[Roger]

Great day yesterday..thanks to all for the pleasure of their company.

After cycling back with Andrew yesterday evening I got to Princes Gate and made the decision to keep going West. I arrived back in Cardiff at 23.15 .

I overslept this morning and didn’t actually arrive back in Pembs until 17.00 ….coming up LLanddowror hill with 320 miles in your legs is not much fun….now where shall I go tomorrow?

[Roger]

As a Saundersfoot GP I was wondering who this Narberth GP was…whoever he is, I bet he would take “smug” over “second” any day of the week

[Roger]

Ha bloody ha!…..I can only write a “short” statement as I have a series of interviews and promotions throughout today…

Lovely though the scenery was,this was a brutal ride.

I managed to stick with a group of 3 others for 20 miles until the top of Preseli mountain..and then they were just too strong…and then I began to curse..yet again you’ve gone off to fast and now you have no group to share the front with and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with nearly 60 miles to go with the prospect of a fresh mountain climbing Andrew appearing at any moment in a large group that will just whistle past you..idiot!

So spurred on by self-recrimination I set about the task of staying away from persuers for as long as I possibly could…..and my isolation went on and on..horrible hills,paranoia about missing a turning,paranoia about being caught up and spat out..and then at 50 miles cramp..happily in one leg at a time this time rather than both (unlike the Daffodil). I didn’t see a soul. Finally I was on the last climb out of the Gwaun Valley and nearly fell off several times as I tried to ride looking backwards for the closing pack. It was only on the top The Angel that I allowed myself the realisation that I wasn’t going to be caught and ,even then,I waiting for the inevitable puncture or suicidal sheep charge…but for once it didn’t happen!

[Roger]

Didn’t make tonight..bloody 18.00 start time…I’m allowed to ride the Angel and fancy an earlier start to the above..shall we arrange some shared transport and save the planet?

[Roger]

Well..at 09.00 there was no one at Bloomfiled..so I decided to set off alone North to over the hills to Cardigan…coming back wasn’t so bad as the driving rain was at my back……if you believe that you’ll believe anything…I’ve just spent five hors surrounded by bits of paper trying to sort out tax affairs….I think, horrible though the weather has been today,I would have preferred to put on four layers of clothing and my yellow mac and gone out!

[Roger]

come on ! come on! where’s the next chapter? …your fans await!

[Roger]

The video does look great…I bet it will bear on resemblance to video if were to be shot ( with a waterproof camera) on The Angel next week…will you Mallorcan athletes wait for us mortals at the top?

[Roger]

On the flat mate!…the wind was very strong though ! Have you recovered?

[Roger]

Just thought I give some reader feedback to the author by way of support and encouragement..enjoying every chapter and eagerly awaiting the next installment…..my Italian week was probably not quite as eventful..and all I will say about the Italian cyclists that I cycled with is that they’re all on a par with Nick Gibbon and absolutely love hills …I met not one but two ex Italian national amateur champions

A high point for me was riding in a small Italian peleton at 25mph with wind at our backs (obviously),beautiful sunshine and the Adriatic lapping 5 m away…ahhhh! a distant memory looking the slate grey sky here

[Roger]

I was just start out on my Easter Sunday ramble [ late start due to entertaining ] my shiny over-priced bike bouncing on my shoulders when over the hill came the advanced party of the Dynamos..so inspired was I that I sat on the saddle and turned the pedals..and before i knew it I had done the old short tour of Pembrokeshire- 64 miles 17.3 mph…big decision for me is whether or not to continue with the rambling…

[Roger]

Is there a rambling section included on the route?

[Roger]

I have to echo all that has been said before…it was a really good sportive and true to it”s name a “challenge”-especially at the end!

I’m not ashamed to say I walked a section of the 25 % monster at 80 odd miles ( I can’t remember the last time I walked…I think I must have been under 10! ). I was “trying” to cycle up but zig zagging made me cross the rubbish in the middle of the road and the wheel slipped and that was it..it was impossible to restart…quite frankly, I didn’t want to anyway! I take my hat off to Andrew and Mark they should be rightly proud of cycling up ….even though I suspect I wasn’t going much slower pushing ! If it had been wet,as one could have expected in March, then none of us would have cycled up and at least one of us would have had problems with some precipitous descents.I think the organisers were slightly taking the piss!…where does road biking end and mountain biking begin? Anyway it doesn’t detract from being one the best sportives I’ve been on so far and I thoroughly enjoyed the day – thanks boys

[Roger]

I haven’t finalised my plans yet but the above is giving cause for concern..would the YMCA be any safer I wonder? I agree with Ian…wrong forum ….but as I’m no homophobe..may we should have a “special” branch of the dynamos….of course the kit would have to be “special”..pink and black perhaps?…like the Velos…….? hey …you don’t think they’re all…”special”..?

[Roger]

Out of the question…I’m not carrying the extra weight of a non functional lung around with me…I’ll leave it for the vulchers…

[Roger]

Don’t worry mate..I’ll be the odd one out…I’ll be the only one to literally cough a lung up on route

[Author]

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