About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Paralympic World Cup

Jody Cundy and the rest of Britain's top disability cyclists will have one final oppurtunity to test themselves in competition, at this weeks Paralympic World Cup in Manchester. The whole event lasts from the 7th - 11th May, with the cyclists taking to the Velodrome on the 8th and 9th.

Watch out for Jody in the LC2 Kilo and the team sprint.

There is a highlights programme scheduled on Sunday 11th May at 16:00 on BBC2.

As always, best of luck to Jody and the rest of the British team from Tredz.

Ras De Cymru

With British cyclists currently going through a hot streak, pro cycling is gaining more and more coverage inthe press. Which makes Nicole Cooks choice to participate in the Ras de Cymru as part of her Olympic preperation, a really brilliant decision.

A great race anyway, one of Wales' biggest, and the involvement of someone with as big a profile as Cook means that the audience and press coverage is only going to go up.

Although a large part of me doesn't want to see a massive increase in the amount of people cycling on Wales' beautiful (and generally beautifully deserted), roads, the more coverage an event like this gets, you can guarantee there will be more people wanting to get out there. Even an embittered local rider like me can't begrudge them that.

Deity contest

Deity components have started a cool new competition on their website. The prizes are pretty special too,  a nice custom built bike and the chance of a place on their team roster. To win you need to film yourself on your bike "...defining yourself immediately." Does falling off count?

It lasts till July the 1st and is open to everyone, regardless of location, discipline or age. So get practising!

Arch 2 Arc Triathlon

Ever heard of the Arch 2 Arc triathlon? It calls itself the most gruelling endurance event around and the staggering numbers involved back this up.

Spesh contest winner

A winner has been chosen in Specialized’s Innovate or Die contest. The judges chose this:

According to the rules of the competition (something like saving the world through pedal power, green face paint and hummus) then the winning entry was worthy and well deserved. I honestly thought the party bike of the future was a shoe in, but providing clean drinking water is more important than saving a party, I 'spose.

Innovate or Die finish

Specialized’s innovate or die competition, in which the challenge is "to invent and build machines that transform pedalling energy into new and useful purposes." Has come to an end.

The results will be released on the 15th of January but you can view the entries here. My personal favourite is the pedal powered party bike - yeah it's not gonna save the planet but I'm sure that post apocalyptic party contraption would either pep up a flagging get together or get you kicked out sharpish. So win win.

Cape epic blog

I like cycling up hills. Call me crazy but the satisfaction of powering up a hill is at least equal to the satisfaction of going down the other side. 'Crazy' doesn't really do justice to the nutters taking on the Absa Cape Epic though. The course profiles for the 9 day, 950km MTB race are simply ridiculous, with nearly every day featuring 10 hour rides that cover hills (totalling 18000m) that would make me run, nay walk, for the nearest chair lift.
Luckily Matt Davies from BBC news is writing an interesting blog of his participation and the training leading up to it. Call it the diary of a madman.

A wee tour

After the Tour De France 2007’s successful prologue in London, the Scottish are looking to prove that they can do anything the Sassenachs can.
Seeing as how it was a great event that really pulled in the crowds and did wonders in raising the profile of Pro cycling in this country (not to mention earning London a reported 120 million quid), it really makes sense to try and prise the Tour Prologue back to this side of the channel again.
It won’t happen for a while at least as the Tour begins in Brittany and Monaco in the next two years, but hey, we’re already dreaming of being able to eat a deep fried Mars bar and wave a little Scottish flag at the finish line.

Pan Wales Bike Ride

Being a Welsh based bike shop, it goes without saying we like cycling in Wales. We also like good causes, so this Pan Wales Holyhead to Cardiff bike ride: The Lôn Las Cycle Challenge 2008, in aid of Bobath (the charity for children with Cerebral Palsy in Wales) certainly floats our boat. Just think, 254 miles of stunning Welsh scenery with the odd shower and mountain range to liven things up. Interested? Read on for the event's press release.

Charity bike rides

We’ve just been informed of two pretty awesome sounding cycling events, both organised by Breast Cancer Care. They are the UK’s leading provider of breast cancer information, practical assistance and emotional support and are organising two bike rides to take place next year. One uses the classic London to Paris route, taking place on 18-22 June 2008 or 3-7 September 2008 via Kent, the Channel and Northern France. Lots of undulating roads, pretty views and such.
The other, which has really got our attention is the Vietnam to Cambodia event, on 23 February - 4 March 2008, taking in some stunning scenery in two of Asia’s most interesting countries and ending up in Angkor Wat.
Both rides are going to require a workable fitness (about 80-110 km a day) and some cash up front but both are for a fantastic cause and both should be a hell of a lot of fun.

