The 2011 Welsh Ride Thing is GO!

Re. Tarrenhendre, we (pushed) past a guy still camped about 500m down from the summit at about 8:30 on the Sunday morning. His tent was about level with the ground and he had had just 1 hour sleep all night. It turns out he decided to bail after that. DNF were you there with him earlier as he mentioned two others had stayed at that point? [Edit: sounds like that was you]

We had bivvied an hour or so further down the route up to there and that was grim enough thank you very much!

Now I’ve dried out and washed the sheep shite off my clothes I realise I had a great time, and it was good to meet some of you. I was in a group of three bearded bikers generally looking at maps and getting lost, oh and occassionally riding our bikes.

..

I can’t imagine trying to camp on the top of Tarren Hendre in those conditions, I was up there at just after 6.00pm on Saturday having ridden (pushed) up the forest road from Pennal with Paul Pomfret, Chew and Slugwash, they carried on along the ridge but I dived off down to Dolgoch and was in the Railway for 6.45. Wise move from what I hear 😕

DrBakes, that was probably me; red tent, you came over to see if i was ok? Thanks for checking in 🙂

After trying to pack up i had little choice to bail othrt than tired my quilt was wet from packing. Miserable night.

Still had a great trip 🙂 be back next year with less gear!

Did anyone find out what the guy with 129lb setup had with him?

The ridge wasn’t technically difficult, just required more effort than I expected. It was pretty foul when we were up on top (6pm), so if faced with darkness I’d probably have been inclined to either back track down the push up or get off the north side out of the wind. Still, you learn more in those conditions eh?

yeah wished I’d had my high altitude tent, it would have laughed at the wind, also learnt a meths stove is a P.O.S. in those conditions sat there wishing I had a petrol stove!

Apparently he had tins of tuna, beans, full bottles of whiskey.
Loads and loads of crap. I want to know how he got on pushing the thing up hills…

DNF, just glad you were ok and heard from Stuart you’d headed back.

Pistonbroke. We had planned to head along the ridge for the ‘views’ but like you headed north down the forest road and straight down into Dolgoch. Best decision we made all weekend I think, that and to pack a midge hood for the second night!

DNF were you leaving Pennal around 7pm?

If so Thomthumb and I rolled into Pennel and saw 3 or 4 WRT’ers heading North and thought they they must be brave or nuts to bivy on Tarrenhendre.

We bivied near Pennal and pushed up Tarrenhendre the next morning.

Based on you thinking the ridge was harder than you thought, maybe not tackling it in the dark was a wise move??

We tackled it in the dark and lived! We passed you as you were finishing setting up camp. We were 50/50 as to stop or just go for it. In the end we went with the “Dr Pepper!” attitude to outdoor pursuits.

633m
Wales
May
Good phone signal and opportunity to meet William
Nearest Town runnable distance.
Chance of a pub if we make it.

All this added up to “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Did think you were chaps were going for the hard as nails full on bivi experience. Anyway we hit the summit in the fading light about 9pm. It was horrid! but not too different from an average day in Leeds.

On the plus side we were down and in the pub at Abergynolwyn for 10 pm a couple of pints later we had set up camp in the railway station waiting room, nice and warm with excellent facilities including and en-suite toilet.

🙂

@Jimmers, I was alone 2 guys and 2 girls caught me, the girls were local and riding without gear, I made a navigation error headed off to the left on the hill, down and into a bog, and then caught the other two guys they were from Ipswich way. Was a mad night.

With hindsight I’d have turned back and camped in the woods, but was ultimately a little committed to the location. At least i had a phone signal and phoned home for a weather check, etc.

Lots of lessons learnt, and breakfast in Mach’ was just right!

What an amazing weekend we had a great time and learnt a lot about beating the mental barrier that is bad weather. On phone atm just checking in to read others reports, will add some pictures. and stories tnt.

Was great to put some faces to names, Aiden sorry it never clicked who u were when we were chatting with Ian, I would have praised you for your inspirational TD stuff I enjoyed your wrt interview too. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip. Ian did u not stop sun night?

