Andy Colsell of Colchester Motorglass has been a club member from day one, as well as acting as driver for all of our daft long distance trips away. Andy is one of the club stalwarts, and we’re happy to wear his company on our jersey around East Anglia.

Queen Street Brewhouse has become our home from home. Our go-to watering hole for a Belgian recovery tonic after our monument rides, and the perfect place to watch the pros tackle the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix and fly down the Poggio from Milan to Sanremo. Andy Skene of the Brewhouse was even kind enough to let us host our end of season awards ceremony/knees up/world’s worst mechanic competition in the bar at the close of 2018! We feel it’s the perfect fit for ColVelo, and we’re pleased Andy feels the same

We’d also like to say a huge thanks to Three Wise Monkeys who’ve supported the club for the last five years.

Membership for ColVelo runs from March, and the kit window will be opening soon so why not join us!

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In early May 2016, the ColVelo Collective headed back to one of our favourite haunts in North Wales. This is Rob Harwood’s story of the weekend.

The Llyn Peninsula in the far reaches of North West Wales is wild, beautiful and a heck of a long way from anywhere. It might not be as remote as some parts of the highlands but this thin slip of land jutting out into the Irish sea certainly holds some history. From Smugglers coves that litter the northern coastline to the pilgrims trails that all point to the Island of Barsey on the Southern tip. The Llyn Peninsula is a last bastion of the Welsh language and Welsh culture as a whole.

I’m very lucky to have family ties to the area, and have been visiting since before I remember. Most school holidays and term time breaks included some time at the Cottage in Llangwnadl visiting our grandparents and exploring the narrow lanes, steep roads and coves dotted all around the peninsula.

As a passion for road cycling grew it was only natural that I’d explore this part of the world on my bike. And when I did, it was blazingly apparent that this place is up there with some of the best cycling terrain on our fair isle. With the inception of our club ColVelo in 2014 it made perfect sense to offer up a trip to visit the area and in 2016 we continued the tradition. Running a pair of back to back weekends which include two routes per trip (one on the Llyn, and one in Snowdonia) and a pair of evenings talking over the days antics with a few Belgian recovery ales.

The first route dubbed “Tour of The Llyn” is 128km with 2,300m of climbing. There are no mountains to speak of this far west, and the elevation gained is from sharp rises from coastline and beaches to the spectacular headland. The sawtooth profile of the route has fifteen significant rises and descents. Stretches of up to 2km’s with average grades into the teens. Starting on the northern edge of the Llyn, about 7 miles south of Nefyn we initially headed west before turning east, and back west again is a sort of convoluted figure of eight. All in an attempt to bag the best ramps and climbs of the area. Stops in both Nefyn and Abersoch were required to fuel the body and rest the legs. I’ll avoid describing each climb in gory detail, and leave the elevated heart rate data and steepness to your imagination. But the ascent from Abedaron to the Headland at Mynth Mauw and the road to Rhiw from the south via the bay of Hells Mouth (or Porth Neigwl to the locals) offer a pair of wonderful views with some truly leg shredding gradients to tackle.

This trip also served as an outing to run in a new pair of Hunt 38mm Carbon Wide Aero wheels. A genuine all rounder in the form of a set of mid depth carbon hoops which whisked me up the climbs and held their speed beautifully on anything resembling an extended flat. With the majority of our riding back home in Essex revolving around long steady miles, the punchy steeps and technical terrain offered on the Llyn really allowed these wheels to shine. The pick-up with these wheels is phenomenal and the wide profile really helped when the roads stopped being straight. Over the four days spent in the hills of the Llyn and mountains of Snowdonia, these wheels fixed to my newly finished summer bike kept a rather large grin permanently attached to my face!

Our second route ridden is known locally as “The Dog” due to the routes shape sketching out roughly what looks like a dog, or an Aardvark. Some sort of animal anyway… At 130km and 2,700m of Climbing, this offers the sort of total ascent you can find on a day riding in the Alps, but the way the climbing hits you in these parts is more on a level with the terrain of the Ardennes but with a mountain backdrop. I’ll admit that I discovered this route while perusing a cycling Magazine a few years back, and was so enamoured with the route that its become a regular fixture on our trips across the border. This loop starting out and finishing via the Pen Y Pass in Llanberis takes in five notable ascents. The aforementioned Pen Y Pass, The Nebo Road Hill Climb, The savage B4406 south of Penmancho, the private road up to Llyn Stwlan and the final run back up to the top of the Pen Y Pass from Nant Gwynant. Ranging from roughly 3-7km in length with grades maxing out above 25%. These five climbs are interspersed with rolling tarmac as smooth as any you’ll find in the UK and makes the whole event a captivating ride out. With the climbing spaced well, it’s always in the back of your mind to leave something in the legs and not get carried away on the open descents and great terrain that punctuates the savage climbing.

