When I lived in Cardiff and I needed a lift I would leave my house, cycle up behind Castel Coch on the MTB and ride the Ridgeway until I could see north and south.
To this day I regard that as the best “back yard” ride I ever had. Never failed to lift the spirits.
Kevin, you’re almost describing one of my favourite rides: Whitchurch – Castell Coch – Ridgeway – Draethen – Machen Mountain – return. And you’re dead right of course, the views from the Ridgeway are fantastic. They’re also quite human in scale; the land slopes towards the Bristol Channel (with views of Flatholm, Steepholm and the Severn bridges) and in the opposite direction rises into the Beacons.
I feel a ride coming on….
(P.S. Didn’t realise you were a former Cardiff resident!).
Rubbish third cat road man, Audax supporter, Time Triallist etc. Those early years of MTB were great though. My name was never on the radar as a rider, I had just started doing some organising when I got the CTC job and shortly after I moved.
My misguided son believes he is Welsh, which made last Saturday’s rugby very painful.
I may have ridden with you on occasion Kevin. At that time I was mid metamorphosis from Runner to Triathlete to Cyclo-crosser. I remember well the early days of MTB. My first taste came around Castell Coch in 1991. I’ll not forget night time mtb-ing on a rigid Kona Cindercone with only a big, ineffective headtorch for illumination. It made the descent off the Garth quite interesting (and caused a few bruises).
It sounds to me like your misguided son has his priorities in exactly the right place (I was there on Saturday and still hoarse!).
kevinmayne on said:
I was there in 1993 when Rory Underwood went to sleep for Evans to score in the corner. Still hurts.
Me too! Funnily enough a Geordie fella I know met Rory Underwood recently at a charity function and said to him ‘I bet you still have nightmares about that Ieuan Evans try’. Underwood replied with some rather fruity language.
When I lived in Cardiff and I needed a lift I would leave my house, cycle up behind Castel Coch on the MTB and ride the Ridgeway until I could see north and south.
To this day I regard that as the best “back yard” ride I ever had. Never failed to lift the spirits.
Kevin, you’re almost describing one of my favourite rides: Whitchurch – Castell Coch – Ridgeway – Draethen – Machen Mountain – return. And you’re dead right of course, the views from the Ridgeway are fantastic. They’re also quite human in scale; the land slopes towards the Bristol Channel (with views of Flatholm, Steepholm and the Severn bridges) and in the opposite direction rises into the Beacons.
I feel a ride coming on….
(P.S. Didn’t realise you were a former Cardiff resident!).
10 years – rode with the Ajax from 1991-2001.
Rubbish third cat road man, Audax supporter, Time Triallist etc. Those early years of MTB were great though. My name was never on the radar as a rider, I had just started doing some organising when I got the CTC job and shortly after I moved.
My misguided son believes he is Welsh, which made last Saturday’s rugby very painful.
I may have ridden with you on occasion Kevin. At that time I was mid metamorphosis from Runner to Triathlete to Cyclo-crosser. I remember well the early days of MTB. My first taste came around Castell Coch in 1991. I’ll not forget night time mtb-ing on a rigid Kona Cindercone with only a big, ineffective headtorch for illumination. It made the descent off the Garth quite interesting (and caused a few bruises).
It sounds to me like your misguided son has his priorities in exactly the right place
(I was there on Saturday and still hoarse!).
I was there in 1993 when Rory Underwood went to sleep for Evans to score in the corner. Still hurts.
Me too! Funnily enough a Geordie fella I know met Rory Underwood recently at a charity function and said to him ‘I bet you still have nightmares about that Ieuan Evans try’. Underwood replied with some rather fruity language.