Well last weekend saw SSUK take place in sunniest Wales. I decided that seeing it was on home turf I'd ride down rather than drive. So 11.00am Friday saw me set off from Forest Freeride Towers on yet another loaded single speed (the monster cross was having a weekend off). The idea was to keep riding south until I'd had enough, bivvy under the stars for the night before a final leg on Saturday morning.
Surprisingly everything went pretty much to plan. The slightly vague route I had in mind turned out to be a winner, the detour into the Doethie valley was a real gem, steep, twisty and narrow and lined with brake grabbing ferns!
I threw the towel in around 8.15pm, after all I'd been riding since 11.00 with two five minute stops and a ten minute one to grab a brew. Bike unpacked, tarp up and it started to rain which was perfect timing as it was just the excuse needed to climb in side my bivvy bag and try to stop my legs from turning imaginary pedals. Morning arrived quickly but any thoughts I'd had about a leisurely start also left quickly ... the midges were some of the worst I've ever had the pleasure of breathing in!
10 miles further and I was done, I rolled into the campsite around 8.30 to be greeted by what seemed to be the worlds biggest bacon butty and copious tea. All I had to do now was stay awake until the "race" at 2.00.
The course was pretty good, half climbing (the first half) followed by a fantastic and very long descent ... superb fun, the braking bump and rigid fork combo' helping keep the concentration levels nice and high. The evening saw me talking bikes with old customers, veteran WRT riders and a vast selection of other one geared weirdos ... as you can imagine I had a great time.
No comments:
Post a Comment