally arrives, a sharp 11% which drags you up into the higher remoter part of the Conwy valley.

Ffynnon Eidda (Eidda's Well) high on the Migneint The character of the ride changes here as the mountain road (for that is what it is really) winds across a barren empty moorland, accompanying the infant Conwy river as its source comes closer. The Arenigs loom above the horizon, grassy bogland dominates and it is wonderful cycling country. After a few kilometers I passed the unexpected building of Llyn Cottage which marks the track leading to Llyn Conwy, a kilometer or so to the north. That is for another day, as I carry on rising, ever rising onto the highest part of the Migneint, crossing the bubbling waters of the Afon Ddu and arriving at a road junction, literally in the middle of nowhere. Bizarrely, here stands a stone building, the Ffynnon Eidda, or Eidda's Well. It is a shelter built to house a natural spring which rises here on the moor, and was rebuilt in 1846. Although somewhat incongruous it is strangely welcoming. The Welsh inscription on the stonework translates as 'Drink and be thankful'.

The head of Cwm Machno From the well my route now takes an about turn as I head east on the small road which plunges steeply down into the delightful Cwm Machno, where stone farmhouses and dry stone walls abound, rather akin to the head of Swaledale. To the left is Cwm Penmachno, a small hamlet at the very head of this delightful valley, and which dates back to the 1860s when slate quarries were busy. Quarry worker's houses line the roadside in Carrog at the foot of our descent from the moors, a testimony to harder times. Afon Machno rises here and flows gently down the valley and into Afon Conwy and our road follows the river for the next few kilometres, through the village of Penmachno, before meeting the busy A5 next to the Conwy Falls, just east of Betws-y-coed.

Decorating the milestone in Betwsy-y-coed Care should be exercised on the next section into Betws itself as the A5 is a major trunk road, dropping steadily down the Conwy valley where the views west up the Lledr valley towards Moel Siabod are distracting! We next cross the river, over the magnificent cast iron Waterloo Bridge, built by Thomas Telford back in 1815. A few hundred metres further on a magnificent old milestone tells us the precise distances to the likes of Capel Curig and Holyhead. I'm a sucker for historic artefacts like this and felt the need for a photo. Betws-y-coed is one of the major Snowdonia honeypots and was busy with visitors enjoying the warm sunshine, all socially distanced of course. In the heart of the village, amongst the plethora of outdoor shops, the B5106 heads off to the right, signposted for Trefriw, crossing Afon Llugwy, another Conwy tributary where holiday makers were watching the waters tumble down from Swallow Falls which lies a couple of kilometres upstream towards Capel Curig.

Spectacular views of the Snowdonia mountains on the Nebo road Away from the crowds the B5106 is a quiet road, following the Conwy valley downstream but away from the busy A470 traffic on the east side of the valley. It gently rises and falls and meanders through woodland with occasional glimpses of the river before reaching a T-junction where a right turn takes me into the village of Llanrwst via the lovely three arched Pont Fawr, an old stone bridge dating back to the early 1600s and reputedly designed by Inigo Jones. Just prior to crossing the bridge, on the left, is Tu Hwnt i'r Bont, a traditional Welsh tearoom which is covered in virginia creeper and reputedly Wales' most photographed building.

The Snowdonia mountains seen from the Moors road above Nebo Once over the bridge and on the east banks of Afon Conwy, I turn right now to head south back upstream for a short distance before taking a left onto the Nebo Road (B5427), which now climbs steadily up onto the moors and the remote village of Nebo. It is a long climb, fairly gentle at first before ramping up and reaching gradients of 10% as it winds through mixed woodland, with occasional glimpses through the trees of the broad Conwy valley below. Eventually the road pops out of the trees and meets the B5113 road from Colwyn Bay where we trun right for the final pull up to Nebo village itself. To the west the views across the Conwy valley to the Snowdonia hills is spectacular, with Tryfan particularly prominent. More camera time!

Posing on the Migneint mountain road, looking to the Arenigs From Nebo the remainder of the ride is pretty straightforward and relatively easy. The climbing is behind us, and the moors road sweeps south-east, dropping steadily to Pentrefoelas and our journey's end. Savouring the views and enjoying the easy cycling it is a fitting end to a wonderful ride, and for my part introducing me to a magnificent mountain area of the Migneint. Time to plan my next ride out there.


June 9th 2021: Sunshine in the Clwyds and other stories

Pitstop in the Vale of Clwyd on a June Gran Fondo June is already proving to be precisely what May was not, namely warm and sunny and very definitely NOT wet (so far anyway). Helen's sister timed her stay up here in North Wales brilliantly as the temperatures hovered in the low twenties for most of her stay. The evenings were balmy and we were able to eat under our canopy reflecting on adventures in the sunshine. As well as our ride out to Eureka we managed a fell walk up Bryn Alyn and then on Saturday rode an old favourite route out to Tilston, stopping at Manor Wood for coffee and cake on our return. All very relaxed and very civilised – thanks to Covid two café visits in a week is something we have not managed in a very long time. Helen and I returned to Whitegates on Sunday evening, tapping out a rhythm up the steep slopes before flying down through Ffrith, a truly lovely route. This week the good weather has continued and on Monday I took advantage on an afternoon ride in the Clwyd hills, tackling the Moel Arthur climb for the first time this year and returning via Bwlchgwyn to notch up a Grand Fondo ride, so much earlier than in May. It was hilly and by the time I topped the 100km mark I confess I had had enough, but it was a cracking ride out. In total I have now passed the 4000 mile mark for 2021, so am now 80% of the way to the Cycling Weekly 5000 Challenge and it's only early June.

