Dragon Ride

Gafyn MacMillan rode part of the Dragon ride route in February to get a better idea of what's in store this June. Here explains what's in store.

On 13 February, I went on a Dragon ride roads reconnaissance to get first hand knowledge of the part of the Dragon ride I didn’t know at all: the Brecon Beacons. Despite living in South Wales for over 20 years - within two miles of both the Rhigos and Bwlch climbs - I'd never before been to that part of the Beacons.

The Dragon Ride is a 162km (100 mile) ride which starts and finishes in Bridgend. New this year is an additional loop which takes riders along the promenade of the old-fashioned seaside town of Porthcawl (a local cyclist told me that the extra loop included a surprise sting, but he didn’t scare me!). The Dragon Ride is arguably Britain’s premier cyclosportif and it's hoped to be the UK’s entry into the UCI’s Golden Bike cyclosportif series in 2008.

Anyway, back to the section I’ve just ridden. I rode the middle / northern section of the Gran Fondo route, from Glyn-Neath to Hirwaun through the Brecon Beacons – which includes five notable climbs, three of them significant. Actually, make that four – the last ascent may be quite short but it will hurt. Perhaps with good fortune, there are no roads over the highest peaks in the Beacons – those peaks are reserved for trekkers and hard mountain bikers. Besides the Dragon route is west of all the big mountains. So it could be worse!

Leaving Glyn-Neath, the road immediately points upwards – you are on the first significant climb. The climb is just a shade under two miles long and I would guess averages about 7%-8%. Once that has been conquered, you have about 10 miles of gradient friendly roads but by now the scenario has really opened up so this easy stretch allows you to admire the views. I loved the next climb, just past the Dan-yr-Ogof caves; the road starts to point upwards once more. I’d say it was a little less steep than the first, but at bang on three miles long your legs will feel it. It levelled off a bit in a couple of places to provide a welcome respite, but it got you back three-quarters of the way up by throwing a steep section at you.

Thus far you will be on A roads – nice and wide, well tarmaced single carriageways and like the climbs, the descents are straight and safe (no cornering skills required). Shortly after the three mile climb you hit the northern most tip of the Dragon ride and leave the A routes behind, heading south on the kind of roads we’re used to seeing in the Surrey lanes. After a 1 1/4 mile gentle climb comes the most technical descent on the entire route – fast, steep, narrow and twisty, this is where lessons learnt in the Mark Briers school of descending will give you a real edge (Webmaster: real edge? Did you mean to write "put you into a real hedge?). Feelings of being in anything like a built up area have long since been replaced by a strong sense of being slap in the middle of absolutely nowhere – and the scenic beauty has raised another notch.

Enjoy your surroundings while you can as between Heol Senni and Ystradfellte comes Bryn Melyn (Bryn means Hill, but don’t let that fool you!). Bryn Melyn is probably the Dragon’s hardest climb, though less than 1.5 miles long it is steep and unforgiving. It nudges over 20% in a couple of places – and with 100Km already in the legs it will feel like 30%! Another fast descent takes you through Ystradfellte village and to the foot of the fourth and final main climb in the Beacons. I think it is 0.7 miles long, but it’s another steep one – with a max gradient at almost 20%.

Soon after you rejoin main roads and say farewell to the Beacons. Hopefully you won't be saying good riddance. For me today, it was just a couple more miles until I saw the very welcome sight of my car; but in June the pain will continue! I rode 31 miles of the Dragon’s route, in 2 hours 16 minutes. I don’t think it will take me any longer when riding the actual event, yes I will have over 40 miles in the legs before entering the Beacons, but today my fitness level, like the weather, is poor.

I will leave you a summary of the rest of the route, most of which I have cycled in the past. The pre-Beacons section is really just a long warm up on main roads taking us through a largely residential route – nothing scary here, just a mix of long flat stretches and undulations. The length of it will take something out of us, before the Beacons really take over. Post Brecon Beacons comes the two biggest climbs in very short order. The Rhigos will hit you all too soon, and like the Bwlch it is longer than anything ridden on the rest of the route, though the gradient is mostly moderate. Both climbs are similar, being between three and four miles in length – which should take us about 25 mins each if we don’t blow. They start fairly gently but get harder towards their summits. We ascend the slightly more difficult side of the Rhigos and easier side of the Bwlch. Luckily we descend into the Ogmore valley back to Bridgend, rather than continuing the Bwlch climb over to the Afan valley (which then includes another steep climb). I won’t be surprised if the route includes the Afan in the future. The Rhigos and Bwlch are only 1.5 miles apart and on their own are great enjoyable climbs. Riding them after one another won’t normally be a huge deal, but having just done the Beacons stretch I can’t really imagine riding them now. The steep descent from the Bwlch (beware of very sharp bend at the bottom of the steepest part) gets us flying for the run in to the finish. It's just 12 miles of pretty easy terrain.

So all in all the 2006 route looks like a real challenge at 162Km long with 6 serious climbs (that’s 2230 meters of climbing). Go easy on the beer the night before!

Slaying the Dragon Ride
- Check your bike. Make sure you're brake blocks aren't worn out as if it rains, you'll need them.
- Sort out your gears. The climbs are long and steep and so the usual 39x23 probably won't be enough. After all, you don't want to walk, do you.
- Spares. Make sure you've got some spare tubes, tyre levers and a pump just in case you puncture.
- Food. Bring some food for the ride so you can keep your energy levels up and rememebr to eat and drink regularly during the day.
- Training: it's a long ride, so make sure you're comfortable riding for five or more hours. If you want to do the climbs, try sprinting up the Surrey Hills or try some sets of 3-4 minute maximal effort bursts on the flat.
- Clothing: the weather can change, so pack a range of kit in case it's wet.