On the morning of Saturday 2nd March 2013, 12 members of Hafren CC layered up in preparation for a 80 mile ride around the Trans Cambrian route in preparation for the Cheshire Cat Sportive at the end of the month. Layer up they need not! For the first time in as long as I can remember, since Christmas at least, the sun shone down and it was perfect conditions for a ride out to get some much needed base fitness into the legs. The car park in Llanidloes was our route HQ and at 8.45 everyone was ready, bar the odd early puncture before a pedal had even been turned, for the day ahead. The start was made even more special by an appearance from Charles Cowan. Charles unfortunately come off his bike several months ago on the ice and is still on a long road to recovery, so his visit to wish us all the best was a lovely gesture and it was great to see him.
The official Trans Cambrian route HQ is in Rhayader so 12 miles are normally in the legs before you hit the dams around Llanidloes, but not today. Within 5 minutes we were climbing the first of many hills inside the first 15 miles of our route which were pretty relentless through Staylittle and Dylife before the 7 mile decent into Machynlleth. Its amazing how six minutes of downhill can banish over an hours climbing!
Once in Machynlleth we split into two groups of 6 as we set off along the A487 towards Talybont. With this being a busy route it enabled us to work together and ensure we got to our first stop of the day as quickly and as safely as possible. Once at the White Lion in Talybont we all had a well deserved Coffee and biscuits break and enjoyed the sunshine. Whilst the pub was happy to open up early for us, I don’t think the expected to be bombarded with quite so many requests for water as the bottles came flying in from all directions.
It was soon back on the bikes as we headed off the main roads and back onto the country, traffic free lanes, heading for Nant-Y-Moch. Stopping every now and then for a photo opportunity, the scenery was so breathtaking everyone almost seemed to be enjoying the constant climbing to the reservoir. And as always, what goes up must come down! In a blink of an eye we were all down in Ponterwyd and only 4 miles away from our lunch at the Hafod Hotel in Devils Bridge.
It was at this point that I realised just how much more than just a ride out this day was. At lunch, with me expecting a few sandwiches to be to order of the day, the culinary delights of the Hafod were pushed to the max. Pate for starters, mains of chicken and leak pie with a mountain of chips and peas to rival any of the mountains we had covered over the previous 50 miles, not forgetting the largest lasagne I had ever seen! It was great to have such a laugh off the bike as we chatted over a whopping pot of tea. And if that was not enough, we were supplied with free bara brith to set us on our way.
What we really needed was a chair lift or an engine, as once again we were climbing up the mountain road to Cwmystwyth and the slate mines, heading for Rhayader and the Elan Valley. It was during this stretch of the route that things started getting tough with approximately 65 miles in the legs. The chat was getting less and the group stayed close together with a sense of urgency to press on. That said, the route continued to provide us with amazing views the whole way round and the weather could not have been better.
We eventually returned to Llanidloes 8.5 hours after we had set off, 6 hours of which had been riding so the pace had been good considering the terrain. The other 2.5 hours were spent either fixing 2 broken chains, one broken spoke, one faulty quick release, taking photo’s at every opportunity or stuffing our faces with tea, biscuits and lunch. And to be honest, whilst putting our mechanicing skills to good use, it was during these 2.5 hours we had the most laughs. The ride itself certainly did the trick. Everyone doing the Cheshire Cat felt confident that, whilst at a much slower pace, they were ready for the 100 mile Cat. The scenery and the weather were unbelievable, especially with what we have been experiencing over the past few months. The key to such a great day out though is down to one thing and one thing only. 12 people all enjoying each others company whilst getting out on our bikes. It also helps with some of the most spectacular scenery Wales has to offer our doorstep. Thanks to HCC for such a great day out.
