She Sells Sanctuary

When you're far from home, on the top of a Welsh mountain, in the rain, with a nagging hunger, a ride that finishes at a tent is not the most appealing prospect.

When I planned the North Wales #roundandabout rides, it was a great chance to catch up with a friend and coaching client from the good old days, who happened to run a cycling specific guest house.

Sian Roberts and her partner Dafydd, are not only mountain endurance monsters and legends of UK mountain biking and fell running, they know what tired bodies need to ensure the following day in the mountains is another good one. 

When I rolled up to the Old Skool in Bronaber after a crappy/faffy day of a half-ride and too much time driving, there was warmth and energy that provided instant relief and I knew tomorrow would be a better day. I'd coached Sian for many years when she rode the MTB world cup circuit and it was great to catch up on the missing years and discuss vans, castles and fatigue! The Old Skool was converted to an exceptionally high standard, mostly by Sian and Dafydd themselves, over three years, and is a perfect place to base body and bikes. It immediately feels like the home you wish you lived in. Great food, heat, bike wash and storage, loads of hot water and comfy beds, and Racsyn the dog. It's worth staying there just to hang out with Racsyn and witness 'the bell trick'.

The Old Skool is perfectly located to reach the best bits of all the best and most challenging bits that the North Wales mountains have to offer. Set in the hills between Blaenau Ffestiniog Dolgellau a quick glance out of most of the windows will give you a decent mountain weather forecast, and a couple of miles on minor roads takes you into the Coed y Brenin trails. Sian and Dafydd take weekend bookings from groups, couples and individuals, offering catered or use of a well equipped kitchen - with pubs just down the road*.

The day after my arrival, I rode for 4 hrs on and off-road with Dafydd on superb trails and mountain roads made less gruesome by knowing I'd have a place of sanctuary that night. Camping in winter can do one.

I need to come up with a reason to go back. Soon.

You should too.

*Just down the road in rural Welsh terms, 10 mins drive for the rest of us.

You can travel a long distance when you're already tired...

My latest article for road.cc is online. Go have a read. It's about training when you think you should rest. 

Round and About #1 – Llandegla, North Wales

It was looking promising as I arrived at the car park in lashing rain. The plan was to ride on the road circumnavigating the forest on rough and hilly minor roads, then riding a full lap of the LLandegla red trail. The road route was going to be unforgiving in the best of conditions and the horizontal rain promised an interesting time on the Pulsium, followed by fun, flowing and technical singletrack on the XR729. Combining road and MTB within one ride in winter was the whole point, creating a single long strava segment, requiring two bikes - though what the end result would be is anyone’s guess.

I got ready, dressed for around 3.5 hours of rain and wind, started the Garmin and rolled out onto the main road. The water was lying an inch deep in places and as I turned onto the climb over Horsehoe pass I hit a block headwind. I love headwinds. Seriously, they feel like climbs and climbs are a good thing.

It was slow progress into the wind, and cresting the pass as I turned down the old pass, the wind was moving me everyway but forward. A couple of gusts shifted me a meter sideways and it was a relief to get into the valley, though I new it was a valley I had to climb out of and I know what a nasty little climb that was going to be.

I cursed a cow. Stuck in the middle if road, the farmer was moo’ving it to a different field and I felt the average speed plummet. Once moving through a beautiful wooded valley, alongside a mountain stream, I started to climb, then reached the site where I’d witnessed carnage during Etape Cymru. A ford across the stream was only a few inches deep but the algae coated rock slab underneath was like sheet ice. On the sportive, numerous riders were ending up on their arse in the water and I rode cautiously, not wanting to be any more damp than I was.

A steep ramp led onto a bleak mountain plateau, with thick fog and still lashing rain. I loved the conditions and pushed on onto more familiar roads, past the sign for ‘Worlds End’. It was indeed nigh, only 20 minutes or so until I could get onto the MTB part of the ride.

I rolled into the car park, soaked on the outside, dry and buzzing on the inside, then started the bike swap. You know how it is when you have a new bike. You prod and poke and fiddle with unfamiliar bits. As I put the rear maxle in and started to tighten it, nothing was happening. Panic ensued as I thought I’d stripped the thread. On inspection, something didn’t look right. A quick look from the trail shop mechanic confirmed that a crucial part of the droput was missing. I knew where it was likely to be – on the driveway at home.  A call to the local Lapierre dealer drew a blank. No MTB section, and an extra 3 hrs in the car before I reached that night’s accommodation. That’s if I could find the bike part.

I drove up to the house, before I reached the front, I could see a little black bit of alloy that I’d botched out of the frame. Game on, two hard days ahead. While I fitted the insert, I threw some clothes in the dryer. Fifteen minutes later I was back in the car for the drive to North Wales, for the second time that day. To cap the negative, the rain had obscured the Garmin screen and I’d not started the record function. On a positive note, it means I get to go back to Llandegla for a second attempt. Round and About #1, take two. Watch this space.

The Rules of #RoundandAbout

So I'm heading to North Wales to ride on roads and trails, combined, with hills and rain - I hope.

The plan is simple, start at a trail centre, circle it on road first - if a trail crosses a road, I can't use that road. If a road isn't on street view I can't use it. Then when I get back to the start, I change to MTB and ride the longest Red trail at the centre. Kind of like a duathlon, but a ducycleon.

I'll start the GPS at the car park entrance, pause when I get there after the road loop, start and end the MTB ride there. I'm not going to do any silly fast type of transition, but I'm not going to have tea and cake either.

I'll ride as hard and fast as I can on both sections.

I'll do the rides whatever the weather, apart from if gusts of wind, fog or ice make riding too dangerous.

I'll post the ride as a single strava segment and share the gpx file. I'll take some video too, some of which may even be interesting.

Bikes have been chosen by Lapierre UK distributors Hotlines to deal with long days on heavy road and challenging trails - the Pulsium 500 and XR729.

I'm hoping for truly awful weather - apart from enjoying it, I'd like to demonstrate that there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing/equipment. It's also a great opportunity to test some equipment over long consecutive rides on and off-road.

Can't blooming wait!

And after North Wales, some monster rides in Ireland and Scotland.

I'll keep you posted!

© Crittenden Photography

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In The Long Run

I'm dead chuffed to have joined road.cc as a contributor on heath, fitness and training. First offering is, naturally for a cycling site, about running. You can read it right here...

If it inspires you and you want to know how utterly empty and stupefied you might look like after running 100km, here's a photo I prepared earlier. Let's just say I had to walk sideways for three days.