On the pro scene we have enjoyed a remarkably entertaining Criterium du Dauphiné stage race in France. Often billed as the Tour de France in miniature it is, of course, nothing of the sort. The week long race did finish in the high Alps but spent much of the first 6 days rolling over foothills and being suited much more to puncheurs leaving the GC riders to jostle for position ahead of the final weekend in the high Alps. Highlights (and there were many) included a rare stage win for Geraint Thomas on a day meant for the sprinters when he stole a march by jumping clear through a hairpin just 1km from the finish and, fast though Sonny Colbrelli is, Thomas made it to the finish line to win by a hair's breadth from the speeding Colbrelli. In the mountains a remarkable weekend for the young Ukrainian Mark Padun saw him win both mountain stages, riding to solo victories on both stages, a remarkable feat (the last rider to win back-to-back mountain stages was none other than Thomas in the 2018 Tour). Behind, whilst intriguing, the GC battle never quite hit the heights but it was great to see Richie Porte rewarded for an attack on an earlier stage which gained him time over his main rivals hang on, with a little help from his Ineos teammates to win the overall title, sweet after twice having lost it previously on the last day. Geraint finished third to round off a strong week for Ineos, and that in spite of a tumble on the final descent on the last stage and having to race hard to rejoin the GC group and restore the order and calm to allow Porte his victory. Appetites are now whetted for the Tour which is now just over 2 weeks away. Bring it on!

June 2nd 2021: Saying goodbye to the Eureka

With Anne outside the Eureka Café on our final visit All good things come to an end, so the saying goes. In the case of news from Two Mills on the Wirral, it is sad indeed. Anne and Keith have been trying to sell the Eureka Café for some time now so that they can retire and head off into the sunset chasing their dreams. Covid has done little to help but it seems they have now found a buyer and next Sunday marks their final day and the Peek era will come to an end after some 20 years. There is, sadly, some uncertainty as to the intentions of the new owner though it is to be hoped that the establishment will continue to add to its 92 year history as a cyclists café. To avoid the inevitable crowds, and particularly because Helen's sister Jan is with us and is an avid Eureka groupie, we chose today to ride out along the Greenway for one last Eureka welcome, partaking of some lunch and soaking in the atmosphere one last time. It was both a joyful celebration and a sad occasion, all rolled into one, and the chance to have a chat with Anne before we bade our fond farewells was really appreciated. Over the years Eureka has welcomed so many cyclists, cycling clubs, groups and casual passersby, including some famous ones (eg Chris Boardman and Steve Cummings to name but two). I confess that I feel privileged to have shared in that wonderful history that dates back to 1929 when the café was established. Anne and Keith's moving on will leave a huge hole in our lives, and we wish them all the very best for what their future brings. Word has it that the last day was busy, as would be expected, I imagine Anne and Keith will relish a bit of peace and quiet tinged with some sorrow at the passing of what have been undoubtedly good times at the Eureka. Ride on guys!

May 31st 2021: World Bike Week, the Giro and other things bike related

Celebrating the World's Biggest Bike Ride on May 30th This week is World Bike Week, according to Cycling UK. World Bike day comes on Thursday (June 3rd) but, in the meantime, we have enjoyed Cycling UK's very own World's Biggest Bike Ride (#WBBR2021) which celebrates everything bike. They urged people everywhere to get out and ride on Sunday and log their rides. In the end this was obviously successful as more people rode than ever before and logged mor emiles along the way. Excellent, and we played our part. Helen and I had our very own WBBR adventure, taking a la'al spin out over Halkyn Mountain via Nannerch, packing a picnic lunch and stopping on the top to enjoy a pleasant food stop with stunning views of the Clwyd hills in the spring sunshine to whet our appetites. We descended to Connah's Quay and rode back along the River Dee, racking up over 60km each to add to the Cycling UK total. All in all, a cracking day out on the bikes.

The 2021 Giro d'Italia has been a race to savour, with twists and turns along the way though I guess, in the end, the overall winner surprised no-one. Egan Bernal was comfortably the strongest rider in the race and never really looked in danger, despite some late pushes by Simon Yates and, more impressively, Damiano Caruso in an attempt to upset the apple cart. Yates suffered badly in the cold and wet weather which dominated much of the 3 weeks and only came good in week 3 when the sun shone and he raced to a fine stage victory on stage 19 at Alpe di Mera, though his time gains never really looked to be enough. He paid for the effort the following day, losing time to both Caruso (who won the stage) and Bernal, but his margin over the 4th placed rider was massive and he deserved his podium place. Caruso was a revelation. After losing his team leader early in the race he went largely under the radar for two weeks and it was only really in week 3 that everybody suddenly realised he was lying second andmight, just might be a threat. In reality he spent most of the Giro following riders rather than attacking and it really was a big ask to threaten Bernal's dominance. On stage 20, with perhaps little to lose, he turned that upside down by joining an attacking move on the descent of the penultimate climb and then riding away on the final climb to take a brilliant solo victory. Behind, Ineos (or, more particularly, Dani Martinez) rode strongly and saved the day for Bernal who eventually lost just 24 seconds, which was never enough ahead of the final stage time trial in Milan. Bernal did concede a further 30 seconds to Caruso but his winning margin of 1 minute 29 was more comfortable than it appeared on paper. He even had time to celebrate as he crossed the line. Filippo Ganna wrote his own bit of history by winning his fifth successive Giro time trial stage and he does look a class apart on the flatter time trial courses.

