The Bryan Chapman Memorial 2014

Why Do It?

I've done lots of sportives, but have changed doing more Audax riding these days. I've done quite a few 100km and 200km Audaxes, a solo 300km Audax, and felt it was time to try something more challenging - hence the BCM.

I felt confident that I could get round - but I was under no illusion that it would be easy.

 

What is the Bryan Chapman Memorial?

The BCM is an Audax ride across Wales from Chepstow to Menai and back, and is nominally 600km, although in fact this year’s was 623km. Audax rides are organised such that riders have to complete the route within a time limit, and pass through ‘controls’ along the way. Controls show proof of passage, and can be an information control (i.e. “What’s the name of the house by the bridge in Westbourne”), a receipt obtained at a particular shop or an ATM receipt, or a stamp from a manned control (or regularly used shop). The time limits (there are lower limits too to discourage out and out racing) are worked out to equate to stipulated average speeds including stops – the longer rides work on slower average speeds to allow for rests.

While shorter Audax rides are unsupported – apart from at the start and finish (where there’s cake) - the BCM (and other rides above around 300km) often have manned controls, where food and sometimes sleep facilities are provided. It’s not unknown for riders to sleep en route (bus shelters are often known as ‘Audax Hotels’…).

 

The Route

The route (click here for a map) starts in Chepstow, and goes up Wales to Menai and back - a total of 623km (389 miles) with 7,700m (25,000ft) of climbing. The ride starts at 0600 on Saturday morning, and the 40 hour time limit means that one has to finish by 2200 on Sunday.

 

 Getting to Chepstow

With the event starting at 0600 on Saturday, we arrived on Friday evening at the Severn View Travelodge, and after a filling lasagne, got to bed around 1030 with our darling bikes parked by our beds.The Travelodge staff didn’t bat an eye as a series of bikes were brought inside!

Then it was up at 0415 for a porridge breakfast, and time to head across the Severn Bridge to Chepstow. On arriving at the hall where the event started, what was immediately apparent was the variety of shapes and sizes of bikes and people.

 

Jon Spencer and Mark Hummerstone (Pompey riders) at the start

The Audax community is very wide – with most of the riders older rather than younger, probably because they have more time to ride than those with young families. Do not be fooled by age– these riders are tough! Approaches to equipment varied immensely. There were a couple of tandems (I don’t think any tandems completed the course), a Molton (a very expensive smal-wheel bike), and at least two riding fixies (yes really). While there were a lot of very wiry fit people, special mention must be made of Dave Miller – by his own admission, he’s large. His moniker on the forums is “Pretty fast for a fat guy”. I would be seeing quite a lot of Dave. He was riding on the YACF (Yet Another Cycling Forum) pool bike, as his had been written off in a particularly nasty incident on a recent 400km Audax, where a group of riders were nearly wiped out by a boy-racer at round 0400 in Newport (the boy-racer then crashed, overturning his car, and was dragged out by his mates who sped off in another car). But I digress.

What was also noticeable was the breadth of approach to how much to take. This varied from effectively a large under-saddle tool-bag through to side panniers on a rack. Oh, and one chap on a fixie was carrying a very large Carradice saddlebag and a tent! Looking around, my rack-top Carradice bag was about average, so I didn’t feel too out of place. I think I was carrying more food than most though!

 

Chepstow To Bronllys (45 miles)

At 0600, without much ceremony, everyone just set off riding. The first control was 72km away at the Honey Café at Bronllys, the route taking us via Abergavenny, and Builth Wells. The pace was steady, with some quite large groups. Right from the start, I was very careful to not attack the hills, keeping plenty in reserve. At such an early time in the morning, the roads were quiet, so it was possible to ride in quite large groups with no problem.

Early morning sun en route for Bronllys

I'd planned  to ride with Richard - a Portsmouth rider who had come up with me in the car - however at this stage it looked like I was faster than him, and we drifted apart as we made our way to Bronllys.

Richard - a right youngster!

We reached the Honey Cafe at Bronllys at about 0845 - ahead of schedule and feeling good.

