Penultimate day proves sunny
Covre and Pugh take special stage wins
The penultimate day of the TransWales proved the weather pundits wrong; billed as being wetter than a duck's feet on Ullswater, the rain that had lightly drizzled the campsite over night never delivered the full-blown monsoon deluge promised. By lunch time, the powers that be up above were definitely smiling on the riders as sunshine and blue skies dominated for the remainder of the day.
The riders left Llansawel rugby club at 9:00 am and had a spin along the black top before climbing into Caeo Forest on their way to conquer the moorland fell of Mynydd Mallaeh at 448m. The going was tough and soggy, "like riding on a sponge," said one rider afterwards, and contributed to stringing the riders out significantly. However, the wilderness of mid-Wales was laid out clean and crisp for the riders like an Imax landscape with shafting light beaming down from above.
Coming off, the top riders picked up speed and clicked through the gears as gravity assisted their descent. The open and grassy trail meant riders could really let off the brakes and carve some lines like a racing lawnmower on speed. With grins tattooed onto faces, the course then dived into the woods and onto the 3km snaking singletrack descent of Cwm y Rhaiadr that formed part of the night time special stage on Wednesday night.
A spin up the lane took the riders back onto some heavy going along the Afon Doethie before crossing it and striking upwards on rocky double track that got steeper as it neared its summit just short of Llyn Brianne Reservoir. A quick singletrack sojourn with a slight drop off at its end brought riders onto the banks of the reservoir itself, before a gentle spin to the lunch stop. After refueling on High5 and turkey and stuffing sandwiches - or Woodpecker cider if you're a singlespeeder - the trail took the riders upwards and into the woods once more; and continued going upwards; and more; and again in the vertical sense of going up continuously and for a bloody long time.. Finally the monotonous fireroad gave way to a rolling climb that undulated between dipping up and down through roller coaster water splashes before finally turning downwards through a steep and very rocky descent to the water stop where riders finally pulled up with the unmistakable pinging of cooling rotors.
From here the course headed up once more to summit out in Irfon Forest at 468m before entering the 'duck pond'; so called as it rolls through rocky troughs of standing water amidst single and doubletrack the undulates slightly, with enough depth of water and hidden obstacles to tip even the wary rider into the muddy waters. After a quick fire road descent the trail dived off camber into a root infested singletrack and up a steep chute of a climb before the final swan song into Llanwrtyd Wells and a very well earned pint at the Neuadd Arms.
With the results of yesterday's final special stage at Brechfa announced this evening, that "as we reported yesterday" made use of part of Brechfa's green route. Characterised by fast and pumpy singletrack that became more difficult the faster you rode it, it climbed from the off up fire road before dropping back on itself along undulating singletrack and a sequence of bermed turns, before another fireroad stretch flowed into more singletrack. It continued in the same vein for 10km with short sharp climbs blended with ever increasing singletrack descents. It was a tough proposition with headwinds and sporadic driving rains to contend with.
The toughest competition of the entire TransWales has been in the women's solo category where Marika Covre (Ideal - Vivibike) and Rickie Justine Cotter (Cytek) had been battling tooth and nail for stage wins and the overall lead, where valuable seconds truly meant the difference between first and second place. As in the previous special stage - the night time trial, where Cotter crashed on the downhill and handed Covre the win by just eight seconds - Covre was again victorious on the power course where Cotter was convinced she'd been ripped to shreds on. The truth was that the final result was closer than ever with Cotter just three seconds adrift of the Italian marathon champion in a time of 21 minutes and 49 seconds; a fact that would certainly be keeping Cotter awake.
In the men's solo category Jonathan Pugh (Clee Cycles KCNC High 5) took the win once more in 18 minutes and 17 seconds; however Josh Ibbett (IronHorse-Extreme) who'd consistently been Pugh's nearest rival dropped off the podium for the first time to allow Jon Bowie (TriSmart) to take second in the special stage in 18:48, followed by James Sanford (Bike RLC).
