The Gospel Pass.

It's been a while. Since my last post I've relocated to Hereford which has opened up a new cycling landscape to me. I am fortunate to live about 20 miles from the Gospel Pass which happens to be the highest road pass in Wales and also the highest I have tackled in the U.K to date, reaching a positively mountainous 549m. I've ascended the climb twice in the two weeks since I moved, starting both times from the Hay-on-Wye side, and to be honest it's not my kind of climb, it undulates and has steep sections that make it hard to get into a steady rhythm, Still it is an incredibly beautiful part of the world. 

Views for Miles.

The first time I did the climb the weather was kind and I made the long, steady descent and returned to Hereford via Pandy however when we attempted it again this bank holiday Friday the weather was less clement and we had to turn back about 200m from the summit due to snow on the road and the desire to avoid an icy descent on the other side, not to mention the dark clouds rolling in. Still, it was fun and our ride turned into an impromptu sledging session. 

Homage to a Yellow Jersey.

I remember when this jersey first came into my life, it was back in 2009, pre John O’ Groats to Lands End. We found it looking unloved in a discount clothes store and adopted it. It fitted the bill perfectly, it was light, breathable and above all it was cheap. I personally wouldn’t wear a yellow jersey, perhaps to avoid Tour de France comparisons or possibly because it’s such an ugly colour but that didn’t deter Jamie from snatching it up. The jersey wasn’t even designed for cycling, more like tennis, but that didn’t avert its new owner.

I wouldn’t like to speculate how much time I’ve spent staring at that yellow jersey as it was carried on the back of the cyclist riding in front of me. All I know is that it’s been through a lot, It’s been worn everyday on three long bike tours, standing up to the rigors of being hand washed in sinks and showers every night before being hung out to dry in campsites all over Europe.

I’ve watched as my favorite red jersey has faded in the sun, shrunk, and become tattered all within the lifespan of that yellow jersey, a jersey that looks exactly the same as when it was purchased four years ago. Its resilience astounds me and I’ve no doubt that it will still be going strong many tours from now, in fact it will probably outlive the both of us.

Rediscovery in Pink.

I just found the camera I took with me on our end to end tour of 2009. The camera is nothing special, in fact by todays standards it is a bit of a joke, to be honest it was a joke back then as well. It is a Konica Minolta 2MP compact and for some reason all of the photos come out with a pink tint, that said I found a couple of forgotten gems, here they are.

Not a bad view to wake up to - John o' Groats.

Loch Ness

Loch Ness from afar.

Ben Nevis (I think)

Loch Lomond

I just noticed that all of these pictures are from Scotland, I suppose England just isn't as photogenic. For a sub par malfunctioning camera I think these actually look alright.

Join The Dots: Our Route.

Just recently the weather has been pretty bad, in fact its been snowing all day today and doesn't look like relenting anytime soon. Considering it's hardly the weather for cycling i've been wracking my brain trying to recall every campsite we stayed at, all i've had to go on was my memory and Google maps (It would have been easier if I had just written them down!). Anyway, here it is, our route represented by the campsites we inhabited, I have no idea of the roads in between them though.