I know it said techie on the tin and I know it was unexpectedly wet (in Wales?), but would the techie sections have even been ridable in the dry, for anyone with a skill set lower than Danny Macaskill?

How was the event? I fancy going next time.
Didn’t realise it even existed till Mboy told me.

Rubbish. I may be wrong here but to me if you are putting on an event and people are paying to ride it then the route should have at least been ridden by the organiser to see what it was like. I don’t mean the morning before to see what its like in the current weather conditions. A lot of the descents had been raked in a few days before and therefore never ridden or tested. There were then some trails that didn’t even exist and the first people through had to trample a trail in.

Im all for making trails technical and challenging and if i then cant ride it myself im happy to walk. That being said they should at least be able to be ridden by person who built them. Got the impression someone built these with no intention of riding them themselves and just wanted to try and make the hardest route they could. Not impressed. First Red Kite event and certainly wont be doing another.

Personal opinion.

are you guys for real?

Pictures of said impassable sections?

A statement from them and lots of happy riders here:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=824347911014640&id=133742836741821

Like said was my opinion. I sacked it off just under half round due to said mud slide descent but 2nd half may have been better. Each to their own.

….and just wanted to try and make the hardest route they could

With that title I would expect it to be ridiculously hard!

It’s all a matter of perspective. I went on a trip to the Lakes with a loa of southern riders who, when it rained, complained that the trail centre we were at was “far too dangerous” as the slate surfaces and loose slate became wet. They couldn’t ride a fair bit of it and were totally ripping it out of the course. I am no riding god but I rode it all pretty easily, just took the loose surface and wetness into consideration – thought it was better really as it was more of a challenge!

On the plus side, I made some new friends and got pissed in the sun (thank god I had my wallet in my camelbak!) whilst waiting for my mates to finish… 😆

I’m just going to chalk this one up to experience, I probably wasn’t having the best day on the bike myself anyway, but by about 10 miles in I’d already come off twice, burped a tyre, lost my riding mates, got lost and… Well I had a real sense of humour failure! There were probably some quality trails out there on the second half of the ride, I didn’t get to see them though and spent 4hrs eating drinking and getting merry outside the Drover’s.

Haven’t heard of the event before this thread so ran off to google what it was all about, FB feedback seems largely positive (often is) but riders do comment about some sections being mud slides and whatnot.

TBH few people (OP aside, and even that was apportioning blame elsewhere) are brave enough to admit publicly that they were challenged, and found wanting.

TBH few people (OP aside, and even that was apportioning blame elsewhere) are brave enough to admit publicly that they were challenged, and found wanting.

It’s counter productive in so many ways to be anything other than realistic in ones own abilities. I don’t really understand why people do it.

Yeah I didn’t see a single person ride that second descent. It was a steep fresh cut trail that hadn’t been ridden before. The ground hadn’t been compacted as part of the trail build so it was just raked essentially.
I don’t think it was anything to do with the riders – I would consider myself a good technical rider and enjoy riding techy/steep stuff. I have never walked a section of any UKGE or EWS event that I have done but I walked that trail.

Fresh cut trails hardly ever ride well following rain IMO. Always turn into a slidy, bog fest.

Was it not using the trails from their previous Enduro’s?

I have done one of their enduro’s and there were two trails from that event – they both rode fine. It was just the new fresh cut stuff

I certainly wasn’t apportioning blame anywhere and I’m well aware of the work that goes into organising an event like this. I was just intrigued to know if anyone managed to ride the techie sections. I was one of the first half dozen riders through the first half and with my (all be it limited) skill set all I could do was slide down on my arse for most of the steepest sections. I’ve been riding and competing for years (decades even!) and never come across anything like it. Bailed at the half way cafe.

Scienceofficer – Member

TBH few people (OP aside, and even that was apportioning blame elsewhere) are brave enough to admit publicly that they were challenged, and found wanting.

It’s counter productive in so many ways to be anything other than realistic in ones own abilities. I don’t really understand why people do it.

Peer pressure, one-upmanship or just internet bullshit, the MTB world is full of it and like you say, it’s horribly counter productive to our ‘community’.

I remember, years ago, a thread on Bike Radar, but it wasn’t called that then – innocent enough, young lad asks “how big a drop can you do on a hard tail” what he meant was ‘how big an drop should a mortal, normal 14 year old lad, attempt on a hard tail and/or will my GT Aggressor explode” of which there’s no real answer of course other than “start small, see how you go”.

