Ever in search of new experiences, the Etape Cymru presented something of a novel end of season challenge to Team Spongebob, both taking place on closed roads and covering the hithero unconquered territories of the Clywdian range and Dee Valley in North Wales. We had booked this one early in the year, so early in fact, that I had somehow overlooked the fact that the event rather inconveniently coincided my first wedding anniversary. Fortunately, my lovely and understanding wife fully appreciates that it is but for the prize money that I earn and sponsors on my jersey that we have a roof over our head. And after a crisis meeting with the race organisors and sponsors the requisite wife tokens were issued at the 11th hour.
Our seven o’clock start time saw us up at the unfeasibly early time of five thirty, which greatly delighted fellow team mate Simon ‘early bird’ Rushton, who at one point could only growl at the other B&B guests as they tried to converse with him at the breakfast table. We swiftly abandoned our plan to cycle the 4 miles from the B&B to the start line due to the almost sub zero temperature, but thanks to the excellent event organisation, we were parked and lined up at the start time with the second wave at quarter past seven in no time.
The first section of the Etape was a gradual uphill drag on narrow country roads and there was lots of excited sportive riders sprinting up every incline. Simon was feeling the calling and tapping out a brisk pace, but my still half asleep legs were telling me to ease off as my heart rate crept up to over 85%, so I bid my team mate a silent farewell as I gradually let him slip off ahead of me at around mile 10.
I had only had a cursory glance of the course at registration the day before, but I knew that it was basically just up, down, up, down the whole way with a long gradual descent to the finish. The first climb of note was the Horseshoe Pass, so called because it loops round in a semi circle as it ascends the Denbighsire countryside. I had read that this would be a timed climb, but was somewhat oblivious to the start of the timed section and it was only when I was halfway up having been passed by many riders who seemed to be going up much harder than I was that I realised what was going on. I decided to keep it steady and keep the legs fresh.
By the thirtieth mile I was starting to hit my rhythm and things were also starting to settle down around me as I found my self yo-yo’ing constantly between the same set of riders on the ups and downs. I had imagined on bombing along in a paceline on fast B-roads, but the reality was very narrow and twisty country lanes. This made for some fairly technical descending, which my dolomites honed reflexes consumed with relish. A couple of riders complimented me on my descending, which was a novelty as its not something I’m known for.
The rest of the ride was something of a blur, a relentless series of steep ups and tight twisty downs. This was all set among some lovely scenery which ranged from rolling hills to craggy cliffs and then finally an long uphill across moorland before a final barnstorming ten kilometer descent to the finish line where I got the only decent draft of the whole ride as we were pulled along by a beast of a rider on a specialized venge. I finished the last couple of miles on my own as I made the mistake of taking too long a turn at the front and being unable to hold a wheel as the group surged past.
I finished the ride at 5:25:04, coming in six minutes behind Simon and 172nd place out of 1500 finishers. This was a pleasant surprise as I’d not really had any impression of going well during the ride, mainly due to being in one of the early groups without many riders to pass further up the road. Furthermore the speedo was only registering a modest 16.4mph average at the end of the ride but in hindsight this was a slow, technical course with lots of climbing and very little opportunity for fast group riding. All in all, it was a great way to finish the season. It would have been a tough ride under normal circumstances, but our week in the Dolomites had given our legs epic strength for taking on lots of steep climbs. If only one could bottle and save good form!!!