Anthony – we did 9 off the A list and 3 off the B list and made it back to Stu’s by 7.30pm Sunday.

Here’s a shot of our route – 143km, 5325m ascent – click to biggerise:

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WRT 2011 GPS Track[/url] by ianbarrington[/url], on Flickr

We did 51km on Saturday to finish just off the byway at the end of Tarren Ridge (nice little wood below the road). The remaining 92km took a surprising 11 hours to complete with stops and what not, though my legs were pretty much shot by the end of it all.

Right people, I’ve just had a tally up and I’m glad to report that between you all, you raised £1481 for the Air Ambulance 😀 The local church also got a £20 bonus for lending us their water boiler, I don’t think even my vast collection of stoves would have coped 😉 I’d also like to thank all the companies who donated prizes, your generosity was fantastic – thank you.

It was great to see so many smiles on Monday given the conditions everyone endured throughout the weekend … made me proud to be a masochist.

So that’s it, the WRT over for another year … or is it?

Keep your eyes and ears open over the next few weeks – there may be developments of some description.

Stuart

ooo you tease

One of the bearded bikers riding with Dr_Bakes: fantastic few days despite the brutal weather.

I wasn’t t so positive on the push up onto Tarren Hendre mind.

Huge thanks to Stuart and everyone else for organizing such a great event. Already refining my kit list for next year…

Me and Chris n (one of Stu’s photos at the start).

We went anticlockwise just to be perverse as most on here were talking Tarrenhendre on day 1.

It was slower going than we expected on our ‘as offroad as possible’ plan on Saturday so after A10 – A6 – A5 – A1 we dropped onto the road near Pandy and abandoned plans to go up for B4 and A3, instead going for bangers and mash and a pint at the pub at Mallwyd. Rode another 90 mins after the pub for A11 and bivvied just after A4 at about 9pm on Saturday night.

8am start monday morning for a push up to A2. Missed out A7 as planned (just didn’t seem to flow with our route) and both had a sense of humour failure in the bog-hike from A8 over to B3.

Dropped into Dolgellau along with the two Scots boys Jim and Craig and had a nice lunch in a cafe with Andrew on the SantaCRuz 29er, during which the rain stopped. The afternoon ride between B2 and Abergynolwyn was the highlight of our ride; ridable both up and down. Two pints in the Railway to celebrate at 3pm.

We crested Tarrenhendre just after 6pm then had a poor route choice which meant an hour pushing through gorse and a forest – about 0.8 miles in a hour. 😥 Once we found the fireroad down to Mach it was like riding down a river. Found a good bivvy spot just above Mach and pitched two sides of the tarp down before the rain started.

Rained all night but we were toasty and dry (I won the Rab down jacket in the raffle by the way – brill!), dropped into Mach about 9am then took the route out of Aberhosun up to the memorial and on to A9, where we saw the Scots boys again.

Took a final offroad detour south on the way to Dylife then rode the ridgeline down to Cefn and finished at 12.30pm on Monday for an hour chat and Chris had won another T-shirt to go with his raffle prize M-kettle!

Brill weekend. 😀

Stuart, thanks for your efforts, and thanks for the tea when I showed up on Sunday. 🙂

@Stuart great to hear you raised so much for a great charity and I am glad I didn’t need to burden them on the weekend for sure 😉

Let us know what you’re planning looking forward to whatever it is already 😉

Stuart, Jane and I had a fabulous weekend!!! Thanks for organising this brilliant event 🙂 Next time we will aim not to get lost on the motorway 🙁 (not my fault Jane was navigating honestly!!!) and arrive on time….avoiding Newtown!!! Cannot wait for next year or….please tell me therei s another this year:)

Great event Stuart, had me smiling all weekend.

Big thanks to Duncan for riding up Tarrenhendre with us and helping us to clear the summet before 6, and to Paul, for pushing us along to the forest before B2. I never expected to get that far on day 1 and made the rest of the event easier.

Spent some time on Sunday morning riding on my own, which was great, getting pushed along by the wind. Dont think i pedalled for 10 miles between B2 and B3. Big thanks for the warning I got from the Scotish guys about the boggy conditions south of B2.