Yes, this chap was riding the BCM on a Molton

The Honey Cafe was a paragon of organisation, with a 'quick stop' side and 'eating' side. The lady serving reminded us to keep our receipts as Proof Of Passage - even reminding a rather confused motorbiker!
After a nutritionally balanced egg, bacon and toast it was time to set off again. So far my eating/drinking strategy was working well. I was deliberately drinking more than I would normally do, using the 5 mile lap timer on the GPS to remind me, and also taking steady nibbles of jelly babies, dried fruit and Soreen sandwiches as I rode.

Bronllys To Tre'r Ddroll (66 miles)

With a customer in Aberystwyth, I've driven the roads between Abergavenny and Aberystwyth many, many times, so it was great to be riding roads I actually knew very well. The downside was that I also knew how busy the roads could be, with vehicles driving fast round sweeping and tight corners. Riding in groups, there was a fair amount of friction between some drivers and the cyclists - in fact I reckon I saw more abuse on this ride than I've seen in over a year's normal cycling. Therefore, after several miles of riding in the group and having a discussion about whether we should be riding two abreast or singled up, I had had enough, and upped the pace a bit to get out on my own.

The official route goes through Rhayader, continuing on the A470 and then the A44 towards Aberystwyth.However, I had other plans. Anticipating that the A470 and A44 would be fast, busy main roads (with Saturday boy-racers and bikers out in force), I'd decided to take a diversion up the Elan Valley to Devil's Bridge. This is a road I use on the way back from Aberystwyth, and it's absolutely stunning. The only thing is that there's a bit of a climb out of Rhayader.

Climbing out of Rhayader

I'd teamed up with a German chap called Ludwig, who was keen to take the diversion, but didn't know the route. As we left Rhayader, the brown tourist signs pointed towards the "Elan Valley", while I took the sign for "Aberystwyth Mountain Road". Ludwig questioned my judgement - my response was "Trust me, I do know the way!". If he'd taken the other route, it would have added miles to the ride!

The ride up and along the valley was absolutely stunning. 

Ludwig approaching the top of the climb

Finally at the top!

Once we got to the top of the climbI decided it was time for my secret weapon on the nutrition front - mini pork pies! These went down a treat - they're easy to eat, not too dry and have lots of energy for later in the ride.

As we approached the narrow gorge-like descent inty Cwmystwyth, Ludwig asked hopefully whether we were going down there. "Oh yes!" was my reply, and we giggled manically as we descended - the narrow twisting road clinging to the side of the valley.

At the bottom, we headed back to the main road along yet another beautiful Welsh valley.

I had considered another diversion off the A44 via the Nant Y Moch reservoir, but we decided that we'd added enough time (probably 40 minutes) to the ride by our previous diversion, and stuck to the route.

After a high-speed descent towards Aberystwyth, then turning right to head North again, we finally arrived at the cafe Tre'r Ddroll, dead on my planned arrival time. Given that we'd been 45 minutes ahead at Bronllys, this meant we'd lost 45 minutes with the diversion - but it was worth it.

Unfortunately, this cafe was the epitome of chaos. There was a long wait for food, and also to pay. I was definitely in need of proper food, and ordered what I thought would be quick - a pastie. This took 45 minutes to appear, and when it did appear it was very dry. I had to force it down - but I knew I had to eat!

Tre'r Ddroll To Dolgellau (28 miles)

While this leg was short, it had at least one significant climb - past Cadair Idris. 110+ miles into the ride, I was feeling OK but still being careful to pace myself. The climb up past Cadair Idris to Cross Foxes was very hot - about 5mph wind behind me, meaning that we were riding in no airflow at all. Still, the scenery was spectacular - fields of bluebells glowing among the rocks on the other side of the valley, and the sound of a cuckoo floating across as well.

At 1645 I arrived at King's youth hostel - the first AUK manned control. I got my brevet card stamped, and feasted on soup, pasta and rice pudding with fruit. Fantastic wholesome stuff!

Here I met up again with Ludwig, who'd arrived ahead of me. Unfortunately one of his knees had become too painful to continue (he'd mentioned the possibility earlier), and he was investigating his options for a non-cycling return to London.

