[Closed] Welsh Ride Thing.....

Isn't water bloody heavy?

Back pack weight without water just 4.1 lbs
With 3 litres of water 10.6 lbs

Most of the other stuff's on the bike

Another no show here 🙁

My knee is playing up and I don't want to make it worse. Shame as I was really looking forward to it.

BTW kit was down to a hair over 8lb with no food but including everything else (Wingnut, tools etc.). The Top Fuel was under 30lb loaded 🙂

Have fun!

Stuart, looks like you've devised the perfect event format, everyone enters and pays, no-one turns up. Don't worry I'll be there with my gammy knee and buggered shoulder, you give up putting things off when you pass 50 it's too dangerous. 😀

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almost ready.
time to take it all off again and get it in the car...

It looks like I'm going to have to give it a miss this weekend. The University has told me that I have to get the corrections to my PhD finished by Tuesday and I would really like to tell them to shove it up their arse but it is over four years work. Bastards bastards bastards.
I'm well pissed off by this but hope it all goes well.
Kevin

Bastards again

At this rate I'll have to go 😉

There's a few who can't make it but more who can ... unless they haven't said they're not coming. To everyone who can't make it, you've still helped a worthy cause and there might just be a next time*. To those who are coming, the mountains will be quieter and you'll have a better chance in the raffle 😀

*Cue for flatfish to start jumping up and down.

Well I will be there tomorrow (as the alternative is DIY and I am not old enough for that cliche) and have the bike sorted and bags packed. 12.5lbs all packed plus food and water (in camelbak) I have ditched the sleeping bag and just have a liner and merino layers to keep me warm...hope it stays nice! Lots of food so I will not have to rely on odd-opening time local shops or making detours.

Time to carbo-load and get an early night 🙂

SSP

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Pics here (if they don't work above) [url= http://fixedis****ed.blogspot.com/2010/05/welsh-ride-thing.html ]My Blog[/url]

is it too late to switch to my singlespeed...?

Jealous of your saddlebag SSP

3 out of 4 of us still coming see you all at the start, darnt go to the pub still need loads of faff time before the start as I am the only one of the group that has even seen the maps yet

Isn't water bloody heavy?

weighs a ton

per cubic meter!!

i wish my kit was a slight as some of those ^

dead excited. almost finshed waterproffing maps 😯

placid_casual - Member
is it too late to switch to my singlespeed...?

Not a chance in hell for me, have you seen how much climbing there will be?
Out of the saddle climbing with that weight on board, no thanks.

For those who have ordered food on route

Don't forget to get to here
Aleppo Merchant Inn
Carno
Caersws
SY17 5LL
for 11.30am tomorrow and remeber what you ordered

Nearly packed! I certainly have lots of food!

All packed now, can't wait to get going. I was pleased with how light it all was until I put in the food and water.

In the words of Nigella 'never knowingly under catered' Just had a leaking bag of water so everything is out drying...

Suspect I will be pushing the climbs like the singlespeeders;-)

still getting the remaining stuff together at same time as cuddling the wee boy and hanging new curtains in his bedroom. think i may forget something.....

May I just add.....woooooohooooooooo.....can't wait 😆

All loaded ready to go, rear pack appears to be heavier than at anytime before and so I feel a last minute un-pack...re-pack at the start to shed a few grams. I am absolutely pooped now with all the faffing 😳

Perfect preperation for the weekend.

See some of you at The Allepo at 11:30 for lunch.

Finally properly sorted. just got to fill my camelbak in morning. and pack my toothbrush. and pump my tyres up. and lube my chain.....

weighed everything, 13.5lb on bike including food. 7.5lb in camelbak not including water! Seems like everything's got really heavy all of a sudden!

it'll be reet, don't stress about it too much, you'll just be lighter next year.

What a superb weekend that was:

121km ridden
21 photos taken
11 hours of riding
7 checkpoints visited
2 days in the saddle
1 gear...

