I’m not sure if I ought to be telling you this but I write this whilst wallowing in a hot bath, a glass of whiskey within easy reach, biro poised above notepad. Don’t worry it’s a foamy bubble bath which my mother found somewhere and wrapped up as a sort of special Christmas present for me so no matter how you strive to peer between the lines my modesty is intact. The whiskey is a Bushmills Original described as smooth and mellow – so not all that unlike myself then. There is therefore a time limit for completion of this story because as soon as these bubbles start to disappear I’m grabbing that towel and I’m out of here. So I had better get started then.

2008 starts off with predictions of imminent arctic temperatures and snow and it must be accurate because I read it in the Times. I tune into every weather forecast I can find on Tuesday evening, each one confirms this but the snow is not due until Thursday so that’s ok. Just before Christmas I had developed a problem with my usual bike but had no chance of getting it repaired so I decide to use my standby, trouble is that does not have lights so I set about transferring the lights from the other. A simple enough job under normal circumstances but things did not go well, my problem started with the realisation that there was not enough bare handlebar showing so the position of the light holder was a bit restricted. So restricted in fact that it was impossible to fit. I am not very keen on being out with no lights when darkness sets in so there seems nothing for it but to put the lights back on my regular bike but by now I can’t do that either because I have stripped the thread at the top of the tightening screw. The ride was one I had not done before as it was the first of our new supercharged programme and I had no idea how long it was. Maybe I didn’t need a light. I ‘phone Colin who explained to me the route and as he was explaining to me I began to realise that my mind was fixed on a starting point at MacDonalds in Briton Ferry whereas in truth the start point was ASDA Llansamlet. Thank goodness I had ‘phoned him. Colin tells me that my bike only needs an adjustment and promises to bring a hammer and a large bolster which indicated that the adjustment could be classed as a little fine tuning.

I feel better.

Morning comes and having slept on the problem the answer is obvious. I shall take the car to Llansamlet and go to the cycle shop, buy a T bar extension, buy a new light and mount the light on the extension. Simple. I put the roof bars on the car, fit the cycle carrier and mount the bike on top of the car – it was a cold morning. I leave early, buy what I need and head for the ASDA car park and fit them. This was to the replacement bike, by the way. It is a bike which I have had for about 30 years and have recently had it upgraded to be the same configuration as the other, a bit daft to spend that much money on it but there is a bit of sentimental value attached to it. Today’s ride tells me that the money was well spent.

Hang on while I get my big toe on this tap to let some more hot water in. Ooh that’s better, and its livened up the bubbles too!

Everybody starts to arrive – things look promising, you see this is a bit of a departure for us because we usually have just the one meeting place for our normal rides and we were a bit worried that we may lose some riders by this departure from the norm. We end up with 12 and the promise of another who will join us further up the track.

We head on up the cycle track following the river Tawe northwards, we go through towns which I vaguely know but cannot name because we enter them from a different direction, we follow canals and former railway lines, we cross strange bridges possibly built by Thomas Telford in his Heath Robinson period.

We are now on the main road heading for Ystradgynlais and we stop at a layby which by some happy coincidence has a food van. The owner becomes suddenly very pleased. We consume hot drinks until the road calls again and we remount our bikes but Val has just become the proud owner of a beefburger so we just have to compromise and wait till he is half way through it before heading off. That’s the closest he will get to meals on wheels for quite a while!

A couple of little side roads later and we are cycling up a long drag of a hill towards Onllwyn, not a steep hill by any means, just one of those hills that shows complete determination to wear you down with a cold head breeze that grows stronger as you near the top. There were dark clouds overhead and I just hoped they were not about to give up their struggle to contain all that moisture just yet! The leading group had long since reached the right turn at the top and were there waiting for us, being entertained, incidentally by a lady in carpet slippers standing in a doorway. It was the lady that was standing in the doorway and not the carpet slippers, mind you I suppose they both were really. This whiskey really is rather good you know.

My fingers have gone all wrinkly. More hot water please!

We pass the coal washing site and I am beginning to feel rather peckish and also rather concerned that we should be passing so many pubs. Can’t be far now and actually, here we are at Seven Sisters and right on cue here indeed are the seven sisters! Considerably older now of course but what the heck – aren’t we all! No time for introductions, we shoot past the seven old maids – we are on a mission, we need to be fed. We seem to be travelling at great speed, how will we ever stop at this café? Then we are out the other side – so what happened, are we to be cheated out of food? This is certainly not cricket! Then some way out of the town we turn into an industrial estate (“just like that” – Tommy Cooper) and there in front of us is the Pit Stop Café. I walk in and suddenly I cannot see - is this the effect of hunger? No, its just my glasses steaming up. Twelve hungry cyclists form an orderly queue, the chef panics and says he is running out of food, I settle for burger and chips which turned out to be a large burger and a goodly portion of chips. I learn that Ken has a bet with Chris that I won’t be able to finish my chips. I do and Chris wins. What’s more I enjoy the burger so much that I decide to have another – and I still have change from £5!!

The ride back was mostly downhill and we set a cracking pace for Aberdulais, we go through Skewen, cross the motorway and are soon at the far end of the Enterprise Park. ASDA is now no distance away and I reach the car well before any signs of darkness.

Waste of time buying that front light!

My hands are wrinkly, the water is getting cold, the whiskey glass is empty, this ink is getting blotchy and the bubbles are fast disappearing. Now look away because I must reach that towel!

A great ride and many thanks to Colin.

Happy New Year and happy pedalling

Lew Spokes (powered by Radox)

PS. Next week we have our Away Day from Ferryside to Llansteffan. We will be able to see the lunch stop from the start point and anyone wishing to row across are welcome to do so. The rest of us landlubbers can enjoy a ride through beautiful Carmarthen and down the other side of the river. The lunch stop will be fun!

For the complete Wednesday and Sunday rides programme click on the link at the top of this page, or if that is too much trouble then click here.

Ken and Chris		Colin, Jan and Val
David, Martin, Ursula and John		Two Johns and a Len
So we did