1 A CYCLING JOURNAL Part One 1992-1995

START

I bought a mountain bike in October 1992 for £100 the idea being to keep fit as I was now 32 years old.

The bike was a Giant with 21 Suntour gears ,it was and still is quite heavy but I thought it was fantastic.

My first rides were short but I found them very strenuous. I went on one to the boating lake in the rain which was only a couple of miles away. I got covered in mud during that ride , and I thought mudguards would be a good idea..

My first big? Ride was on one Sunday soon after, I left the house up to New Inn then up Jerusalem lane. I dropped down the hill into Glascoed and I was now completely exhausted. I now realised even with 21 gears I still had to pedal the bike.

I had a bike when I was a boy and when I was 18 I had a Sun 12 speed racer I had borrowed my fathers bike in my twenties ,but this was the first time I had done any exercise for years.

As I was coming back on the main road to Mamilhad I was over taken by a group of club cyclists. I was battling against the wind as they laughed at me struggling, a ‘ tuggo’ on the road . I found a telephone and asked Ann my wife if she could pick me up in the car, as I was suffering badly, but she was unable to as our baby boy Patrick was having a nap. So I carried on home and arrived tired.

However I was determined to carry on ,I went on a short ride with Dad to Ponthir and up Candwr lane. Soon after myself and Nick went on our first ride ,to Llanfrechfa church, and then down a terribly muddy lane through a stream and then onto Candwr lane ,up to Dogan heights and home.

2 Big Rides?

On new years day of 1993 Nick and I decided to go on a big ride over the Mynydd maen.I met Nick on Cwmbran drive in the fog, there had already been an accident. We ate our lunch in the old iron ore mine we called the ‘crater’, on the side of the mountain .It was sunny then as we had climbed out of the mist . The fog soon came down as we cycled on the ice ,along the ridge of the mountain.

Nick fell off on the way down as he was riding his Evans road bike.

We arrived home in the dark at 6.30pm and ate a Chinese meal ,the next day Icould hardly walk and I knew I needed more exercise cycling.

Soon after,one Sunday morning Nick and I cycled to the folly in Pontypool park . We were surprised to see that it was being renovated ,40 years after it had been knocked down during the war.

3 Wentwood and the forest

One day in late January 1993 Nick and I went out on a week day. I met Nick outside the bakery in Caerleon where we bought supplies for the journey.

I had been out a few times on my own and this was to be our first big ride.

It was quite mild as we set off down the Bulmoor road and then up the steep climb to Wentwood where we ate our lunch. Down then on a forest track to the main A48 road and then through Catsash to Nick’s house and home by car. 20 miles

I had been looking for a similar terrain like that of Marin county in California ,the like of which I had seen in Marin bike adverts. After a few rides here and there ,in May I went up the Cwm Glyn, from Hafodrynys. I had seen a track from the other side of the valley, when Nick and I had ridden from Pontypool up the Tranch and then on to Pantygasseg the British to Talywaun and home . In Hafodrynys I turned left by the garage and onto a forest track that took me right to the top ,through the pine trees with views of the Brecon Beacons.

Then came the fast descent to the bottom on a good gravel track,Icame charging down like the American down hillers. The following week we both went on the same ride. This time I nearly came off on the bend half way down the hill. A couple of other cyclists thought this was quite funny and were still chuckling when Nick came down after mending a puncture. The next day I did the ride again and saw my skid marks in the gravel about 20 feet long.

4

Heavy duty long distance tourer?

After watching le tour de France 93, I decided I wanted to do some road stuff over longer distances.I consulted Nick and we decide to change the bars to drops and put narrow tyres on it, it looked a bit like the Orbit expedition bike. My first ride on it was to Shirenewton up the steep hill from Llantrisant skirting Wentwood and then home via Usk ,Prescoed and Coedy paen. It seemed a lot better and my fitness was improving so sometime in October we decided to go for a long ride.

