After a month of planning everything seems in such a rush. Tonight, two new tyres fitted (tubeless), wash and reproof my waterproof. 20t sprocket turned up nice and promptly, but still need to fit it. The highlight of the evening was Beth finishing my frame bag:
Tomorrow: pack, clean bike, fit sprocket, adjust chain, sort out maps, buy midge repellant, chocolate coated coffee beans, fill hip flask… can't decide between the 10yr Ardbeg or the 21 yr Glengoyne…
Talking of the GDR, the movie SSP hoped to view has been delayed bya bout a week due to production problems. Seems like he will be packing listening to Nicky Campbell on the R5 phone-in;-)
Got most of my stuff together but not packed – hope it all goes in! Can't decide on full or light weight watrerproof top. And still keep changing my mind on the route. A couple of controls are on or near the Cambrian Way but my original preferred anti clockwise route took them in reverse i.e. Llangurig control to no 11 in the woods. I know there is a track there but not shown on my 1:25,000. Feel I may stand a chance in the right direction but in reverse could be a lottery.
Ready – test ride today and bottle on cross bar didnt work, kept slipping round. 3 litre bladder in bag instead of 2 now. Going to need a new back at the end 😈 See you for dinner or at the start 😀
on my back 😐 Not as much stuff in it as last years C2C probably just over half of the bag full as packed well but a lot of weight with the 3 litre bladder in there.
trying to minimise stuff on my back, hate riding with heavy rucksacks, really knackering.
Yup i'm camping. tent's only single skin though and quite light and new, so must be tested.
Dry bag on the front is a 20l, I suppose I could have manned up and got everything in 2 13l bags, but I've got em now and it's too late. weight is reasonable so should be fine.
2 bags on the front survived the back garden wheelie test well.
If it doesn't work well I can always put them on my back as the rucksack will only have water and a couple of changes of cycling clothes as the Carradice saddle bag is ace and holds loads
Just come from Alpkit, warehouse is like a desert! Managed to liberate a down gilet that they thought they had sold out of though. Now where do I put that?
7 x Lasagne with salad and garlic bread
3 x Saus n mash
1 x (Large) jacket potato topped with tuna and ham
Please make sure you turn up around 11.30am on Saturday
Please make sure you remember what you ordered.
Please make sure you pay for your own food.
Please turn up as the rest of us don't want to pay for your food.
Ian – that's a beautifully neat set up. Very impressed. very nice bike as well.
after the comments yesterday about the size of my front bag, I completely repacked last night, removed a few items I now think are unnecessary so now running the 13l on the front and a half full 20l on the rear… My wife thinks i've gone all OCD about it…… 😉
Slightly worried that IanB seems to have one of those flip over calenders on his bars. Or is it a book to read whilst pushing 😳 It is only 3 days isn't it? I'm just taking OS 147 & 135 and a good memory.
I've printed all the maps out in landscape, then found that I can't fit them on my bars with my gps, so will have to reprint 20 pages of route again tonight in portrait, still it gives me a backup set in case the first lot get wet…
Slightly worried that IanB seems to have one of those flip over calenders on his bars. Or is it a book to read whilst pushing It is only 3 days isn't it? I'm just taking OS 147 135 and a good memory.
I have 5x A5 laminated maps, double-sided. I must admit, they look bigger on the bike than I thought they would be. There are sections I'll be able to do without the map, namely the Doethie section, Twyi Forest, Claerwen and up to Nant Rhys, but I still need to take them just in case. I originally printed the maps in Tracklogs, landscape at 1:60000 scale, but I might redo them A6 to stop them from flapping about on the map board..
That also occurred to me last night when packing. I'm only out for two days, one night! With the exception of needing to stock up for food and fuel, and taking a spare pair of shorts, I could go for a week with the above set up.
I am gutted because I've had pull out due to illness. I had been looking forward to this all year, according to Stuart I was first to reply with the entry form, so really p!$$ed I am going miss it. Oh well there is always next year.
Hope all of you doing the event have a great time and hopefully may be we may meet next year.
I'm going now before the tears start filling the keyboard up.
Rob, don't know you but sorry to see you are missing out at the last minute.
Last year I could not do it on the weekend because I was already booked to be somewhere else – so I went a couple of months later and did it on my own. Still a great experience – saw hardly a soul – not even other smelly bikers!