Got to Welshpool at 6 30 ready to start at 7. It said they were going to let 40 riders go every 4mins. I don`t think there was 40 there that early, so i was in the first pack to be let off at 7.
We all spread out pretty quickly and i let go of the first few and hung back with about 6 or 8. Chatting to them in the first couple of miles it became apparent that they were planning to ride it in 9 hours or so. I wanted to go a bit faster than that so set off to catch the lead group. Was catching them up until they went through traffic lights and by the time i got there they turned red. Little did i know at the time that was not the only bit of bad luck i was going to encounter on the ride.
I rode the next 35 miles to the first feed station on my own, only saw 1 rider in red pass me and i tried to hang on to him but he was flying.
Didnt need to stop so carried on and just past the station there was a sharp left turn and thats all i saw in front of me was this very steep road and this rider in red climbing it. He must of stopped to refuel and in my eager haste to catch him i followed him up the mountain and must of missed the sign which pointed in another direction!!
This road started with a cattle grid so you just knew it was going to be a long climb. The rider in red was long gone and i was still on my own. After about 4/5 miles i got flagged down by this rider in red, he pointed out that we hadn`t come across a sign in miles. We carried on together for another 3 to 4 miles until we came to a t junction with no direction, that comfirmed we were lost. We agreed to turn right and within 1/2 mile he was long gone. I was on my own again and lost.
The road was very hilly, it must of been 1/2 an hour before i came across a junction. I had to phone the emergency number and after 15 mins of explaining he finally found where i was on his map and pointed me in the right direction and within 2 miles i was back on the route heading for Builth Wells.
At the feed station at Builth i asked a rider how many miles hed done and when hed said 52 and i, by this time had done 67. I was gutted, i could of given up there and then.
Setting off from Builth i got in with 5 riders from a club in Newtown, who were going at a good pace and stayed with them until the foot of the Brecon Beacons where they slowed up and i carried on. The ride up wasnt steep but just dragged on for miles and then cranked up near the top. At the top the road levelled out and i got a good pace going and saw in the distance on the right parked in a busy layby was Janice. I wanted some water (the energy drink on route was horrible) and didnt want to stop so waving to her as i passed i asked her to pass me a bottle as she was passing me in the car. As i did this i hit the kerb on the left, lost control and went head over heels onto the grass verge and landed in a gutter 4ft down on my back in 6in of dirty brown water. How embarresing in front of about 20/30 people and my wife.
That really did top my day off! My only thought then was to finish as quickly as i could and retire from the sport.
The last 25 miles were on very busy roads with either roundabouts or traffic lights slowing us up.
The final 4 miles took us through Caerphilly and out the other side up Caerphilly mountain. It was steeper than Pendine hill and twice as long. First time i have seen cyclists get off their bikes and walk in a sportiff. The finish in Caerphilly castle was great though, with plenty of people cheering us home.
The route should of been 116 miles and i ended up doing 131.Finished in 8hrs 13mins.
Not my best day on a bike and i dont think i set a time that wont be beaten by the pros when they ride it! And i doubt they will take a wrong turning either!!
& would have been significantly faster had he taken the correct course – but based on the fact I went the wrong way on hwest course I can hardly criticise
