Years ago, possibly 2002 or something, I did a ride with a friend.
He got it out of a magazine.
It was the full Brecon gap ride.
I've drawn what I remember of the route here:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.85818734355256~-3.3373975753778384&lvl=11&dir=0&sty=s&cid=3A5BB81993123281!212
I'm just wondering if someone has the official route.
I remember cycling through the end of Merthyr, but I'm a bit sketchy about the route back to the start after the big climb up from the Brecon valley.
Found these two on google, though they look a bit different to your route:
http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Brecon_The_Gap_Circular-Cycle-Route-3421.html
http://www.mtbbreconbeacons.co.uk/hubs/brecon/the-gap
Did that last weekend as it happens. Came to around 35km altogether. Gap decent is pretty fun (even with hardpacked snow in places!).
Was a struggle as I hadn't ridden for around 4 months due to injury.
Was OK, good views from the top.
Tried to do that loop just before Christmas and had to turn back about 1/4 of the way up the climb to the Gap road (just after the gate)- about 100yds of sheet ice covering the whole of a short sharp descent didn't really appeal! The ride up until then had be fun though and at least you didn't get wet on the stream crossings (solid ice!) 🙂
That's still one of my favourite rides in the UK. I remember riding it in snow and ice last Easter as well.
It's surprisingly exposed given how close you feel to civilisation - I remember once seeing a group of riders ahead of us on the Roman Road just getting up towards the Gap and as they rounded the last corner before the gate a gust of wind took all of them straight over sideways 🙂
Hi
Its a cracking route, think I still have the magazine route in a file back home.
Drop me an e-mail to the address in my profile and I'll check later and send it onto you if I have it.
Steve