Gran Fondo Race Report - Luke Bonnici

Yesterday, Sunday the 25th of May 2008 I did a cycle sportive in Wales called Gran Fondo Cymru (North Wales). Right from the start we knew that it was not going to be an easy day out on the bike because we had 146 kilometers and 2,760 meters of climbing in front of us. The weather didn’t help much either. The day was characterised by gale force winds, which didn’t cease a minute and rain showers predicted for the afternoon. The ride was meant to be a training ride with some members of the Coventry Triathlon Club. However, as with all cycle sportives, this ride was turned out to be a race.

The ride was hilly all the time. The first hill started after just one kilometer from the start line, but was manageable and most people could easily spin up it. None-the-less the real BIG hills started after about 100 kilometers, and there were three especially hard ones, the Llanfrothen, the Maentwrog and the Ranges. Percentages varied, however all of them were steep with the Maentwrog having an average gradient of 18% and a maximum gradient of 25%. By the time I arrived at the foot of the “Beast” of Llanfrothen (as it was referred to by the organizers) I’ve managed to break from the Coventry Triathletes, and went up it on my own, catching a few riders who were unable to grind their way up the steep slopes. After the Llanfrothen came a negligible descent where I’ve managed to eat some food and then the Maentwrog “Mind-bender” (as it was referred to by the organizers). This one was short and steep and had me grinding my way up hill very slowly and hard. After this hill came the second feed station where I quickly refilled my drinking bottles with water and had some food.

At this point there were about 40 kilometers left, and one last major hill. By the time I got at the base of the Ranges I’ve managed to catch the wheel of some proper cyclists and stuck with them for a while. However, the Ranges proved to be the ultimate test for many people, not only because it was never ending but also because it was exposed and it started to rain heavily. The Ranges were terrible, not just for me, but I guess for everyone. Going uphill and into the wind my average speed was reduced to a mere 7 k/hr. With the Ranges over there was a small descent and a flat section which led back to Bala where we started from. I was the first one of the pack from the Coventry Triathletes to finish the ride, and was more than happy to be out of the wind and rain. My finishing time was of 6 hours and 47 seconds, just 5 minutes shy of a silver medal performance. My placing was 73rd out of a total of 381 cyclists who finished the 146 kilometer ride

Looking back I can now say that I’m very happy with my performance yesterday, but a bit disappointed I didn’t get an under 6 hours time and was so close to a silver medal performance. However, I’m happy I didn’t have to get out of the saddle and push my bike uphill, as many were doing. My next race is the Sprint Triathlon down at Milton Keynes on Sunday the 1st of June 2008. In the mean time I’ll be training for it and prepare myself by doing a last open water swim in the Mersey River and some final sessions before the race. I hope I manage to recover properly from yesterday’s race and get a good time.

Luke Bonnici - Liverpool

Didn't know this article made it to this forum!! Thanks Dermot