Anglesey is flat isn't it?

At some point in December last year, a meeting was convened discussing the idea of a weekend trip away. We could rent a house take the bikes and relive some days gone by on the Lejog trip. 

As it was, we found a sportive on Anglesey called the Tour De Mon. Which is a complete lap of the Island in the Irish Sea just off the north west coast of mainland Wales.   As an added bonus it also had a Travelodge where we had spent most of our nights on LEJOG and it felt like a kind of fate. 

Places and hotel booked by the increasingly internet savvy Mr P and August 17th was pencilled in the diary. 

Glory days

Setting out in the van however something was missing. A misadventure involving a game of fetch and a turn of speed so dazzling it would have left Luis Suarez dizzy resulted in one of the three team members being unable to make it. 

This was obviously noted when arriving at the travelodge to see three perfectly made up beds as opposed to the double and couch we had managed on for Lejog. Without going back over too much ground it just didn't feel quite right. There would be no issue over the morning bath duration, I made the tea, my stuff was neat in the corner! At least my bike was in the room to add a degree of normality however the pedals were attached and missing a shoe. 

It has to be said it was quite nostalgic and thoroughly enjoyable just for that. 

The event 

Registration was completed on the Saturday evening, when the town had its first undercoat applied, and was a very efficient process. Number for front, timing chip for seat post, wristband for food stops and some freebies and off we went. 

Wandering around to the start and there was a fair degree of food, drinks and shops available plus a bike museum where Mike and I rembered some of our bikes of yesteryear. In particular the Raleigh Chopper and it's careful positioning of the gear lever to reap maximum havoc on a teenage boy who applied the brakes too eagerly. 

This was not either of our first bikes

Now a couple of blokes away for the weekend and Holyhead was their oyster. The possibilities were endless. A chicken burger, gammon steak and two pints later the town was painted well and truly red.  Amazingly, all done whilst still allowing us to see half of Ironman on Channel 4 and be sound asleep by 9-30. Preparation is everything.   

Tour de Mon

It dawned on me as we made our way across North Wales that I actually knew very little about this event. Normally, I have a reasonable idea of the route map, elevation profile and type of Tarmac used on each strava segment, but for some reason, I had not done that much research this time. 

There were only two things I did know:

1. You got to do a "flying mile" along the runway at RAF valley. 

2. The wind outside was around 25 mph and Anglesey was on the edge of a weather warning. 

Which prompted the kind of debate usually heard in anticipation of weddings or proms; What to wear?  The risk of being too hot or cold with the wind adding complexity was a serious business and some people just brought far too many options. After considering tropical to arctic clothing I finally settled on British (shorts and warm layers on top) and moved on.

Warm welcome 

The Tour de Mon is a tour of the complete island and that is so apt given the welcome you receive. The weather may have been brisk but all around the 103 miles there were people providing warm support. 

The marshals in particular were excellent. When approaching corners, if there was no traffic, the marshals would wave you through such that you did not have to brake. On some occasions they would actually stop the traffic on the road to allow groups of riders through. This is not a closed road event I must stress but the courtesy given by all road users, regardless of vehicle, and the expert marshaling gave it that feel. 

The route around the island is stunning. You go from rugged coastlines to moors to stunning bridges across the Menai straits with Mount Snowdon as a cloud wrapped backdrop. 

Snowdonia in the background

In the middle you get the flying mile.  One straight, flat mile with the wind at your back on perfect tarmac. The father and daughter in sprint position ahead of us on their town bikes were averaging 25 mph!   Chapeau. 

Out to Beaumaris, we achieved 50 ish miles at around 19mph. Feeling fresh, we went straight past the second of the four food stops and then things took a turn, literally, as we headed back towards Holyhead. 

A tale of two halves 

To answer the question at the top of this blog, Anglesey is not flat. It does not have a particularly high altitude on the island but the route masters certainly did the best with the materials they had to work with. 

There was some 1500 meters of climb in the final 50 miles whilst never going above 200 meters. Add the headwind into this, and the course started to bite back after the more compliant first half. 

When you are above the turbines you start to worry

However the views off the coast across the Irish Sea, back across the island to Snowdonia or of the idyllic small seaside towns made for a wonderful backdrop.  My writing skills wouldn't come close to painting the picture they deserve so I won't bother.   

The Old bridge that the route crossed

However one point in particular will stick with me. When we rode into Camaes it felt like most of the residents were out enjoying the sunshine on the pub walls or sat on the harbour as the riders had a brief respite from the wind on the descent.  There was an S bend at it's heart with a little kick in the road across some cobbles.   Inspired by the show of support, I leant low into the corner, jumped out of the saddle and accelerated up the hill. For ten fleeting seconds I was on the Champs Élysées in the final meters of Le Tour; then I was stopped at the roundabout by a Ford Fiesta.  But for ten seconds.....

"When a hero comes along "

A good sportive ride is a challenge. That feeling of overcoming the challenge is hard to replace.     

I know I have used this Mariah Carey quote before, (not said very often I suspect) but sometimes, being heroic is simply having the strength to carry on.  There were lots of heroic rides out there.  

All of the rides joined together at the last third food stop and regardless of whether people were on the 100, 70 or 40 mile routes there were people digging deep at this point. I am always in awe of the people who want to stop and just keep going.  

Whilst there was some short climbs in the last few miles the last few hundred yards were downhill to the seafront.  This will have removed a lot of the painful memories of the previous miles as people crossed the line to receive a commemorative slate. 

All in all this was a great event and a big thanks to the event organisers AAH and the people of Angelsey. 

Back where it all began

See you next year.