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Mal and I trained to Knighton from London on Saturday. We’d ended up with more changes but a quicker overall journey. Why trips listed on nationalrail.co.uk aren’t available when you try to book them at the station I do not know. Nevermind. <\/p>\n
It turns out the Fleece House B&B<\/a> I’d booked was run by a Polish woman. Mal had someone to talk to! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n We dropped our stuff off and wandered around the small town of Knighton. Getting off the train, we’d actually met Christian, who I’d met at the previous Welsh sportive – the Devil Ride. He was staying just down the road and we met later for dinner and some beers (well, I had some<\/i> beers, he was being much more disciplined and stuck to one :)).<\/p>\n drizzle<\/p>\n start, loads returning (dandy horse)<\/p>\n windy as hell!<\/p>\n steep descent <\/p>\n found sunglasses<\/p>\n DEEP water crossing<\/p>\n dried up whilst in the Elan Valley – beautiful dams<\/p>\n massive climb – smoked it \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n almost lost it<\/p>\n I love how it rains only during the ride.. Sat and Mon were blue skies.. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Le Poisson had a laugh on this ride – I decided not to worry about time again since my training has stopped and the conditions weren’t so nice to be risking fast descents. I saw about 20 people riding back. Later found out some of them had gone down on a slippery corner.<\/p>\n Lovely scenery. Horrid conditions until the Elan valley but the views were awesome. I stopped a few times to take photos of the dams (numb hands don’t help). The “creek crossing” reminded me of Day 3 of Tour of Wessex. This was definitely deeper though Wessex was wetter and windier. \ud83d\ude42 I’d love to ride this course again in the dry but it does make it more of a challenge in the wet and I’m very glad I stuck with it.<\/p>\n Great stuff organisers and many thanks to the volunteers out on the course and at the finish. I had a fantastic long weekend in Knighton.<\/p>\n 423 people doing the Long. 1000 entries total. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n 150th from 420.<\/p>\n Autumn Epic 2008 Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.cyclosport.org\/article.aspx?id=940<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.sleepmonsters.com\/photosystem\/rightplacerighttime\/photosales_image.php?path=6792_6754&file=081006192712&type=D<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.sleepmonsters.com\/photosystem\/rightplacerighttime\/photosales_image.php?path=6792_6757&file=081006200411&type=D<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.sleepmonsters.com\/photosystem\/rightplacerighttime\/photosales_image.php?path=6792_6756&file=081006194828&type=D<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.sleepmonsters.com\/photosystem\/rightplacerighttime\/photosales_image.php?path=6792_6756&file=081006194830&type=D<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mal and I trained to Knighton from London on Saturday. We’d ended up with more changes but a quicker overall journey. Why trips listed on nationalrail.co.uk aren’t available when you try to book them at the station I do not … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/www.thehippy.net\/gallery\/albums\/Europe08\/2008_10_05_AutumnEpicWales\/normal_DSC_1102.JPG\")
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