One Sunday morning I took the car to Newport, we set off on our bikes along the busy A48 to Llanfair Discoed ,the weather was mild and a bit misty.Then up the Cwm to Shirenewton where my front quick release broke ,so Nick replaced it with a Campagnolo one from his tool kit.

Nick was riding his Evans tourer with a T.A.triple chainset.We then carried on to Chepstow, where we got tangled up with the usual market traffic. Then on to Tintern and Llandogo up the hill where we ate our lunch at Whitestone picnic area. It was now afternoon and Iwas feeling a bit tired as we climbed to Trelech. Here we were passed by a group of cyclists who were travelling quite fast.On to Usk where I collapsed by the roadside for a while . Then after two proper cyclists enquired about my health we carried on to Caerleon ,where Nick went on, I met him by his house as it was getting dark. We then went to Cwmbran by car for a well earned Chinese meal 55 miles

5

THE GOSPEL PASS

On New Years day of 1994 we went by car to Abergavenny,we were to cycle to the Gospel pass 542 metres high in the Black Mountains. We started by cycling up to the Skirryd pub, we then hauled on to Llanthony and up the fairly flat road to Capel yFin .We stopped here for food and I drank Nick,s coffee as I was now freezing cold.

On then up the arduous climb toward the summit, where Nick carried on ,I went on alone, near the top a group of people shouted some encouragement ‘ get lost’ I thought, but actually I liked it a bit.

I then met Nick at the other side of the Gospel pass at the cross-roads made famous by the film ‘An American Werewolf in London.’

On then to Talgarth an exceptional part of the ride in the failing light of the day. We then climbed up the 4 mile hill and down to Crickhowell, here Nick carried on as I was suffering badly.In the dark I battled on until Nick turned up in the car on the outskirts of Abergavenny.

We then went home for a Chinese meal. 50miles.

6

Easter legs

I was determined to carry on cycling after my past failure. On Easter Monday of 1994 we set off from my house toward Blaenavon, on passing the old iron works ,we took shelter from a terrible snow storm .We then went to Brynmawr and the highest point on the heads of the valley road 1490ft.

In the afternoon we peddled across the bleak landscape over Mynydd Llangyndir .We soon sheltered to eat our lunch in an old quarry,We were now in the old county of Powys.I had bought new ‘fat boy’ tyres for the ride but punctured on the mountain descent.We mended the puncture and peddled along the canal bank where we dragged a longboat out of a fallen tree.

Then a terrible ride on the main road home which it’s memory is best left to sink into oblivion. Approx. 60miles.

7 The ROAD BIKE

I was getting fed up of the heavy tourer,so I converted it into a utility bike for myself and Patrick using the baby seat from Ann my wife’s bike. Patrick was nearly two years old and was now getting too heavy for Ann to carry around.

We went on several rides in the summer as a family ,one of them to Wentwood , where we went by car and cycled around the forest tracks.I cycled back to the house on my own ,on nearing Croesyceiliog I met an elderly couple on a tandem,the gentleman asked directions to Llandegfeth reservoir .He then said ‘a bit short on the old road signs around here ,never mind’ he said and then “I must tell you but you seem to have lost your passenger’’ referring to the empty child seat,

“Oh I left him behind a few miles back”I joked but he looked at me in horror, he must have been thinking abouta little boy walking some ways behind “Keep fit!’’he blurted out as he and his partner went on their way and I went home.

Soon after I borrowed an old Evans frame off Nick he obtained some parts for it and we managed to assemble it for £25.We went off on a ride from Nick,s house I had already punctured on the way down and as we went along Catsash road my cheap saddle fell off.

We went as far as the Rock and Fountain Inn and then down the St Brides road ,where I punctured again .After mending it I punctured again, Nick then decided to cycle back and get the car he then picked me up and we went for a Chinese meal .