Tredz Test Bike Day

It's getting closer to the final Tredz test bike day of this year on Sunday the 25th of November 2007 in Afan Argoed. Our brand spanking new 2008 test bikes are straining to be let loose. Whilst the hard working employees of Tredz have to wait till you’ve gotten them all muddy (bitter, me? Nooooo), this Sunday will see us giving you some of our 2008 Specialized and Giant bikes for a spin around a shortened Penhydd in glorious Afan, gratis.
You’ll need to bring two forms of picture ID, a credit card and all the other gubbins that you’d normally take with you on a day out in the hills (helmet, tubes, food, drink, first aid etc). You can turn up on the day without having pre-booked but be aware that it’s on a first come first served basis, so if you’ve got your eye on a specific bike it’s best to pre-book. For more info check out the official site.
All that’s left to say is, for my sake, ride slowly. If you feel like there’s any chance the bike might get damaged, push. And if you have to fall, try and fall underneath the bike.
See you on the 25th.

24 hour road race

24 hours in the saddle. Whilst that sounds like a recipe for blisters in unholy places to me, to some people, (including some of the more masochistic Tredz employee’s) it sounds like a great weekend. Well good news self-flagellators, Shimano are sponsoring  the world’s first 24 hour road race (organised by Provelo Support) in the Brecon Beacons next July, where the endless hills and insanely changeable weather is sure to keep the gutsy/insane participators happy.
At least the race is split into teams of five and they’ll get to race on a closed to the public 8.9 mile army training ground circuit that is guaranteed to be spectacular.
Still need to be a bit batty though.

Tredz bike test day

Fancy having a go on some bikes? Some 2008 bikes? Some 2008 full-suspension bikes from Giant and Specialized? In Afan?
The 25th of November will see us handing out our precious, precious 2008 models to all and sundry for a spin around a shortened Penhydd in Afan. For free.  All you have to do is let us know you're turning up.
Watch this space as more details will be coming very shortly, but for anyone desperate to find out the exact spec of each bike give our Swansea store a phone on 01792 702555.

Whatever you do don’t break em’! I can’t have a go till you lot have!

Beer and bikes

Two of life's greatest pleasures are being mixed on the 17th and 18th of November at the Mid Wales Beer Festival in  Llanwrtyd Wells.
The Real Ale Wobble will allow cyclists to ride through the beautiful surrounding countryside during a two day bike meet, in an attempt to work off the previous days festivities.
It'll encompass a variety of distances to suit fitness levels/drunkenness, plenty of bike friendly accommodation and, best of all, a free beer at all the checkpoints. Which means you'll be glad to know that the Real Ale Wobble isn't a competitive event, just one in which it seems you're almost guaranteed to fall off your bike at some point and where even the last to come in will have a stupid grin on their face.
It's £20 for the two days worth of bike rides, the occasional free half pint and all the other festivities the Beer Festival in the littlest town of Llanwrtyd has to offer. Sounds like a bargain to this porter stout fanatic.

Proper Tour news

Genuine, non 2006 TDF news! The route for the '08  Tour has been released. With the organizers looking for the Tour to "Rediscover its romanticism."
As well as the highly romantic new route, rule changes have been announced, more of which (usual anti-doping fluff) can be read on this Beeb page, whilst those who like their news in the medium of flashy bright lights should watch this video:

Tredz Downtown Race over

The Tredz Downtown Race is over. It brought Penarth to a relative standstill on Sunday as hundreds of riders and a jumble of downhill, XC, hardtail and BMX’s bounced down the fast, tight and crowded course.

Tredz Downtown Race this Sunday.

         

The Tredz Downtown Race is, like a monster full suss hurtling down a long flight of steps, fast approaching.

Race day is this Sunday, the 21st October, practise from 9:00am.

Entry for the event is now closed, but baying crowd members are still more than welcome, entrance is free!
The audience can expect a great day out, with amazing downhill action from hundreds of (amateur and professional) riders making the sleepy town of Penarth theirs for the day. Then when you’ve seen the action, laughed at the commentary and decided you can do better, come and have a word with Tredz at our Cardiff bike store. We’ll provide the best kit and advice, leaving you to concentrate on those steps…

Best of luck to all the riders, especially the Tredz boy’s Julian Poffley, William Jones and Edward Burns.