The first few posters were sensible enough (although I’m guess, like penis length, most people add a bit) “half a metre, no damage to bike or body” Then the next few “2-3 metres at Afan, only noticed coz a mate told me” and within a few posts you’d suspect the fitment of heat shields to survive re-entry into the atmosphere.

Oddly, some of the posters who claimed re-world stuff early on came back bigger and bolder later on, guess they forgot that time they out Bendered Josh Bender on their Carrera.

What did it achieve? Were they hoping for glory, we don’t even use real names! It left some young lad either about to smash himself to bits or spend the next few years thinking he’s a total wimp because he won’t plop off the side of his Mums house onto the patio.

It was a farce from start to finish. The constantly changing instructions in the lead up, we were supposed to have transponders but didn’t The descents were just raked down fall lines, really not feasibly rideable, it’d have been eyewateringly hard in the dry, the one just before the cafe spot was ridden by 2 people all day according to the Marshall and Thatcham easier than the 1st. One descent appeared to start over the brash from clear felling with no real line and then at the bottom just pointed up a gap in the trees no trail. Signage was poor/confusing in places and there wasnoone at the finish to sign us back in when we arrived and no sign of the food and drinks we were supposed to get.

And some of the cleared wood wasn’t made safe, one guy slid onto a stump on the trail that had a spike left on it. It pierced the sole of his spd shoes fortunately on an angle and missed his foot.

It was shit.

And you can’t blame the weather, it’s Wales, you’ve got to allow for rain in your plans.

The more rideable one, 2 people made it down.

paddyb was that the first steep dirt one? or the one that came down to the cafe? If its the cafe one then its very rideable, shame the rain made it claggy, otherwise it would have been fine. It was ridden by a lot (at race speed) at the enduro race it featured in. The first steep descent I walked one corner I think but was having a go on my bike for the rest of it.
If it hadn’t rained for the previous 24hrs (and being wales maybe that should have been taken into consideration) and I was on my flats instead of spds then I’d have loved every bit of that steep one.

I think the first muddy one was the only one that may have been technically too hard for the event, especially in the rain.

I think the problem is that he’s built trails which are challenging to the best and people who have seen the 50k endurance route wouldn’t expect such a high level of tech?

Mr hoppy those pics, are they near the bottom of the first steep one? If the rest of the trail was like that then it would have been fine.

I was happy with it and would definitely do it again.

How much did you pay to ride a vaguely cleared muddy line in a forest? Any pics of the horrendous techie bits?

Should have done it on 650plus bikes, would have been easy then… 😉

Even well aged and well ridden trails can end up a muddy hell after heavy rain. It might not look like much but I’m sure a lot of time went into building that trail. Take last year’s mega for example it was a quagmire in places, but no one complained of the trail build quality.
Yes it will be hard to stay on the bike after heavy rain, but at least it’s downhill, it’s murder on the flat!

I’m sure I read somewhere about the event featuring a number of the enduro lines. It does go to show the differences of opinions of how tech an enduro should be.

I rode that drop pictured above even though I can’t ride for toffee! I do have a big willy though…

In response to the OP, yes the descents would all have been rideable in the dry. Only just, in places, but that was the point of the event.

On the day, that one descent was impossible and clearly should have been axed, but otherwise I thought it was a fun (albeit tough) ride.

Well that didn’t come across at all patronising did it db100.

How much did you pay to ride a vaguely cleared muddy line in a forest?

Personally I don’t like enduro races on trail centre tracks and the tracks pictured look like they’d have been great if dry.

Organisers must feel like they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

At least it was the same for everyone like that though.

Sorry if it came across like that kerv, didn’t mean to, just my opinion.

I struggled on this drop on the first steep descent, had a go though?

Looking at the pics, those trails look ace!

^^ They weren’t. If it had been bone dry they might but that’s a mighty big assumption to make when you’re taking money off people.

Looks to me that Red Kite just got themselves a cool USP!

No problem db100, I think maybe I should just accept that I’m shit! 🙂

Pics look good, must try a red kite enduro this year.

So having read all of the posts above I thought I’d have a say.

The emails (through eventbrite) were great in the lead up, even the change in start…. Things happen and we were told in advance and through our registered email- So I’m happy there.

The weather…. It’s Wales !

