Tour of Pembrokeshire basks in sun and success

A big grin from Paul Colman (www.sportysnaps.com)

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Are they all this good? I’ve no idea, this being my first cyclosportive and all, but if the inaugural Tour of Pembrokeshire is anything to go by, the huge interest in this type of event suddenly makes perfect sense. 

Okay, the weather helped: wall to wall sunshine, virtually no wind - apart from a cooling coastal breeze, on the short ride at least - and temperatures which were warm enough to be enjoyable but not insufferable. Anyone who forgot the sun screen, however, might have been in a spot of bother.

Organisation and facilities appeared  top drawer: the 411 participating riders found plenty of loos at the start/finish area, well-stocked feed stations, marshals at potential danger spots and hot grub and massages available when it as all over. There were two route options 64 and 116 miles and the only blips that came to our attention on the day were related to route marker theft. No doubt the organisers will have learned the lesson that when you zip-tie a worthless piece of plastic to a lamppost, chances are that somebody, somewhere will feel duty-bound to nab it. 

This minor hiccup aside, everyone I spoke to had thoroughly enjoyed the route, which was generally well sign-posted and took in spectacular coastal vistas and idyllic pastoral scenery as well as, inevitably, a few stretches of busier road - though in this isolated part of Britain, even that is a relative term.

The organisers, too,  were happy with how the day panned out: 

"From comments received from returning riders and subsequent e-mails it would appear that we got most thing right," said co-organiser Dylan Harries. "The comments have been appreciated by us and it's pleasing that in our first year, we appear to have made an immediate impression within the Cyclosportive circle."

Quite an impression indeed, so be warned; word is likely to get around about this little gem of a sportive tucked away in an idyllic corner of Britain. Next year they may well be fighting us off with a big stick.

For finishing times and standards see below and to see just how good you looked on the day check out www.sportysnaps.com

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