"Each step forward has a sacred meaning of its own"   Sri Chinmoy

No Time to Yat Audax - April 2025 - South Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Monmouthshire

It had been the best part of a year since my last Calendar Event Audax. I rolled out solo from Bristol to the Depart in Almondsbury, hardly seeing any other riders on the roads, so I wondered if there was going to be a low turnout. With cool, drizzly conditions and a forecast of plenty more rain to come I wouldnt have blamed anyone for sitting this one out! I'd woken up with a cold but decided to go for it anyway. Partly the motivation for that was the previous day's run, in which I'd pulled up with a tight calf after only 3 miles - when the running door closes, I'm always keen to kick open the cycling door to keep my exercise going.

By the time I got to the village hall in Almondsbury I had seen a couple of other riders clearly heading for the same event and when I got there, a few more riders were unloading bikes from cars and getting ready to roll. When we set out, under dark skies and in fine, swirly drizzle, I found most were hanging back and not wanting to lead the pack out, so I followed the front two riders to get ahead of the game. I was on my winter bike, so not going for any kind of fast time or "result", but it felt good to be out there on the silent lanes, steadily working my way towards the Severn.

By the time we got to the bridge, other riders had caught up and made a strung-out pack which I was able to stay with as nobody was riding at club-peloton pace, fortunately for me. I felt underpowered, clearly fighting a substantial virus rather than just having to shake off a sniffle, but I was confident I would get round one way or another. The whole day was set to be around 120k, 75 miles, and I had nothing beyond the 8 hour event cut off to battle against. Once over the bridge, we pushed onwards up the main drag of the Wye Valley, up and over the climb and Wyndcliffe and down the dramatic descent into Tintern where the abbey ruins were outlined against heavier rain and riders starting to shiver thanks to some optimistic kit choices. I was in full winter layers and grateful for that! We had a couple of stops to register at Controls using the e-brevet or answer Info Control questions (I did both in case the e-brevet let me down, though it never has). The pack reformed at each stop but strung out again on the roads between, so I was mostly riding alone and silent and enjoying the forest and the ever-present Wye. Next came my least favourite part of the ride, the gravel section alongside the river to Symonds Yat. Even on 30c tyres it was a bit of a shaker. I could see some other riders running crazily low pressures - actually not a bad idea. After all they could pump up a bit at the lunch stop? Not sure if they did. Anyhow the low-pressure riders would have had an easier time of it on the Wye trail for sure.

The stop at Goodrich Castle was a welcome chance to refuel and get some caffeine on board too - I had a chat with one of our regular Duathletes from Tockington too which was great - but I didn't prolong the stay and soon I was out riding solo, still trying to burn off the feeling of having a thick cold. This became the best part of the ride, a tough climb up into the Forest of Dean where I caught 3 other riders who had left Goodrich earlier, then I stayed with them down the furious descent to the Wye ready for the second ascent. This one was a really gorgeous road, through perfect forest with even a hint of sun coming through the trees. By the top I was toast, struggling to stay with the faster riders who had caught me up and overtaken. I did stick to the task though, staying on their wheels along the ridge of the Forest with numerous ups and downs until they turned off-route for a coffee at St Briavels. I decided to stick to the route and get the ride done, soloing over the remaining miles of the Forest until that magic moment where the long descent to Chepstow began. I was able to take it easy for several miles, through Tidenham Chase and Tutshill, finally getting to the point where the ridge narrows and you can just about see the Severn and Wye to either side if you stand on the pedals and peek over the wall. The sharp descent on roads that had, fortunately, dried out since the morning rains took me to the old bridge over the Wye where I stopped to grab a photo of the castle skyline.

Mmm I don't look well in that photo! Still, it was a wonderful ride, an exercise in perseverance with the cold sapping my energy and not much in the way of bike miles in my legs. When I got home I was happy to have taken a step up in distance - next tasks will be to work my way back up to 200k rides, perhaps via the Avon Cycleway or a Century Ride. When you ride with a cold it can go either way - you can burn it off or make it worse - and sadly on this occasion I certainly didn't feel better the next day. But it was great to be out there on the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean roads, drinking in the last gasp of winter weather before the glorious Spring.

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