Saturday May 7th saw 11 members of Pen-y-Bont Triathlon Club set out on an adventure to
complete the annual CARTEN Cardiff to Tenby charity bike ride. First established in 2004 by a group of 4 friends, the event has grown exponentially, and is now well-established in the Welsh cycling calendar with over 2000 riders completing the 107 mile route.
After assembling in Bridgend, the PYB Tri team were transported to the start team by their
fabulous support crew ready to begin the ride at just after 8am. We rolled gently through the
relatively quiet streets of Cardiff (an oddly eerie experience) and made our way up through Ely to get to the A48 and the Vale of Glamorgan. The ride up through Ely was made all the more special by club ambassador MJ providing support at the side of the road - complete with club banner and her ambulance!
On leaving Cardiff we encountered our first little climb of the day (there were to be plenty more!). The climb up the Tumble was a good leg-loosener and in these early stages there was quite a peloton of riders bunching up the climb. The journey down the A48 past Cowbridge and onto Bridgend was a familiar route for us and at this point it seemed very much like a regular club ride (albeit with a couple of thousand others!). The familiarity theme continued all the way down towards Port Talbot (although there would be no coffee stop at Remo’s this week). It was going through Margam that we had our first encounter with “Evil Kneivel” a charity fund-raiser doing the whole ride, dressed as the legendary stuntman, riding a single-geared bmx!
Baglan saw us arrive at the first feed station and the realisation of how many riders were on the course that day. The place was packed with all manner of riders and bikes of every type
imaginable. This was our first stop and chance to refuel, fill up water bottles and catch up with the support crew who had made their way there to greet us.
From Baglan, it was then on through Swansea, along the seafront past the new Swansea Arena glittering in the sunshine. At Black Pill we had to cross the road (and cause a little traffic chaos in the process) and ride up through the Clyne Valley on the bike path. This then took us up onto north Gower and eventually to cross the Loughor and onto the flat lands of the estuary. We also passed our first penny farthing, and we were intrigued as to how the rider was going to manage a red traffic light encounter. Understandably, he managed effortlessly!
Travelling down the side of the glorious Loughor Estuary, we passed Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli and on towards Burry Port. A stiff headwind at this stage made it quite tough going, but the knowledge that we were closing in on the second feed station spurred us on. Eventually we arrived at the RNLI Lifeboat station at Burry Port marina, and the chance to take stock, get some fuel on board and fill out those vital water bottles. It was getting pretty warm by this stage - water was going to become increasingly important! Talk at the feed station from Carten veterans was that it was going to get tougher from this point onwards. The relatively cyclist-friendly coastal lowlands were going to give way to the rolling Carmarthenshire countryside. Worryingly, one older rider was heard to comment “yeah it's 46 miles of hell from here on in!”
The first 10k or so from Burry Port created a false sense of security as we rolled quite quickly along the flat lands. This soon gave way however to a series of rollers that began to test all riders (and road traffic alike!). This leg of the route was relatively short-running to the next stop at Carmarthen, but it was certainly a precursor to the challenges of the remainder of the ride. By the time we rolled into Carmarthen for the last of the feed stations, the sun was high in the sky and it was starting to get hot work. The talk was very much of the hills to come, and no sooner had we turned out of the rugby club than we began a rather cheeky climb that really began to test everyone’s legs. The ride to St Clears through the lanes would continue in a similar vein, with ascents and descents disrupting any rhythm. The final big climb of the day came just after Red Roses where a gradual 4 mile climb awaited us. This was a long drag on tired legs and many a rider was relieved to reach the top and take a breather.
The last leg of the journey took us through the lanes of south Pembrokeshire but fortunately for us all, missing out the much-feared hills of Wiseman’s Bridge and “Heart-Break Hill” coming out of Saundersfoot. The final roll down through New Hedges meant the end was now in sight and it wasn’t long before we were hurtling down Narbeth road and into Tenby itself. After a covid-induced hiatus where the ride’s finish was outside the town this year, the Carten ride finish line was back in its rightful place in the heart of Tenby’s town square. And what a finish!! Tenby’s streets were lined with supporters cheering on every single rider, the music was pumping and the announcer was greeting every rider. For many riders it was an emotional finish to a long day in the saddle. On crossing under the finish banner, this particular rider had to take a moment to reflect on the weariness, and also the scale of the achievement in finishing. Telling people about Carten often gets an incredulous response of “how far?”, but to the riders it is so much more than just a distance - it’s a journey, a movement of like-minded people, a pilgrimage of sorts and a triumph of a day out on two wheels!
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