This is not a tour 200km (A) Audax

'This is not a tour' (TINAT) was a weekend of audax rides in the spirit of the late ultra endurance cyclist Mike Hall. Designed to maximise elevation gain with some off road sections and making the most of the mid Wales landscape.  When I entered this audax I was doubtful about my ability to complete it. The elevation profile was harder than any audax I had done previously. Paul had entered the 100km audax with >1500m ascent but a generous minimum speed of 8km/hr. He'd spent weeks researching gear ratios, putting knobbly tyres back on and fitting mountain bike mud guards. I'd put it to the back of my mind until the week before in the hope that I'd somehow be prepared for it.

The weekend before TINAT, south Birmingham was hit by several hours of torrential rain and flash flooding. Met office weather forecast continued to show a <5% chance of rain throughout this period. Our street was knee deep with water and several houses in the area flooded. Thankfully we escaped the worst of it but with more storms forecast we were unsure about going to Wales for the weekend. 
"How are you feeling about the audax?" I asked Paul
"the thing I'm most worried about is that the tent will get wet and we won't be able to dry it out before packing it up to bring home" He was definitely in denial!
Weather in Wales was warm and sunny. After setting up the very heavy but spacious bell tent we unpacked everything, soon discovering that we'd forgotten the camping mugs.
"I'm not sure why we brought this" Paul said uncertainly, holding up a little brush attachment for the vacuum cleaner.
The following morning after a quick breakfast, I rode down to the start point. I gave myself 2 units of levemir rather than 3 given the difficulty of the ride. Underestimated breakfast dose meant doing a couple of corrections in the first 20km. I began riding with a couple of women from Bristol South cycling club but they were a bit fast for me so I settled into a more comfortable speed alone. The first stop was a check point somewhere along a rough track. I was unsure what to expect. Could I have cycled past it? was it someone hiding behind a tree with a clip board? Soon enough I approached a group of cyclists on the track with controllers checking names off on a list. Another brief stop on a bridge across the dam to take photos and we carried on. Shortly after I was overtaken by a group of riders on the other 200 B ride. Some of the off road sections were particularly hard going including the 'mohican' road. A narrow strip of tarmac, less than a foot wide, snaked up a steep slope. On either side of the tarmac were deep gullies filled with rubble. I fell off at least twice unable to maintain momentum up the slope whilst concentrating on keeping the wheels on the tarmac. It was a relief to arrive in Llandidnoes and after having my brevet card stamped I headed further up the road to the Great Oak cafe. I was spoilt for choice with a tempting display of cakes, quiches and pastries on offer. I chose a slice of apple cake and a large flapjack. I rode the next section alone but met up with some more audax riders at the co-op in  Machynleth. This was the half way point for me but they were  a third of the way into a 600km ride and were just stopping to refuel. I brief moment of receipt anxiety forced me to ride further up the road to the centre of the town to get an ATM receipt. Leaving Machynleth, I initially turned right back the way I had come before I stopped, checked my route sheet instructions and back tracked. Relieved that no other audax riders were around to notice my error I carried on.
For me, one of my favourite memories of this ride was the solitude. Riding alone, with views over mountains around me with no people, cars or buildings in sight. As I waited at the traffic lights in Llandrindod Wells, more audax riders joined me. After some uncertainty about the location of the finish and yet more traffic lights, we joined the queue for brevet card checking.

Glucose control was okay, high at the start, generally good during the day, dropping below 4 at the end, just in time for fish and chips.