Gore Llanwrtyd Wells Classic Sportive 2009

provided the distance now its time to condition the legs for the mountains. Last year I spent the week before the Etape climbing the mountains virtually everyday. Come race day the strength gained in the legs was noticeable.

This year I’m not going to have the same opportunity but following this years pattern of making the most of things I wanted to get some long climbs in. This is where Mark stepped in and suggested we do the Gore Llanwrtyd Wells Classic Sportive that he’d heard about via a leaflet from the Dragon Ride.

The profile looked good, 2600m of climbing over 90 miles. So come 5.30am on Saturday morning Mark and I hit the road. I’ve got to say that the tought of riding after 5 hours sleep and a week at work didn’t really sit that well. We arrived 10 minutes before the start was due to close but the organisers we’re happy to let us through – setting the tone for the superb support we received at the event.

In the first 10 miles I picked up a puncture from a tiny piece of wire, right through a brand new tyre and tube, and we got over taken. We soon caught the other riders and enjoyed spectacular views as we cut along the side of valleys.

The first major climb was a 25% beast called the Devil’s Staircase. It used to feature in the Milk Race and reminded me of climbs I encountered during the . It was a tough one but I didn’t need the ambulance that was sitting at the top. On the descent Mark’s tyre blew out. We repaired it to find the inner tube poking out of a hole in the tyre wall after we’d inflated it. This left us in a tricky position as we had no spare tyre. Luckily after my experience with punctures in the Fens ride we’d ordered some self adhesive patches. We used several of these to patch the hole as we were once again overtaken.

At the first food stop we were warmly greeted by a little girl who took our bottles and asked us if we wanted water or sports drink. We chatted to the crew for a bit and the provided us with tape encase the tyre went again. As we rode to the route split we enjoyed the views round the reservoir and debated doing the shorter route encase Mark’s tyre went completely.

At the split the heavens opened and I’d have been happy to go the short route. My legs hurt from this weeks riding and I felt shattered. Mark had other plans so off we set into the rain. Thankfully the going was flat but the cold started to cramp my legs up. On a tiny rise my ham string tweaked and I had to slow down – I was not in a happy place.

Some food and a few miles later I picked up the pace again. By the second food stop we’d caught up with other riders and got a boost from not being last on the course! Between us and the finish lay the final set of climbs, through a military testing area. The gradient was constant and I got into a good rhythm, gaining speed as I settled down. This was what I was here for and I lapped it up. At the summit my legs felt good, I locked the feeling and said to myself that I was ready for Ventoux.

The final descent into the spectacular vista was technical, fast and fun until……phhhhhhhht. Mark’s tyre had gone again. Well drilled in making repairs I used tape and card to layer the inside of the tyre as Mark sorted the tube. Yet again we were over taken and the support van caught up with us and offered a hand.

Near the finish we caught the riders who originally overtook us; they’d suffered a puncture, oh the irony. At the finish we were greeted with coffee and fruit cake. My thanks to the organisers to a super ride that had it all.

Our time on the clock was around 6.30 but our ride time was 5.30. 1 hour lost of several repairs wasn’t bad. Top tip, and something I’ll be doing for the Etape, is to take insulation tape, patches and a slice of old tyre. Not much extra weight but it could make the difference between finishing or not.