Tour de Llyn Llydaw

New Year’s Day brings a tough choice, as there’s a selection of great races to have a go at... After really enjoying Nine Standards last year, I was sorely tempted to go back and try to improve...

However I love a trip to Snowdonia and plumped for Llyn Llydaw this morning. A speedy early-morning journey (barely saw a car, and Cov to Pen Y Pass in 2hrs20) and it was out into the cold to attempt a warmup.

Simple race. From PYP up the Miners Track to the “green hut”... then a clockwise circuit of the entire lake, (without short cutting back across the causeway!)..... back to the green hut, and a thrash back down the Miners Trac to PYP and the finish. 5 miles 600ft. Time trial format, so start when you want.

A fairly speedy initial leg out along the Miners Track, (certainly a lot faster than I usually negotiate that section on the Peris!), saw me reach the green hut in around 11mins. A guy who started about a minute behind me had just about reeled me in by this time. However once we got off the good track and onto open fell he was going through treacle and I never saw him again, so concentrated on keeping to the best line around the lake... around the first (larger) section of the lake, there’s generally a muddy trod, or it’s fairly obvious, although it’s technical in places, and very slippy on the rocky sections.

The second section, on the far side of the causeway, is shorter but the line is perhaps not quite so obvious. More of the same terrain... grass, tussocks, rocks, and a little bit of gravel/beach.

And so back to the green hut. I had hoped to get back home under 55mins, but hitting the green hut in around 41mins and realised sub-50 was there for the taking if I kept the foot on the gas, so threw everything at it, and dibbed at the finish in 49:49....

Was a little deflated to only finish around 11th... sub 50 often gives a far higher position, and I hadn’t been passed at all.... but I guess it was a quick year.

A great race. A little different to your typical race, as comparatively little ascent and descent, but technical enough for the two-thirds of the race which are on open fell... generally very informal, but obviously some hard racing at the front...

Bit of a dilemma next year... go back and make an improvement next year, or back up to Nine Standards...!?!