Tour de Marchlyn

As a seasoned cyclist whose Palmares includes some of Europe’s iconic climbs, today I cycled up a climb which I’m starting to fall in love with.

I cycled this climb in the winter with two others; well the other two were there but way ahead of me.  The weather was crap and it was cold, I didn't enjoy it but vowed to be back when the sun was out.

The climb in question is called Marchlyn Mawr and I’d never heard of it until some members of Clwb Seiclo Madog entered an end of season TT (time trial), one of them was doing a great time but proceeded to get lost in the fog. Boy has he had some stick.

It is situated above the villages of Dinorwig and Deiniolen and Marchlyn Mawr reservoir is a high level lake in Snowdonia behind Elidir Fawr Mountain.

So today was the day, the sun was shining I felt good, bar some back pain.  I decided to do a scenic route which took in the Foryd near Caernarfon; I was hugging the Menai Strait all the way to Felinheli.

My first serious climb of the day was Nant y Garth which wasn’t easy by a long chalk, but the drag after to Deiniolen is a nightmare, there is something about the road surface here, you just can’t seem to achieve any speed, it’s like you’ve got glue on your tyres!

Anyway I could see the impeding climb after turned left by Deiniolen upon which I encountered a 10-12% climb for half a mile.  Then I approached the gate which leads you to the climb. You have to lift your bike over the gate, and then clip in with support as it’s immediately into the 8% steepness. Oh no I didn’t think it was this hard. I also couldn’t remember the length of the climb, a mile two miles unsure, we cyclists now also have our GPS systems and I set the screen to the slope screen so I could understand the hell I was putting myself through.

Hairpin one, oh no 10% it’s relentless, I then had a respite, the only part, it drops to 6, 5 3 % for a few hundred yards and then to my left I saw it again oh no 10 or 12%?

Bwlch y groes near Dinas Maddwy is beating me 3-1, also by the time I’ve reached that climb I’ve done 46 miles, ( I’d done 42 today before Marchlyn)  but BYG is a monster, you can see it for miles, Marchlyn is hidden, the Bwlch says come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough, and trust me it takes no prisoners, Marchlyn is inviting, go on try me, take me on I’m worth it..... Anyway another hairpin loose slate in the road, must remember on the descent.

Oh no a walker with two dogs, I was virtually walking pace 3.9 mph then 4.5 then back to 3.9, I shouted ‘mae’r basdad yn galed’ ( it’s hard) he said ‘old age’, ‘I’m only 50’ ‘I’m 66’ he said and he walking nearly as fast as I was cycling gggrrrrr. Keep them mutt’s way I thought to myself.

After two miles of incessant, almost relentless cycling at mostly no less than 10 % I was there at the summit and boy was it worth it.

The views are stunning, Anglesey and the coast to one side, Snowdon behind, Llanberis down below, my pal with the dog arrived and he took a photo for me.

Down I went with the breaks on most of the way as it’s a very very fast decent. I was beaming, I’ve done it again, BYG isn’t my climb, Marchlyn is and I’ll be back soon.

When I got home and uploaded my stats to strava I was disappointed, my time was slower than the winter one?  Many factors could come to play here so I’ve got over it, I recommend this climb to any budding new or old cyclist you’ll love it.

Stats – my PR for this was 22. 42 today was 24. 40 - fastest on this segment is 11.41!!!!! Strava puts it at 3.7 km 286 metres elevation -  avg 8% nuff said.