PTW

All the best for the event Davy, nice to see that at least one of the club got in , keep us posted on the event please.

Cheers Pip. Just summoned the energy to type this message. It was hard. Details to follow.

Ok I haven't typed up a report for this event yet because someone else has done a far better job than I (Take a bow Rob Powell, OVW!).

I rode this event as part of 'Team Veloriders', a UK cycling website and we knocked up some rather fetching pink kit...Read on as Rob details the highs and lows of taking part in Wales' No 1 stage race....

"OK boys and girls, time for an official post-Ras round-up. Your Ras HEROES were:
Team VR: me; Dave 'Pretty Boy' Crowley; Des 'Lanterne Rouge' Gayler; and Paul 'Tuc Tuc' Tucker
Welsh Dragons: Graham; Rhys 'Welsh Champion' Gravelle; Hefin '10days and going strong' Price; and Rowan 'no known nickname' Marshall
And wannabe Team VR members: Jason 'Voodoo' Humphries; Steve 'grimpeur' Thomas; and Guy Stevens

Stage 1 (ITT): (Usk Valley) Baking hot, I was sweating so much that the pink skinsuit I was wearing was basically completely transparent. Went out very fast for the rolling flat sections, then died a death on the hill at the end. Chris Landon saw my skinsuit and commented that our Team VR kit wasn't as bad as he expected Rode back to the start, collected the car and drove up to the finish to await the others from the safety of the pub. Graham rode smoothly, catching his minute man and going 4 seconds faster than me. Pretty Boy took the honours out of our heroes. Des and Steve T were left off the results sheet because they went so slow.

Stage 2 (RR): (Monmouthshire) Thursday morning, still baking hot. The world was waiting with anticipation for the official unveiling of Team VR's jerseys. Marvelous scenes indeed. The race was long and hilly but with a fairly flat run-in at the end. The first big test was the climb at Llangwm, a bit like the old Glynneath Bank road. Des, TucTuc and SteveT went straight out the back. At the top was a newly laid section of gravel and crud, which effectively neutralised the front of the bunch because no-one could attack, but also stopped anyone getting back on from behind. Disaster stuck, first Rhys punctured and couldn't get a wheel. Hefin went back for him, but both were never seen again until the finish, losing loads of time. Then Guy Stevens punctured and while chasing back another rider fell straight in front of him bring him down. Guy was sent to hospital with a fractured elbow and a broken bike.
After that the road got very lumpy and the pace stayed very high - eventually we reached the big descent to Mitchell Troy and a flat run-in. By now a group of 10 had got away and Graham, Davey, Rowan and me were the only ones of our heroes still in the main field. Davey fancied the sprint but we couldn't get the break back. Some guy called Julian Winn won the stage.

Stage 3 (TTT): A40/old A40. Thursday afternoon after the RR. Still baking hot. I was feeling sick from drinking so much water. Had a little lie down, then went for an icecream. Team VR were one of the last off, with the Welsh Dragons just behind us. Riding down to the start, a random van driver lent out of his window and declared that he 'loved a man in pink'. This was EXACTLY the response we were looking for, and justified the very existence of Team VR. Just before the start Des punctured, so instead of warming up or talking tactics we looked for a weak member of another team that we could steal a wheel from. This whole time Graham and Rowan were stood at the start wondering where the other half of their team had gone.
Team VR eventually got underway and worked our way around the course. Tuc Tuc hit a pothole and buckled his wheel so was left behind. 'Lanterne Rouge' Des clung on valiantly to me and Pretty Boy... until our coach and sponsor Dave Le Grys made an unwelcome appearance to put us all off about a mile from home. There is a photo, but it's not going up on a family site like this one. Suffice to say we were put off our stroke and lost at least the 3minutes we were behind the winners. Welsh Dragons had managed to find all their riders but didn't catch Team VR as we had feared, but did comfortably beat us. The overall GC now looked beyond all our heroes, and all thoughts turned to getting a stage win.
Team VR retired to the bar. But the bar wasn't open. Terrible scenes.

