14-year old Germain Burton climbs in a group

Cervelo Test Team pro Dan Lloyd was fastest

Andy Kay senses the finish line

The editor enjoyed the descents

Continental-style UK sportive

Pics by www.sportivephoto.com

If, like me, you have been slightly bemused by the popularity of the UK sportive phenomenon and, again like myself, never thought that the Gran Fondos of Italy and the Etape du Tour could be replicated or transferred to our Isles, then it’s time to eat humble pie. My first experience of a ‘Big’ UK event and my subsequent re-evaluation of the whole UK scene came at the weekend in glorious sunshine, courtesy of the Dragon Ride Wales.

Everything about this event reminded me of the thrill of those Continental rides. Nothing else compares to being on the start line with 3000 other riders, speeding through quiet villages and grinding up never ending mountain gradients in a massive bunch. Days later I’m still buzzing.

It’s all thanks to Dragon Ride organiser Lou Lusardi, who may not be Hugh Grant or even an Englishman but, like the main character in the film, he does seem to be a man who climbed a hill and came down a mountain. Following true to the script while everyone recovered from last year’s event, he quietly added a further 260 odd metres to his particular slope.

For the 2009 long ride it stood at 3000 metres of ascent; that’s very nearly three Mount Snowdons stacked on top of one another. Add to the equation 190km of roadwork including another 10km quietly tacked on to last year’s tally, all to be done in a day. Would it be possible? Well, over 3000 cyclists thought so; one had even ventured over from Los Angeles and there were seven from the Emerald Isle.

Such was the almost indecent clamour for places this year that the event sold out two months prior to the start day. Every year since its conception in 2004, Lou Lusardi has taken on board constructive criticism and opinion from those involved in order to expand and improve the event for the following year. Advice received, not least from the representatives of the UCI, had this year instigated a change to the start venue, which was now at Pencoed Technology Park.

From here there was better access for riders starting and finishing the event, the traffic-free Park road providing a real Continental-style start area with commentary grandstand, hospitality tents and trade stands. Mavic, who provided their famous ‘service de course’, had even brought over one of their French-registered motorbikes, which provide wheel changes on the Tour.

For many events, stories of rain, howling winds, blazing hot weather causing drink shortages and severity of climbs might cause an organiser to blanch but these stories are meat and drink to the Dragon Ride, only increasing its mystical appeal to sportive riders. But where the Dragon Ride really succeeds, and at the heart of its popularity, is the fact it has stayed true to the original intention of Lou Lusardi to recreate a European style event in the UK, complete with those long Alpine-style climbs, wonderful sweeping descents and a route that pleases all standards of rider; long may it continue.

Asked to sum up his thoughts on the Dragon Ride, Lou simply said; “Joking aside, I see myself as Mathew Kelly, host of Stars in Your Eyes; people come up to me and say ‘today, Mathew, I’m going to be Lance Armstrong. They turn up on the bike and in the kit and I provide the venue.” Well, to those who rode, who were you?

Andy’s ride

My ride really started with the car-bound approach to the Severn Bridge and seeing, rising up in the background, the hills and mountains of Wales. You just know you’re in another country as the landscape presses in all around, enveloping you in its green folds of land dotted with thousands of sheep. Here are those famous valleys that then give way to the majestic, towering walls of the Breacon Beacons.

The day itself started out in beautiful sunshine as I set off amongst a group of two hundred riders, all, it seemed, raring to go. The first section turned out to be the extra leg that had been added to this year’s edition and included a really lovely narrow climb through the pine forest of Llantrisant. From here groups merged and divided as riders prepared themselves for the first accent of the Bwlch. Taking it steady, I had time to look round and really appreciate the views as the road zig -zagged to the summit. Then, joy of joys, the descent on the other side; with a short section through valley villages it was then the test of the Rhigos and in turn this summit’s own fantastic descent. It really was like being in the Alps.

With so many riders, there never any shortage of someone to share the pace with, which was just as well because the next section over the Breacons was deceptively hard all the way to the ‘turn’ at Defynnog, near Sennybridge. I tagged onto a small group and we rode through-and-off up past the Cray reservoir, down into Abercraf, back up the climb to Coelbren, back down again to Glyn-Neath; heck, there seemed no end to these hills.

Even the Neath valley road was into a headwind, so the little climb to the feed at Cimla was a killer, make no mistake. Still, it had nothing on the second assault of the Bwlch. With one last climb after that it was into the 11 sprocket and the charge for the line. Having seen such a variety of people on all types of bike I take my hat off to them all. What a day!

How the fast men found it:

Darren Kenny OBE, Winner of four Golds and one Silver Medal at Bejing Paralympics:

“To be honest I was really surprised how good it was as this was my first experience of a UK sportive. It was well-organised, challenging, not super-hard but really enjoyable. My time was 5.02 for the 80miles, and, yes, I was suitably tired by the end.”

Daniel Lloyd Cervelo Test Team professional,
5-47 for 180km, day’s fastest time:

“I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was really enjoyable and I can see why they are so popular. If that was a Continental road race route it would be hard, particularly up those climbs, but today it was good to ride along and chat with people, stop at the feeds yet still get a good few miles in preparation for the 5-day Ster Elektrotoer on Wednesday.”

Germain Burton, aged 14, 5.56.54 for 180km:

“My dad and I set off with the day’s first group. By the first big climb there was six of us including my dad, but at the 60mile feed four of them did’nt stop so I chased and got back on. Really had to push on the Bwlch the second time but well pleased with my ride. Oh, and I beat my Dad.”
Germain’s Dad, Maurice, is a former British Team Pursuit Champion and no slouch. Germain is only 14 years old – what a ride!

And the editor?

I’ll happily admit to not expecting much having lost a couple of week’s riding thanks to falling off in the Tour of Wessex three weeks ago and I set off aiming for a solid rather than spectacular finishing time – which I guess is exactly what I got. I was also hoping to stay within shouting distance of Andy, who professed himself beforehand completely unprepared for a ride of more than six hours but who is notoriously fast and durable.

In the event, I stopped at the Rhigos feed and he didn’t. I started the Brecon Beacons leg alone but was immediately overhauled by Cervelo pro Dan Lloyd. A couple of minutes sat on his wheel was enough to persuade me to drop off it… and I was pretty much alone until a couple of miles short of the Cray feed.

A hard-riding odd couple (one small guy in Fred Baker Cycles kit accompanied by a giant on white Lycra) towed me nicely back up to Andy, who promptly burned up the second feed. This left me once again on my own and demonstrated the importance of finding a fast group for the flat parts.

While Andy rode bit and bit with the odd couple all the way to the foot of the Bwlch, I was obliged to fight my own battle against a stiff headwind all the way to Abercraf and then, aided by a willing Russian resident in the UK for 14 years and with the physique of Sergei Soukoutcherenkov, the length of the Neath valley. Did I lose the 15 minutes that separated us at the finish on this leg? No question… Anyway, Andy’s 6’05”36 got him 17th fastest, which is tidy by any standards and will give me something to aim for at the Dartmoor Classic…