The 2011 Welsh Ride Thing is GO!

so much for getting an early night 😕

Oh well got my chores done to keep the Doris happy 😉

MORNING 🙂

Last 5am check of the thread before setting off! Best wishes to all

Monsoon!!!!!!!!

Pob lwc

Okay people bring your Pac a macs. This view normally includes a hill. 😐

Still it’s only rain and as they say in Yorkshire, “Why do you care about rain, you’re not made of salt”

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photo[/url] by fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr

Still so excited, feel like a kid at Christmas 🙂 and I think I can see the sun poking through

Well … everyone got underway. The rain cleared and the sun came out too 😀

There’s a few pics from this mornings start over on the WRT blog for anyone interested.

http://welshridething.blogspot.com/

Wet, cold, grinning like a loon.

You found some signal then Tiger? Glad you’re enjoying yourself.

I can report 7 bailers so far as of 4.15pm.

Any more news or gossip?

@ plodtv Second helping of start pics on the blog this morning. Had reports of heavy rain and very high winds on the higher points last night and this morning but the weather’s taken a turn for the better … at the moment 😉

weather can do what it wants, we have found somewhere well suited to high winds and have settled in for the night. Top weekend so far, despite the weather.

cheers Stu we had a great time will be back next year to complete the challenge.

Good luck to the folk still out there tonight, it was grim last night where we were and this morning 🙁

Well sat under a tarp, raining a bit, need my wits about me to fend off a coordinated slug attack!

Turns out Slugs are more prolific and twice as deadly as bears.

2 more checkpoints in the morning and we’re done!

“home and anything but dry!”

Here’s the pics from Saturday and Sunday. Had the pleasure of Aidan’s company almost throughout. 140km ridden, many metres climbed and explored loads of good singletrack and bridleway. Lots of fun.

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Can you tell what it is yet?[/url] by ianbarrington[/url], on Flickr

Full set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15512491@N08/sets/72157626840394998/

Some great pics there Ian I’ll get mine up tonight, just need to get them off my phone.

What was the weather like last night and this morning?

Ive been in such a bad mood all weekend thinking of you chaps out there enjoying your trip..GUTTED I had to pull out, KIDS Who’s have’em!!!!

Great picture’s so far, keep em coming?

Who won what in the raffle???

I won nowt but there again I wouldn’t would I? 😉

Everyone back safe and sound … I assume everyone’s safe a sound, a few haven’t signed off but there’s no cars left? Weather cleared up today late morning so lots of sitting around, supping tea and eating cake and flapjack 😀

Ooooh, sorry to hear you missed it… had a fantastic time. Cold… wet… hungry… what’s not to like?! Roll on 2012.

I only went and won me a Wildcat handlebar harness. Brilliant bit of kit, absolutely made up with it, simple and performed faultlessly.
Cheers guys. 😀

Nice prize that, Think I need to order myself a frame bag from them, Really look smart in the pics

AS I didnt go its only right I get post #700 😆

Thanks Stu, we had a great time again this year, although performance wise we slipped a bit and failed the 9+3 target (9+2) we did manage to get trashed in the Slaters Arms in Corris on Saturday night.

I used a wildcat harness, really good bit of kit.

Think I’ve managed to get all the sheep poo off everything, those things can’t half defecate.

Talking of kids, I’d just like to mention Josh who rolled in with his dad this afternoon … AGE 10, well done!. He also went home with a nice new Rab down jacket

On the subject of prizes,at the raffle on Saturday I won what I thought was a Singletrack water bottle, imagine my surprise when I looked at the bit of paper inside and found a free Subscription. Well chuffed!!Thanks again to Stuart and Dee for their seamless organising. Weather made it pretty tough this year 4,500m of climbing and 110 miles to get the 15 controls, legs stiffening up nicely.

My pics here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27907257@N08/sets/72157626714452287/
Think I have a pic of Josh’s dad in there, we bumped into each other Saturday. Must admit I bailed Saturday tea time, must try harder next year! Thanks again Stuart.

Here are my photos

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WRT8[/url] by valley daddy[/url], on Flickr

Pics are super small, is there anyway to make em bigger?

http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk

Fab weekend.

Pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49333544@N07/sets/72157626719335005/

Cracking event, big thanks to Stuart and Dee for organising it all. Really nice atmosphere with everyone taking part there just to enjoy themselves rather than taking it too seriously. I teamed up with slugwash part way through sunday and the rest of today, had a great nights kip last night inside one of the scrap wind turbine masts up out the back of Cemeas, it’s almost as if they were custom made for camping in…
Sorted all my stuff out, don’t think there was any of it that didn’t have sheepshit on it.
Think tomorrow will mostly involve having a good lie down.
Photos here[/url]

Would anyone be willing to allow me to post some of your images on http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk to show load-outs? Or post yourself?

Brilliant weekend! A million thanks to Stu & Dee for organising it all. Looking forwards to the next one. Great to meet and ride with a few more names from the STW forum 🙂

The descent from checkpoint A9….

Chew & Alfachippy riding west along the Tarren Ridge…

Saturday night’s campsite…

Monday morning inside the wind turbine bivi (with a slight beer & Jack Daniels hangover)…

Markenduro climbing somewhere near the finish…

More here ……

Flickr Set – WRT 2011[/url]

Looks like we met too then Slugwash 🙂

Identify yerself 🙂

I’m the one in the blue OnOne jersey… with an outstanding ability for getting lost 🙂

I’m the one in the blue OnOne jersey… with an outstanding ability for getting lost

Ah yes, the one I made a cruel taunt to about being lost yet again before markenduro and myself exited the Dyfi Forest some seven miles from where we thought we actually were!

unsponsored – Member
Would anyone be willing to allow me to post some of your images on http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk to show load-outs? Or post yourself?

Done as requested 😆

http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk/php/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12&p=146#p146

All these pictures of nice campsites on Saturday and I suffered one of the worst nights I’ve ever had on a mountain, with a Laser Comp trying to take flight with me inside. Managed about half hours kip before all hell broke loose near the summit of Tarrenhendre.

Was fun and chaos in one, I’ll be back 😯

@slugwash – good to meet you at the start and chat…. Please can I pinch a copy of the photo of me at the finish from your Flickr set… I ran out of memory card space part way through the final day.
Looks like you had a really good few days. Video to follow once I get some time to bolt it together and edit some crap out.

It was a nice ride out there. Weather was a bit “Wales” 🙂 but I expected that! It was certainly nice to go round with IanB’s company.

Here are some photos:

The complete set here

Cheers Aidan – conditions look grim in that shot – more tolerable in good company though. The Tarrenhendre Ridge was a lot harder down than I expected.

@DNF – what possessed you to try and camp up there 😕

It was where I wound up when night came in, the weather was getting bad and I had no idea what was ahead on the ridge so decided better to be below summit than on the summit! Was a miserable night, two guys tarped near me, but were gone when I stuck my head out next morning, although in the early hours one of the tarps was looking a little dodgy.

Based on you thinking the ridge was harder than you thought, maybe not tackling it in the dark was a wise move?? 😕 Was in my top 5 bad nights on a mountain. Slope, badly pitched tent, storm!