Howies it feel?

Manchester to Cardigan by bike

The alarm went off at 5am and we were on the road by 6.15am. We made good steady progress through to Chester where a breakfast stop was needed. Fully refuelled and back on the road the miles began to roll by as we passed through Llandegla (wish there was time for a go for a blast on the pump track) and along to Y Bala before continuing on the A494 alongside the shores of Llyn Tegid. The next section of road down to Dolgellau was beautiful in the afternoon sun and among some of the best road riding we’d experienced.

Soon we arrived at Machynlleth where another box of energy bars were consumed and a phone call to Howies to let them know we were running late but my phone ran out of credit….great! Off again on the leg to Aberystwyth which had some of the hardest climbs of the day…or so we thought. We arrived in Aberystwyth around 5.30 pm for a strong coffee and a quick rest. There were a lot of students in town dressed up for prom celebrations, meanwhile we were stood there smelling of sweat and road grime while everyone else smelt of perfume and soap…nice.

The final leg from Aberystwyth to Cardigan was to be the hardest of the day, not just due to tiredness but also as we decided to buy food along the way. This was a mistake as we soon discovered that there were no chip shops open and had to buy snacks to finish the final leg.

The bike ride was fantastic journey and one to do again in the future, any advice?  Make sure you have a banquet at Aberystwyth to get you over those never ending hills!

Some ride stats:

Distance – 162 miles (165 to Poppit)

Ascent – 9000+ feet (3000 metres)

Riders – Al Bowker and Lachlan Fulton

Bikes – Specialized Allez & Specialized Tarmac Carbon Elite

Max speed – 43.8 mph

Carbon Emissions Prevented – 58.6 Kg

Reasons for doing this mad thing:

1)       To hand deliver Al’s t shirt designs directly to Howies and at the same time make a comparison to the carbon footprint to that of a same day delivery service (such as DHL or Parcel force). This is all part of BikeRight’s carbon cycle project

2)       West Wales is very picturesque at this time of year

3)       It looked like a challenging ride and besides…how hard could it be?

Check out Howies web site for info on their products, ethos and cool approach to business www.howies.co.uk