Manchester - Llandudno: Saturday May 13

[nickyboy]

Finally home

I know it's a bit of a cliché but it really is the participants that make these rides. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. The route was fine, I enjoyed the hilly section more than last year, probably because the weather wasn't quite so tricky. That stretch from Prestatyn to Rhyl was "character building" but overall the weather was pretty good. I've even suntanned my head through the helmet vents which is always a good sign

Good fish and chips and I liked the Cottage Loaf and all of us sitting around the table having a chat and a joke was great.

Not in great condition for a ride this morning after the beers and the Spoons breakfast but I made it up the Orme....just

I'm happy to run this again providing work doesn't get in the way, same goes for the Scarborough ride this September. More beer and chips, what could be better?

Oh, and I've definitely lost the main bit of the ride so you guys will have to fight over the KOM....at least until next year

 

[mike3121]

It's raining in Cardiff. FFS.

The weather was glorious this afternoon in Rhyl

 

[theclaud]

The weather was glorious this afternoon in Rhyl

It's got to have something going for it I suppose.

Turned out alright here. I'm having yellow dinner by the castle...

 

[nickyboy]

...and a few shoutouts

@Crackle ...for being such a good Dad he let his son win the race up the big hill
@straas ...for just being too damn fast. Next time, slow down...please
@doughnut ....for being the KOM (at least until straas gets online)
@Moodyman ...for tackling the hilly route....by accident
@Buck ...well, his mate Gil actually..for being hopeless at changing punctures and proceeding to have three of them
@wanda2010 ...for making us all jealous by hopping on a train in Shotton
@Cupotea ...with the clickiest pedal in the whole world
@Kestevan ..for drafting me, me the ride leader!, for miles
@alibaba ....socks, that is all
@gavroche ...for seeing a Frenchman enjoying sausage and chips so much
@theclaud ...for her effortless swearing, impressive
@MossCommuter ..for being called "Sir" by a bunch of youngsters in the pub
@McWobble ..for being stuck in the big ring and thus giving @ColinJ with his SS a run for his money

 

[Cupotea]

Hi all! For those who can't put a face to the name, I was the lanky guy on the Spa Ti, a.k.a. Pete.

I knew the ride was going to be fun, but it turned out to be one of my all time favorite days on a bike. Though I spoke with many people along the way there wasn't a single person I wouldn't have been happy to spend the whole hundred with.

Highlights were finding Eureka with Alibaba after losing sight of the groups GPX owner (note to self, get the route downloaded next time you plonker), the hilly bit with Adrian, Crackle and his son, and final part of the descent and along the coast nattering with Nickyboy and after keeping station for a few miles finally catching McWobble when he had to slow to let a little girl cross the path. We would have caught him anyway. Honest....

At almost exactly 100 miles my legs started to really feel it as they finally noticed they hadn't had lunch but they kindly got me to the top of the final climb, just, before dropping into Llandudno. Apologies for my very brief appearance at the pub but my legs were voting to lie on the hotel bed and after all they'd done for me it seemed harsh to ignore their request.

This morning Mike (not of this parish yet) and I rode around the Orme before heading to the station where we bumped into Wanda getting the same train. I got off at Crewe then had a surprisingly easy spin back home and it did make me wonder if I should have ridden the route in reverse. There's always next year.

Finally for thank yous. Nickyboy, thank you for organizing a wonderful day and making me feel so welcome. Mrs Doughnut for her amazingly kind bag courier service. Si (I think it was Si) for the cereal bar, Joanne (possibly Joanna) the manager at Travelodge for being so helpful, and to everyone else who made my long-awaited century such a pleasure. I will certainly be signing up for the Scarborough ride and hope to see all of you there.

 

[doughnut]

Oh, and I've definitely lost the main bit of the ride so you guys will have to fight over the KOM....at least until next year

Top tip guys - while everyone is gasping for breath at the chippy and otherwise occupied, wander round all the bikes and check out their GPS devices with the largest magnet you can find. Instant KOM for the day.

 

[straas]

Apologies Doughnut, I've just stolen the kom! I've finally got one on strava, I must be ready for the tdf now!

Without @nickyboy to lead the way, I nearly ended up on the A55 back to chester on my way to Conwy! Almost wished I had, with a 13% ramp right at the end beyond Conwy. 179.3km with 1461m climbing, not too shabby.

No cycling today, hike up conwy mountain with the dog and a couple of beers on anglesey

 

[nickyboy]

Apologies Doughnut, I've just stolen the kom! I've finally got one on strava, I must be ready for the tdf now!