The route…. Geez I’m not sure how they managed to get so much UP in the route ….. But it was all part of it. I’m a bit odd and LOVE climbs… IT WAS ACE!

The signage was pretty crap though, and could have been better (more marshals maybe ?) different colour arrows for lap 2route”

The “MUDDY technical descents” …. Well, they would have been tough, maybe only walkable in the dry for “normal trail centre bods”, but it’s called the TECHIE DEVIL! SOOOO steep! Scary at times.
In the wet they where SILLY ! But that only added to the fun of slip sliding and crashing down them- LOVED IT!
I “tried” to ride as much as possible, but some of it was impossible to ride being as wet as it was (clogging up wheels to the point where they stopped turning, even on a 50′ slope!!!!)
The rocky techie descents and the forested out descents where AMAZING ! Loved them, even the big water holes on the second half!

The cafe stop… I think she was overwhelmed with the sudden rush of business, and really struggled to get food out. Bless her. Cheap Monster though lol !

The timings – errrr rubbish

The “food at the finish” wasn’t clear if it was included in the entry fee or if it was buy your own if you want it… So I didn’t bother to find out.

The finish…. Slightly underwhelming (Neil & mini Neil sitting on a quad at the side of the road)

Apart from root signage the ONLY negative I took away from it was that I got sent on a revised route back to the finish by the last Marshall (i presumed due to a weather, or accident route change) meaning I did the last 5ish miles on the road! When I found out it was wrong, I rode from the town to the finish ~1mile up hill to “cross the line” and get ranked as such.

….. When I got there Neil said as I’d not gone the “incorrect way” to the finish I would be classed as a DNF! Not good in my eyes as I’d done as instructed by a Marshall, so I went home happy but with a bitter memory. DNF Memory.

A quick email to Neil & the team, with my Strava log attached and I was reinstated as a “finisher” (survivor! Lol) in the spectacular time of 8ish hours!!!!!

Would I do it again !

HE’LL YEAH !!! 😀

db100 – all of the trails on the cafe side of the route were fine and rideable. It was one of the early descents, I almost hurt myself walking down it.
It does not seem as bad now when I think about it as it was only that one descent that was not rideable – its just a pet hate of mine when organisers barely cut a trail and just send people down it without putting any effort in to it.

Anyone got any news on the guy that came off on the decent after the first cafe stop?

He was sitting at the top of the trail when we got there with a Whyte rider (looked geared up, maybe a sponsored guy, Pete ????)

He’d gob over the bars on a steep 90′ entry to a decent and went over the bars, lending hard on his ribs on a stake. Ouch.

We stopped with them for 5 to make sure the event crew knew about the fall, His buddies had it in hand with the marshals and emergency response teams, so we left them to it.

Get well soon fella.

He was sitting at the top of the trail when we got there with a Whyte rider (looked geared up, maybe a sponsored guy, Pete ????)

I think he is on here, getonyourbike or something like that.

Anyone got any news on the guy that came off on the decent after the first cafe stop?

He was sitting at the top of the trail when we got there with a Whyte rider (looked geared up, maybe a sponsored guy, Pete ????)

He’d gob over the bars on a steep 90′ entry to a decent and went over the bars, lending hard on his ribs on a stake. Ouch.

Alex broke 3 ribs… Was riding with him and Pete Lloyd (Whyte rider) up until I burped my tyre and lost the group. He’s ok, but very sore apparently (you don’t say!), and I think he’s realised that trying to keep up with someone who’s sponsored to ride wasn’t the best idea after all!

Oh, and as for the willy waving about the first steep muddy descent… There was about 8 of us in our group at the time we went down, Pete went first, Alex 2nd, someone else third then I headed down followed by the others… I was expecting to look down the trail to see an Orange shirt disappearing off into the distance at a rate of knots, which given his credentials is a fairly reasonable expectation. No… He was about 20 yards further down the trail, off and walking (well clambering really) with his bike, just like the rest of us! He did ride the very last drop onto the fireroad at the bottom though, unlike the rest of us, but if there’s ANY doubt by those looking on thinking they could have ridden it and we’re all a bunch of whinging ponces… Trust me… It was something else! Most of our bikes had clogged up so badly in the extreme mud that the rear wheels were locked up anyway, rendering zero control braking wise, not that the tyres had any grip as they’d turned into 3″ mud slicks at both ends!

One thing is for sure, if I lived round there, all my toys would have an engine! 😆