Just because there isn’t a short route in the 2016 Velothon Wales, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still ride last year’s route in your spare time.
The full 140km Velothon route is quite an undertaking, especially when you take the formidable Tumble into account. We do believe that not holding a shorter route this year is a mistake that only serves to raise the barrier of entry and puts it out of the reach of many of the more casual cyclists among us –the very people we need to encourage.
However, the short route at around 30 miles/52km is far more manageable but also quite useful as a training ride for those who are going for the full 140km this year.
The Route
Just like the full route, it starts on High Street in the centre of Cardiff and heads out of Cardiff via Tyndall Street and Rover Way. With the roads open Rover Way isn’t much fun, so you could take a shortcut through the streets instead.
Once on Wentloog Road you can settle in for a few scenic miles through some very flat terrain all the way to Duffryn. From there you head along the A48 towards junction 26 of the M4 and pass under the M4 towards Bassaleg. Take a left at the Tredegar Arms and follow the A468 to Lower Machen. Take a left towards Draethen and get ready for the first climb of the route.
Stay on this road until you reach Caerphilly and make your way across to Mountain Road for the bigger of the two climbs. Climb up and over Caerphilly Mountain, past the Travellers Rest and down the steep hill before taking a left towards the bottom of the hill towards Lisvane.
Head through Lisvane, onto Llanishen and down Fidlas Road to Roath Park Lake before heading past the cemetery and down Cathays Terrace to the finish on King Edward VII Avenue.
A different take
We have a route very similar to this. It was actually one of our earliest posts back when we started up. Rather than head back over Caerphilly Mountain, it takes you through Gwaelod-y-Garth, Radyr and Llandaff before heading back into town. If you’d like to try that instead, you’ll find it here.
Grab the GPS file & map from here.
Cardiff By Bike 