Had a great time, overnighted in Claerddu Bothy with blackhound to dry kit out from Saturday's "showers". Today was superb - the highlight was going over Monks Trod this morning.

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/15512491@N08/sets/72157624168123844/ ]More photos here[/url]

Hope Monday goes well for the rest of you all. Look forward to hearing more reports and seeing some other photos.

Thanks for Stu & Dee @ Forest Freeride for getting us all together and motivated to do it in the first place 😉

saturday looked mostly like this.
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while sunday looked like this...
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/placid_casual/sets/72157624044140007/ ]a grand weekend. click for pics[/url]

What a great weekend, how long before you lost interest in counting the grid ref's. We started to forget about them about 11am on Sunday morning.
A great event with a 90 miles ride/push/wade with an average of just 6.4mph
Day one - the start
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Day two - another moorland crossing
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Day 3 The End
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Absolutely cracking weekend, highlights include our only potentially serious mechanical on top of the Monks Trod in the howling wind, mist and rain then getting crotch deep in the bog on Saturday evening, up and down the splashes and the Doethie Valley on Sunday and the endless climb through the middle of nowhere to Esgair y Ffordd today.

Great to meet a few of you, think I can only name one - Tom (hope the drive home today was/is ok!), but everyone seemed to be having a great time, special thanks to the chap on the Genesis SS who gave us the way to avoid the Hengwm valley and to the Landlord and Landlady of the Teifi Inn who fed us, watered us and let us sleep in their shed 🙂

About 120 miles, we officially got 10 checkpoints but rode past Claerddu bothy to get to the pub in time for dinner on Saturday night and nodded in the direction of Moel Prysgau when we rode past it twice.

Evening all, legs aching well I hope ... I've just put the list of raffle winners up on the WRT blog http://welshridething.blogspot.com/ you never know you might have been lucky 😉

I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who came and made a great effort ... if anyone fancies more stupid antics out in the hills watch this space,

Stuart

Too knackered to work out the climbing stats or download my photos of an assortment of semi ruined farmhouses but thought I'd add my thanks to Stuart and Dee for what was the best 48 hours I've spent in a long time.
My numbers were
142 miles total, 45 Saturday, 58 Sunday and 39 today.
19 hours riding, all 13 checkpoints visited and discovering the best equipped bothy in Wales.
Put me down for next year.

Well done Piston for getting all 13, you must have had local knowledge or you're super human, or both.

Here are our shots, nothing special be we had a laugh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25655510@N02/sets/72157624175842974/

My photo's here have I have linked correctly. A great weekend, thanks to Stuart and Dee.

[url]= http://http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/sets/72157624179369696/ ][/url]

Link hasn't worked and not got time to sort out. Will try again later in week...

Blackhound - Member

Link hasn't worked and not got time to sort out. Will try again later in week...

Try this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12617230@N03/4659310110/in/set-72157624179369696/

Big thanks to Stu and Dee, or the organisation, and Duncan for all of the advice and the lift across.

We did 144 miles, abot 26 hours on the bikes, and got 12 of the checkpoints (missed number 11).

Had a great time! Not sure about the final breakdown of distances, have yet to do the geeky bit at home as was so tired last night! But we managed 11 points, it was only an extra 10km of easy looking riding to get the other two that we missed out but we knew we would be back late on monday so left. I have to say that it was mainly Ali's excellent route planning that led to us getting so many points! Think we rode 130miles in total, in fact it was only the saturday that we weren't quite on our target miles - I'm blaming the weather for that!

Very very tired now and wishing I was still in bed not at work, but at least I am just sat in the office!

We managed 6 checkpoints in the 24 hours from our slightly-earlier-than-everyone-else start on saturday. Arriving soaking wet at a warm bothy at 7pm on sat night meant that we were going no further. Finished at around 1pm on Sunday. With a few mechanicals.

No idea on distance just yet. Will plot route and find out later.

Just a brilliant event, will do all 3 days next year (friend's weddings notwithstanding).