I definitely needed the food, and also had at least two cups of tea. I needed to let the food digest a bit before heading off, so took it easy and headed off at 1745, in the company of James Blair, a stronger rider than me, heading for Menai.

Dolgellau to Menai (63 miles)

It was good riding with James - I made it clear to him that I was not going to be taking the lead much, and would be 'sucking his wheel' most of the way. He was happy with this - generally in Audax, it's the responsibility of the chap in front to decide he's had enough and drop back to let someone else take the lead.

The scenery continued to be fantastic - down to Barmouth bridge, across the bridge and up towards Snowdonia via Harlech.

James R enjoying the view

Up the valley towards Snowdonia

Me cycling past Harlech Castle - photo by James Blair

I couldn't remember whether we went up and over Pen Y Pas to Llanberis. I'd last been on that road a few years ago, on a day ride out of Pwllheli - going down the hill (the other way to today), we'd been pedalling into a 30kt gale. Looking at the route-sheet it said "LEFT, onto A4086, $ LLANBERIS". Names in capitals mean you're going through that town. Damn it - we were going up Pen Y Pas.

Climbing towards Pen Y Pas in the distance with 180 miles behind us

In the event, the climb wasn't too bad. The wind had got up though (James and I had been observing the lenticular clouds forming on the tops of the mountains), and it was pretty gusty as we tapped out the climb to the top. James left me behind on the climb - there was no way I was going to match his strength.

At the top, it was time to put on some layers for the high-speed descent into Llanberis. Descending at up to 35mph in a gusty wind at dusk was an interesting experience! 

At the bottom, I was really starting to feel it. On the next climb, I was starting to bonk, and couldn't work out what was going on. I was cold but dripping with sweat - with the sweat running into my eyes so I couldn't see. James came past me (he'd stopped for a pint at the top!), and asked how I was "F****d" was my response. Then I realised what was going on. As well as being in bonk mode, I wasn't cold, I was completely overheating as I was now climbing. I stopped, slurped up several jelly babies, soreens, and anything else I could think of, and took off my arm-warmers.

Now I was able to cycle, and plodded my way to Menai - arriving at 2215, to meet Richard on his way out and back to Dolgellau. I was completely wasted. I'd made the mistake of hooking on to a faster rider who'd taken me probably only 5% above my normal pace, and I was now completely on empty.

The event is planned so that riders can get some sleep on their return to the youth hostel at Dolgellau - however, that was 4 hours' ride away. I'd been contemplating, right from the start, getting some rest at Menai - especially as the event info said that 'sleeping facilities are available at Menai'. The sleeping facilities turned out to be... the floor.

I couldn't eat immediately, and lay down for 1/2 an hour on the floor, with my snood over my eyes. After a time, I felt well enough toeat.

I forced some baked potato down my throat - at one point I thought I was going to be sick, I was finding it so hard to eat. I seriously considered 'packing' (giving up). How the hell was I going to manage another 200 miles back to Chepstow. The problem was that the logistics of getting back not on a bike were terrible - the first train would be around 0800, and then several changes would be involved.

Having got some food down my throat, some more rest, a bit more to eat, and some drink, I finally set off for Dolgellau at 0100 - I expected to arrive around 0500. I could then still get 1-2 hours' sleep before the final 200km back to Chepstow. Leaving Dolgellau at 0800 gave me 14 hours for at 200km ride. Should be do-able.

Menai To Dolgellau (51 miles)

I set of with another rider (Rob from Manchester), but found that I was faster than him on the climbs, so ended up riding alone most of the time. Notwithstanding fatigue (physical and mental), the ride was again beautiful - riding in to a nearly full moon which was glinting off the river.

Around 0400, serious fatigue set in, with minor hallucinations (I've experienced this before on offshore races) - the cattle on the road signs were moving, and the words on the route-sheet wouldn't stay still. Interesting. Yelling at myself kept me awake. I teamed up with a chap called Simon shortly afterwards, but looked back after one hill to find he'd disappeared. He'd bonked. I got overtaken by a completely  silent rider in yellow - not a word from him - whom Simon had spotted earlier sleeping in a bus shelter at Bedgellert. At one point I stopped and rested my head on my handlebars - this was good, but I realised I was about to fall asleep standing up like this, so stuffed some food and drink inside, and carried on.

