I've been training for this ride since the first of the year. On July 5th I made my longest ride to date and I cannot deny it; I'm rather chuffed.
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| Early morning by the carnival in Cardiff Bay... |
It took me a while to work out the specific route. Essentially, I designed it to be as easy as possible, yet make a 250k loop (155.86 miles) through the Southeast Valleys. This may have been cheating a bit compared to the way audax riders do things... that is; I knew the route. I knew where it was going to be easy and where it was hard. And more specifically, I didn't use a cue sheet to guide me.
Overview - Cardiff & Monmouth Epic:
A Record Ride
A Record Ride
Distance: 156.2 miles
Elevation: + 6993 / - 6994 ft
Duration: 15:51:37
7 Little Rides, (one after another...)
Elevation: + 6993 / - 6994 ft
Duration: 15:51:37
My plan broke the ride into a series of short timed stages with designated rest stops. Additionally, for Stage(s) 1 & 2, I avoided as many hills as possible. By riding down to Cardiff Bay, then across the Gwent Levels to Newport and Caldicot, the first 73 miles were mostly flat and quite easy.
Starting in Crick, however; the real work began with Stage(s) 3 & 4. Climbing first to Shirenewton, then on to Chepstow, Monmouth, and across to Usk - was perhaps the most physically demanding.
By mid-afternoon I had reached Usk with 110 miles under my saddle. Stage(s) 5 & 6 were less hilly, but with the temperature hitting 31°c (88°f) - heat and fatigue became serious challenges to overcome. Staying hydrated was key.
Newport was a blur. The sun was low and baking me. I ate the last of my sandwiches and climbed back on.
I was beat tired when I pulled into the picnic area at Sirhowy Parc for my last stop. I had been on the road for nearly 15 hours.
Heading up through the park and Blackwood for Stage 7 was a slow slog. The bottoms of my feet ached. My thighs were tight. My back stiff. But, I had done it. Having left at 5:00 am, I pulled into the back garden at 8:50 pm; nearly 16 hours later.
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| Ride Name: | Cardiff & Monmouth | ||
| Start Date: | Sat. Jul. 05, 2018 | ||
| Starts in: | Oakdale, Wales, GB | ||
| Departed: | 5:01 AM | ||
| Distance: | 156.2 mi / 251.4 km | ||
| Elevation: | + 6993 / - 6994 ft | ||
| Max Grade: | 11.1% | ||
| Duration: | 15:51:37 | ||
| Move Time: | 12:10:37 | ||
| Stop Time: | 03:41:00 | ||
| Max. Speed: | 32.5 mph | ||
| Avg. Speed: | 12.8 mph | ||
| Weather: | sun/clouds | ||
| Temp: | 31°c / 88°f | ||
I had such big plans for this day. I was going to shoot self-portraits at every rest stop. Nada. I had planned to write down my times at each stage. Nope. When it came down to it, I just rode. And rode, and rode.
The ride itself wasn't nearly as hard as I had imagined. Yes, I was tired, but I had trained for it. Could I have cycled another 30 miles? No. Did I ride my bike the next day? or the day after? No and no.
I can't call it my personal best, because distance doesn't make the ride. In all honesty, it was just a test of endurance and I did it. I made my record ride.
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