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There were also some wholly inappropriate bikes, I saw one that looked like it had just been dragged out of the shed, complete with tyres as smooth as a babies.
After what I saw in future I shall be carrying one of those silver blankets to wrap up in.
My tyres might as well have been as smooth as babies for all the good they did me!
Re clothing choices:
Met Office has a Mountain Weather Forecast site; on day in question I checked Brecon forecast as it is a good indicator for the area. Under section of hazards , Hypothermia --Moderate risk, particularly if inadequately dressed was noted for Sunday. Many found this to be true it seems.
The organisers have always also put warnings on their site about how inhospitable the hills can get even in summer, and need for waterproofs even if slightest hint of rain
Well guys ...I had a great ride, loved every minute of it. A few layers on under the Altura race cape with lycra shorts and off I went (mind I had a crud catcher on the rear wheel). Start brief was rather short "...don't litter" , as we strolled up to the line only to have the horn go, so off we went without missing a beat. Like riding with glue stuck to your tyres (2.1 speed kings with stans - lower pressure seemed to work well on the grass, not so well on muddy sections as expected - speed kings are far from a mud tyre - and not nearly as fast on tarmac as when fully pumped). Wore a set of WM80 shimano winter boots thinking my feet would stay dry and warm ...wrong. warm yes, but within 5 mins they were sodden and I was cycling with two buckets of water strapped to my feet and nowhere for the water to escape. Anyway completely soaked within 30mins, but from sweat not rain, just listened to the ipod and it was a magic ride. Like others I had indended to do the long route, but experience said nope, not in these conditions, so took the short option, only to make the wrong left turn on Hergest Ridge and started to follow the short route all over again - dodgy marking at the crossover point - realised the error and had to climb all the way back up to the ridge from the tarmac road 🙁 bummer. Anyway, just let the bike and tyres do their thing in the mud on the last section and a few whohha's later back into the finish. Lessons learned 1) don't get lost coz it bums out your finish time 2) ditch the water weights on the feet - use for training purposes only 3) follow your instincts - could well have turned out different if I had turned right instead of left and taken the long route.
Apologies due if you were the person who loaned us a fleece at the water stop I mentioned previously, seems it wasn't left with the organisers after all. She'll be trying to contact you via the organisers if possible, but if you're reading this, please e-mail me and we'll try to get it back asap.Thanks again.