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19:01 GMT         Day 4 of 90, Season 69    

Cymru Taith - a preview
by Finz, at 16/7-15 - 22:07 GMT


  Written by Finz of NightmareChaos
  
  Welshpool – Bangor
  
  Cymru Taith is starting again and thus we are in Welshpool for the first race to Bangor. The stage is passing Snowdonia and we will see the celebrated scenery of Wales and King Arthur. In Bangor we will see small group pour in and the stage will be dominated with by the hills of Glyder Fawr. Riders who could fare well are;
  
   Kennet Bedixen, rooney17
   Jarl Brondum, ABK
   Andrej Tuharsky, Scoprions POPRAD
  
  Newport ITT
  
  After the stage in north Wales the peloton heads south to the town of Newport for the timetrial. This timetrial is vital to win the tour and together with the first stage a rider that does good in both can swing a fatal blow towards any opposition with aspirations of success. It is not technical but the hills are

interesting to see who will become winner.
  
   Florian Everaerts, Andeby
   Gerard Kurek, Joss
   Klement Hlohovsky, Scoprions POPRAD
  
  Newport – Cardiff
  
  Riding towards the capital of Wales we will see a stretched peloton with a small breakaway at first. The winner is already known but there are still teams that would like a victory in the last stage. The prestigious parade race to Cardiff. It is an easy stage and in the end the peloton will sprint for victory after catching the breakaway.
  
   Oscar Wieringh, Cloud Atlas
   Ronaldo Aguila, Nefal
   Julian Lundberg, Team Wonderdee

General Classification
  
   Florian Everaerts, Andeby
   Klement Hlohovsky, Scoprions POPRAD
   Kennet Bedixen, rooney17
  
  Youth Classification
  
   Florian Everaerts, Andeby
   Dirk-Jan De Ruiter, Rode Stier
   Max Falco, Optimus Prime
  
  Cycling in Wales for you
  
  British Cycling’s performance guru grew up in Snowdonia, and Hartley Rich is as passionate as ever about his mountain home. 'It's such an invigorating place,' he says. 'I never come back from North Wales without feeling better than I did when I arrived there.'
  
  My father was an Alpine guide, and we moved to Deiniolen near the Llanberis Pass so he could climb. We local lads would ride our bikes to the foot of Snowdon and off we’d go, have a swim in the lake half way up. We knew the area like the back of our hands. It was a brilliant environment to grow up in.
  
  My dad was also a keen cyclist. When I was growing up it was a key means of transport between the local villages. One thing led to another, and I started to get a passion for cycling and racing.
  
  My mum still lives in North Wales, and every time I go back and see her, I always go for a ride around the roads I used to train on. I go out along the coast, up to Beddgelert, up the Nant Gwynant valley, down the Llanberis Pass, and back home again. It’s just brilliant.
  
  It’s such an invigorating place. I never come back from North Wales without feeling better than I did when I arrived there. You can do so much in the open air and everything’s so close. Let’s say you’re based in Llanberis or Caernarvon. You can go to the sea, or to the castles, or across to the fabulous beaches of Anglesey. You can go to the top of Snowdon, either walking or on the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
  
  There’s Pili Palas, the butterfly farm on Anglesey. You can go to Electric Mountain to learn about hydro-electric power at Dinorwig Power Station. Or go to Beddgelert and look at all the history and culture that surrounds the Welsh language and folklore. The variety of what you can do is fantastic.
  
  If you want to get your family into cycling, the first thing is to ask yourself what you want to get out of it. Is it just a bit of fun, do you want to get fit and lose weight, or is it just to get the kids into it? Ask why you’re doing it and choose the mode of cycling which is most appropriate to that. Make sure you’ve got the right clothing on, and think about where you’re going to ride. I always like to ride to a certain spot, stop and have a cup of coffee, have a laugh and a joke, and ride back again. Having a destination or a purpose is way more fulfilling than just riding aimlessly.
  
  Wales is one of the most untapped areas of enjoyable cycling. It’s got the natural climbs, the environment, the lakes, the coast, the calm road conditions, the scenery - it’s just brilliant.
  
  I’ll tell you one thing I really like, too: going into a local pub, and just sitting there having a pint and a chat with the locals. They’re such a funny bunch. Llanberis is a slate-mining area. Life was hard, and the way they dealt with that was by laughing, and they still have such a great sense of humour.



Comments


ABK at 22:20 16/7-2015
  I will not cave in to peer pressure. Brøndum will not by my captain for the first stage.


Team WonderDee at 22:26 16/7-2015
  Fingers crossed for Lundberg on the last stage.


Kingstowm at 00:05 17/7-2015
  Too bad i couldn't join this Tour, but i will follow it with a lot of interest.
  
  And offcourse Inskeep will end up on the podium again. ;)


Andeby at 02:15 17/7-2015
  Tour-specialist Farruco Alonso will be up there. He will be there in TF it seems. Contender for the 1st stage, GC and YC.


rooney17 at 19:57 19/7-2015
  not easy to win with a offday lol ;) but nice preview