Faced with the task of travelling from Cardiff to Tenby, most would opt for a car or the train. Not Shane, recently he joined around 2,000 other cyclists who took part in the Carten100 cycle ride. The event is neither a race or sportive, it’s not timed and there are no prizes. It’s a challenging ride and a great day out to raise money for charity. We caught up with Shane to get his thoughts on the 108 mile / 173km ride.
Carten100 is a new event for Shane, after hearing great things about the route he had to give it a go. “I heard there was some challenging climbs as you edged closer to Tenby, having entered Ironman Wales again next year I thought the practice couldn’t harm!”.
“I entered with my brother and a few friends, we raised money for Velindre Cancer Care. The route started in the heart of Cardiff and took us through the city onto Bridgend and then Margam and Swansea. Up to that point the route was relatively flat and we were able to hold a good pace. The route became quite lumpy from Llanelli onwards, preparing us for the challenging hills Pembrokeshire is renowned for. Despite the heavy rain when we arrived in Carmarthen our spirits were high and it was a great day out with friends. We rode in a group of mixed ability riders so we took it relatively easy but still managed a 17 mph average. We didn’t race and enjoyed every aid station. We ate and drunk as much as we could get down us! Cycling over 100 miles you need to keep on top of the calorie intake.”
“The support on the route was fantastic. The food and drink stops were well managed and there was plenty to go around. The spirit between the cyclists was amazing and everyone looked after each other.
Not fancying a long ride home, Shane left his van in Tenby the night before and got the train to Cardiff early Saturday morning.
This weekend Shane faces a very different challenge, the London Marathon. “I’m looking forward to it, I’ve been doing more running than cycling and gradually built my run mileage up. I know it will be tough but I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and crowd, and not having to swim and bike beforehand!”
