The Dragon Devil Ride

The Dragon Devil Ride takes place in South Wales in June. It the biggest of several rides that take place over 3 days, with the Devil Ride been the biggest (300Kms, 16,000ft of climbing).

Starting and finishing at Margam Park near Port Talbot. The route takes you north of the Brecon Beacons with some steep climbs, the Devil’s Elbow (1.8Km 10.3% at it steepest 17%) and Devil’s Staircase (1.3Km 12.5% at it steepest 25%).

I did this in June 2018, which turned out to be a very hot day which cause some problems with some of the rides.

It was a early start and everyone was set off in waves. Originally I was supposed to start in the first wave but I had a problem with my wheels at the time so had to start in the second wave. This was a mix blessing, about 12 miles in I started to notice a few rides stopped fixing punctures. As I went on, more and more rides were off their bikes fixing punctures. Knowing something was wrong I when to the other side of the road and I am glad that I did. Some driver in a grey van, threw out tacks onto the road. Needless to say, that put a bit of a damper on the day. Thankfully that very rarely happens and should put off anyone entering the event, as it’s a very enjoyable route with some great views.

The feeding stops, were some of the best I have seen on any event. With plenty of food, drinks to choose from. With medical help if anyone needs it or bike mechanics.

I also enjoyed the banter with other cyclist, giving each other words of encouragement and helping each other out when going through a tuff patch. As we all can do time to time.

The day ended with my wife (Alison) waiting for me, with a big smile and a hug.