The Clwydian Range

'Social' Edge Cycleworks Shop Ride

Sun 23rd May '10

The sky was blue, the sun was blazing down and it was still only 9.30am. The car park was full of riders in shorts and short sleeved jerseys applying sun cream. It was a real turn around from the thermals and deep snow of only a couple months before. Curiously, with the temperature predicted to rise above 25C, Ritchie had a buff around his neck and long sleeves. There was a good explanation. It involved a beer garden, pints and sunburn.

It was great to see a few old faces among the group. We caught up with each others news as we got ready for the ride and it continued up the first climb. It was especially good to see Mark, who was starting to make progress on his long recovery from a knee op.

At the top of the climb we emerged from the shelter of the trees and realised how hot it was going to be. The sun was beating down from above and bouncing back from the hard baked trail, banishing any trace of the cool morning air. As we took frequent sips of water to moisten our dry, dusty mouths it started to feel like we were riding in another country, a feeling that was only strengthened by the lizard we spotted on the grassy climb up Moel Famau.

The rocky singletrack across the ridge of the Clwyds was as dry as I had ever seen it. It seemed to catch more people out than in its normal muddy condition. This could have been due to the sudden appearance of dust, a substance we’re not used to coping with. The little incidents continued on the big rocks of the first descent, the most technical part of the ride. Unfortunately for Ritchie I knew exactly where to stand with my camera to capture his undignified dismount. Not that I was immune. On the fast singletrack lower down I pushed it a bit hard in a corner and lost grip with my rear wheel. Luckily my trusty 661’s took the impact, which saved me and the bike from injury.

At the bottom of the descent a few were attempting to ride the plank across the stream. Steve’s wheel dropped off the side and he almost fell in head first. This made the tricky crossing a bit harder for everyone else as the nerves kicked. But nobody got a dunking, not even Steve who made it look quite easy on his second attempt.

After riding through Cilcain we headed to the top of Keegan’s Lane. It’s a descent with history, one of broken components and bruised bodies. On the surface the wide, arrow straight track doesn’t seem that difficult but it encourages high speeds while the loose rocks and eroded channels that change slightly every time you ride it. This time, although it was bone dry and fast, the dappled sunlight combined with shadows to camouflage the lay of the trial ahead. There were a couple of close calls but we got off lightly. All we suffered was a front mech knocked out of alignment on Steve’s bike.

The heat really kicked on the long climb back to the top of the Clwydian Range. For once it was better to keep going. Standing still taking photo’s I quickly began to overheat, after losing the light cooling breeze from riding along. The heat and long climbs were taking their toll on Richard, who was new to the rides. We waited for sometime at the top of the hill, chilling out having a picnic in the sun, until he eventually appeared in the company of Steve and Ken who were doing a great job as sweepers.

After following the moorland singletrack back along the ridge we had to wait again for Richard. By now he was running on empty. Between me and Paul, who was now the designated sweeper, we decided I should lead the rest of the group to a point where they could find their own way back, before waiting. The plan went without a hitch. When they caught up Paul went off to catch up with his son, who by then was waiting in the car park stuffing his face with a burger kindly bought by Nick, while I stayed with Richard. We chatted to make the last miles go by more easily, until we finally reached the car park for a nice refreshing cup of sugary tea that finished the ride quite nicely.