Re: Sunday 13th November Ride

[ValleyMan]

A good turnout to start with this morning, all appearing fresh after one or two excesses on Friday night. We were joined by Tamsin (NOT Tanya!) who is here on a placement at the Whitland GP Practice. (She must have really pissed someone off to get sent there…)

So Tamsin, Andrew R, Huw, Andrew M, Mark, Mat G, Kim and I set off towards Taverspite on the first leg of the route suggested by Huw. I do think in future comments like ‘weather looks good’ really should be moderated with perhaps some reference to wind speed as there was a howling south-easterly gale in our faces to start with.

Being Remembrance Sunday, we planned to get past St Clears and into the hills before 11am to avoid getting entangled in any parades en route. However, this plan did not account for my inept tyre changing skills. We got as far as Princes Gate when I notice the front tyre going soft. Aided by Kim and Huw the tube was replaced and off we went again. By Tavernspite it felt soft again so Kim and I stopped to pump it up. I then noticed it felt a bit lumpy to be confirmed by the waiting pelaton at Red Roses; the valve was not sitting in the tyre properly. Off came the tyre again in the middle of the car park outside the memorial hall just as everyone started arriving for the service.

Next stop was the top of Pendine Hill where Mark and Mat decided to take a coastal route back towards Amroth leaving the rest of us to carry on to St Clears arriving just in time to add the the traffic chaos of the Remembrance Parade. Our perfect timing was even commented on by a local PC.

As we headed north on the long drag to Llanboidy, it became clear that this was probably not and ideal introductory route for Tamsin who was starting to struggle on the hills. We regrouped at the top of the ‘whatever you do don’t look up’ hill out of Llanboidy where we spilt again with Kim, Tamsin and I turning down to Llanfallteg and across to Clunderwen, the others taking a more northerly route back to Narberth via Llanglydwen catching us up again at the A40 roundabout.

Tamsin was telling Kim and I she did the Long Course weekend this year setting a sub 4 hour PB for the marathon. Once her legs get used to the hills round here we had better watch out.

Until next Sunday then, when, if Roger has sorted out his religious affiliations and dietary intolerances he will hopefully be able to join us.