Dave Lloyd Mega Challenge - 21st June 2009

dbg

You paid £35 and didn't even get a route card!? camping was £20!!
We rode the Shropshire Highlands Challenge - cost £8.50
Free tea or coffee at 2 checkpoints free cake at the first check and finish, oh yeah and a medal.
Not sure how much camping cost but I bet it wasn't £20.

steve_pushbiker

Anyone now if/when the results will be posted online.

I know it's not a race.... but.....

Myk-ee

All in all I thought it went well. Only one 'detour' but totally my fault as I had my head down and was knackered so didn't notice the sign (like JJ, GPS sorted me out very quickly so not a long detour). Started at 6:15 and did the full mega route.

Glad the Penbarras finish was cancelled, I'm sure I would have made it up but it would have hurt even more. As I did the long route I didn't suffer from the lack of food van and 1st aid back at HQ. I do sympathise with those who got back early though - as they say, lessons learnt.

Drizzle for most of the day made it weary in places. I did enjoy the final 5 mile run back into Ruthin though, despite the miles in the legs I managed to sit on 45-50kph for most of it and gave a mate a sprint finish. Thanks Rich for the laughs.

Think I'll try and convince some other mates to join us next year for the pain... :shock:

Thanks Dave!

Jeff Jones

Results are up: http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/200 ... challenge/

Annoyed I did an extra 3 miles now :evil: (repeat: it's not a race)

Rich-Ti

Myk-ee wrote:

I did enjoy the final 5 mile run back into Ruthin though, despite the miles in the legs I managed to sit on 45-50kph for most of it and gave a mate a sprint finish. Thanks Rich for the laughs.

Think I'll try and convince some other mates to join us next year for the pain... :shock:

A pleasure buddy 8)

Oh, but next year I'll be in Spain...

Rich-Ti

Oh, and my thanks to the group I latched on to (a couple of guys in Twin Six tops and one guy on a awesome orange Bianchi with orange rims) and the girl in the pink top riding a Giant - was good to have some company and the banter was comedy 8)

Rich-Ti

One final thing - anyone know where the pics will be loaded up to from the photographers around the route?

redddraggon

d hammer wrote:

The fact we finished in the school rather than up the Bwlch was another disappointment but knowing that hill it was never going to work. Cyclists who've finished decending back to HQ down a slippery hill with people who haven't finished weaving their way up a 25% incline was always gonna end in tears so was probably the right decision.

Could have been directed down the other side and onto the main road back to Ruthin -

snaffledog

There's some at the top of the last 'Stingers' climb. For us MIDI riders that was bad enough after 103 miles ! Always difficult doing a steep climb if you dont know how long it is.

http://www.derekbphotography.co.uk/

damoando

Jeff Jones wrote:

+1 on the sign sabotage :evil:

I knew the route reasonably well from last year but still managed to go left at the bottom of Moel Arthur. Despite the Garmin and my instincts telling me to go the other way. But I figured it out after a mile or so and turned around, indicating to others to do the same.

I was talking to a guy afterwards who went through there well before me and he said that the sign was turned back the right way after they messed up. But obviously that didn't last long. I think a marshal needs to be posted there next year (a few marshals would help actually)

Apart from that and not having the right gearing for Bwlch y Groes (34x25 didn't cut it and I walked the top bit), I enjoyed it. Riding back to Wrexham to get the train with a full backpack on was not fun though!

Congrats to everyone who finished, whatever the distance. It's a supremely tough event.

Look out for a feature on it in an upcoming issue of Cycling Plus.

Bought said issue looking forward to the feature - couldnt find a single mention!

Jeff Jones

Sorry, I haven't finished it yet! Will let you know exactly which issue it's coming out in...