[Closed] 40th Year - Recommend some classic must do rides and events to mark it !!!!

The Bear Bones 200 it has to be

Event date : 14-16 October 2011

The Bear Bones 200 is a 200km independent time trial. The route spans the length and breadth of the Cambrian Mountains, one of the wildest areas in the UK. The route for the Bear Bones 200 isn't way marked, so you'll be expected to navigate for the entire 200km although you will have a route map to follow. Riders will also be expected to be fully self sufficient for the duration of their ride, carrying whatever they need. No prearranged assistance or food/gear drops are permitted, however riders are free to buy food, spares or use any services that are commercially available, as long as they are available to every rider taking part. Riders arriving back having completed the whole of the route within the cut-off time period will receive an award of achievement.

http://www.bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/index.html

Wow - never heard of that - my brother would be up for that one !!!! - cheers valleydaddy thats opened up new ideas for sure.

Do you know any one who has done it ?

K

What's so special about your 40th year? just ride what you feel like riding.. or race DH it's easy to get a top 10 at any race in Vets 😉

Hi GW

Its just memories to look back on (plus I can use it as an excuse to do something a bit mad or that costs a little bit to the wife..as normally the 3 kids get all the money and time)

...this is my current big chance for some riding ----and quality lads time !!

K

Cozzy, it's a new event thought up by Stu who runs the WRT (Welsh ride thing) every year - have you heard of that??

It's to be like a mini Tour Divide, but just as hard.

It will be a good test on mind and body and Stu's routes are usually awesome so you will ride in some great places in mid Wales for sure.

I was planning on doing in it but I have just bust my knee so epics like this are way off for me for a while unfortunately 🙁

Definatley something you won't forget and it's the first event so even more unique 😉

shame you need an excuse 😕 the three ideas you have sound memorable enough but you better get cracking, wouldn't fancy doing any of those in winter 😀

wouldn't envy the guy holding the stopwatch at the finish lines job at that Bearbones thing much either. 😉

Hi Valleydaddy - no I havnt heard of it before.

I think for a 3 day event id like a b+b with a good curry and a couple of ales in the evening if Im away from home - but an overnight camp is quite appealing.

GW - yeah excuse is a bad word - pleading/begging is more like it !!! - its not too bad if I pave the way first leading up to it with diy and nice meals etc etc!!!

K

no worries Cozzy, it's happening if you want to join in 😀

I'm doing the Scottish coast to coast the week after my 40th birthday in October. Also doing Tour Divide next year. How's that for a mid-life crisis? 😆

go pedalhead 😀

pedalhead - the Canada to Mexico route ive just googled ? ------------

wow !! helmets off to you for that !!! awesome....

there would be a lawyer involved if i suggested that beauty !!!

pedalhead

could you send a link to the scottish coast to coast

cheers

K

I'm doing the Scottish coast to coast the week after my 40th birthday in October. Also doing Tour Divide next year. How's that for a mid-life crisis?

Virtual high-5 to pedalhead and his 40th in October! I'm aiming for a week riding in northern Spain, like half the other posters on this thread my 40th is a perfect excuse to use with the wife 🙄

lol yeah, I gave my wife a couple of years notice for the TD...I think I'm going to owe her big by the time it comes around!

Cozzy, I got the route for the Scottish C2C from this book... [url] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotland-Mountain-Biking-Wild-Trails/dp/1906148104 [/url]. Think I'll also add in the bit across Skye as well as it's all over a bit too quickly otherwise. Gonna be doing it as a gear test for the TD, so with bike fully loaded & sleeping out along the way.

happy collective 40th's to you all! Best excuse ever to do something silly 😆

Any part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain is well worth doing and not necessarily an expensive place to bike.
But, I´d recommend you just come over to the Basque Country and ride. There´s amazing singletrack and proper mountains everywhere plus the Pyrenees a half hour away.
Cheap easyjet or ryanair flights to bilbao or biarritz and the pound is currently kicking the euros ass 😉

yeah - you all too - thats it - I have to print this and say - look what pedalhead and mogrim are doing - that should pave the way a bit for my NOW UPGRADED[b] EUROPEAN ADVENTURE !!!!!

Southdowns through trailbreak is in September --- I better check there are still places---just in case the A Team plan doesnt work !!

But, I´d recommend you just come over to the Basque Country and ride. There´s amazing singletrack and proper mountains everywhere plus the Pyrenees a half hour away.
Cheap easyjet or ryanair flights to bilbao or biarritz and the pound is currently kicking the euros ass

Bit unfair that it will cost me more to drive up from Madrid than to fly from the UK, and no exchange rate to help pay for the petrol 🙁

Another stw-er in Euskadi, sunnrider? Whereabouts are you? I'm in Donostia.

C'mon then Spanish based STWers, when are we getting together? I'm aiming for a birthday pass sometime in October, birthday's the 21st but any time would be OK. Would love to come up to Euskadi for a ride.

@mogrim
You´re welcome here anytime.
I´d be more than happy to show you round a bit.
We could take a ride out with doug from basque mtb aswell, he knows the place inside out (plus he´s a [b]lot[/b] better than me on 2 wheels 😉 .

@bob summers
small world mate, I´ve been in donosti for the past 9 years. Want to meet up for a bike and a beer/sidra/vino this week? I´ll be off all day friday and on sat. morning.

3 peaks cyclo cross entries close 17th july

3 peaks sounds good - but I havnt got a cross bike and no mtb's are allowed

thanks

K

Cozzy, sorry to hijack the thread.
@sunnrider, I'm off camping in Cantabria tomorrow for a week but well up for a copa when I'm back. Thought I was the only MTBing guiri in town, good to know there are more of us.!

Not much help to you, but for my 40th I'll be aiming to do something like L'Eroica in Tuscany or 24Hrs of Finale in Liguria - sun, riding, chianti, pasta, what's not to like? The South Downs is a good compromise if you can get some mates together.

Thanks corroded -

its always good to hear of new events.

What bike would you ride on the L'Eroica as I have just read a bit and its mostly gravel roads ? (cross bike?)

Thanks

K

Has anyone considered the corrieyairack? http://www.corrieyairack.org/index2.html

Hi Ketchup
I cant see the distance for the mountain bike route ?
cheers

For the Corrieyairack Challenge on mountain bike, basically you ride the whole thing. So 17 miles off road, then 26 miles on road. You have to do it all on the same bike, but you can change wheels or tyres at the changeover point.

Though I'm not sure if its really a classic event? Its a nice route over hills, but I would rather ride it some other time when there isn't loads of walkers getting in the way...

lot of us hitting 40 this year, for my 40th excuse trip, I started planning with Alps trip.. that failed.. then Fort Bill trip.. also failed.. so last weekend I did the STW Weekender, the uplift at AE / Ride at Mabie.. had a cracker of a long weekend 😉

Lee Quarry looks great...........

LeJog?
West Highland Way in a day?

West Highland Way sounds great - not keen on the one day test though.

Has anybody done it here ?

Ive just read it its a 2 or 3 day ride - but some companies offer a 6 day trip ??

The 6 days will be to walk it, in fact any organised trip will be walking it as I can't imagine anyone paying to be guided along a waymarked path.

2 days is doable, stop in Crianlarich or Tyndrum. For three days, probably stop at Inverarnan then Kinlochleven.

I've done it North of Tyndrum, and it was a good ride. The Devil's Staircase section to Kinlochleven is probably the highlight of the route, as the descent is great.

Thanks

I think the first one will be the south downs way as its in Serptember with trail break

then i plan to get at least 3 more in - still need to know what though