Really good event! The CX guy proved us all wrong and whupped all of our arses. I made it back third on the 75km and he was about 30 mins ahead of me. I’d love to see how he managed to tackle some of those decents.

I’m in! Wotton area was riding very nicely a couple of weeks ago. Has been a bit rainy since, but I feel it’s going to be a good one.

Looking forward to it.

When you say you did Crib Goch, did you cycle much/any of it or was it all carrying?

Either way – hats off!

Enjoyed my first HONC.

Only downer was the initial climb. I was foolishly slack getting too the line and ended up stuck in the slowest queue for the first 8km. People were riding four abreast at the same speed; a speed so slow that I and some others could barely maintain.

Not sure what the solution is, but on the Dyfi, the slower riders are a bit more aware of what is going on around them and slower riders are happy to make space for faster riders to pass.

Apart from that, good event! Do they publish a leaderboard, or is that too racey?

Even the top of Cafell was almost dry today. Plenty of dust on Twrch.

Very happy about what they’ve done with the gates on Cafell. Hope they do the rest of them.

Every year the Twrch climb gets a bit more technical, as another layer of soil is removed and transported across the country on clothes and bikes.

Did you know their head of research is a mountain biker?

A slow girly mountain biker, but still a mountain biker.

Try the Timbre Timbre album from last year. It’s bloody lovely.

I had the 2.4jtdm. Nice car, but the dpf caused major issues. Went into limp mode five times in a year and main dealer had to force a regen cycle. They told me that every fortnight I should go for a 30 minute drive to get the regen working. Needless to say, I sold it.

Replaced with a diesel BMW which had no problems with the dpf doing the same journeys.

Also the car is beautifully made, but the switches on the steering wheel are cheap and naff.

I have recently converted to 1×10. Put a 32T Absolute Black oval on the front and used a Hope 40T extender on the rear.

I have not yet had to use the 40T at all, even in the steepest nastiest climbs. Considering going to a 34T oval on the front and then it might make sense.

Thanks for all the info! Very useful.

We’d be interested in the Vango for sale if Blue Monday hasn’t pipped us. Where are you based?

In and didn’t wake up wife or children (whew)

Good that you found your own answer but where did the chill air came from?

Expectation? Fight or flight response? Who is knows, but it certainly wasn’t paranormal.

Optical illusion? Perhaps there was a ghost but there perhaps there was no ghoast. The biggest illusion in us can sometime be denial but then blindly taking everything as real/fact can also be an illusion

I recreated the illusion three times. I could make it appear and disappear and as soon as I did this, I could see it was clearly not a girl. My brain just filled the gaps in the first time.

There are no ghosts. Nearly everyone has a camera on them these days and there is still no evidence. Same for UFOs.

I saw a ghost a couple of months ago (bear with me).

I was perched against the side of the bath reading something on my phone in the dark, facing the door, which was slightly ajar with a small light on the landing outside. After a couple of minutes, I became aware of a small girl in the doorway. As I looked up, she exited the door and at the same point I suddenly went very cold and had a strange feeling wash over me. Both my children were in bed with their doors closed, so I exited the bathroom to see figure out what was going on. There was no one on the landing and everyone else was asleep.

I went back to the bathroom, made sure the door was in the same position and sat in the same place and looked at my phone. Sure enough, after a few minutes, I saw the figure again, but this time, I avoided looking directly at it. This time, I could clearly see it was an optical illusion, presumably caused by my eyes fixed on point of my phone for a long period of time in darkness, with the slight light coming from the door. I looked up and the illusion was gone. I managed to recreate it again.

The weird thing was the cold and the odd feeling. If I was more suggestible and hadn’t attempted to rationalise it, I’d have been convinced I had seen a ghost.

In summary, you can’t always trust your brain and your senses.

Actually:
-You must ensure your brakes are efficient; at night, use lit front and rear lights and have a red rear reflector.

(Although the lights are specified twice in the 7 points listed, for some reason.)

Odd – I don’t see that. It just says “You must ensure your brakes are efficient; at night.” With a full stop, then moves on to the next section.

You must ensure your brakes are efficient; at night.