After last week's awayday to mid-Wales the last few days of May have been gentler, enjoying 4 days of riding with Helen. The weather has finally improved, although May has officially the wettest on record in Wales which comes as no surprise at all. However, the temperatures are now comfortably in the mid twenties and we can even think about going out in shorts!! I finally managed an outdoor Gran Fondo ride, courtesy a long morning ride comprising two loops before combining with Helen in an enjoyable Whitegates circuit to bring the otal up opver the magic 100km mark. I don't think it would have felt right not to record at least one long ride in May, despite the crappy weather. Our final ride of the month was another mix, with a solo loop out through the Cheshire lanes round Shocklach before a shorter local loop with Helen when she finished work early. All very satisfying and yet again I recorded over 1000km for the month, the fifth time this year (taking pain-cave rides into account, of course). With the weather set fair for the next week or so all looks promising for June, with Helen's sister arriving for a visit, the first time we have seen her (or, indeed, any family member) since last summer. Should be good.
Totals for May
Real Distance ridden: 851km
Total ascent: 8160m
Virtual distance ridden: 388km
Virtual Ascent: 2096m

May 26th 2021: Tackling the Cambrian Mountains

It's official, this month has been the wettest May on record here in Wales. I can well believe it, espoecially given the state of our garden and the surrounding fields. However, on Wednesday the forecast relented and gave me a break so I packed the bike in the car for a rare awayday, heading down to Llanidloes in deepest mid-Wales, a town we had visited on our epic Lon Las Cymru trip a couple of years ago. The plan was a lumpy ride through the heart of Cambrian mountain scenery which had so impressed us on that trip. Llanidloes is the first town that the infant River Severn (Hafren in Welsh) comes to after its spawning high on the slopes of Pumlumon a few miles west and my route took me up the river valley into the heart of the Hafren Forest. As I rolled through the streets of Llanidloes, admiring some impressive architectural buildings, the sun was warming my back and it felt like a good day for a bike ride.

The bluebell lined road winding up the valley into the Hafren Forest The first part of the ride is a gentle introduction, gently rising up the Severn valley through farm scenery and flanked by bluebell hedgerows. The odd sharp ramp didn't dent my enthusiasm any as the scenery gradually changed into mountain forest and I entered the Hafren Forest area proper. The forest dates back to the 1930s and is pretty extensive at over 7000 acres. The little single track road winds up alongside the Severn to the visitor car park from where trails lead the intrepid walker to its source, an inauspicious peat bog high on the mountainside. At this point the road veers right and up through the forest to emerge above Llyn Clywedog to the north east and drops serenely down to meet a B-road, the main road from Llanidloes, at the wonderfully named Staylittle. After a short stretch on this 'main' road I came to a junction with what the roadsign calmly describes as a narrow mountain road to Machynlleth. This is where the hard work truly begins, with a 5½km climb up onto the Cambrian mountain moorland north of Pumlumon, the highest mountain in mid-Wales. In truth it is not a hard climb, with a couple of steeper pitches, but being generally steady as the road climbs higher and higher to top out at just over 500m where a Sustrans NCN marker post marks the summit. Strangely it was surrounded by parked cars and a few people were milling about. It didn't stop me grabbing a photo of bike and signpost before carrying on over the top and beginning the spectacular descent toward Machynlleth. The plan was to go just a short distance, plunging down to the Wynford Vaughan-Thomas memorial, a splendid viewpoint which looks north to Cadair Idris and the Aran massifs, a fine spot to stop for refreshment whilst taking it all in.

The dramatic mountain road to Machynlleth with spectacular views What goes down must come up! And I now planned to retrace my route back over the hill and enjoy the splendid and fast descent back to Staylittle. The full climb from Machynlleth is a long steady climb with a sting in the tail, a rather nasty top pitch past the memorial finishing with a flourish on a sharp 20% hairpin with views to distract the unwary before the gradient finally relents. Fortunately, my suffering was short, climbing from the memorial and soon I was crossing the moorland plateau and begining what was all too short, the 5km descent, all over in no time at all but so much fun. My ride now was taking me back along that direct B-road to Llanidloes, but what I hadn't appreciated was just how brutal that 12km stretch actually is, with numerous steep climbs and descents before the final plunge back into town. Most of these climbs are double-digit with some of the ramps up at 18%. It was, to say the least, hard work, though some of the views were good, the Llyn Clywedog viewpoint being particularly so. The reservoir dates back to 1967 so is relatively new, and was visited by the Queen in 1968. What makes it unusual is that it is not linked to the water supply network but is instead used to regulate the flow of the River Severn. From the viewpoint the road plunges dramatically and steeply down to cross the dam and then climb equally steeply back onto the hill on the far side. I'm sure a bridge would have worked better! From here it is a short stretch back into Llanidloes and a final crossing of a maturing River Severn into the centre of town. A cracking short ride through some wonderful countryside, somewhere for Helen and me to come back to. Soon!

Meanwhile, back at the Giro it is all kicking off as the race enters its final phase after the second rest day. Prior to the rest day it rather looked like a done deal with Egan Bernal serene in the maglia rosa and the real battle looking like it was for the other podium places. Today, however, was a revelation. The stage finished atop the Sega di Ala, a brutal final climb which saw Dan Martin take a fine solo victory, holding off a maruading Simon Yates who finally found his climbing legs as the sun shone for a change. And, amazingly, Bernal cracked under the pressure from Yates' attack 4km from the finish. We haven't seen a chink in Bernal's armour so far so this was a revelation and fills the final two mountain stages with intriguing possibilities. Yates lies over 3 minutes back but he took nearly a minute out of Bernal. Amazingly Damiano Caruso is second at just over 2 minutes having remained pretty anonymous all race, just quietly going about his business every day, always being there or thereabouts. I'm not sure he can win it but a podium is certainly on the cards. Yates will be ruing his poor showing on the snow-affected stage into Cortina when he was a big loser, but he really has nothing to lose and the prospects for a grand finale are promising.