Great to ride with Slugwash and Markenduro for the afternoon until we seperated in the forest.

Back on Monday morning having completed 9A’s and 3B’s.

OK, I’ve had enough. 3 years and have wanted to do the WRT since the first one, and haven’t done any yet. I promise to myself to enter the next one, or a similar event. Fantastic job to all, and to Stuart for raising such a huge sum of cash.

How about a LRT – Lakes Ride Thing? or DRT – Dales Ride Thing?

http://www.bikeandbivi.co.uk

had a sense of humour failure in the bog-hike from A8 over to B3

You were still smiling when we saw you, but I think north to south was probably the right way round to do that one, even if we did go slightly off route on the other side…

WRT (Wet Push Thing)
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Score:
95 miles (65% pushing)
11 dead sheep
1 dead frog
1 bollocking off a farmer
3 Bacon rolls
Lots of pints of beer
13600ft of
2 Slug attacks!

So weeks obsessing about kit, pouring over maps, buying stuff I didn’t need and faffing on the internet came to a head on Saturday morning for my inaugural Welsh Ride Thing.
The weather looked dirty but I didn’t care I’d been looking forward to this for weeks.

Day 1

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fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr

Arrived just about on time after a fairy brisk 40 min drive. Saw a couple of familiar faces, won some socks, yay! and then off we went.

Got the 1st checkpoint(A6), bagged it and went on, we we’re nice and early and in our eagerness went a bit wrong.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage1.gpx

Double back up the hill and we got A10. Met DNF at the gate who’d had 2 mechanicals already.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage2.gpx

Next up A9 and we were doing okay.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage3.gpx

Over to Mach and when planning the route if I could avoid tarmac by bridleway I did. This was to be a bad idea a very crappy muddy track, bail twined gate and 4 dead sheep. Into Mach stock up with water and a pasty at the Spa and onto B1, running out of light and in two minds, passed the nutters setting up camp on the side of the hill and we topped Tarren Hendre at about 9pm with failing light. Not a great patch.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage4.gpx
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Top of Tarren Hendre[/url] by fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr

Right, now to get down? Well that was fun! and a bit scary in the dark but we got to the pub at Abergynolwyn with a 1000yard stare and into the pub.

A bit of local knowledge and quick ride along the tracks and we set up camp in Nant Gwernol station, which if we ignore the organised pincer movement Slug attack, proved to be a most comfortable spot.

[/url]
fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage5.gpx

Day 2

Up nice a early, bit of porridge, bit of faffing and we were off. Up over the hill to the back of Bird Rock and now in bit a Wales I know okay but sticking too my rule that if there is a bridleway we should use it rather than tarmac. What a massive balls up. We we’re on Sustrans route 8, the next check point was on route 8 but for some reason I thought that deviating off it would be a good idea. It wasn’t, it was a proper dumb idea. If Sustrans deem it not good enough for a bike it isn’t. 2-3km push and a lesson learnt.

Next was the highlight of the weekend, a massive wind (SSW) blowing us all the way to B2 and onto B3. (2 quick Bacon butties in Dolgellau first though)

Just before B3 we saw 2 guys who celebrated getting the checkpoint with a Pasty and can of Cider. Totally the right idea.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage6.gpx

Next bit didn’t like the cars! Too fast, too close.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage7.gpx

Then over the tops to Corris.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage8.gpx

At the top of Corris met a fellow northern chap with a bevy of women in tow (good odds if it got cold) chatted for a minute or two about clown bikes and we headed off for cakes at Corris craft centre.

Thinking I knew where we were like the back of my hand of course I took us the wrong way down the hill, by the time I realised my error we at the foot of the Cli-machx trail and figured it would rude not to while we were there.

Due to our (my) navigation cock up we then skipped A7 and bagged 2,4,16 and headed to the pub in Cemmaes. Seemed to be a popular spot. A few opted for the beer garden, a couple in a campsite and we headed for the Children’s playground.

