"Hardest, fastest and most demanding", were the words British Cycling used to describe the route of the 2014 National Championships, and with a course that commanded respect with high speeds and steep descents this year's route was certainly that. Following the initial circuit of the pros the Championship Sportive offers British riders the often rare occasion to ride the route of a major race the day before the big event, especially one week before what is almost certainly the biggest cycling event ever to hit these shores.
For me it was also an important learning experience. I realised that my high confidence levels, especially given the fact I've only been road cycling for six months, were about to be dashed. Starting with the gold route riders at the very front of the peloton, I thought, "I'll give it a go hanging with these guys." My illusions were shattered about 25 seconds after the escort motorbike pulled over after guiding us out of Abergavenny. I looked down at the speedometer and thought, "20mph average, not bad!" I then looked up and saw 90 percent of the starters darting off past me. The pace for the first hour of the event, down through to Celtic Manor, was blinding. Then came the steep, punchy climb out past clubhouse; reaching gradients of 20 percent it had many riders getting off and pushing. From here it was fairly procedural all the way to the first feed station at Chepstow.
The Monmouthshire countryside was beautiful, even if it felt as if we were constantly chasing the rain across the county. At each town we reached the roads were awash with rain water, as if the oncoming mass of cyclists was pushing the clouds across the hills. After a fantastic downhill section into Monmouth, which offered spellbinding views almost all the way down to Abergavenny, the route was unrelentingly undulating and the curvy saunter back to the finish was welcome. The little rip around to the finish in Bailey Park was fun and technical and offered a good opportunity to try and flash some V to any spectators.
Whilst my 70 mile loop offered a relatively stern challenge, the gold 100 mile route was not for the faint of heart. This tasty jaunt took in The Tumble, one of the longest climbs in Wales at 5.1 kilometres and 399 metres of ascent: not an easy task after already doing 70 miles with 1,600 odd metres of clambering.
Bailey Park offered a great variety of finish-line festivities. Great food-trucks and some not too awful music meant the park provided a pleasant place to sit, sip beer, eat a cheese steak and take in the rolling mountain surroundings.
Sunday bought the festivities of the two professional races. First the women, whose race was arguably more dramatic than the men's especially given the close shave the Madison Genesis team bus provided when it "Greenedged" itself on the finishline with the lead group 15 minutes away. Fortunately, unlike the Tour, the finish-line itself was able to be lifted by four men and a crisis was averted. A spot on the finishing stretch provided a fantastic day's race viewing as the women passed five times and the men 11. The rumble of the advertising boards was bone-shaking, especially when Welsh riders passed by, and the race organisers did a sterling job of designing a course that would accommodate the maximum number of spectators.
Overall Abergavenny and Monmouthshire provided a wonderful weekend that catered to the needs of even the most rambunctious cycling fan. The Championship Sportive itself was well run top to bottom and with some of the finest countryside Britain has to offer, what was not to like?
Next year's event takes place in Lincoln where the cobbles and high speeds over the flat Lincolnshire land will surely produce another memorable event.
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