May 19th 2021: Maypril strikes

The Zwift equivalent of the marathon Wow, just when you thought Spring was here and the year is turning a corner along comes Maypril, so called because May is really April in disguise. Cold, windy, wet... It really has been a mixed bag. True, we have had the odd sunny spell and getting out hasn't been entirely unpleasant, but I really wasn't expecting to get two thirds of the way through May and find that the only Gran Fondo ride I've managed was in my garage! Today was actually the longest outdoor ride I've managed at 75km, and even then the temperature range was between 10 and 20 degrees and the showers that came and went kept me very honest. Still, it was a good 3 hours, with some new roads explored. This exploration is driven by Wandrer, an interesting add-on which measures any new mileage when you ride and, I confess, motivates me to explore those side roads that, until now, I always pass by thinking 'I wonder where that goes'. I have the free subscription which is limited to my last 50 rides, not sure I'm quite ready to pay the $30 annual sub just yet, but I am enjoying it so far. As for that indoor 100km ride, it was interesting to say the least. It was a real exercise in repetition as there is a Zwift achievement badge for completing 25 Volcano circuits (each just over 4km in length). The great thing about Zwift is that you can climb off for coffee breaks and a spot of lunch at any time so it was fairly civilised but I was glad when that 25th lap came round!

Enjoying the views on Halkyn Mountain Probably the most enjoyable rides outside this month have been a couple of forays over Halkyn Mountain, one with Helen and then, earlier this week, a solo effort, again exploring some new roads along the way. The ride with Helen was blighted in part by some gusty wind conditions but it remained dry (just about). Tuesday, on the other hand, was different. Some lovely atmospheric weather conditions and some great views, a prolonged banana stop on the top of Halkyn Mountain soaking up the views of the Clwyd hills, and then a real soaking as the rain hit with a vengeance, just 20 minutes from home fortunately. It had pretty much everything packed into just 60 odd kilometres. I am hopeful that the weather might improve next week (the weekend forecast is dire) and give me one last chance to get a proper long outdoor ride in May, otherwise it's back in the garage with my old mates from Watopia once again.

The Giro d'Italia has just passed the first rest day and it is proving to be a gripping race this year. Devoid of some of the big names in pro cycling who are, it would seem, saving themselves for the Tour, the race is perhaps more open as a result. The return of Remco Evenepoel has proved a talking point, though the jury is out as to whether he can really go the distance having never ridden a grand tour before. Today's gravel stage showed just how fragile he might be, as the Deceuninck-Quickstep tactics seemed to go belly up leaving him adrift when the hammer went down on the first gravel section, Ineos Grenadiers sensing a weakness and capitalising big time. Watching Filippo Ganna blowing the race apart with Egan Bernal glued to his wheel was quite exhilirating and it was Bernal who was the big winner on the day, gaining time on all his rivals and cementing his position in the maglia rosa which, I suspect, will be very difficult for the other teams to prise from his grasp. Indeed, he has looked the class act so far. But it is worth remembering his back and that this is his first major test since coming back from long-term injury and rehabilitation. Also, watching young Attila Valter become the first Hungarian to wear the leader's jersey at the Giro was good to see and highlighted the quality of some of the younger riders now coming through. At this point, with 10 stages still to ride, the race is still wide open with Evenepoel now lying 7th at 2'22, but with a lot of mountains to climb plus the final stage time trial (which will suit Evenepoel), there is indeed much to ride for. Vlasov, Caruso, Yates and Carthy are all in the mix and within 90 seconds of Bernal. This race isn't done yet!

May 3rd 2021: Bank Holiday weekend weather

It's tempting to say I told you so but here we are at the first May bank holiday weekend and the weather has reverted to type. After a relatively pleasant April (albeit a little cold) the last week has seen what can only be described as a return to winter. Snow, hail, cold rain with little sunshine in evidence. As a result the stats for April are a bit disappointing although I did manage to creep over the 1k kilometre milestone for the fourth month running, ie every month so far in 2021, so I guess it can't be that bad. I even managed a couple of rides in shorts, so I guess I should be thankful! A lumpy ride up over the Clwyd hills round Treuddyn was very enjoyable and Helen and I managed a ride last week out along the river and round Burton Marsh as winter returned to bite. April has also been my skimpiest month in the pain cave with less than 240km racked up in the cool dry garage. I have to say that with no big trips planned this year the motivation can be difficult at times, but we do plan to take the bikes for days away now and again when the time is right.

Geraint Thomas tumbles in the sprint on stage 4 With the 2021 Giro d'Italia less than a week away now the excitement and anticipation is building. This last week we have been enjoying the Tour de Romandie in French speaking Switzerland. The weather has ranged from poor to atrocious. I think the only decent day was the first day prologue, won in some style by Rohan Dennis ahead of Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte, yet another Ineos 1-2-3. That set the week up for an intriguing battle between Ineos and the rest which, after an eventful finale, Ineos managed to win - just. After valiantly defending Dennis's yellow jersey for the first 3 proper stages, a combination of weather and strange tactics saw Marc Soler grab the lead ahead of the queen stage on Saturday. Thomas was still lying second and as the GC riders hauled in a tenacious breakaway on the final, brutal 20km climb, it all came down to a two man sprint between Thomas and Michael Woods who was also looking strong. In a bizarre moment and less than 50m from the finish, as the sprint unfolded, G lost control of the bike as his hand came off the bars and he tumbled very ungracefully to the ground leaving Woods to take the stage win and the overall lead of the race. G managed to crawl over the line in 3rd place, enough to retain second overall going into the final stage time trial. It's fair to say that Thomas started as favourite but, after the previous day, you felt anything could happen. In the event sanity prevailed and Thomas comfortably finished ahead of Woods to win the overall race ahead of a resurgent Richie Porte for an Ineos 1-2 on the podium. A good week for the Grenadiers. Bring on the Giro!
Totals for April
Real Distance ridden: 842km
Total ascent: 6820m
Virtual distance ridden: 237km
Virtual Ascent: 1790m