The final overall TransWales results will be announced and presented at journey's end at Builth Wells tomorrow, some 62km and 2,000m away.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Marika Covre (Ideal - Vivibike) | 0:21:46 |
2 | Rickie Justine Cotter (Cytek) | 0:00:03 |
3 | Maggie McPhillips (Stockport Clarion) | 0:01:04 |
4 | Amy O'Loughlin (Beyond 925 / Hotbox) | 0:02:15 |
5 | Amy Baron-Hall (trio25.blogspot.com) | 0:04:09 |
6 | Tatjana Troll | 0:05:59 |
7 | Lowri Bunn (Lowri) | 0:08:46 |
8 | Sarah Haley | 0:27:42 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Jonathan Pugh (clee cycles KCNC high 5) | 0:18:17 |
2 | Jon Bowie (Trismart) | 0:00:31 |
3 | James Sanford (BIKE RLC) | 0:01:00 |
4 | Mark McPhillips (Stockport Clarion) | 0:01:05 |
5 | Josh Ibbett (IronHorse-Extreme) | 0:01:17 |
6 | Andy Barnsley | 0:01:31 |
7 | Rob Brown | 0:01:39 |
8 | Andrew Mitchell (Chester Tri) | 0:02:15 |
9 | Gethin Howells (Swansea Wheelers) | 0:02:35 |
10 | Rob Holbeche (No Friends No Gears) | 0:02:48 |
11 | Nickson Mwaura | 0:03:06 |
12 | Matthew Smith (Valley-Boy) | 0:03:13 |
13 | Richard Morgan | 0:03:28 |
14 | Matt Carr (Trek Bikes) | 0:03:54 |
15 | Ricky Dickenson (Cytek) | 0:04:01 |
16 | Robert Finch (RAFCC) | 0:04:05 |
17 | Alex Metcalfe (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:04:13 |
18 | Neil Walters | 0:04:31 |
19 | Will McCabe | 0:04:33 |
20 | Lee Price | 0:04:38 |
21 | Richard Querelle | 0:04:42 |
22 | Robin Calverley (Royal Air Force) | 0:04:43 |
23 | Damian Keefe (Team DK) | 0:04:44 |
24 | Matthew Wood (West Drayton MBC) | 0:05:10 |
25 | Oliver Castle (Mao MTB) | 0:05:11 |
26 | Ben Washington (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:05:16 |
27 | Rob Gates (Berks on Bikes) | 0:05:18 |
28 | Michael Dahlhausen | 0:05:22 |
29 | Lee Bacco | 0:05:56 |
30 | Ben Amesbury (Clwydian) | 0:05:57 |
31 | Paul Plowman (Anything 4 A Ride) | 0:06:17 |
32 | Anton Michel | 0:06:57 |
33 | Phil Dowling (ride-bikes.com) | 0:07:45 |
34 | Andy Beardsley (Oakes Surveys) | 0:07:51 |
35 | Mark Gray (Knackered Knees) | 0:08:28 |
36 | Noel Gonsalves | 0:08:52 |
37 | Jason Keith (nmbc / midaircrisis) | 0:10:05 |
38 | Rick Banks (methley massive minus 1) | 0:10:35 |
39 | David James (Anything 4 A Ride) | 0:29:11 |
40 | James Dyson (PEDALSPORT CC) | 0:31:11 |
41 | Robert Jones (The long and the slow of it) | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Graeme Spreadbury (Anything 4 A Ride) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Ben Nathan (victoria inn) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Ben Phillips | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Rob Gray (Blue Ocean IQ) | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Graham Mcconaghy (army cycling union) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Paul Latchem (Phasenineclothing.co.uk) | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Neil Atkinson (Rideon/Buff) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Harper open male (Wayne) | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Steve Heading (White Racing UK) | 0:18:47 |
2 | Gareth Bowyer (ffasiynau anabelle fashions) | 0:00:30 |
3 | Daryl Cavill (Tenby Aces Cycling Club) | 0:01:32 |
4 | Andy Hull | 0:02:03 |
5 | Jonathan Edwards | 0:02:17 |
6 | Gary Hull (chicken legs) | 0:02:35 |
7 | Gary Cousins (Phasenineclothing.co.uk) | 0:02:36 |
8 | Andy Heading | 0:02:45 |
9 | Andy Roberts | 0:02:56 |