Massive thanks to Stuart and Dee for organising a really good and chilled out event.

go home at 2:30 this morning, abandoned the stuff int he car and had a shower and straight to bed; man did that car stink when i got the bike out for the commute this morning.

thanks to stu and dee for the best event i've ever done.

nice to meet nick and the Shropshire contingent, and everyone else we chatted to.

the day at work would be made much easier without the sunburn. (leaving sun tan lotion in the car is not a good way of getting pack weight down!!)

I like how Stuart didn't give a dam about how many check points anyone did and filed the papers in the bin.

Just think of the weight saving next year. No pen.....

Only Pistonbroke offered his bit of paper on returning ... everyone elses must have turned into a soggy mess within half an hour of the start 😉

Dee's been to the post office this morning so everyone who won a raffle prize but wasn't here should have it within the next couple of days.

For anyone who wasn't riding (and has the slightest interest) below are this years grid references.

SN842692
SN806612
SN794482
SN784534
SN793687
SN751535
SN746658
SN855759
SN908799
SN839931
SN837793
SN785892
SN773790

Start and finish point was SN871975

Just think of the weight saving next year. No pen.....

apparently a load of bikes were stolen - anyone else hear about this?

everyone elses must have turned into a soggy mess within half an hour of the start

And everyone knows pencils are lighter than pens 🙄

*not really 😉

Terrahawk ... think you might be talking about another event. This is the 'Welsh Ride Thing' not the Big Welsh weekend.

Trust me not much chance of owt getting stolen from here ... you've got to find the place first, then get past the llamas 😀

We carried a lock, but only used it at the pub stop and think the bikes would have been fine!

I am shattered today, but still beaming as it was so much fun!

We left all 4 bikes unlocked out side a pub while getting fed and merry, then next to us in the field nearby while we slept.

They weren't nicked, maybe it was the sheep shit camouflage hiding them.

John, were you one of the group in the Teifi Inn on Saturday night, the chef was telling us you were still up and about at 2 o'clock, he reckoned you were steaming. Nice pub isn't it?

Not us, on Saturday it was a damp forest bothy for us lot.

Sunday saw us at the Blue Bell at Langurig. After 2 days of riding and 2 or 3 beers we were merry but not pi$$ed. We made camp before dark 3 miles away from the pub.

Nah that was us, fantastic bloke, sold us a load of bacon and eggs for breakfast and let two of us sleep in his shed and the other two put their tent up on the kids play-area. We weren't completely trashed but it took us a while to get moving in the morning 🙂

And after a few pints some of us slept like a log 😉

And some of us had to listen to you snore all bloody night long 👿

Fantastic weekend

Thanks to Stu and Dee for organising Thanks to the Shropshire lads for the chain oil and thanks to Duncan for the guide over the Monks Trod, wish we had continued with you through the forest instead of the road

Whole new way of riding opened up to me now

At the risk of sounding like I've just been presented with an Oscar, I have a few thanks:

Stuart and Dee:- For organising the best cycling event I have ever taken part in. It was a fantastic adventure, I loved the relaxed (Get out of it what you like) format and the route took you through absolutely stunning and for me previously undiscovered part of the country.

Matthew (Chew) and Luke for motivating me on the climbs, allowing me to use my brakes less on the downhills and for the company. This also applies to the group of 4 that I rode with from Devils bridge to Nantsyddion.

JohnClimber for the local knowledge, Checkpoint 12 ticked off without incident 😉

Mozzies and midges for going away for the weekend.

Trivia:
12 checkpoints gained
150 miles covered
16,380ft climbing
Approx 23 hours in the saddle
10,813 Kcals burnt
1 stripy badger tan on my head due to forgetting to apply sun lotion 😆

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Night1 🙁

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Absolute luxury
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I am still on a high from the ride even though I can barely climb the stairs and have already started thinking about how I can shed a few kilos of my kit for next year.....bring it on....I think my wheels may be bigger by then!