Peter Hain is the new downhill champ (and there's a new trail in Afan)

Looking to build on it’s staggering recent success (2002: 9900 visitors, 2006: 60900!), Afan is getting a new trail. For those of us who already find Afan’s charms irresistible this is grand news. The Npower renewables Energy trail may have a peculiarly unattractive name, but if it’s a shade on the rest of Glyncorrwg it’ll be a much-appreciated addition.

The Forestry Commission of Wales (the single greatest forestry commission in the history of forestry commissions) and local elite rider Rowan Sorrell are responsible for the 3.5km of trail of almost exclusively singletrack, which was built to augment White’s Level. The new track is described thus: "berms, tabletops, jumps, timber boardwalks, four bridge structures over rivers, open fast flowing sections and dark tight windy sections, good views and the feeling of isolation." Which is more than enough to get this excitable little fanboy drooling in anticipation.

A few of us are heading up there in a couple of weeks to test out some 08’ bikes. We’ll let you know what we think of ‘Energy’.

Tredz at the 2007 Cycle Show

There’s a bunch of us on our way to the 2007 Cycle Show this weekend in Earls Court. Some of us are looking forward to seeing the supermodel road bikes, some the big hitting MTB’s, personally, I’m just looking forward to running around like a kid in a sweetshop and leaving with a pocket full of fantastically useless freebies. If you can’t make it this year come and check us out next week when we’ll have a selection of what caught our eye at the show.

Tour Bore

It’s official: we’re fed up/bored/done with le Tour (at least until next summer anyway). It may be a little churlish for a cycling blog, but if you’re looking for an arbitrary remonstration of Landis and/or ‘the panel’ then you’d best go elsewhere. We’ve got eggs to boil and paint to watch dry.

The Tredz Downtown Race

         

If you didn't know anything about it already, the Tredz Downtown Race is happening in Penarth on the 21st October 2007.

Downhill racing in an urban environment, Downtown, is rapidly becoming recognised as a class all of its own. Which isn't too surprising.

What's not to like about riding bikes offensively fast down steps and over cars?

There’s good pedigree too, the annual Lisbon event is huuge, and there have been big races in Mexico, Puerto Rico and… Bridgnorth. Seriously. last years inaugural UK event is already spoken about in hushed tones and if you have a look at this video you'll see why.

The man who's organising this event is David 'Chopper' Harris. A vet of the downhill scene, here’s hoping that he can recreate his success at Bridgnorth in Penarth.

The event is open to both pro riders (the list is constantly growing) and the public. Download your entry forms here. For more information check out the Tredz Downtown Race official site and the event's Myspace page.

The Cycle Show 2007

The Cycle Show 2007 is at Earl Court this year, open to the public from the 12th to the 14th of October. It’s a great opportunity to go and drool over some 2008 models. Bikes you can afford, bikes you can’t, silly looking bikes, bikes so beautiful you’d swap your first born…
Book online for this year’s event and be in with a chance of winning one of two Specialised bikes worth (a first born swapping) £1999.
Posted by Oliver

Tour of Britain second stage

The Tour of Britain is well underway and Tredz was at the second stage finishing line in Taunton, jostling for (camera) position.
From where we were standing we saw Nikolai Trusov from Tinkoff Credit Systems take the yellow jersey on the gruelling 105 mile leg, but didn’t see the four man pile up that took place 100 odd metres from the finish.
Despite that the Tredz representative had a good view of most of the good stuff, and apart from the photo to your left, a giddy mix of bikes, blood, booze and more can be found at our home on Flickr.
Posted by Oliver
 

Tour Of Britain starts on 9th of September

The 4th Tour of Britain, the UK’s leading professional cycle race (not to mention the biggest spectator sporting event in the country) kicks off this Sunday. It goes via thirteen different venues throughout Britain. Beginning in London and taking in the South East, Somerset, West Midlands, Yorkshire, the Northwest, before finally finishing in Scotland.

This is our very own answer to France's Tour (none of that single leg in London every 50 years nonsense) and Giro d’Italia, the proof being the participation of of Pro tour teams like: T-Mobile, Quickstep, Phonak and CSC.

So get your hot drink and little flag to wave and go soak up the atmosphere at your local event’s finishing line.
Posted by Oliver

Sleepless in the Saddle - after a nap

From 'our own correspondent' James, written as soon as he caught up on his sleep following the event.

