UK Trail Centres - Red Grade Trail Challenge

Bike Forum

[closed]

UK Trail Centres - Red Grade Trail Challenge

27 posts & 11 voices | Started 3 years ago by mAx_hEadSet | Latest reply from mAx_hEadSet

Tags:

mAx_hEadSet - Member

The guys at Coed Llandegla have a special warmth for the Alzheimers Society, not just because of their forgetfulness but their lives have been personally touched by the illness it aims to help eradicate. This years charity event is the two of them are going to ride 29 red grade trails around the UK over the next week.

You can keep tabs on their progress in real time from their web site with the help of the App 'GPS tracker ' on an iPhone and Instamapper.com turning that location into mapping
See which trails they are visiting here
Check out their real time progress here

Anyone out in the trails this week who encounters them please pop over say hi and give them some encouragement, even slip 'em a fiver if you fancy, at some point they are going to start hurting but not as much as they will be when they do the Trans Rockies this summer

Thanks for taking the time to read and if you have chosen to cough up a small amount of sponsorship to the guys.

Posted 3 years ago #
mtbmatt - Member

Any details of when they are riding each trail?

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

when they get there, I will contact mission control in the motor home to see if we can get an update from them

Posted 3 years ago #
jam bo - Member

not coming south of bristol then? haldon, gawton both have red runs.

good luck to them anyway...

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

They have just finished Dalby... Would have loved to do south of Bristol I think that was one trip too far for the week though

Posted 3 years ago #
retro83 - Member

just donated, good luck to them

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Well 3 down 26 to go, the team are currently in Big Bertha trundling from Scotch Corner heading up to the Cumberland Gap....

I think we may have hit a technical hitch with the web maps.. (re post earlier about hi res images now available for Scotland on Google Earth)... shock horror for english and welsh google users seems you might be right and google maps is yet to catch up with earth...

Posted 3 years ago #
rich-6 - Member

When you say just finished Dalby, Was that today?

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Yep that was yesterday almost live. They managed Newcastleton yesterday evening and arriving at Glentress at Midnight they started Glentress at 5am and finished an hour ago. I will get todays itinery and tomorrows up soon. We have had a lot of donations come in yesterday so if they came from here thanks a lot folks and new donors are always welcome.

Having done Glentress they should be on the Way to Carron Valley, Monster Trails, Red Rock Trails today then Hopefully Golspie, Carisdale, Laggan, Witches Trails tomorrow

If you come across the pair Ian is on his new Yeti Carbon ASR and Jim is on an Orange ST4

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

It's 9:58 they left Glentress about 4 minutes ago and may well be on the A703 Edinburgh Road on the way to Caron Valley.. .as soon as they get there from GT
Monster Trails 2.03pm
Red Rock 4.55 pm
Golspie 7.39pm

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

The Guys are a touch behind schedule with a 2 hour delay this am waiting for the Glentress shop to open to have some bike surgery undertaken. They are currently out on Moray Monster Trails and with it being late will be doing red rocks then Golspie as a night ride.

Posted 3 years ago #
Northwind - Member

Hang on, they did glentress but not innerleithen? They're only a couple of miles apart!

Posted 3 years ago #
Matt-P - Member

How did they do on Golspie Max? Still in one piece?

For anyone who doesn't know Jim and Ian at Llandegla you couldn't hope to meet a nicer pair of guys, and they're doing this for a great cause. Whatever your thoughts on Llandegla's trails, I'm sure they'll appreciate anything you can sponsor them for.

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Looks that way this am, I had a text late last night because they had not been able to cross using a ferry at Cromarty they had a long detour to get to Golspie and arrived late so would ride it this am.. They must have done it in the early hours as they arrived at Rhelonie 50 minutes ago and are out on Trail 10 of 29 at Carisdale looking at the gps from the iPhone as I write at 9:28

today they should be working their way down through Laggan to Fort William and possibly the fire Tower Trail before heading to do the westerley 7 Staines tomorrow

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Wel las I right this I can see the gps trail for Big Bertha crossing Loch Etive at North Connel. With the posse heading south on there way to the Fire Tower Trail. Tomorrows list should include Ae, Mabie, Dalbeattie then Kirroughtree before moving back south across the border to Winlatter and Grizedale.

Here are some happy shots from their facebook of the amazing weather these lucky devils are getting on their 6 day break from running the centre at Llandegla. Jim and Badger are paying for the whole trip out of their own pockets all sponsorship money is going to their charity so if you can , please do .. give that is

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

They finished the Fire Tower Trail at 10pm which is trail 14 and at the end of day 3 of the 6 day tour of 29 trails, By the time they get to Mabie they will be half way through the 510km ride of UK Red Graded trails. Many of us wil lbe going to meet and ride with them at Penmachno next weekend and any stw threaders would be welcome to come along to help make the procession and obstruction.... drop a line here if you are interested and i can work out some details.