Nice shots! Camp 1 doesn't look too bad!

alfachippy - your directions you gave us on Monday morning were spot on, we were close to dropping 10 and 12 after the horror stories we had been told by other riders who had come through that way on Saturday, as it was we had a great ride back, don't think we thanked you properly at the finish

Teifi Inn on Saturday night, the chef was telling us you were still up and about at 2 o'clock, he reckoned you were steaming

we were involved in that too.

we'd had a few but steaming isn't quite fair!! we still managed to ride another few KM before getting setting camp.

How many people were in Claerddu on Sunday night then?

Was just two of us on Saturday, though I did keep the fire in 'til late as blackhound was under the impression the Nick & Co. were coming back up after the pub.

alfachippy - nice looking bivvy set up there. Where did you camp on Saturday?

I arrived at 5.30 cooked and then sat around bemoaning not having brought anything to read or listen to. At about 9, just as I was giving up on seeing anybody, 3 more arrived (over active knife etc) having come from a direction I didn't think was possible to ride. Then Chew,Luke and Alfachippy turned up, the 3 Shropshire guys and about 11.00 2 more so I ended up moving 12 bikes out of the place in the morning so we could get going, mine being the closest to the wall. It was cosy 😀 Doing Monks Trod at 7.30 in the morning clear and sunny was one of the best memories of the weekend.

Just a thought, Claerddu is run by the Elan Trust, given it's facilities, quality and obvious lack of neglect, those who stayed there might consider sending them a donation. I'm thinking of moving there permanently!
[url= http://www.elanvalley.org.uk/ ]Here they are[/url]

I must admit I was getting a bit lonely before blackhound turned up on Saturday evening.

You're right - something of a donation to EVT is probably appropriate. Couldn't get the lights to work though - gas bottle was empty I think. However, I was impressed by the carton of fresh orange juice and the pint of milk still in date on the side...

Monks Trod - highlight of the weekend for me too. Wind on my back, sun out - beautiful.

It was a bit complicated as there was a master tap in the kitchen and outside on the bottles and the individual pipes had small taps as well, gave me something to do, by the time everyone else arrived I had the fire on, cooker going, water heater sorted so it was home from home. I'd forgotten how nice gas lighting was, took me back to caravanning as a kid before the days of electric hookups.

I found the master tap in the kitchen and considered the possibility of there being a tap on the gas bottle, but as it was 8pm when I arrived and I needed to eat, I had to weigh up the possibility of not managing to get the lights to work, and the consequence of cooking in the dark. So, I just got the fire going and cooked my dinner.

Bit of a delay post but here goes for the travels of Thomthumb and I.

Time start: Sat 2.30pm
Distance: 194km
Ascent: 6194m
Travelling time: 17h 12m
Beers consumed: 12 pints
Flapjacks consumed: lost count
Checkpoints visited: Quite a few
Gears: more than 1
Time finish: 7.00pm Monday

Thanks to Stu and Dee for a cracking weekend. It was one of the best weekends riding, period. Even though it has been a few days after the post-ride grin is still there!

Hello to the Shropshire lads from the Teifi Arms. Thanks to the landlord at the Teifi for persuading us to go into the Teifi Arms instead of the Red Lion Hotel down the road. I don’t think the Red Lion would have stayed open till 2am!

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Bog of doom on Saturday. Futile effort to keep feet dry.

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Bivy spot for Saturday night. We woke up to find that we bivied in the middle of a fly tipping site, great...

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Doethie valley

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Climbing up the hill of despair. We could have gone round on the road if we had looked at the map, instead it was hike a bike up a 500m+ hill following a bridleway that didn't exist. It was midday on Monday, and it took 2 hours to climb up the hill and walk down the other side (too steep to ride down).

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Where is everyone?

Stu and Dee made us cups of tea and offered us choccy biscuits on our return at 7pm (cheers guys!). Will definitely be back again next year!

alfachippy - your directions you gave us on Monday morning were spot on,

alfachippy - nice looking bivvy set up there. Where did you camp on Saturday?