Ultracycling

Not really ultra... but possibly good prep for those interested in TCR etc.

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Brevet meets Alleycat, this particular cat is quite the cross-breed: 4 controls will take you from rolling hills to cities, to the Valleys of South Wales

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The Welsh Valleys give you some of the more challenging UK climbs and beautiful natural scenery in contrast with post industrial decline and a maze of former industrial mining towns.
Heading North from Cardiff and Newport - the relatively large port cities which became the destination for much of the industrialisation of the 18th century - gentler slopes will take you up the railway routes towards the heads of the valleys and the fringes of Brecon Beacons National Park. Try heading East and West however and its a different story - vicious slopes divide the valley systems and navigation can be tricky indeed. Missing a turn can be costly and heading up and over can be a gamble that pays time dividends or costs a lot of effort.
Naturally we'll be starting you at the Eastern-most edge in the pleasant rolling hills of the Vale of Usk and giving you the whole of the Valleys to negotiate, leaving the choices up to you.
Starts Llangybi Village Hall. From 7am.
The ride will begin and end at the Village Hall, Ton Road, Llangybi where in the evening, beginning at 5pm and ending at 11pm, there will be a charity social evening with food and beverages available for riders and friends and family alike.
Controls will be revealed at 7am and will all be in play from the start. Expect a minimum of 200km riding, more if you get lost and do factor in plenty of extra time for navigation. Start control will shut down at 9am and re-open for the return of the first rider.
Note that the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road and the A470 between the M4 and the A465 are out of bounds to bikes (as well as the M4 of course itself and the A449). Non-tarmac'ed roads are available and all legitimate rights of way for bicycles are in play, but the ride is also completable by road alone.
Solos, pairs and groups are all welcome, this is a non-competitive event which taken solo can give you a real good navigational challenge simulation for building experience for events like the Transcontinental, or it can be enjoyed socially with friends for fun.