❓

That photo has a very unfortunate optical illusion!

I hold my 500 in my hand. Easy to check and change screens.

Not doing much else with my hands while running!

I’d recommend starting at Y Wall side as Glyncorrwg is a bit higher up. Always nice to think that there is more descent than climb in second half of the ride (mostly psychological)

Also, if you are coming from the M4, you’ll burn less gogo juice getting there.

How does the Brown’s Folly SSSI differ from the one at Ashton Court?

I DON’T MIND SHARING THE PATHS WITH MOUNTAIN BIKERS.
So long as those mountain bikers are behaving responsibly, considerately and safely.

I’ve come across mountain bikers who do and I don’t have a problem with them.

I’ve come across mountain bikers who don’t and I do have a problem with them.

So why isn’t the article about misbehaving and inconsiderate mountain bikers (a minority)? It sounds like we are largely in agreement, but the article seems to contradict this.

Thanks for the heads-up. Stocked up on 8 pairs for Kevlar for 37.50!

I had to give a mid-race lecture to one guy about letting people know he was passing, after we almost took each other out.

First time soloing so letting faster traffic through took a bit of getting used to. Most riders were very polite though.

Does anyone know what happened to the guy who crashed out on the zig zags? He looked in a bad way.

I don’t think I’ve seen so many crashes in a race. It was pretty challenging out there. Had a few moments where the bike just went from beneath me and only just managed to catch it.

The trail was noticeably quieter after the torrential rain. I think that was the last straw for some.

That was fun!

A bunch of us picked up a trail marker that we shouldn’t have and ended up on the extended section first. Bit disconcerting crossing the finish line after just over an hour! Ended up doing the main loop after the extension, but it was quite fun moving back through the pack.

Apart from the routing, it was a great event. Weather was perfect. The route was varied and fun, even if some of the climbs were actually impossible to ride.

The rotting dead ram in the middle of the trail was pretty stinky.

Nowhere on the quantocks is off limits…

I’ve not ridden there before. Maybe I misunderstood the info from the organisers:

‘Some of the route is over the sensitive Northern Moor, to get an event over this section has been very difficult, please ensure you stick to the way-marked route and don’t cut corners or paths.’

Be careful though as apparently the Quake route uses areas that are normally off-limits. Bette to check the existing segments and piece something together from those.

Anyone else here entered on Sunday? Weather’s looking good!

12 hours pairs tomorrow. AC runs nicely in the wet, but watch out for the flat rocky corners.

the lowest part of the course is at the bottom of the zig zags (or thereabouts) and that’s a fair way from the festival of ‘Rock’

Still in staggering distance. Also, people will be heading back towards the suspension bridge against the flow of the trail in the evening and inevitably, cutting across the trail to Beggar Bush Lane. I predict a number of moving trail features!

Does this mean the lower trails will be littered with drunk middle agers who wandered off bored when they realised that they don’t know any Midge Ure songs?

Marathon Ultras on my crosser for road/lane/bridle commute runs. Shop around and they don’t cost too much. Fairly light and grippy on most stuff.

Can’t believe that no one has mentioned this yet!

CRCI8J6B8&4

10 off 75 or more spend

Bit of a blog here.

😀

Was my first Dyfi enduro. Loved it. Was a bit disappointed that some descents were on fire trails, but the brass band, the beer, the cheerleaders and the EU food mountain of a feed station made up for it.

Managed to wreck my chain somehow at around 42km. It twisted about 90 deg across about fifteen links. Managed to bend it back a bit and then nurse the bike back with lots of noise (thanks for all the offers of help to those who passed me!) Had to elect for the short route as the mech and cassette probably would not have made the extra 10km, but that gave me 4/422 on the short route, which was a nice surprise (and I stopped for a beer).

Things I learned:

* It’s Dyfi as in Dovey, not diffy
* Riding wet loose slate is basically surfing
* Don’t carry so much water – I finished with nearly half a camelbak and had basically carried an extra kilogram for no reason.
* Don’t swap the position of the dropper post switch the day before the race – this provides confusion and panic right when you don’t need it.
* Buy a better chain

Hopefully see you all at the CYB enduro in October!

