Two of our members headed across the Irish sea for the most challenging Sportive cycle in the UK mainland - The Dragon Ride. This event which contains two category 1 climbs, was measured at 189 kilometres this year to make it the toughest yet. Paul Flynn rode the event in 2008 and 2009 and enjoyed it so much that he persuaded Alan Kelly to join him this year.

The weather was almost perfect for the tour, with bright sunshine and not a slight breeze, although temperatures did reach 20 degrees C at one stage. There were a total of six climbs spread fairly evenly over the distance. The two Innisfree riders accounted well for themselves and got through it with no problems on the road.

The tour takes the riders from the southern town of Bridgend up into the Brecon Becons. This is an undulating series of moorlands that has some of the most spectacular scenery in Wales. The final climb was the toughest at 140km mark. This was a 7.8km climb with an average gradient of 8.5%. The riders enjoyed three rest stops at 50km intervals where there were ample supplies of food and drinks.

See the route details and a profile of our ride here.

The Innisfree boys are already planning the trip back to the event in 2011 with an addition of some more club members!