dragon ride

[davehann]

just completed the dragon ride Gran fondo today for the first time.

i was really unlucky and got three punctures and was contemplating defeat in Cimla when the mavic car came and reshod my back wheel with new tire and inner.

Fantastic; i got a personal best of around 8 and a half hours despite the puctures costing me about an hour!!!!

my compute told me 7.45 actual pedaling time so i am stoked to have beaten what i expected to be around nine hours.

and bonus, i can still walk.

not much looking forward to the ride to work tommorow though.

 

[Banjo]

Nice one Dave.


I was the bloke who broke a rear gear cable at the bottom of the second Bwlch assent. Managed to jam the cable under a bottle cage bolt to keep it in low hill climbing gear for the Bwlch but it was well frustrating only being able to pedal at slow speed on the flat bits.

Started at 0815 and finished at 6.35 pm bit annoying as prior to the cable fiasco I was looking at under 9 hours which I would have been chuffed with.

I did phone for Mavic van assistance but they said it would be a long wait so I managed to limp in on my bodge repair.

Great ride though apart from the hanging around at the start,

 

[Nuncio]

Banjo,

When you were dropping towards Aberdulais/Neath from Crynant at about 3pm, if you heard someone shout 'Banjo!', that was me going in the opposite direction on an afternoon tootle, wanting to see what a Sportive looked like. Well done on the time (despite cable woe).

 

[Banjo]

Amazing Yeah the time sounds about right, I remember hearing someone shout but didnt hear what they said.

You did well to notice me amongst that number of riders, must apologise for not even giving you a wave but hadnt realized the shout was for me so didnt look properly..

 

[theclaud]

Amazing Yeah the time sounds about right, I remember hearing someone shout but didnt hear what they said.

You did well to notice me amongst that number of riders, must apologise for not even giving you a wave but hadnt realized the shout was for me so didnt look properly..

I was out on the Bwlch yesterday around that time and found myself in company with the Dragon Ride, having forgotten all about it beforehand. I remebered you were on it and did look out for you, but there were so many riders that it was needle-in-haystack stuff. Well done for finishing with a very annoying mechanical, which must have spoilt that lovely descent for you. Still, better than being stuck in a high gear up the Bwlch...

 

[Banjo]

I was out on the Bwlch yesterday around that time and found myself in company with the Dragon Ride, having forgotten all about it beforehand. I remebered you were on it and did look out for you, but there were so many riders that it was needle-in-haystack stuff. Well done for finishing with a very annoying mechanical, which must have spoilt that lovely descent for you. Still, better than being stuck in a high gear up the Bwlch...

I know what you mean about needles and Haystacks .I was trying to spot a few people I know at the start but with the enormous crowd of bikes at th start it was hopeless. Atmosphere at the start was great with people chatting to those around them as we shuffled upo to the line starting in blocks of a hundred or two.

Doesnt matter to me but I think lots of people will be upset that the electronic timing chips didnt work properly and lots didnt get timed.Theres an apology on the website but also a suggestion people didnt attatch them properly .

I have taken a pic of mine showing it not bent or wrapped around the head tube but hanging fairly straight yet I only registered on one of the split time mats not at the start , finish or the other split time mats. I think this will be quite a dissapointment to some of the more serious riders.

To finish on a positive note I thought the signage was good the feed stations coped well with the large numbers and despite my snapped cable I had a great day.

 

[mitch]

did the gran fondo aswell in about 7,50 mins total time .suffered on the bwlch the second time up it in the rain and cold but recovered on the descent ,overall i thought last years route was better even though the coastal road bit was nice, it was also bumpy be back next year probably for more pain

 

[davehann]

yes the roads where really scabby this year after all that ice we had.

i actually got a better time on the second bwlch accent (though there was a lot of pain with it)

overall i am plesed with my result and have already started thinking ahead to nxt years ride.

 

[515mm]

Had a fab time on the Medio Fondo - my Gran Fondo buddy pulled out injured and I didn't fancy going round 200k on my own again, so thought I'd have a crack at a blast round the Medio.

What fun. A high speed blast down to Porthcawl, jam tart, hoof it to P. Talbot, steady up the Bwlch, apple pie, then head down/ar$3 up back to Pencoed.

It has been suggested that this year's course was easier than last year's. I would agree, but it was faster, just as pretty and for the first timers I met, enough of a challenge to make them come back for more next year.

A good thing, non?