The Edge Cycleworks 'Social' Shop Ride

The Ceiriog Valley

Sun 15th January 2012

After weeks of grey wet winter days we were treated to a dry and frosty weekend. While it made for great riding we had to work the heat back into our cold fingers after the pre-ride fettling. The discomfort didn’t last long though, as we soon found ourselves grinding up the first steep climb out of the Ceiriog Valley.

Beautiful scenery complemented a warm glow, as we made our way across the rolling, frost white fields at the top. This continued for some time until we reached the first proper descent. We let the motorcrosser’s go first for a free run, then flew unhindered down the loose rocks and reached the bottom with burning legs.

Groans where heard when those same legs had to take us straight up a steep tarmac climb, without the benefit of the motor in the crosser’s bikes, but all was forgiven when we reached the fast and rocky Starlings Castle descent. The skills required on the descent were more varied than usual with a fallen tree limbo halfway down and blood oozing from Anne’s finger at the bottom.

A crash had somehow left her with a deep cut in her finger, despite no visible damage to her glove. Once she was patched together with 1st Aid it was decided to part company, with Anne heading back along the main road to the cars, for a trip to A&E, while we headed up the next climb.

With a bit of pushing on the tricky bits as, legs were began to tire, we made it to the top. The views across the Vale of Llangollen were stunning but they were all but forgotten after a warp speed plummet into the valley on a frozen, concrete hard the track. I clocked 36mph, which was nice.

Still buzzing from the descent we winched up the last big climb, with a pause in the middle to take in even bigger views across the Vale. The top marked the start of the final descent, back into Ceiriog Valley, where it was thorns from the recently cut hedges instead of loose rocks on the descent that caused us problems. We fixed the first four punctures but decided to race the final two the last mile back to the cars, as time was running out. But eventually we made it back, happy to have had such a great ride to start the year!