This year's Sleepless in the Saddle was held at the Catton Hall Estate near Tamworth. It's a 24hr off-road relay race over a 7.5 mile course, starting at 2pm on Saturday afternoon and running right through the night until 2pm on the Sunday.

Being a roadie I wouldn't look at an event like this but I was invited by some good mates to join their mixed team (4 men & 1 lady) called Team Sludge. These guys had done Mountain Mayhem earlier in the year and were looking to improve on their placing.

After a quick check of the course with my team mates we managed to pick up 4 punctures!! The trees and hedges had been freshly cut leaving carpet of thorns hungry for tyre rubber. So another quick team trip to the Kenda stall for a supply of inner tubes and we were ready to race.

At 2pm the first riders set off on a Le Mans style start where they were made to run 1/2 mile before collecting their bikes. All exciting stuff. With the race now underway it was time to check over my Giant XTC 3.5 and get ready to race.

Downhill championships Moelfre

Last weekend, Tredz rider Julian Poffley came third in the Masters at the NPS Downhill at the popular Moelfre track near Oswestry. The Moelfre track is both a great spectator track on open hillside with no trees, and a super fast rolling track with many high speed corners, off camber sections and fast straights.

A great line-up of top downhill mountain bikers made it a very competitive event, in the Masters six riders came within six seconds of the winner David Tallontine who finished with 2:38mins, Julian coming in just 4 seconds later at 2:42mins in third place after Aidan Bishop 2:40mins, out of 33 riders.

It rained the night before the race but the sun and the strong winds soon dried the track out again. The changing conditions didn’t make the choice of tyres easy. Julian decided to stay with his combination of Maxxis Minion front and High Roller at the back on his Cove to tackle the mud and semi-dry conditions. Some riders went for spikes which were great at the start but drifty later on in what was the first dry race this summer.

Racing was super fast on a track which varied from fire road to solid and cut up singletrack with a steep and grippy finish: a fast jump into grass at speeds of 40mph plus. Lots of shots of the downhill champs here.

We wish Julian success in the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike Masters World Championships in Pra Loup, France, next weekend.

XTERRA UK Enduro 18th August

XTERRA 50k & 100k Mountain Bike Enduro

This is one of the 'individual component' Xterra events, a 50k and a 100k mountain bike enduro run on the world-class MTB trails in the Afan Forest Park (aka Afan Argoed) on 18th August.

The Glyncorrwg visitor centre is the starting point for both routes and from there it follows Afan's stunning singletrack and fast fire roads. We'd describe the 50k as challenging and the 100k as gruelling (we've been there...). Read more on Xterra.co.uk.

Bike drop

To help you getting your mountain bike to South Wales it's possible to ship your kit ahead and collect it from our bike shop which is about 20 minutes from Afan Forest Park. We'll receive your bike, assemble it and have it ready to race for you. Call us on 01792 560651 for more information, or email info@tredz.co.uk. This service will also be available for the Xterra UK Triathlon in September. (It's not too late to enter by the way.)

Xterra UK Championships training

Athletes preparing for the Xterra UK Championships can still take part in a special training weekend. 'Driven to Tri' training camp for XTERRA UK is run by double Xterra winner Julie Dibens and World Cup mountain biker and top Xterra athlete Sam Gardner. It's held on 11th & 12th August 2007 and will let you experience the course among loads of other activities.

There's a great article on Tri247.com about the Xterra bike course where aforementioned Julie and Sam, joined by top athlete Harry Wiltshire, check out the bike course and provide a tasty preview!

Test Bike day - last chance for 2007

A quick reminder that Tredz will be running their third 2007 Test Bike day in Afan Argoed (Afan Forest Park) this Saturday (4th August).

Thanks to Giant, Kona, Specialized, Rocky Mountain and Cove providing plenty of mouth-watering full sus mountain bikes, you have the option to put these to the test on a fantastic track, and for FREE too.

Don't wait to read the event feedback next week because it's a long wait for the next opportunity!

Nic's post 'Test bike days kick off' provides a flavour of the day, although we can't guarantee a re-run of the bbq spectacle this time.

For a taste of the tracks Afan Forest Park can offer, watch our Afan trail video.

For more info phone Simon on 01792 472612 or on 01792 560651.