I arrived at Dolgellau at 0530, to find James eating breakfast and about to head off.

I was seriously mentally tired, and still in a "must eat but can't" state. I very very slowly forced down beans on toast, and crawled into a bed at 0615.

Dolgellau To Aberhafesp (40 miles)

 Setting off at 0815, I actually felt pretty good. There had been talk about "The F***er of a hill out of Dolgellau", but I couldn't find it. Ah, there it was, the climb to Cross Foxes. This went on and on and on, with a final steep (15%?) seciton at the top. I decided to walk this last bit, to save my legs - I was only going about 2% slower than a rider behind me who was riding!

The descent which followed was fantastic - it went on and on. The only worry was the interesting clunking sound from my rear wheel. As I hit 46mph, I was thinking that if my rear wheel locked up here, things could get interesting.

Shortly after th summit at Cross Foxes, I'd met up with Simon again, and we stuck together for the rest of the day. It was great to be riding with someone - just the company, and also the ability to 'take turns' makes a huge difference. I was probably doing more work than him, but that was fine.

As the day went on, I felt stronger and stronger. I was tapping out the hills well, and was so glad I hadn't packed at Menai. It was remarkable how good I felt - the body is an amazing thing, in its ability to recover.

We arrived at Aberhafesp definitely near the back of the field - they were almost stacking chairs on tables. A youngster there had decided to pack, but the chap running the control was trying to persuade him to carry on. "All you need to do is average 12kph, and you'll make it". But he was shattered, and stopped. It turned out that the longest ride he and his friends had done before this was 180km - all credit to them for getting this far!

Aberhafesp to Weobly (50 miles)

After more wonderful rice pudding and beans on toast, we hit the road again. There were more famed hills to come. "The one out of Newtown goes on and on.... in fact it's 5.8 miles of climbing", but I found these fine. In fact, I was still feeling strong.

A quick ice cream stop in Kniighton, and a diversion to avoid lots of small lanes, and we arrived at the village shop in Weobly.

The shop had no sandwiches at all left. Disaster. I needed proper food. Luckily, this is where my food stores came into their own. Helen's patent Tesco "Thins" with peanut butter sandwich was a lifesaver - I wolfed one of these down, along with a mince pie. I now felt strong again. The ETA on my GPS showed 2010 - so we had time in hand!

Weobly To Chepstow (50 miles)

Oh dear, yet another famed hill.Llancloudy. Steep and not short. At this point I met up again with Simon on his fixie with his tent. He was zig-zagging up the hill (standard fixie practice on steep hills) - an immensely strong rider who after the event then cycled 50km or so back home. Anyway, again, time to put my head down and tap the hill out. Around 1/2 mile out of the saddle, steadily tapping the hill out. I was really pleased - here I was at around 360 miles, and just tapping hills out. What a change from last night. Simon and I were in the groove now, and riding at a steady good pace.

Monmouth has officially (in my mind) the worst roads in Wales, on the descent into town, I was seriously concerned that after 300 miles of riding, my bike was going to shake itself to pieces. However, we survived, and were soon in Tintern, having enjoyed the ride down the Wye Valley (although there were quite a lot of ups too).

The final sting in the tail was the climb south out of Tintern. 2 miles of it, just going on and on. Still got that out of the way, descended past Chepstow racecourse, a final cheeky climb, and got to the finish control at 2115. 45 minutes inside the time limit.

Altogether a fantastic ride. According to the GPS statistics, 389 miles in 39 hours 15 minutes. 20,700 feet of climbing, and burning 22,900 calories.

I'd completed the ride! I was significantly slower than I'd anticipated, but had managed to refuel well along the route and come back from some significant lows.In Audax, it's about finishing, not how fast you are.

The Final Sting In The Tail

Back at the Travelodge - ground floor room thank goodness - it turned out that there was no food to be had nearby. The takeaway wouldn't deliver for an order of less than £20. So I had to drive into Thornbury to pick up a takeaway curry (so good....), and didn't get to bed until 0015. In retrospect, I should have just spent £20 on the takeaway!