April 28th 2021: The Café ride is back

After I don't know how long we are finally, here in Wales, able to visit cafés and partake in the cycling ritual of coffee and cake when out on a ride. Restrictions still mean we have to do so outdoors but, until yesterday, the weather has been kind with sunshine in plentiful supply and no rain to spoil the party. The week before last Helen and I opted for what used to be almost ritualistic - the Friday ride out to Eureka Cyclists Café on the Wirral and what a joy it was. They have thoughtful and effective Covid measures in place which meant we felt safe and it was so nice to chat with Ann and Keith after so long. Sitting in the garden, listening to the birds and enjoying lunch with a long black coffee, was pure pleasure. I also got in a longer ride last week out to Delamere Forest where the Visitor Centre and Café have had a major makeover to the extent that I hardly recognised the place. Yet again, the simple pleasure of enjoying a coffee and cake in the sunshine is hard to describe.

On the pro scene the races are coming thick and fast. Last week it was the Tour of the Alps, a shorter 5 day race in Italy and Austria, and it was the turn of Simon Yates to impress as he continued some impressive early season form, built up a lead and kept it to the finish, winning by a minute from Pello Bilbao who had leapt into second place after launching an audacious attack on stage 4. It was an exciting race, both visually thanks to some stunning scenery, and from a cycling perspective as riders were prepared to go on the offensive, something which has been trending so far in 2021. Indeed, Team Ineos Grenadiers are hardly recognisable as they have been one of the most animated teams and have now racked up 13 victories so far this season, second only to a dominant Deceuninck-Quickstep. This week Eurosport are offering me the Tour of Romandie to get me in the mood for the Giro d'Italia which is now just 10 days away. The first stage was an explosively short 4km prologue in which Ineos Grenadiers dominated by taking the first 3 places as Rohan Dennis put in a masterclass performance ahead of a resurgent Geraint Thomas and in-form Richie Porte, both 9 seconds back. The real racing starts today!

April 14th 2021: The Manx Missile is back!

Mark Cavendish wins his third straight stage in the Tour of Turkey Wow, what an amazing race the Tour of Turkey is becoming if you are a Mark Cavendish fan (and I count myself as one). For someone who hadn't won a race for 3 years and whose recent form has been blighted by illness and injury there were times when his prospects of continuing what has been a stunning cycling career were fast diminishing. In stepped Deceuninck-Quickstep along with some ingenious sponsorship from Specialized which meant that Cav was given a one year contract. And, boy, has he rewarded their faith. Having had no win for 3 years now 3 victories have come, all at once, as he won stages 2,3 and 4 of the Tour of Turkey, showing all his class and finesses along the way to outsprint the in-form Jasper Philipsen. He may even have won the first stage were it not for an unfortunate block by another rider (but we will never knwo, of course). It does look very much like his confidence and form is back with a bang, his judgement when it comes to judging a sprint finish is, in my view, unmatched in the pro-peloton at the moemnt. He reminds me very much of Robbie McEwen, in the latter stages of his career. McEwen was able to read the sprint and instinctively seemed to know the right wheel to follow, the right gap to squeeze through and when to unleash his kick for the line. Cav races very much in the same style, which is not to suggest that he is a loner - his team play such an important role in getting him safely to the point in the race where he can deliver. Having been reunited with Brian Holm, his former mentor at HTC all those years ago, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised - they were successful then and seem to have rediscovered the formula. And, perhaps best of all, Cav is enjoying himself. Long may it continue.

Riding across the Welsh-English border on Burton Marsh As April rolls out and the Covid restrictions are gradually being eased a major milestone came on Monday when, for the first time in many months, the English-Welsh border was reopened for non-essential travel. Having not been able to enjoy the leafy Cheshire lanes on my bike for so long has been a real miss, so on Monday morning I headed out on my Kinesis to redress the balance with a long ride into Cheshire. The weather was cold but dry, and even the occasional spot of sunshine to cheer my heart. It was a real cathartic moment, riding familiar roads which we have been unable to use for so long, seeing familiar sights and smiling all the way. I even added in the pleasure of a coffee stop at Nets out on the Burton Marshes (England have made visiting a café feasible now, provided you sit outdoors). Sitting at a bench enjoying a slice of brownie and a hot coffee whilst savouring the sunshine on my back and the views across the Dee Estuary was undoubtedly a seminal moment for me. Long may this continue. The ride was long (for me) at 120km, not particularly fast, and totally enjoyable. I came home a happy chappie. Summer really is coming!

April 1st 2021: Riding into summer

The latest Zwift bikes are something else! The last week of March has seen some wonderful weather and those two awayday rides with Helen have been a real treat, tonic for the soul after a long hard lockdown winter. Riding throughout March has seen a refreshing amount of outdoor riding with no less than three Gran Fondo rides in excess of 100km, including two trips out to Bangor-on-Dee, as well as a lumpy ride over Halkyn Mountain and the Clwyds. Spring flowers in the hedgerows, birds singing in the trees and occasional blues skies make for a glad heart undoubtedly and it can only get better.

