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@atk
Rode my first 600 this weekend, John Perrin's Three Steps to Severn. It all went better than expected and was good to break the recent run of DNS/DNFs.
I'd say the first half of the route was most enjoyable, better roads (generally quite and smooth) and riding through Llanwrtyd Wells/Sugar Loaf, over the top of the Brecon Beacons and through the Black Mountains didn't disappoint. Severn Bridge at night was pretty cool, although not much to see from the cycle path side. Arriving at the village hall, JP and Peter Bond manned the Van of Delights, serving food, tea and generally good vibes.
Skipped sleeping in the village hall in Aust and pushed on for another 40km or so before trying to nap in a bus shelter. After being woken by a bunch of trucks I rolled on a little further to find a freshly mown field, got the bivvy out and had a pretty comfortable couple of hours there. Chatting with other riders it seems like this was a good choice, hall was pretty packed and no one seemed to have slept well...
The route back through Gloucester (eww...) and the string of A-roads in the "Heart of England" was a bit of a drag, too many cars, crappy road surfaces and a chilly headwind. Thankfully the last 50km or so featured a bunch of short, steep hills away from the main roads. Took a little detour over the last 20km, trundling through the back lanes of Cheshire to avoid riding back along the A6.
Overall a good ride and I'd recommend it as a good first 600 if it runs again.
Next time I'll probably use the drop bag option to send ahead some vegan snacks - after 9 garage/service station/tiny village supermarket controls I was getting very bored of bags of almonds, bananas and naked bars...