8 THE TON

After the previous disaster, I went on a ride on my own . One hot July evening I cycled down Treherbert road , then turned left through Llandgefeth village . As I started the climb up the Ton road ,I changed down to my small ring on the chainset and it bent over making it unusable. I limped home and had to send off for a new chainring costing £14 which I thought was a lot of money then.

After this things started getting better and I went on several small rides on my own ,like the one to Caldicot to see the lawnmower racing.I had a Cateye computer fitted which was quite useful and I also took the bike to Ireland for a long weekend where I did a few small rides from Ann’s sister’s house in Rosslare .

9 IN THE RAIN

I was now realising my potential with a light weight tourer, even though my equipment was not the best.After a few small rides in the autumn Nick and I went on a ride the day after Boxing day.Our usual New Year’s day ride had to be cancelled due to the fact that Nick was working.

It was pouring down with rain that day as we set off to Usk .We cycled to Newbridge on Usk and went through flooded roads to Llanllowel.We took shelter by the Spar shop in Usk and then cycled home on the undulating route through Prescoed and Coed y Paen..20 miles.

10 NEW YEAR’S DAY 1995

In the morning I took the family out on a ride to blow away the cobwebs! Roisin my daughter and Ann were riding their bikes, while Patrick who was now two and a half years old ,was on the back of my mountain bike ,in the baby seat.We soon had to abandon the ride in Cwmbran town centre as Patrick was freezing.I left them warming up in Macdonald’s while I got the car to pick them up.

In the afternoon I went out on my own on my Evans tourer,I cycled along Treherbert road to Llangybi ,then up the steep Parc road to Prescoed. There was a bitter wind blowing and as I went down the hill I saw a Gwent County Council gritter going up the road to Coed y Paen.

A fresh layer of grit helped me on my way, and I cycled home via the Darren hill (a steep hill near Sor brook ,the bottom of Llandegfeth reservoir)and then Treherbert road. About 15 miles.

11 LLANDENNY RAILWAY STATION

5/2/95

Nick came to the house and we cycled to New Inn up Jerusalem lane and then to Usk .the weather was fairly mild and dry.We went past the gliding club then turned left to Llandenny , where we had a look at the old railway station ,that now stands by the noisy A449 main road to the Midlands.A bit of a bleak small building and it was hard to imagine it as a working railway station.

We then stopped and had a drink by the old church in the pleasant village of Llandenny,spoilt though by the roar of the concrete trunk road.As we cycled out of the village my gear lever broke and I was relegated to one gear , after a recent dose of flu I wasn’t feeling to great and started to suffer.We went to caerleon where I left Nick and struggled home to collapse in the chair. 26 miles

12 IN SEARCH OF ORGANY POOL

Sometime in may Nick came to the house and we started our quest to find ‘Organy pool’.We left at 7.00p.m. on a good Saturday evening,I had new (to me anyway)Shimano clipless pedals, but they would not fit the cleats on my shoes,so I used the normal side instead.

We went through New Inn , up Jerusalem lane ,then dropped into Glascoed and along the main road to Usk ,where we drank Lucazade and ate chocolate.

Out to Llangwm and then we turned left at the Bridge Inn ,for the climb towards Cobbler’s Plain. .At the cross-roads on the top of the climb ,we rested and took in the view as the sun was setting.

We lit our lamps and carried down to Trellech Grange, where we stopped and consulted our lamps by cycle light.

We looked up at the plateau above us and knew that Organy pool lay in the place we had christened the ‘Hinterland’.I had been there before in my lorry,but Nick had not been to this remote and peaceful part of Gwent.It was not on any map and we decided to abandon our mission to find it. We cycled back through Llanishen,down the Star hill to Usk and then to Glascoed ,where on the tough climb we called ‘the murder route’ we saw some eerie lights in the road.We approached them cautiously but they were only two men with torches ,who shouted out warnings about rocks in the road, how they got there I do not know.However we avoided them and suffered the rest of the way home to arrive at around midnight. 45 miles.

