Did you notice my error in the title screen? This is day 7, not day 6! Sorry!
This was a long day with a lot of climbing (4000ft). I surprised myself by dealing well with the climbing, and plodding steadily through the distance. It was unexpectedly cold; I normally wouldn’t ride in icy conditions (I’ve had falls and I don’t bounce), but this “had to be done”. It would have seemed a stupid decision if I had fallen off – but the cold (which I coped well with), the frost, the icy sunrise and the snow on the distant hills will be things that make this ride a memory.
I don’t really know why I was so slow, but the icy paths and roads needed care and the coastal path is not a race-track. Also I am pretty sure I had headwinds from Conwy to Betws while heading South and from Betws to the pass while heading upwards (mainly West really, but I suspect the wind might have been cold air descending the pass?).
Points from the video:
The electronics: My Garmin kept working, my phone gave several warnings and shut down due to cold after Betws. My cheap power bank said it was charging the Garmin, but the rate of charge could not keep pace with consumption. I had a better quality power bank which did the trick, but I don’t know if that was just because it was warmer inside a pannier. My camera was the first to complain because it was exposed all the time; it made me switch it to 1080p to continue. It worked reasonably well all day until my arrival at Pen y Pass.
Puncture:
Near Doncaster I ran over a thorny twig and the thorn lodged in my tyre. I tried to pull the thorn out with pliers but it broke off; I tried to dig it out with a penknife, but it was firmly and deeply stuck. So I carried on. It was several hundred miles before the tyre began to deflate at Colwyn Bay. It deflated again near Caer Llugwy, but after inflating it this time it remained hard for several weeks and about 300 miles. The Slime ultimately failed after riding through a series of deep puddles. When I changed the tube the thorn was projecting about ⅓ inch inside the outer and was easy to pull out on the inside. I am often unsuccessful at repairing slimed tubes so I then replaced it. The thorn had produced a tear about 4mm wide by this time.
4 Comments
That ride made me shiver in sympathy. Loved the witticism of Edward the First blocking the road with his castle.Another 80 mile mile up lots of hills; I don't remember a comment about the knee so hopefully its better now. Well done. Thanks for another enjoyable video.
You are a legend they don`t make them like you anymore built to last.😆👍
This looks brilliant! Where can I find the GPX for the route?
Being out on the bike at sunrise is one of life's great pleasures, and you were lucky with this one – a stunner. I find the enjoyment is magnified when you have the trail to yourself, as you did again here. Perhaps nobody else was bold/daft enough to go out in such cold weather!