h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well I'm starting to not bother to journal about Audax now as it's becoming the norm rather than anything special these days but yesterday was one of definite note.

200 km Ride in South Wales, the Transporter 200, so named as it used to involve a little jaunt across the Transporter bridge in Newport which is rather more like a cable car ride across the river than a bridge as such. Sadly since 2 years ago the bridge is closed in the winter and so you have to just ride past and admire it now.

It's only a minor part of the ride now - it's reputed to be an 'easy' 200 as it's largely flat. But this rather ignores two monster climbs in the Brecon Beacons. Wentwood just before Usk and the famed 'Devil's Elbow' south of Sennybridge - the latter being the signature climb and one I'd not done before since I failed to get onto the Dragon Ride sportive last year.

The ride itself would probably have been just another audax but we were faced with 'challenging' weather conditions. In audax-speak it would probably have to be described as 'a bit damp' and 'somewhat breezy' But this really means there were repeated and sustained torrential downpours and 'a bit breezy' means winds gusting up to 60 mph and getting slightly worried that you were going to end up under a fallen tree.

Before we got to the beacons proper I was indeed rather pleased to be in the shelter of hedges and trees and even more pleased that if the trees were going down (a real possibility) then they were being blown away from me . All this was tinged with a nagging fear that I was soon to be attempting to crest an exposed mountain top as we took on the Devil's Elbow.
Now climbing isn't my strong point in cycling as I'm too large to be an Albert Contador but I was EXTREMELY chuffed to make it up the steep and relentless switchbacks of the Devil's Elbow despite headwinds to make your eyes water and gusts that were literally blowing the more lightweight guys and gals off their bikes. This was my best climbing performance to date - if I can do that monster in those conditions I am now more determined than ever to make the slopes that have defeated me now.
So a dreadful set of conditions to attempt a 126 mile cycle but I survived and am very very pleased with my performance

I seem to have finally learned to pace myself also as I am in better post-ride condition than ever and my time was actually quite a lot faster than most of my recent rides. A fine days cycling even if the weather was very far from fine.

Given that that wind snapped a (small, dead) tree in our front garden, I am impressed!

Thanks - we are quite mad really - a field of 30 riders completed. This is a bigger field than on some of my summer rides when the weather was nice.