Apparently there was some trouble getting the emails out, but the info is up on Facebook.

In case anyone here is not on Facebook:

Its howies Dyfi Enduro time. Spring has well and truly sprung in Mid-Wales, the trails are riding well and the trees are that bright shade of green that’s so Enduro at the moment.
We are busy preparing our biggest ever Enduro for you, tents are going up & beer is being rolled in.

The Route
All the lead out & return routes, as well as the forest trails, are open to other users. The Dyfi enduro is not a race. Please ride safely and with consideration for other riders and trail users.
Over 90% of riders have opted to ride the longer route. Based on previous experience, we think quite a few people will want to switch to the shorter option, especially those who get ‘stuck’ at the bottom of Dicko’s descent. SO – choose whatever route you like, we will record your number & allocate it to the correct route. If you are running late, we may have to direct you back on the shorter option – we can’t keep our marshals out all night. When you have passed though the finish in the forest, don’t forget to return to event HQ for your mug and spot prizes. Including the ride on back lanes in and out of Machynlleth the total distances are 57 & 65km.
As usual there will be a feed station at 2/3rds distance, stocked with snacks, water and energy drink. It’s a long tough ride, so please make sure you are packing food and water, along with a jacket and spare tubes. We have count down signs for both route options – the longer route takes in one extra big climb, but is rewarded with a great extra descent.
Signing on and number pick-up will begin mid-day Saturday and will be open until around 19.00, opening again between 08.00 and 10.00 on Sunday morning. Event start is at 11.00, with compulsory rider safety briefing at 10.50, on the line.
Entertainment & Refreshments
The Twisted Crank Tavern will be open in the main tent from Saturday afternoon for fine, fine ales, live music, DJ’s and films.
We welcome Les Velobici this year. They are planning 2 days of bike-related, circus unusualness for your entertainment with mini bike skittles, bike jousts and a mini ‘Duro.
The Luff Bus will be on hand once again, to cater for your tea, cake and pie-related requirements over the course of the weekend.
Kids Race
The local kids MTB club & Welsh Cycling will be running an informal kids, off road, time trial event on Saturday. Kids of all ages can practice the route, then have a go at setting their best time. It’s free, informal and fun, on a short wooded course next to event HQ. Starts late Saturday morning.
Tee Shirts
The howies crew will be at event HQ from lunch time on Saturday. They’ll be bringing a selection of bike-themed organic, cotton tees, along with items from their cycle range, merino base layers, new jackets and shorts. If you forgot to order your Dyfi Enduro event tee when you signed up, howies will be taking orders on the day, which they’ll print and mail out to you in the following week.
Camping, Parking & Recycling
We will park early arrivals on Sunday morning in the main car park, just off the high street. Once that’s full we will be using the space set aside in the main field. Please park as efficiently as possible because we have a lot of cars to fit in.
Camping opens Friday afternoon. We have a zoned campsite, so if you are camping please take a look at the field layout. The fire lanes must be kept clear and the area at the rear of the field is a designated a quiet zone, so please choose your site accordingly. Please note that fires and BBQ’s are not allowed and dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
We are actively trying to reduce waste at the event, so please sort you recyclables and dispose of accordingly, using the graded bins by the skips and waste bags which are available. Site clear up is a beastly job, so please help us as much as you can by sorting your waste.
Event Photographer
We have an event photographer along the route and the photos can be found at robbarkerimages.com on the Tuesday following the event.
Showers are at the leisure centre. It’s open Fri to 19.00, Sat 08.00-18.00 and Sun 08.30-18.00. Tell them that you are with the Enduro – they will charge you £1.20 and excuse the filth.

Keep an eye on the Dyfi MTB Events Facebook page for last minute news.

The Dyfi Enduro Collective..

Anyone had the final event update yet? The last email said it would be sent out two weeks before the event.

Google found heartbleed.

I’ve stripped ours apart three times. Once to fix the remote switch (corrosion) and twice to extract the remains of a sanitary towel from the macerator.

It’s pretty easy. You will get water everywhere though. If you want to get to the electrical bit, you’ll need a tri-wing screwdiver.