13 THE BRITISH

10/6/95

Nick ,Mum ,Dad and I decided to go on a ride up and over to the British.Mum was not keen ,feeling tired and was not going until the last moment ,Nick and Mum left together while Dad and I followed not long after.It was good weather as we cycled to New Inn at 7p.m. on that Saturday evening.

Somehow I lost Dad in Pontypool , he joined upwith Nick and Mum in Hafodrynys,Nick had towed Mum with a bit of rope they had found. I cycled to the old washery in Hafodrynys where I met Nick who had came back, we then sprinted to meet Mum and Dad and start the ride in earnest at 8 p.m.

We went to Swfrydd ,along the steep valley of the river Ebbw.In Llanhilleth we searched for the way up to Myndd Llanhileth 444metres high.But we went up only to find a dead end, after much moaning from Dad about ‘loosing height’ we eventually found the way up. Nick and I climbed on ahead,we stopped at St. Illtyd’s church.Mum and Dad soon arrived and we rested at this picturesque church high on the slopes of the mountain.

We carried on as darkness fell over the Coity mountain plateau, we now had views all around us of the towns lit up in the night. Nick had decided to go back to get the car in Croesyceiliog ,because Mum and Dad were tiring. On the brutal descent to Talywaun I followed Nick ,who nearly collided with a car coming up the mountain. I watched in horror, as Nick went off the road onto the grass verge just inches away from a steep drop of a few hundred feet into the valley below.All I could see was Nick bobbing up and down and desperately trying to gain control of his bike,he did fortunately and stopped by the cattle grid half way down the mountain..All he had suffered was a puncture, while he mended it I carried on ,it took Nick just 14 minutes to catch me up on the bypass, just before Croesyceiliog .

He then picked them up in the car and we then all ate a tandoori meal at around midnight . 35 miles.

14 GRAY HILL

It must have been on June the seventeenth when Nick and I decided to go to Wentwood. I met Nick at the end of Treherbert road ,around 7p.m. on a warm and sunny Saturday evening. We peddled our way through Newbridge on Usk ,Llantrisant and up the steep climb to Wentwood .

We then walked up a sandy and rough track to the top of Gray hill,where we had marvellous views all around as we ate chocolate and saw the new Severn bridge(it’s construction was nearing completion),it was now 9.30 p.m.We then walked down the bank and cycled down toward the A48 main road ,then up Tregarn road and through Cat’s

Ash ,where I left Nick at the top of Belmont hill.

I cycled through Caerleon and was now feeling quite hungry,as I smelt all the aromas coming from the pubs and restaurants, I hurried home to eat lasagne at around 11.30p.m. 35 miles.

15 ORGANY POOL AT LAST

It was on the Saturday after the solstice in June ,I met Nick at the end of Treherbert road ,for the final assault on Organy pool. It was quite light at around 7.30 p.m. ,as we went to Trellech Grange ,on the same route as a few weeks earlier. My new clipless pedals and shoes were now ergonomic bliss ,after sorting them out and getting used to them.

We then found a very narrow lane,going up to the ‘Hinterland’,it had been raining recently although now dry ,the road was covered in mud and stones ,so we had to push our bikes up the steep and tree covered lane.

We arrived at the top of the plateau ,we were in the village of Whitelye ,which is really a few houses scattered about the woods.As we went around the lanes ,we had to admit we were lost and thought we would not find the place as it was now quite dark.

Then after seeing a big fat toad on the road,I saw the pool in the darkness, we had finally found the remotest place in Gwent, really it was just a big duck pond ,that sometimes dried up in the summer ,but Nick seemed quite impressed. As we turned to head for Catbrook Nick’s halogen lamp caught out a small plaque on the side a cottage, ‘Organy pool’ it said ,it was the highlight of the ride.

Our mission accomplished we were heading home but just before Catbrook we went past what we thought was a very strange research type farm with a mechanical howling noise. We were quite spooked by this and peddled even quicker home through Trellech, Llansoy ,Usk and I left Nick at the end of Treherbert road to arrive home at 1.30 A.M.. approx. 48 miles.