Welsh Cyclosportive 2nd Sept

Here at Tredz we keep believing against the odds that we'll eventually see a dry day. With this mindset we look forward to up-and-coming events such as the first cyclosportive hosted by the University of Wales, Newport, on the 2nd September.

As well as routes for experienced riders (95 miles) and intermediate riders (50 miles), they offer a beginners or family route of 20 miles, ideal for a day out and a cyclo sportive 'taster'.

The routes take the riders through the beautyful countryside around Usk, Carleon and Pontypool and will raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Entries are £15 for adults and £10 for under 16's and there's overnight accomodation available. Further information from their website, or call Mathew Harvey at the Sports Centre (01633 432933).

GB Squad announced for World Championships

Hot off the press

We've just received the announcement of the official team selected for the 2007 Para-Cycling World Championships in Bordeaux from 19th to 27th August 2007. It's great to see Tredz rider Jody selected for both the Track and the Road squads and congratulations to all squad members for their selection.

Downhill championships Rheola

It's the National DH Champs at Rheola (Glynneath) this weekend, and Tredz team rider Julian Poffley will be gunning for another podium place, even though the weather is looking grim.

We have had Jules's Cove Shocker in the workshop for a little pre-race tune up, and due to the technical nature of the Rheola course its running a firm but slow shock and fork setup. Jules will be running with dx spd's on this track and as for tyre choice, we have put together a little guideline program for all you new to the fold dh riders:

• dry conditions (yea right!) Jules will run a pair Maxxis high rollers, 2.5 super tacky compound

• wet conditions a pair of Maxxis Swampthings 2.5 super tacky compound

• damp/mid conditions: high roller front and a high roller rear, run at about 30 psi.

Hope these tips are useful, and if you get to the race, look out for the Tredz van and cheer our guy!

Cyclehero - be creative and win an Epic FSR Comp

If you've been to the cinema in the last week or so you may have already seen the 'CycleHero' short - a prompt to get us all on our bikes for short trips. Some interesting facts from the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC):

MORE than four million people are using their cars to drive less than three miles to work, a three-mile commute by bicycle would take an average person 20 minutes.

The amount of CO2 emissions a couple would save over a year would equate to the weight of a small car.

There's more awareness promotion during 'Cycle Hero Week' from July 14-22 when CTC clubs in the UK organise cycling events across the UK.

Perhaps a great opportunity to try your hand at creative video which could win you £100 cash or the £1500 Specialized bike featured in the movie, which we at Tredz believe to be the rather tasty Specialized FSR Epic Comp Ladies version.

All you need to do is to make a short video of anything that includes a bicycle or CycleHero, upload it to www.youtube.com and use entry form to let CTC know. Good luck!

Triathlon World Championship qualifier weekend

The Pembroke Triathlon on Sunday was a Welsh Championship Triathlon and an ITU World Championship qualifier! The top 4 finishers of every age band (in 5 year increments) will be invited to join Team GB at the Worlds in Hamburg on 1st September.

That high benchmark attracted quality triathletes, and not just from the UK. Germany, Ireland and the Channel Islands were all represented despite the awful travelling weather. The vast majority of athletes came across as very happy and the tough course (1 lap for sprint, 2 for Olympic distance) received no complaints. Full results are on MultiSport’s site and Tredz athlete, Phil Marland, won his age group!

Great to see the increase in female entrants which accounted for about a third of the field (5 years ago that wouldn't have been 10%).

Gower Bike Ride cancelled

Due to the bleak weather forecast the Gower Bike Ride has had to be cancelled for this Sunday. The organisers expect to announce the rescheduled date in the next few days, the new date is likely to be Sunday July 8th but this needs to be confirmed.

Tour de France in the UK - 6-9 July

Le Tour de France -the world's most watched sporting event - is taking in some of the English landscape (although it's debateable whether the riders will have much opportunity to appreciate the 'Garden of England') on the first leg of the race.   

The Grand Depart, which will decide who wears this year's first yellow jersey, consists of three events:

• Friday 6 July, the start of the Tour will be marked with an opening ceremony in London's Trafalgar Square when the teams and their riders will be presented to the crowds;
• Saturday 7 July, the Tour will open with a Prologue Time Trial to decide which cyclist will wear the famous yellow jersey on the first day of racing;
• Sunday 8th July the race leaves London for the first road stage, which finishes in Canterbury.