Stage 4 (RR): Usk/Raglan: relatively flat road stage on Friday morning. Still really hot. Relatively uneventful at first due to the high speed. Graham and Rhys got in a decent looking break, but the bunch speed was too high and it came back quickly. Davey was looking good for the sprint but punctured about 2miles out; too late for us to tow him back. Our heroes lost a little time in the finish but no big deal.

Stage 5 (RR): Brecon Beacons: the Queen stage on Saturday morning. Cold and looking like rain, as is traditional for this stage which goes 4 times up Defynnog and finishes about 15miles and one big mountain away from the HQ. Long downhill start. Despite being put off by laughing at Graham and Rhys trying to keep up on the descent with their junior restricted gears, I managed to launch a heroic attack at the base of the descent. Two guys came with me, and we set up the chase of another 2 just up the road. We caught them by the first ascent of Defynnog, dropped one of them and then rode on as a four-up. Gap grew to over 2 minutes. All looking good. Second ascent of Defynnog no drama. But by the third time another chase group was trying to bridge up; they caught us near the top of the climb and it blew apart with a couple of us being dropped from the break. I went backwards through no-mans-land at a rate of knots and was back in the bunch by the base of the descent. I clung on until the final climb and then lost loads of time. Disaster. Everyone else except for Tuc Tuc, Steve T and Des stayed in the bunch, which was surprisingly intact considering the terrain. The rain arrived in time for the ride back to the car.

Stage 6 (RR): Llangynidr Mountain: final stage on Sunday morning. I don't know much about this one because I was dropped within an hour, paying big style for yesterday's efforts. I could have dragged myself around but really, what's the point??, so I went back to the car for a pasty and some crisps. By the base of the final mountain Team VR were stringing out the bunch for no apparent reason whatsoever. As gradient set in they soon fell away and set about annoying Voodoo as much as possible by talking to him the whole way up the mountain. Welsh Dragons were more competitive but still couldn't contest the finish.

We don't really know who won, but we've decided that they were all 1st Cat ringers who shouldn't have even been allowed in the race with us anyway. Rowan was top finisher out of our heroes I believe, followed closely by Graham in 30-somethingth place. Pretty Boy Crowley not too far further back. Des achieved his life-time ambition of pipping Steve Thomas for last place, chappeau!

At this race we have learnt:
1. The official commissaire-approved pronunciation is Veeelo-riders.
2. Newport is world famous for its fish.
3. If you let an ex-Giro d'Italia pro ride a chipper RR then he will win even if he's not really trying to.
4. Fracturing your elbow induces fewer tears than looking at your broken bike.
5. That there is a reason why very few people attack right at the start of the longest, hardest stages of stage races.
6. You cannot buy food at Newport University. Forget it, just go for chips.
7. To strap our bikes VERY TIGHTLY to the roof rack. And bolt the roof rack on PROPERLY.
8. Twitter-twattering is completely pointless.
9. School prom until early hours of morning is apparently decent preparation for Queen stage.
10. There are cameras EVERYWHERE.

Excellent report Dave.y,although a bit late,where are the photographs of the kit then?

As I said, I can't take the credit, it was Rob Powell's write up!

The kit:

Lovely,Davey only you could carry that kit off.Perhaps we could work it into our new kit , have a word with John Willy & co!

Ha ha! Cheers Pip! Did you notice the 'name tag' on the front? How cool would that be on the PTWCC kit?! On a serious note, the company used were excellent and the quality superb. Another name in the ring...

NAME TAGS!enough trouble getting new kit,seriously its a good idea,have you any costings?

Yes - will bring some figures to the next meeting!

Well done Dave. I like the pink in your jersey lol. I dare the committee to put that in the Port Talbot kit next year lolololol!!!