Chirk103

Forecast is dry, sunny, 10 deg C and 15mph westerly wind. Twice as many out as last week so half the time on the front, and we have a 9am start to celebrate BST.
We start from the County Officers and Phil gets technical:" How about 2 miles on the front, this wind is pretty strong." "Suits me, and I might do a few." But we're not troubled too much by the wind; at 10 miles we're on 17.5 mph average. "We won't keep that up." - the boffin. At 20 miles we're on 17.6mph and at 25 miles it's 17.9 mph; then it's all downhill (performance-wise) as we head into the wind and the hills get more lumpy on the next 10 miles to Chirk and the cafe. "I'll have something small," - a chip bap at £1:60 and a tea, all for £2:10. But it's a bin lid bap and a plate of chips and Phil has to help out.
Out of the cafe we head for Pont Elan to cross the Ceiriog and luck leaves us; it's closed for repair, no traffic or pedestrians. Retrace through Chirk and get on route at Weston Rhyn then it's plain sailing. Sunny and an easing wind. We walk a patch of thorns but a few miles later Phil's rear succumbs - near Loppington. As we head north we feel the wind more and we're on 'through and off' again with our average down to 15.5mph, which we hold for the remainder of the ride. At Peckforton Phil's rear goes again; no thorn or glass. We have 18 miles remaining so it's fairly direct via Beeston and Greenlooms to get back at 5:15 with 103 miles up.
See the route on the link below.

Link: Chirk103