What a chance to see some of the worlds best riders in action in Britain! To help with (spectator) planning, the CTC website has a handy 'Tour the France in the UK' guide to what's happening where and the official UK Tour site provides more general Tour information.

'Grand Depart' cyclo sportive

On Juliy 1st, the Sunday before the UK start of the Tour de France, a major UK cyclosportive will follow the route of the historic UK Grand Depart. Up to 5000 riders will cycle the 120 mile journey from Greenwich out of London and through the Kent countryside to finish in Canterbury.

Route: Greenwich - Woolwich - Dartford - Gravesend - Rochester - Aylsford - Tonbridge - Royal Tunbridge Wells - Horsmonden - Sissinghurst - Tenterden – Stubb’s Cross - Port Lympne - Farthing Common - Canterbury

Gower bike ride reminder - July 1st

As we're well into plugging local events, here's a reminder for next Sunday's Gower Bike Ride. Not only a pleasant ride in a great location, you raise money for the Heart Foundation as well for anyone visiting or living in the area.

There's still time to register online for £10, which is cheaper and will also save you time and hassle on the day itself when it's likely to be busy. For more info phone 0800 783 6970.

Dragon Ride round-up

A thank you to the weather gods for providing good riding conditions for the brave cyclists who took part in the Dragon Ride cyclo sportive yesterday. Despite the bad weather forecast and the initial threat of rain, the day remained dry till almost the end, with little wind and perfect cycling temperatures (12-17C).

Cyclists started to arrive a 6am at Bridgend leisure centre where fresh strong coffee, organic burgers and Tredz mechanics were at hand providing free repairs and last minute cycle spares besides breakfast.

It was impressive to see 1500+ male and female cyclists setting off and even more so to see them arriving back later in the day, having successfully conquered several of the most gruelling hill climbs in south Wales. I can only hope the beautiful surroundings will have provided some relief as the circuit did not leave much opportunity for the cyclists to relax.

While there are certainly aspects that can be improved for next year's Dragon Ride (our list is on its way to the organisers!), participants did comment on the generally well-organised nature of the event, the tolerance of other road users and the fantastic views along the way.

We've posted more Dragon Ride pictures on Flickr.

Weekend cycling events

This weekend sees some big cycling events such as the Dragon Ride cyclo sportive in south Wales and the T-Mobile/Giant Mountain Mayhem mountain bike festival/endurance race at Eastnor Castle in Ledbury (Herefordshire).

While these are perhaps some of the better known, don't forget there are still some 188 other Bike Week events taking place across the UK on Saturday and 214 on Sunday in places ranging from Irtlingborough to Poclington. Happy cycling!

Dragon Ride cyclo sportive

Just a reminder that the Dragon Ride, the UK's largest cyclo sportive is taking place this Sunday, 24th June. 2300 cyclists have entered their name to take part and will be departing from Bridgend early Sunday morning to face the challenge of the 135km Medio Fondo or the 200km Gran Fondo (non competitive) road cycle  ride over some of the steepest South Wales' hills.

This year is the fourth occasion this endurance event has been held with entrant numbers having almost doubled each year.

The 2007 route takes in two classic UK category 1 climbs as used in the past on the Tour of Britain. The ride winds its way along the former mining valleys of South Wales, (Afan, Rhondda Neath and Ogmore) and the longer route loops into the heart of the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park.

Route information:
135km Medio Fondo Route
Start Bridgend Recreation Centre, from 08.00am, West on the A473, B4622, A48, to Port Talbot, A4107 Afan Valley, Bwlch mountain road (feed station), A4061 Rhondda Valley, Rhigos mountain road. Hirwaun (200km split, see Gran Fondo), B4242 to Glynneath (feed station), /A4109/ A4230 (Neath), B4287 Cimla, Pontrydyfen, A4107 Afan Valley, Bwlch mountain road.

200km Gran Fondo Route
As above route plus 65km additional loop. A4059 Penderyn, A470 (Storey Arms), A4215 Defynnog (feed station), A4067 (Cray Reservoir), Abercraf, A4221/A4109, Rejoin above route at Glynneath.

Viewing the ride
The ride starts at 8.00am with 2300 riders which will be an amazing sight. During the ride, good viewing positions are at the major climbs: the Bwlch and the Rhigos (see route map) where several laybys offer the opportunity to see the riders making their way up the mountain and, depending on your location, starting their descend.
Posted by Caroline

Pedal power at Goodwood's Festival of Speed

Visitors to this year’s Festival of Speed – to be h