Without @nickyboy to lead the way, I nearly ended up on the A55 back to chester on my way to Conwy! Almost wished I had, with a 13% ramp right at the end beyond Conwy. 179.3km with 1461m climbing, not too shabby.

No cycling today, hike up conwy mountain with the dog and a couple of beers on anglesey

I was about 30s behind so in my own personal, pathetic, Stravatastic dream world, I'm in second place at about 21 minutes

He kept stopping...claiming he was waiting for me to catch up to give directions but I reckon he'd gone into the red trying to get away from me

 

[doughnut]

Damn, should have brought a bigger magnet.

 

[Buck]

A great ride yesterday and my first imperial century heightened by being Gil's triple puncture repair assistant !! When we got up this morning to head for the train, Gil had another flat tyre - that boy is jinxed !!

The wind made the last section a bit harder and the last climb was the toughest for me but then it was over in a flash and quickly rewarded with the lovely descent into Llandudno for food; shower then a couple of beers ! Oh, did I mention we even had a kebab as we got the munchies after all of that liquid?

@nickyboy thanks as always for your effort in making the rides happen and your great company.

Thanks to everyone else for making it such a good ride - lots of great company, banter and support - me and Gil were chatting on the way home saying just how good it was.

 

[mike3121]

@nickyboy congratulations on yet another great ride, this ride is getting bigger and bigger as the years go by, a bit like my waistline, I am making a promise my waistline will reduce by next year but I predicted the size of the ride will increase.
May I just mention that even after less training rides than I have in the past I managed to complete the ride without doing any walking up any of the hills (on the flat route) including the final killer hill just before Llandudno, I am proud of myself for that, I may even be tempted to do the hilly route next year, or is that a step to far????
It was great to see again all the ones that had done the previous rides and to meet new comers to the ride, hopefully you will all do it again next year. This ride is growing and growing in popularity. Be there or be square.

as a good few of you know my inspiration to start riding again 3 years ago was my partner Pam when she was diagnosed cancer so I done my own personal cycling challenge to raise money for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, She has the all clear now. After this it has been hard for me to find the inspiration to continue riding on more than a casual basis, this ride every year gives me a target to aim for. And keeps me in the direction of being fit enough for my next charity challenge which is undecided yet. Talking to a few of the riders on the evening of the ride ( you know who you are) my inspiration is beginning to grow again. All I have to do now is loose a stone or 2 and get my cycling legs in the groove and then I can start to plan my next fundraising event. So in conclusion if @nickyboy didn't arrange this ride my motivation would of dwindled away.

Now moving on to the September ride, my fingers are crossed. My Mum and Dad have offered to pay for me to have a holiday in my favorite location for a holiday for my 50th Birthday, which is England or Wales ( I don't do aboard, hate it) problem is I always take my annual leave in September! Last year, after seeing the ride was to end in Scarborough I booked a holiday in a cottage in Scarborough. Now this year we are planning to go to Devon so hopefully, I haven't booked a holiday yet, it dosent clash with the September ride.

So in conclusion @nickyboy you are not just the ride organiser you are an insperation

 

[mike3121]

@doughnut I did not have a very good sleep, maybe missing a kebab?

 

[doughnut]

@mike3121 - haha yes, sounds like we missed out on an opportunity by leaving at last orders in the Cottage Loaf. Others must have gone on to Wetherspoons and the inevitable kebab. My body is thanking me now, but my mind is telling me that we probably missed something special. I've dipped my face and clothes in the chip pan at home to remind myself of the missed experience.

 

[Crackle]

I may even be tempted to do the hilly route next year, or is that a step to far????

I don't think so and something to aim for. Look at the strava times for that hill and you'll see I'm dead last. I have always been a slow climber, even when I was younger, fitter and lighter, I was still slow. I don't train to get faster on hills, I just train to have enough endurance to keep going and to recover after the effort. After 30 odd years of cycling I know precisely what i can and can't do and it's why I have a triple. I don't use it very often but Saturday was one of those days. Just kick it into a comfortable gear, find a rhythm and wind your way up. It's 30 minutes of effort and there's nothing steeper than that last kicker into Llandudno or up to the chippy, so if you can do that, you can do the climb you just need to train for sustaining the effort and the hills around West Kirby and Thurstaston would do for practise, they're what I use. Although I didn't this time. I was thinking I should've have done as I wound my way up.

 

[Crackle]

I do have one question which I can't quite figure out. Which forum member was it riding with @ColinJ along the prom who caught up me and my son and rode with us until Rhos On Sea. Where I had to stop and yank the whet wipe out my derailleur?