Re: Sunday Ride 22nd May 2011

[ValleyMan]

Reading Andrew’s post on the Llandovery Sportive certainly puts our short trip to the seaside (or not as the case may be) into perspective. Five of us met at Bloomfield, Hugh, Leighton, Jeremy, Kim and I with initial plans for a 57 mile route via Freshwater East and West, however, in putting the route together I did not anticipate the howling gale from the south west.

Kim had been out with Celia in the wind and the rain on Friday and decided after all of 3 miles to go home again. This left the route finding in my hands with no map, just a vague memory of putting the route in MapMyRide.

I managed to find the steepest way up to the Ridgeway from St Florence (will now edit Route S5) before dropping down into Manorbier. Given the obvious strength of the wind we had decided that there was no way we were going to head across the Castlemartin Ranges and would turn back at Lamphey and so the promised coffee stop was forsaken (again!).

Heading down the road to Lamphey we hit the full force of the wind and struggled to make 12mph. What a contrast when we turned round and headed up onto the Ridgeway; sit up, spread your arms out wide and get blown up the hill.

Considering that Leighton hit a wall after about a mile on his first Wednesday ride only a few weeks ago, he has certainly come on quickly powering up the hills out of the saddle like Roger and Andrew’s love child.

Notwithstanding the wind, all in all it was a fairly uneventful ride. I understand Andrew has something altogether more ‘interesting’ planned for next Sunday.