PTW

The usual 10am start from the plaza. Head to Bridgend, Pen-Coed, Llanharri, Cowbridge, stop at Llantwit Major cafe on the beach. Return home after the pitstop.

Well the day started well with Spot, Griff, Mark Hillier, Colin Speakman, Jeff Griffiths and myself heading east with Colin saying that he was only going for a bowl to the cafe and Jeff saying I've got to be back by one. We were joined by Bowen at the gates of Margam Park and JD and Jez Jones at the Margam tumps. So a sunny, day, good company and off through Penybryn we went only to catch a glimpse of Mr Crowley on the head of what looked to be a very lean bunch heading the other way......Jez feeling a little tender decided to call it a day...

Aberkenfig and Bryncethin came and went without incident but the infamous Heol Y Cyw Prime was too much for Griff and JD who had an all out fight to the end which Griff claimed.

At Pencoed, Jeff Griff and Bowen decided a tour of the vale was not for them and they turned right, and headed to the cafe. Shortly after Spot decided to get in on the Sprint act and easily won the Brysadler Prime which was like a red rag to a bull to JD and at every village we went through Spot and JD exchanged primes, JD nicking the sneaky hidden ones, Spot getting the hard ones, Griff also had a go at a few just to keep them on the their toes.

Up a rather steep climb at Llandough, Griff got distanced and JD hung back with him where me, Spot and Mark pressed on for the main climb of the day up past St Mary's church. There was a prime half way up the hill which Spot took and in an effort to beat him, Mark's chain snapped.

It was about now that Spot got his tool out....... an interesting piece of equipment for screwing, and tightening your nuts....... Fortunately it had a chain extractor as well and soon Marks Chain was repaired..... However, Griff and JD had still not reached us...... had someone punctured, back we went and there they were......... gone.

There was a little lane which JD new that avoided the really steep bit of St Mary's Church.............They had taken a SHORT CUT!
Now Spot was really pumped... He was missing all these primes and even worse..... He knew JD would be gaining them as every one was tucked in a hedge so Griff would never have seen them in time......

Spot really had the bit between his teeth and me and Mark spent a fair bit of time chewing the handlebars. By the time we got to the cafe at LLantwit major beach Griff and JD were looking fresh and relaxed. Me and Mark were looking haggard.

On the way back, Spot took the St Donats, and Monknash primes and some how, apparently, this balanced the books, and JD and Spot were level pegging in the points race.

So the Ewenny Prime was the decider........ Bad move....... Spot took off at St Brides...... he took the win but the judges (who's decision is final in such matters) decided that the win was Null and void as "the boys were waiting for Griff"

PS the Cafe at Llantwit is great