16 WHITECASTLE

On a Saturday evening in late July we cycled to Whitecastle,it was a very hot day as most days were that Summer. We decided to ‘warm up’ by climbing the steep hill called the Darren ,then on to Prescoed ,Usk and Llancayo ,where we turned right for Bettws Newydd.

We soon arrived in Clytha and then on to Llanarth.We went on up the undulating road to Lantilio Crosseny illuminated by the fading sunlight.Then we headed toward Monmouth ,turning off by the ruin of an old medieval house,up the steep climb to the ancient ruin. of Whitecastle.

We went up the main tower of the castle and had good views all around, but now it was nearly dark and the castle had taken on an eerie context,made worse by the house next door which was completely deserted .

On the way back we took a different route from Llantilio, Raglan was our objective but we were lost for a while in the maze of lanes around Tregare and those other little villages.However we found Raglan and had a good sprint to the bottom of the Star pitch,then to the gliding club and the rat trap.Nick tried to out sprint me ,but I kept in his slipstream as my fitness was improving . I left Nick at the bottom of Treherbert road and blasted home at around one o’clock in the morning. 35 miles.

17 SHIRENEWTON

9/9/95/

I met Nick outside the Ship Inn in Caerleon,we cycled up Belmont hill Cats’ Ash, and Tregarn road to Llanfair Discoed.We then cycled up the beautiful ‘Cwm’ to Shirenewton,then we took the road along the ridge toward Usk,it was now dark and the full moon shone down on us.

In Usk we ate a takeaway in the square of chicken tikka massala and keena naan,it was about nine thirty and was very busy as it was the day of Usk agricultural show,

We then had a drink of cola and ate ‘Old Jamaica Bar’in Dillon’s,we then went home via Llanbadoc,Prescoed,Coed y Paen,the Darren and Treherbert road.(this route home from Usk we were later to call ‘the traditional’).

We arrived home at 11.00 p.m. 34 miles I had ridden my Evans with a T.A. triple chainset,7 speed suntour freewheel,Shimano 105 changers

and Mavic MA2 rims with Vittoria 25mm Kevlar tyres.

Nick had ridden his Evans with a T.A. single chainset(40)and a Shimano Deore 7 speed groupset.

18 THE BRITISH AGAIN

The last day of September it was raining, or more like a heavy drizzle. Only a couple of weeks earlier we had sweltered in the heat,we had gone on a few other rides than the ones listed previous, a couple of times to Usk for food from the ‘Dil cuisine’,others around Newbridge on Usk and one with Dad to Llangybi and Parc road ,now we were to attack the British the wrong way round as it were.

We left the house at 6.30 p.m.and cycled through New Inn ,Pontypool ,Pontnewyndd and Freeholdland past the fire station to Abersychan where we ate kebabs with chilli sauce.

We went past Nick’s old school and started the climb up the mountain we rode in the darkness with the rain lashing at our faces, Nick then went on ahead disappearing into the dark.As I cycled up I thought it would never end, but eventually I reached the top where Nick shone his lamp in my face.

There were no views here ,just the mist and a few sheep huddled together against the cold.As we cycled back we could see the light from the odd farmhouse here and there,also we stopped to look at the occasional frog sat in the road.We then arrived at Pantygasseg and cycled down the mountain past Tirpentwys to Pontnewyndd, Pontypool and home at 10.30 p.m. 25 miles.

19 NEARLY WENTWOOD

October brought dark and cold nights but we thought with our Vista halogen lights we could carry on as normal we soon found out different.Starting in the dark on a mid October Saturday night was not very favourable ,we had planed to ride to Tintern via Wentwood but as we went up the hill to wentwood we decided to turn back to Usk as we found it a bit depressing.

We ate chicken tikka massala in Usk at 9.30p.m. this soon cheered us up and we went home ‘the traditional’ on our last ride together of 1995