10 | Henry Harris (Gillingham Wheelers) | 0:03:05 |
11 | Tim Johnson | 0:03:14 |
12 | Paul Clarke (Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA) | 0:03:34 |
13 | Simon McAllister (Team Sinobill) | 0:03:58 |
14 | Steve Whitehouse | 0:03:59 |
15 | Dave Mansell (Madmance) | 0:04:06 |
16 | Andy Crane | 0:04:44 |
17 | Duncan Mellish | 0:05:05 |
18 | Alex Spiteri-James | 0:05:30 |
19 | Steve Parsons (Beyond 925) | 0:05:32 |
20 | Bill Neave (da me (da fatty)) | 0:05:52 |
21 | Bryan Stadden | 0:06:31 |
22 | Steve Eastwood (Chester Tri) | 0:06:46 |
23 | Tim Hazell | 0:06:54 |
24 | Ray Morriss (Mintcake MTB) | 0:06:58 |
25 | Adrian Rees (Solitary Refinement) | 0:07:01 |
26 | Nick Beauchamp | 0:07:46 |
27 | Gary Wright (NorPol) | 0:09:31 |
28 | Royston Smith (Long Way Home) | 0:13:30 |
29 | Stéphane Van Wonterghem | 0:23:53 |
30 | Martin Door | 0:30:41 |
31 | Dominic Brown (Team Dibbley) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Graham Hughes | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Tom Dunn | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Mario Manica (Carpentari) | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Jay Horton & Maddie Horton (Team Certini) | 0:20:36 |
2 | Michael Tomlinson & Fi Spotswood (South Fork Racing) | 0:00:08 |
3 | Theresia Baumker & Werner Baumker (Team Charl '77) | 0:02:35 |
4 | Christie Boucher & Charles Boucher (Boucher Luck) | 0:04:01 |
5 | Claire Neuhoff & Simon Neuhoff (The Clantons) | 0:04:20 |
6 | Ben Holgate & Jenni Lappalainer (Steel of the Andes) | 0:09:34 |
7 | Ian Coop & Carly Annable-coop (The Wombles) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Joy Bringer & Camilla Edlin (BAD by association) | 0:28:02 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Dan Lewis & Neil Richardson (Royal Air Force CA) | 0:18:09 |
2 | Andy Jones & Ben Jones (Clee Cycles KCNC) | 0:01:12 |
3 | Brendan Kay & Simon Gough (ARMY CYCLING) | 0:02:05 |
4 | Bjorn Suetens & Koen Dierckens (Los Pistoleros Flamencos) | 0:02:42 |
5 | Jonny Williams & James Holness (Beyond 925) | 0:02:57 |
6 | Brendan Stevens & Stephen Marks (Cornish Piskies) | 0:04:15 |
7 | Simon Whomsley & Neil Clarke (McRutters) | 0:04:30 |
8 | Robert Axe & Stacy Turner (Team TF Bundy) | 0:04:51 |
9 | David Pearce & Gareth Joyce (Ride the Alps) | 0:05:38 |
10 | Russ Walton & Stuart Bruce (Cotswold Outdoor) | 0:05:54 |
11 | Dan Durrant & Jake Morris (Dan+Jake) | 0:05:58 |
12 | Sarel Hiemstra & Johan Nell (BatCat) | 0:06:28 |
13 | Will Cook & Steve Middleton (Bison Cycleworks) | 0:06:36 |
14 | Dan Hughes & William Packer () | 0:06:47 |
15 | Charlie Buckle & Dan Buckle (Buckle Brothers) | 0:07:53 |
16 | Stuart Bridges & Simon Vining () | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Andrew Munro & Wesley Botha (Zulu) | 0:10:01 |
18 | Eoin Fitzgerald & Chris O'Callaghan (Ballyhoura Boys) | 0:12:01 |
19 | Anthony Morris & Paul Markland (Evans Cycles) | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Tony Ireland & Phil Marland (Team Tredz) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Fulvio Damian & Elvo Del Puppo (Ideal - ViviBike) | 0:21:09 |
2 | David Rielly & Steve Partington (Isle of Man Fire Service) | 0:01:49 |
3 | Graham Denny & Shane Dickenson (Cytek) | 0:02:18 |
4 | Mark Carter & Nick Johnson (Team Stupid) | 0:04:49 |
5 | Mark Johnson & Ray Herring (bicyclemania old duffers) | 0:06:20 |
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