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

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage10.gpx
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage11.gpx
http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?lnk=http://beta2.fantasticthinking.com/wrt/stage12.gpx

Day 3

A rainy night but kept warm and dry and back to the pub for breakfast rolls, ablutions and coffee!

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fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr

Off we set and we soon had a bit of gathering at A1

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fantasticmrmatt[/url], on Flickr

Just one more to go and we got a right bollocking off a farmer. (even though we were on a bridleway) “Bloody hundreds of bikes this weekend, I’m sick of it! All my sheep are getting mixed up!” not sure what he meant but we apologised, said sorry and went on our way. Down a track made of the slippyest rock know to science and all that was left was to yomp back down a nice back round on tarmac.

Legs empty we rolled back for tea and cakes. Had a fantastic time, the weather didn’t bother us. Will plan it better next time but will definitely do it again.

Fantastic event, many thanks to Stuart & Dee and well done to all. 🙂

Great write up Matt 😀

You ought to submit that to STW for the next issue – perfect readers rides 😉

What can I say………last year’s WRT was the best weekend I have ever had on my bike……..until this weekend. What I can’t quite yet fathom out is why? Horrendous weather, soaked through, scared, pain, sweat, tears etc. and yet still the best!
The riding was fantastic but I think it was the company of the other riders that you’d stop and talk to for 20 minutes or ride with for half a day etc. that really made this the ‘complete ride’ that it was.

When I find a bit of time I’ll read through all of the above tales and try and grab copies of some of the great photo’s but just wanted to say thanks to all that I met and made the weekend so great. For what it’s worth the shots that I took can be found here.

https://picasaweb.google.com/112787476630806646930/WRT2011?feat=directlink

Stuart, can you organise something sooner than next year, currently raiding gear shops, pulling bikes apart and talking to a seamstress, who would imagine nylon cost so much 😕

Before the ride there was much discussion about putting the fast rolling tyres on.

I definitely had some moments in the wet conditions when I was glad of leaving my 2.25 Maxxis Advantage on the front!

How did you lot who changed to the mile-eating light tread get on? Saw someone on a pair of Furious Freds at the finish which must’ve been character-building on some of the muddy tracks & wet grass descents!

My 2.2″ Race Kings were fine actually – I had one “moment” on Glyndwr’s Way south of Mach, but entirely my own error/ bad timing on a change of line.

29″ wheels do yield a lot of grip, and I made it up a few climbs where I expected to loose grip but didn’t.

Brilliant !! Thanks to Stu for organising. Approached the event with mucho trepidation and a lot of borrowed gear (thanks Matt)

Really enjoyed the bon homie and camraderie of meeting other nutters in various places on the route and comparing notes/horror stories etc.

Great write up Matt (aka Tiger, aka Slug ??) certainly did it justice, couldn’t have done it better myself, although I may have embellished your slug attach some. I forgive you the navigational error that meant us missing tea and cake in Corris in favour of the Clymach trail !! I’ll tell you about my own navigational error driving home when you get back.

Legs still sore. Lots of lessons learned. Got a refined gear list in my mind already and will deffo be back for more next year having popped my WRT Cherry in (what I thought) were some pretty testing conditions!!

Valleydad: How did that DIY seat bag work out??

Bigface, it would seem that everything Valleydaddy had planned to use was shelved inc’ his bike and replaced with nice posh kit which included a Singular Swift 😉

So all these weeks of planning and he changed his mind, well I guess its only right he gives me that bag then 😉

This looked like a really good event. Like the idea of a Lakes/Dales ride thing. What about a Peaks ride thing?

Finally had some time to get my photos sorted out.

Pictures galore now here:

http://s292.photobucket.com/albums/mm30/Dyffers/WRT%202011/

(although for some reason photobucket has ordered them up backwards ??? )

i found a tick between my toes. 😯 where do is send my complaint letter 😉

I think the Welsh Tourist Board would be the best place for a stiff letter … However, they may wonder why it’s taken 4 days to find it 😉

Great pics really enjoying them..

Stu SO whats planned for later this year?? I need something to look forward to???

A Winter Welsh Ride Thing could be good, probably have better weather too 🙂