Brecon Beacons Beast 2003
Four CUCCers turned up for the second running of the Brecon Beast - a
great event last year which promised to be even better this year... 'We've
responded to your comments' they said at the start, 'and added what you
might call (pause) a bit of a sting in the tail (pregnant pause, chuckle)
- just don't spend all your energy on the Gap crossing (chuckle)...'
Chris J (team support), Chris Pedder and myself trundled over to Brecon on Friday night to
get a bit of exploring done whilst Matt Robinson and Andrew Cockburn turned up
later on Saturday.
The 0900 start on Sunday morning came around quite quickly and it was
straight into action. We were led out to the west of Brecon (130m
alt.) behind a pace car for the first 3 or 4km before being left to our own
speed as the course climbed incessantly along track and road to the side
of Y Gelli (450m). It wasn't finished there - the course then entered
private estate land which offered more climbing opportunities (into the
hill fog) up to the col between Fan Gyhirych and Fan Fraith (680m).
A pleasantly rocky downhill followed with some more climbing until we
reached Sarn Helen, complete with a pretty rocky river crossing! The fun
had only just started though - some firetrack in Plas-y-gors, a short road
section then an fantastically rocky ('eye lad, rocks the size of a babies
'ed...) stretch of Sarn Helen over and down Bryn Melyn led to the A4215,
but only very briefly. Dog-legging over the A470 (?) we were back again on
small lanes leading through Old Glanrhyd, Heolfanog and Trosnant to the
foot of the infamous Gap road. This was also where the 60km 'ride' parted
from the 100km. The Gap road is a piece of rocky doubletrack that climbs
steeply up the side of Cym Cynwyn to the col between Cribyn and Fan-y-Big
(sic). Knarly and virtually unrideable towards the top, it is a great way
to burn any remining energy! The organisers' chilling chuckle about not
spending all your energy on it was now a worry...
A gently sloping downhill comes down from the Gap by Tor Glas and, after a
large gully we were directed up the side of the Taf Fechan forest before
coming onto the minor road which leads to the Taf Trail. This was where
the race the year before had sloped nicely back to Brecon, not this year
though... A descent down a 1 in 7 hill was rudely interupted by a marker
ushering us into the Talybont forest. Long fireroad climbs, some hairy
singletrack, more climbs, more climbs, climbs so steep you had to walk
before a madly steep downhill to the dam. Sting in the tail? I'll say...
more like jackboot up the derriere... From there it essentially became a
road race back into Brecon with many mini-pelotons forming in which the
stronger managed to tow the near-hallucinating back to the finish!
An excellent day all around, and congratulations must go to Andrew
Cockburn who grabbed 12th place in about 4hrs 45 (out of 332) in the 100km
race and to Matt Robinson who grabbed 3rd in the 60km. I managed a
57th in 5hrs 28mins and Chris Pedder came in after his debut 100km race
at around 6hrs 05mins - well done mate!
One thing for sure though - if anyone last year was debating whether 'The
Beast' was a suitable name for this event, any doubt would be certainly
quashed this year! Very apt indeed would be the general conclusion! Gasps
of 'for God's sake don't put that there was too
much tarmac this time!' where heard to be gasped from quite a few
competitors!
Bart Hallmark
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