I went to bed last night with really sore legs. It’s counter-intuitive but that’s normally a good sign for me. I woke in the night and they were still sore but I was confident they’d be feeling better when I woke and hey presto, 7am and the soreness was gone. That’s how an active recovery session like yesterday’s spin usualy works for me.
I felt pretty hungry when I got up, so I decided to make myself a big, fat dirty bacon and egg sandwich. Oh it was good too, washed down with a gallon of coffee.
I took a walk outside. Had a chat with the chickens clucking away in their pen and sat and listened to the birds and sheep with the the sound of the stream in the background. Lovely. The weather was a bit cooler with moody clouds overhead. I felt a spot of rain and decided to wait and see if it developed but it seemed to pass and stayed dry so I decided to get changed and ride an 80km route I’d plotted last night half cut on red wine while watching the BGT final.
I left about 10.30am. The arm warmers and gilet were back on and I took my rain cape just in case too as I was heading into the mountains.
The first few km retraced yesterday’s spin up the valley. After the steep drop into Abergwesyn I took a right, rumbled over a cattle grid and then it was a short steep climb shrouded in trees. It wasn’t long before it opened up and I got to see what I came here for. A mouth watering view up the valley with the climb of the Devil’s Staircase in the distance. Game on.
The Devils Staircase has been on my bucket list for years. I’ve just never had the opportunity to get down here to ride it. It’s quite a famous climb in cycling circles, used on Audax events and more famously it featured in The Milk Race a few times too.
From further out you can see the road carved into the hillside among the trees with it’s famous hairpin bends but as you get closer it kind of goes out of view.
Ironically the ride to the foot of it is absolutely pan flat across a bridge. You rumble over a cattle grid with only a sign confirming an average gradient of 25% giving you a clue about whats to come and then you hit the first ramp. I was in my lowest gear (32/34) and pulling small wheelies so I had to shift my weight forward to counter. The first ramp is pin straight. You can see the hairpin ahead. I wasn’t chasing any KOM’s today, just managing my effort as I had 40 miles left to do after it. The inside of the first bend is ridiculous. Probably north of 30% so I kept to the outer edge. The next ramp maintained the gradient but was bit shorter to the second bend with the surface a bit broken up. You could be lulled into thinking that was the worst of it but although the gradient eases off a touch it continues to climb relentlessly for what seems like an age around to the left and straight up and over lined with trees. No views unless you look back behind.
Over the top, there is no plateau, you literally drop down the other side. No hairpins here just a couple of easy bends with good vision ahead so you can let the brakes go.
Steep descent done, the route cut left and continued on a super fast straight descent down the valley towards Llyn Brianne. From here I had this road cycling playground all to myself tracking the shores of the reservoir.
The route is just superb. You descend to almost water level and then climb over the headland before descending again to the dam at the far end, the engineering marvel that created it.
Dam done, the descending continued until I hit a place I can’t even pronounce. Rhandirmyn. Anyone? Here signs were out saying the road was closed ahead. I didn’t have a Plan B and there were no diversion signs in place either so I had no choice but to chance it. Luckily only 90% of the road was blocked because of a big hole but there was a 2ft gap on the right I managed to navigate.
A little further on my red wine fuelled route took a sharp left and began to climb out of the valley. After a nice wide, well surfaced road, things had got a bit more ‘rural’ but the views across to the Brecon Beacons made it worth the effort.
Over the top and things got a bit dicey on a lengthy 25% descent which tested my brakes. I could feel them beginning to complain and squeal towards the bottom, just gravel on a hairpin bend to navigate and it was done.
Back on some flattish terrain, a little further on I rode under Cynghordy Viaduct unexpectedly. The sign underneath explained it serves the Heart of Wales railway line between Swansea and Shrewsbury. It has 18 arches, rising to 31m high and opened in 1868. You can’t beat a bit of Victorian engineering. Built to last!
I briefly escaped the lanes and was treated to a few hundred metres of carpet smooth tarmac on the A483. Welsh roads are generally pretty good compared to elsewhere in the UK.
Just round the corner was another sharp left and an equally sharp pitch which saw me quickly change down to a gear more suitable. This climb was endless. Just straight, quiet and gained height that just didn’t seem possible because it went on for so long. It was pretty steady though so I was able to get into a rhythm and tap it out.
The road seemed to be lined with forest early on and then opened up into farmland across a plateau before it dropped down a nice speedy section into Llangamarch Wells. I knew I was quite far into the ride now but the climbing wasn’t over.
The 10-15% climb out of the village sucked a big chunk of energy out of me. I was really beginning to feel Saturday in my legs now and new, from memory, I had at least another couple of tasty climbs to do.
I crossed the A483 again at Garth and was straight into the next climb. I was trying to work out how far I thought I had left now as I just wanted to get it done. My legs were quite sore but I knew when I hit the B4358 I was almost home. However I got there and was greeted with a soul crushing 15%er just to remind me where I was.
Climb done (slowly), the false flat from here was just painful. I’m sure it was an optical illusion because my effort didn’t seem to translate into speed at this point. I was waiting for the Garmin to announce a right turn because I knew then it was done. The right turn came and I dropped down a single track lane to what looked like a dead end at a farm. I was confused briefly but the lane seemed to continue but looked hardly used, covered in tree debris. Then a little further on it made sense. Just a footbridge. I assume it used to serve cars but the bridge got replaced at some point.
A km later I was home and done. Cooked. Just shy of 80km in the bag with some of the best scenery I’ve ever ridden.
Tomorrow is a day off off.
Adios