The pro scene has been intriguing, my half-price subscription to Eurosport is paying dividends as I have enjoyed some great cycling on TV these last few weeks. The spring classics are now in full flow and we are looking forward to the Tour of Flanders on Sunday with some biting anticipation, not least because much of it will be on roads I know from cycling there with Paul back in the summer of 2018. Last week's E3 Harelbeke gave us a taste with many of the classic Flanders cobbled climbs featuring, and it was a cracking race to boot with Danish champion Kasper Asgreen defying logic and winning from an elite chasing group. Let's hope Sunday's race lives up to the hype. In the meantime the week long Volta a Catalunya was another enjoyable spectacle, including a couple of stages on roads I know from my week with the Team geriatrics boys in Girona back in 2013. In the end Adam Yates dominated the race, looking strong in the mountains and doing enough in the time trial to gain a comfortable lead which Ineos defended all the way to Barcelona. Add to that the fact that Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas completed the podium and it was a fine week's work for Team Ineos, the first time they have secured a 1-2-3 in a stage race in their history.

I have mixed the indoor cycling pretty evenly between BigRingVR and Zwift throughout March. BigRingVR have some interesting rides and I tackled an epic Italian Alpine climb to Lago di Place Moulin in one session, a satisfying 2½ hour ascent through some classic alpine scenery, although the fact that I never got to see the lake was a huge disappointment. No long Zwift rides this month (it's been far too nice outside) but I have finally tackled a couple of proper workout sessions (one of the offerings from Zwift is a comprehensive selection of workout and fitness plans for members). For today's Zwift session, it being April 1st, they came up with a rather novel offering to celebrate Fool's Day (at least, I presume that was what it was all about) by giving all riders a rather novel offroad trike to ride. It was all good fun - and therein lies the key to all of this. Cycling, after all, is all about having fun.
Totals for March
Real Distance ridden: 830km
Total ascent: 8337m
Virtual distance ridden: 347km
Virtual Ascent: 3689m

March 31st 2021: Awayday no 2: Introducing Helen to the Bwlch

Approaching the wall of the Hirnant Pass After the success of our first awayday for months, and with the spring sunshine forecast to continue, we got ambitious and I felt it was time to introduce Helen to the delights (or otherwise) of the Bwlch y Groes near Bala. Normally I am a frequent flyer to this area, but the Covid pandemic has meant that opportunities to head out this way have been few and far between over the last 12 months. The recent easing of travel restrictions for us in Wales has opened this back up (for now at least) and a favourable weather forecast was the tipping point. After yesterday's cool coastal breezes the promise of warmer weather inland in the mountains sounded enticing. The inspiration for today's ride was a return to the Lost Lanes of Wales volume which Helen bought me last year, and in particular route 6 which is a circular 54km route from Bala over to Lake Vyrnwy and returning via the Bwlch y Groes. Short but sweet.

Once again we loaded the bikes into the back of the car, together with a picnic lunch as café stops would be unlikely today. The hour's drive to Bala was pleasant in the morning sunshine and the hazy outline of the Cambrian mountains in the distance raised our excitement levels (well, mine anyway). Unlike the North Wales coast I always find that Bala is pretty quiet, the large car park on the edge of town was all but deserted as we found a large tree to park under thus keeping the car cool during the heat of the day.

The perfect lunch spot by Lake Vyrnwy The first part of the tour is nasty with a sharp climb out of the town before dropping into the serene and rather lovely Glan Hirnant, riding alongside the tumbling waters of the river as it snakes its way down from the hills past farms and woodland. Eventually it opens out as the road crosses Aber Hirnant and the character of the ride took a new direction as the valley sides steepened and there ahead of us was the rather daunting sight of the Hirnant Pass climbing the flanks of the fells high above us. Unlike many climbs, we could see the entire climb before us in one fell swoop. It was both inspiring and a little intimidating.

Celebrating the moment on the top of Bwlch y Groes Thankfully it is relatively short at just under 2km in length, climbing just shy of 150m in the process, but steepening towards the very top where the armco barrier protects the unwary from the steep drops into the valley below. It is truly spectacular and worthy of a few camera shots along the way which probably explains my less than spectacular Strava time (I will have to return and ride it again). Helen on her ebike was in her element here and made short work of the climb as I huffed and puffed my way up trailing in her wake. At the top we stopped to soak up the views of the nearby Aran ridge and the wooded slopes above the Vyrnwy valley which lay ahead of us. This is part of the Y Berwyn Nature Reserve and the RSPB has a big presence here. I confess we didn't say many birds on the wing but the sound of birdsong as we descended and rode around the lake was everpresent. The descent down to Lake Vyrnwy is steep and narrow in places, and we took it easy before crossing the Pont Rhiwargor at the foot, over the river which flows into the lake. There is a totally flat road which runs for some 18km round the circumference of the lake and we now relaxed to enjoy the easiest part of today's ride, catching glimpses of the blue waters of the reservoir through the trees and letting the occasional car pass by. We saw a few cyclists too, but this is (generally) a quiet part of the world, even in holiday season. After some 5km we came across a clearing which went down to the water's edge, with picnic benches and views across the lake. Perfect for a spot of lunch. It is at times like this that it pays to sit back and enjoy the moment, after all it's what cycle touring is all about.

