ctc in swansea

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stuart davies
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Joined: 14 Feb 2010, 3:01pm

ctc in swansea

Post by stuart davies »

hi i have been considering riding withthe ctc in swansea . i have had bad luck when it comes to cycle clubs im based in carmarthen west wales the first club i joined had about 6 members and did the same club run every week 23 miles in total !! i joined another club which had more members but only had intrest in racing and t.t s !!!! what is the average distance of a group ride ? is there a welcome for new riders ? im 28 are there people of a similar age to me riding with the ctc or is it just the old guard?. I LOVE CYCLING i ride 12 miles each way to work and try to do a long ride on the weekends.is the swansea group for me or do i look elsewhere. thanks
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meic
Posts: 19355
Joined: 1 Feb 2007, 9:37pm
Location: Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)

Re: ctc in swansea

Post by meic »

stuart davies wrote:hi i have been considering riding withthe ctc in swansea . i have had bad luck when it comes to cycle clubs im based in carmarthen west wales the first club i joined had about 6 members and did the same club run every week 23 miles in total !! i joined another club which had more members but only had intrest in racing and t.t s !!!! what is the average distance of a group ride ? is there a welcome for new riders ? im 28 are there people of a similar age to me riding with the ctc or is it just the old guard?. I LOVE CYCLING i ride 12 miles each way to work and try to do a long ride on the weekends.is the swansea group for me or do i look elsewhere. thanks


Had only 6 members and did the same club run. :lol:

Now it only has 2 riders and you forgot to mention that they prefer to ride on the dual carriageways. :lol:

I think if you joined the swansea CTC rides that at 28 you would be the youngest rider there.
However THEY wont mind in the least. Their start points are 30 miles or so from Carmarthen, so they arent that local.
Living in Carmarthen does mean that you are pretty limited for choice. There is a thriving youth scene in the Towi riders but you are too old for that.
Or there is the "race" scene in Llandovery and Bynea and Cardigan, where you will probably find more of your age group.
Or the older fraternity at Swansea CTC. You are not exactly spoilt for choice.
I think that the Carmarthen Football team has quite a good spin off group of cyclists, could be worth investigating. Otherwise try the other options and see if you meet some cyclists who you could ride with at other times or other contacts.
Sign up for John Ridge's Audaxes from Carmarthen and you may find some suitable friends.
I quite enjoy plodding around the countryside with the Swansea CTC but I havent been 28 for a long time. The rides are around 40 miles although they sometimes run to 100 miles.
They do away days, which sometimes means the ride starts nearer to Carmarthen. I planned the last one so it started in Brechfa and was only 27 miles long. You wouldnt have been the youngest then as there was a 2 year old.
You would certainly get a welcome and it is mostly the old guard and unless you join it will remain so. :wink:
I would suggest that you give Audax some consideration. Although they too have a lot of the old guard.
Yma o Hyd
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stuart davies
Posts: 76
Joined: 14 Feb 2010, 3:01pm

Re: ctc in swansea

Post by stuart davies »

hi i did ride audax back in 2002 when i was quite a lot fitter than i am now i did ride john"s plynlimon polka 200k in 2002 and i rode time trialls i started back cycling 18 months ago and am well and truly bitten by the bug again . there seems to be a lot more cyclists on the road now than say 10 years ago in our area . :) i may try bynea again to test the water on the club runs to see how popular they are thanks for your help :D diolch yn fawr. :D
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meic
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Joined: 1 Feb 2007, 9:37pm
Location: Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)

Re: ctc in swansea

Post by meic »

Funny how people see the different levels of hardness.

I am quite happy to ride Audaxes but dont see myself as fit enough to go ride with the Bynea crowd. I read your post as you saying the opposite thing.

The Plynlimon Polka is before my time and not on his list anymore.
The Carmarthen Snapper from Bynea in April is the next local Audax and surprisingly easy for a local 200k. Though not as easy as it claims to be 800metres of climbing. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

If you find anything interesting let me know.
Yma o Hyd
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stuart davies
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Joined: 14 Feb 2010, 3:01pm

Re: ctc in swansea

Post by stuart davies »

I have finally done a ctc ride on sunday :D I really did enjoy myself a nice ride out to castell carreg cennen castle and back i did 50 miles in total with a very friendly group i hope to ride a lot more with the group . if any members are on the forum thank you for the welcome and see you soon 8)
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meic
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Joined: 1 Feb 2007, 9:37pm
Location: Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)

Re: ctc in swansea

Post by meic »

Glad that you enjoyed it. :D

Unfortunately you will not be seeing me there as I have now stopped riding with them.

You can now fly the flag for SirGar in my place. :wink:
Yma o Hyd
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