The real highlight of the route is the road to the Dam at Llyn Stwlan. Having stopped for a brief feed stop in Blaenau Ffestiniog we headed down to the foot of the climb and lifted our bikes over the fence which signals the start point. 2.7km of tarmac and gravel, culminating in a handful of tight, steep switch backs as you reach the top. The gradient edging over 25% in places. I have no idea how this hasn’t made it into the top 100 climbs in the UK. It is truly a stunning road with some amazing views once you hit the summit.

Unusually for Wales we were fortunate enough to have a week of only briefly interrupted good weather and all rides took place in grand conditions. It’s clear that when the weather turns in both the mountains and on the exposed coastline of the Llyn, conditions would test the hardiest of riders. Lucky for us, this time we were spared having to try and lapped up the early summer sun and dry tarmac.

This part of the UK is, and especially the Llyn, still relatively undiscovered. We clocked no other road cyclists on our days riding the Llyn. Amazing when you think about the total distance covered. So if you’re on the hunt for some glorious terrain, smooth tarmac, climbs that test the legs and the lungs on traffic free roads…. Drive the fifty or so minutes past Snowdonia and check out the Llyn Peninsula. You will not be disappointed.

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The Colvelo “Monument” rides pay homage to professional cycling’s biggest and best one day races; 200km plus routes through the arteries of East Anglia and beyond. These annual rides underpin the core values of Colvelo – long days out exploring our region, a reward for all those mucky winter Tendring loops. The prize at the end of the series is recognition amongst the club membership for having the iron quads and mental fortitude to complete four rides totalling over 1,000km, and of course a commemorative t-shirt for the series, giving the chance to brag both on Strava and up the pub.

First up for the Monuments is the Ronde van Anglia, a cheeky wordspin of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, AKA the Tour of Flanders. In parallel with the loop of northern Belgium, RVA is just shy of 255km, however the vicious attacks and cobblestones are substituted with an aura of bonhomie and the flat lanes of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Cycling is ingrained in the Belgian mindset and of course they love great beer – a perfect alignment with Colvelo!

A group of ten left Culver Street headed north-west to Newmarket, a similar 90-odd km leg to that of the Dragon ride a few weeks previous. This is a testing stint without a break and we were soon a rider down owing to an “off” south of Haverhill. Having arranged a lift back for said rider we pressed onto Newmarket, circling Lidgate. After a welcomed pit stop all riders were shedding layers due to some great spring weather – with only limited pocket capacity stopping most from having fully exposed elbows and knees! At this stage the ride made east across Suffolk, cutting into the wind before turning south towards the next planned stop at Thurston at approximately 155km.

Another load up on sausage rolls and scotch eggs and we were back on the road for the last leg of the journey. However, by now the weather was turning and the lack of sun made the breeze a little more cutting. Over the next few hours the weather would graduate from a teasing spit of rain to a full blown deluge, befitting of any Belgian classic. The dejected remainder of riders stopped at Lavenham to gather their thoughts and refuel before an arduous 60km loop of the Eleighs, Elmsett, and East Bergholt, coming back into Colchester via Elmstead Market. Here the comradery was underlined, a tight group all taking their turn for a pull and it was quite easy to imagine (or even dream?!) of oneself on the front of the Ronde, defying the grim weather whilst streaming through single lane agricultural roads towards Oudenaarde.

To conclude, a long day in the saddle exposed to the full spectrum of Spring conditions. A good effort by all, and seven hopefuls are still in with a shout of wearing a Colvelo Monuments t-shirt come October. Next up is Colchester Swaffham Colchester at the end of April, a testing 300km day out which a few members will be using to gauge their condition for the Asparagus and Strawberries Audax, a 400km overnight ride in early Summer.

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If Liam’s ride report has peaked your interest, you can check out the rest of the ColVelo Monuments on our Strava club page including Colchester – Swaffham – Colchester coming up on 30th April.

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