Dear Fridays
We’re riding to Swansea! Here’s the stuff you need to know.
We congregate by the Millennium Centre at 11.30, and there’s shelter under the frontage if it’s wet. Many of us are likely to arrive earlier and eat or drink at one of the restaurants on the waterside – just find where the bikes are piled up and an unusually high proportion of the clientele are wearing synthetic fibres…
I will be milling around to check your names off the list and Claudine will deliver the pre-ride safety talk. Do please pay attention: none of us are at our best in the small hours, so giving clear signals and pointing out potholes is particularly important.
Claudine and I have both recce’d the ride, and it’s looking good. About 65 miles with some flat bits and some not so flat bits (though only one steep hill). We take the A48 out of Cardiff, stopping for a splash and dash at the 24 hour Tesco. Then it’s gorgeous lanes from Bonvilston, and the halfway stop is at the Watermill pub, Ogmore village, about 29 miles in.
The Watermill is laying on delicious sandwiches (rest assured, I’ve tested them personally), cake, and tea and coffee for £8 per person. Veggies will of course be catered for.
We tackle the “Col de Neath” and descend into Swansea via Bog Road. Bear in mind that the second “half” of the ride is a little hillier and longer than the first, so you may want to bring a snack to keep yourself going.
The last five miles of the ride are its glory: round the bay cycle path, finishing at Mumbles pier for breakfast, which will be available from 7.30. Rumour has it that some seasoned Friday-ists will be seeking out post-ride refreshment of a malted nature.
Preparation: please look at
http://fridaynightridetothecoast.blogspot.co.uk/p/its-not-about-thetype-of-bike.html and make sure your bike is in tiptop condition, not forgetting spare inner tubes, chain links and batteries for your lights. Bear in mind that it can get cold at this time of year – it was down to 3 degrees during last year’s ride – so keep an eye on the forecast and bring some extra layers if you feel the cold.
A word about lights: very bright rear lights are exceptionally distracting for people following you and completely unnecessary for a ride like this. If you must use one, turn it to its lowest setting and make sure it’s angled down below the horizontal. Most front lights do not have a dipped beam (unlike car headlights) so using them on full power is going to distract anyone coming the other way. Again, please make sure they’re angled down and you turn the power down to avoid dazzling drivers.
Don’t forget that we employ Wayfinders to mark the junctions and Tail End Charlies to help with mechanicals and make sure no-one is left behind. If you do have a puncture, you can speed things up by getting your wheel off your bike and having your inner tube ready.
Getting back: it’s five miles from the pier back to Swansea train station, so allow time to get there, and if you don’t know the way: ask. Trains back east are plentiful and you can reserve bike spaces online. Please don’t even think about driving back.
That’s about it really. We look forward to seeing you all on the 18th.