Enjoying the dsecent from the Bwlch y Groes Suitably refreshed we carried on our way, passing the spectacular Victorian water tower near the dam which looks like something out of a gothic movie. The Dam itself is a Victorian masterpiece, the first stone built dam and dating back to the 1880s when the authorities wanted to provide water to the city of Liverpool. It is spectacular. Today it was quiet too, even in the school holidays, a far cry from the seafront at Penrhyn yesterday. More photographs! The second half of the lakeside ride is in shade on the west side, with tall elegant fir trees lining the road. Eventually we reached the junction where the road left heads up out of the valley toward the Bwlch y Groes, and the pain could begin. It is a long haul up a narrow wooded road, rough and steep in places, before it all opens out onto the moors high above, a wild place where the strip of tarmac disappears into the grass and heather. Yet more photographs! Helen was still coping on her ebike, even with the 18% gradients. Eventually we reached the junction with the road which climbs the Bwlch from Dinas Mawddwy and turned right to be faced with the 20% wall which hauls the road up and over the pass. Helen's face now contorted in pain, the view behind was stunning, as we dragged our way up the last few hundred metres to stand on the summit of the Bwlch, at 545m the second highest road pass in Wales. And it is worth stopping to take it all in. The view north are wonderful, with Arans, Arenigs and distant Snowdonia all in view. The sun was still shining and even at this height it was not cold. Yep, you guessed it, more photographs.

What remained now was joyous. A long descent from the Bwlch down Cwm Cynllwyd, a chance to relax and take it easy and enjoy the sensation of not pedalling for literally miles. All too soon we were back down to earth and the ride back alongside Llyn Tegid is equally pleasant, a rolling back road which sadly doubles as a cut-through for cars and vans it would seem, though quite where too is a puzzle. We rolled back into Bala as the clock swung past 5pm, elated after a fabulous day out in the hills on our bikes and on roads which just beg to be ridden. We will do it again, of that I am sure.

March 30th 2021: Awayday no 1: Round the Orme

Cruising along the promenade, Llandudno As Easter approaches I often dream of warm sunny spring weather which seemed to be the norm at Easter back in the day but which is rarely a reality. Well, this week we had been promised a heatwave by the forecasters, and they are never wrong. Are they? As it was, on Tuesday we did get a lovely sunny day, though temperatures certainly failed to reach the dizzy heights of what I would call a heatwave. Nevertheless, with Helen on holiday for a couple of weeks and with lockdown restrictions now eased allowing us unlimited travel throughout Wales we decided to do an awayday and took the bikes up to the north Wales coast near Rhyl for a ride along the Sustrans coastal path NCN5 to Llandudno. This was our first trip away since 2020. Indeed, it is hard to remember back to autumn last year when we last did something like this, it does seem a very long time ago.

Our ride started in the coastal village of Pensarn, next to Abergele, sandwiched between the railway line and the pebble beach. Easter holidays were in full flow and the sunshine meant that families were making a day of it but the fact that Wales is currently still off limits to other UK inhabitants meant that it would hopefully be manageable. As we set off along the promenade and picked up NCN5 in the shadow of the rambling Gwrych Castle high on the hillside above Abergele our excitement was palpable. Incidentally, Gwrych was where they filmed the last series of I'm a Celebrity, last year, after having to relocate due to Covid restrictions. I'm guessing that comparisons with the golden sandy Australian beaches must have made for interesting conversations amongst the celebrities.

Marine Drive on the Great Orme, Llandudno The first part of the ride is along a dedicated shared used path which hugs the coast and offered sightings of a variety of birdlife – we saw cormorants warming their wings in the morning sunshine and newly arrived wheatears bobbing on the boulders alongside the path as well as the ubiquitous gulls and even a heron perched on a caravan roof! Although mostly flat, there are a couple of nasty surprises along the path as it ramps up steeply to navigate industrial remnants and geographical features before dropping back down and onto the promenade along Colwyn Bay. At this point the nature of our ride changed, with the largely deserted cycle path now being replaced by a flood of day visitors intent on filling the Colwyn promenade, and it only deteriorated as we headed further west toward Penrhyn. I confess this section never quite meets my expectations and, whilst I understand why Sustrans chose to keep NCN5 on the coast it is a fact that cyclists and beach crowds really don't mix well. The next half hour was not a pleasurable experience as we wove our way along the promenade avoiding the myriad inattentive beachgoers in search of some seaside fun. Eventually we left Penrhyn behind and started the climb towards Little Orme which would take us up and over into Llandudno. A steep wooded cyclepath climbs the shoulder of Little Orme, a challenge after the relatively benign and gentle nature of our route so far, before we plunged gleefully down onto the sweeping curved Llandudno seafront and cruised our way towards the famous pier.

Ah. Chips. Perfect The real aim for today's ride was the 8km circuit of the Great Orme via the wonderful Marine Drive, a one-way toll road which winds its way around the cliffs, and which we had seen when walking on the Great Orme last year. The road starts from the pier and runs anti-clockwise, climbing to a highpoint a hundred or so meters above the crashing waves far below before dropping back down along the Conwy estuary and into Llandudno. The queues at the chippie by the pier made our minds up for us – lunch would wait. So we set off and headed for the toll house and the entrance to the Drive. I am guessing that the toll collection has become a Covid victim. In any case bikes go for free but there was no restriction for cars and other vehicles which meant that it was probably busier than we might have expected. Nevertheless, it really was a wonderful road to ride, climbing its sinewy way round the contours of the headland before popping out at the Rest and Be Thankful café at the road's highpoint. Amazingly the place was open for business, takeaways only, but the word was that the coffee is good so we stopped for coffee, and of course cake. As well as the numerous cars there were quite a few cyclists and walkers taking advantage of both the weather and the facility and there was plenty of space for social distancing to be correctly practised (in the main). It was a real pleasure to be able to indulge.

