The idea behind signing up for the Dragon Ride L'Etape Wales came about at the beginning of the year. I had entered the Transcontinental 2016, a long-distance race from Flanders to Istanbul that takes place in July, and as part of my preparation I was looking for a long sportive in the UK.
The Dragon Ride offers a number of route lengths and the Devil, at 305km and over 4500m of climbing, is one of the longest, and arguably the toughest, one-day sportives in the UK. Reason enough to give it a go.
I received the rider's pack with detailed information and several stickers for my helmet and the bike already two weeks before the event. This was particularly nice because the Dragon Devil starts early, between 6:45 - 7:10, and having the rider pack in advance meant there was no need to register on the day.
For most cyclists the Dragon Devil is their season's highlight - it's certainly among the tougher challenges out there. As if it is not hard enough, I thought it would be a good idea to ride from London to Swansea the day before. That way I could ride more than 300km on two days back-to-back as part of my Transcontinental training.
After 360km on Saturday and a short night, I found myself in Margam Park near Port Talbot ready for a long and tough day on the bike. Unusually for Wales, the weather forecast was remarkably good. Due to the early start, it was still quiet in the event area and most stands were still closed. Fortunately, they sold coffee already.
As we set off from Margam Park I told myself that I shouldn't go out too fast. My Garmin, however, already showed over 30kph average. After heading through Port Talbot the first climb started to string out the field. The first climb was not steep but I felt tired and my legs were sore from yesterday's ride. I decided to let the group go, find my rhythm and enjoy the fantastic views over the Welsh hills. I was sure to see some of the riders later on again.
After a bit more than two hours, I reached the first feed station. The temperature was already around 20 degrees and I stopped quickly to grab a bar and refill my bottles.
With every km in the saddle I was feeling better, and after 88km we reached Devil's Elbow, the first steep ramp with 20% gradients. Too steep for some riders, who got off and walked. The timed climb was marked with red polka dot flags, and this was probably the only section where some supporters and a band at the top provided the 'Tour de France riding experience' the organisers mentioned on their website. My time up this climb was 5:23.
Besides gels, bars and bananas the later feed stations also offered pastries, croissants and salty potatoes. The salted potatoes especially were appreciated after several sweet gels.
For more than 100km I was riding together with Wayne, who joined one of our Assos rides earlier this year and whom I had met at the start. We were a good team. Unfortunately, when the course split arrived he decided to change to the shorter Gran Fondo route. Now I was suddenly on my own, but I felt surprisingly fresh with 'only' 150km to go.
In Llandovery I stopped for a coffee. My Garmin showed a temperature of 27 degrees. The intense training and my pacing in the beginning seemed to pay off. I overtook one rider after another. Having ridden the Devil's Staircase last year during The Monster sportive, I knew what to expect and actually it can't be steep enough for me. With 6:19 minutes I rode the 5th fastest time on the second timed climb of the day.
After 225km and 9 hours in the saddle I was back in Llandovery. Many riders were lying on the grass, enjoying a cold coke and pasta. I also stopped for the last time, knowing that there was only one major climb remaining. Leaving the feed station, I finally found a small group and we approached the bottom of Black Mountain together. After riding alone for a long time, I was hoping to have a group for the last kilometres. I turned around to notice that all of them had slowed down. In the meantime we had rejoined the Gran Fondo route, but most riders were struggling and I gave up my hope to find a group.
Reaching the top of Black Mountain meant leaving behind the stunning Brecon Beacons and heading back to Port Talbot. The last 57km passed by very quickly, and I arrived after 12:02 hours in Margam Park having completed the Dragon Devil with a moving time of 11:09:54.
The organisation was excellent; with all the signs it was impossible to miss a junction, and the feed stations offered a wide range of food (bars, gels, bananas, biscuits and savoury food: pasta, potatoes, croissants and pastries).
Without any doubt the Dragon Devil is a tough ride, and a more than worthwhile challenge for any cyclist. In reference to the Transcontinental Race, it fills me with confidence that I rode 665km in two days and was still able to enjoy the Dragon Ride and the beautiful scenery in Wales.
Come the beginning of July I will be back in Wales for another crack at The Monster sportive. In the meantime, the next Human Race sportive is the Telegraph London Cycle Sportive this weekend. There are just a few hours left to enter, but if it's anything like the Dragon, it'll be well worth checking out.
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