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

I saw them crossing the Clyde at 1am on their way down to Ae followed by Mabie, Dalbeattie then Kirroughtree. The bike based iPhone appears to have been off since Mabie but the one in Big Bertha would put her standing near Newton Stuart.

I would hope they will not attempt a night ride at Winllater although I cant se Badger not turning that opportunity down if they get to Cumbria tonight. After that and Grizedale its a long bash down the m6 to arrive to do the Forest of Dean before all those wonderful Welsh trails starting at 23 - Afan, 24 - Brechfa, 25 - Nant y Arian, 26 - Coedy, 27 - Gwydyr, 28 -Penmachno finishing 29 at Coed Llandegla hopefully raising a massive pot of gold for their chosen charity as they precede to travel the 29 of the UK's best red grade trail centres in the uk ( OK they missed Inners I will be discussing that one with them).

Anybody fancy guessing the correct odometer reading on big bertha and how much the fuel they used???

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

They've just finished Grizedale and have popped off for a meal before driving all the way to Forest of Dean non stop...

here's the latest plan ......

Posted 3 years ago #
psling - Member

Hope they enjoy the FoD, the "Red route" is a bit of a misnomer by todays standards being pretty much a fire road circuit labelled before currently recognised gradings.
It's drizzled/rained here pretty much all day with more of the same forecast tomorrow
Cracking road trip though for a good cause so all the best to the guys riding it and their support crew.

Posted 3 years ago #
marty - Member

glad to see they got to the right laggan...

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

marginal correction actually they are in Cannock right as i write 9:17 and then go on to FoD (agreeing with psling and they should have dumped it to do inners and then drumlanrig to make it 30 trail centres)

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

With well over 2000km of driving out of the way the team are at this moment driving just above Neath having left Afan about 26 minutes ago and are heading to Brechfa , Nant yr Arian then Coed y Brenin tomorrow with the final ride on saturday of Marin Penmachno Llandegla for anybody who fancies coming along for a ride.. please do

Posted 3 years ago #
Surfr - Member

Aww. I'm guessing they'll hit Nant while I'm at work. If they are running really late, I might see them after 5 but somehow I imagine they'll be on their way to Coed y Brenin by 3PM

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Well this epic road trip is coming to a close. They have only just come off Coed y Brenin in the last 5 or so minutes and will be shortly heading up to Betws y Coed, By now they have run out of dry clothing and are mix and matching a collection of varying soggyness to try to stay warm . After an early start to the Marin they will be at Penmachno at 10 am and it is hoped as many as want to will join them for the last trail before they return to Llandegla to finish the 29th trail of the week after over 2500 km of driving .. I hope they are still talking or it will be a quiet ride tomorrow.. 4 blokes in a van....

if you have not .. please think of giving it might help you one day when you have started to forget why you come here each night.....

Posted 3 years ago #
JohnClimber - Member

Just donated, well done (so far)

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Thanks John all donations are very much welcome and I hope more come intoday for the last day of the epic trek around most of the UK's top MTB trail Centres.

They are on the Marin now and I am heading off to meet them at 10 on a windy rain soaked morning at Penmachno then we will all head down to Llandegla to check out the trail, have some scoff and hopefully break into the shop to fins the guys some fresh dry clothes to change into...

all welcome to come its a bit of a charity fun weekend aimed at raising more money for the Alzheimers Society with a memory walk and ride barbeque blah blah blah oh and a big marquee over the decking area so you can sit out and stay dry although forecast is promising outbreaks of sun this afternoon

Posted 3 years ago #
mAx_hEadSet - Member

Well they did it 29 trail centres in 7 days although it required some night rides to stay on target and disruption was caused by two mechanicals. They started early at the Marin Trail and we had a wet cold sprint around the Penmachno admiring much of the maintenance being done at the moment, finished with sunny warm ride around Llandegla Champagne and burger reception and meeting loads of folks who turned up to welcome them home making nearly £1500 in donations excluding the money made during todays memory walk and ride... As I can never fail to remind you head over to the http://www.oneplanetadventure.com to make a final donation.

One last fact.. with owning and running a trail centre and building trails at other centres taking 7 days to ride 29 of them gives you a good eye for their features and differences. The two favourite centres of the trip were without doubt Golspie and Kirroughtree whihc they both felt to be by far the most enjoyable... and what of Llandegla well just hang fire on our answer till the new trail being built right now is open and see what fine tuning they have been able to learn from the trip.

Posted 3 years ago #