The descent back to Llandudno was fast and before long we were back on the promenade on the seafront looking for chips. Bizarrely the pier chippie was busier than ever and I confess I preferred not to wait in a long, not properly distanced queue, so we decided to head back and find somewhere quieter. Our return route was the reverse of our ride out so navigation was easy. The climb over the Little Orme was longer but not so steep from this side and we were soon back in Penrhyn and the crowds, although they were thinning by now. Eventually we came across a food booth on the prom with no queue and chips on the menu, and a nearby seat, thus ticking all the boxes. We sat and savoured the moment, chips by the seaside with not a seagull in sight. It was just half an hour or so back to Pensarn now, the sun still shining, the wheatears still bobbing though the cormorants were long gone, and the tide receding. The sea breeze was fresh and I have to say we were never at any point warm in the sunshine but it had been a good day out on the bikes after such a long long winter.

March 2nd 2021: Spring is coming!

Helen tackles the climb up onto Halkyn Mountain The thing with lockdown is that one month seems much like the next. And so February has slipped by, in much the same way that January did. And with it the days get ever longer and the signs of Spring are unmistakable. Flowers are blooming in the hedgerows, lambs are gamboling in the fields and the Classics cycling season has started, always worth waiting for. February threw a veritable mixed bag of weather at us, including a prolonged cold spell of snow and icy temperatures which seemed to linger forever (well, at least a week). The pain cave really came into it's own and I explored the BigRingVR landscape some more as well as clocking up a few Zwift rides. I have been impressed with BigRingVR and at the end of my trial I bit the bullet and took out an annual subscription, half the price of Zwift and it includes a family subscription option at no extra charge. Helen in the meantime has joined the virtual cycling brigade when we managed to source a static trainer and speed sensor on tinternet and she is now wired to go. Dare I say it, she seems to be enjoying the BigRingVR experience too. But the real joy in February has been the outdoor riding which is now the norm rather than the exception. I have even managed two longer (in excess of 100km) rides out on the open road last month to add to a virtual effort on Zwift. Helen has shaken off her winter shackles and we have managed a handful of rides together as the weather finally relented, including a great ride up over Halkyn Mountain and another outing down to Bangor-Is-y-Coed, a pleasure in the spring sunshine last weekend.

Meanwhile on the pro scene the 2021 season is now underway and, so far, the Covid protocols on in the cycling world seem rather more effective than in many other sports where event cancellation seems commonplace. Not that cycling if Covid proof but it seems that the sport's obsession for hygiene and personal responsibility demonstrates how it can be done. We have enjoyed two short stage races, namely the Tour du Var (won by Gianluca Brambilla) and the week long UAE Tour, a week in the middle eastern sun which witnessed a showdown between Tadej Pagacar and Adam Yates. This proved to be a taste of what we might expect from the coming summer, with Adam Yates was back near his best but unable to shake off a tenacious Pogacar whose overall victory owed much to a superior time trial, an area which Yates really needs to address if he is to challenge consistently at this level. Along the way Sam Bennett continued to show why he is the best sprinter in the world at the moment with 2 fine and emphatic victories. And in the midst of all this Chris Froome made a return to the fray, building strength and form as the week went on. He is still a long way from his best but there are signs that he may yet mount a challenge this summer when the chips are down.
Totals for February
Real Distance ridden: 742km
Total ascent: 6977m
Virtual distance ridden: 556km
Virtual Ascent: 4314m

February 1st 2021: Virtually all the way

Cripes, that's January gone already. Doesn't time fly? Sadly the weather seems to be continuing where 2020 left off. Our corner of North Wales seem to be semi-permanently under water with fields now resembling lakes, and rivers perenially high. Occasionally the sun does break through and we have managed a handful of outdoor rides throughout the month, but increasingly I have resorted to the dry confines of my garage and hooked up, not just with Zwift, but also RGT and now BigRingVR. Don't get me wrong, I like Zwift, but I have found it rather one-dimensional and at times I have yearned for a different experience when banging away on my smart trainer. Someone had suggested RGT and I dipped my toe - you can register for free but there are limitations. I managed a handful of rides and came away unconvinced that it was for me. It is a CGI-based platform, like Zwift, but unlike Zwift there isn't that sense of riding with other people which, for me anyway, is an important factor for many reasons. I came away not feeling I wanted to jump into a subscription, but that may change in time. I then read about BigRingVR which, on the face of it, seemed rather like Rouvy, but they offer a 2 week free trial so I thought why not give it a whirl. I am close to the end of that trial now and have already ridden over 250km, so it would seem that I like it. Quite, quite different to Zwift and much the best feature is the fact that you are riding in a real environment, based on video footage (as per Rouvy). The range of rides seems rather wider than on Rouvy which, to be honest, I always felt to be too much like hard work! In terms of hardware and setup it was all very easy and the fact that I can (generally) pick a ride which suits my mood is great news. I have ground my way up the cobbles of the Oude Kwaremont in Flanders, I have enjoyed the flowing scenery of Formentor and the stunning climb and descent of Puig Major, both on Mallorca, ridden a mega downhill in the States and yesterday rolled across the Waikato region of New Zealand. It seems highly likely that I will dip my hand in my virtual pocket and splash out on the subscription. Don't get me wrong, I am more than happy with Zwift and will continue to ride in Watopia, but they offer very different experiences and, for me anyway, there is definitely room for both.
Totals for January
Real Distance ridden: 460km
Total ascent: 3311m
Virtual distance ridden: 773km
Virtual Ascent: 7659m