A Quality Ride Somewhere in Wales :o)

Right, some weeks back i promised you all that i'd post another one of my favourite routes in Wales.. well here it is.. I love this ride to bits, the trail is always well empty, in fact you're more likely to bump into a small group of nudist ramblers than see another biker... Its so freakin quality, gnarly and filled with just downright dirty fun that i've decided to keep its location from the masses a sort of secret for a little longer (if you fancy giving it a stab and swear by the bikers oath that you will not tell everyone of its location then send me an email and i'll give you directions).. The pics below are filled with loads of clues to its location but what i will say is that its got everything, stunning views, full exposure to the weathers, fast decents, heavy duty carry-ups, steep road sections, uphill riding to the point where you want to vomit and if you extend the ride out a bit, a stonking boozer followed by a 6km flat wind-down.. In total its about 45kms and rises from sea level to about 600m in approx 6kms. It then drops several hundred metres before you do it all again to cross back over the ridge you have just decended from.. cool or what!

Pics 1 & 2 - My mate hooking up a couple of quality climbs.

Pic 3 - My shadow

Pic 4 - Awesome climbs with proper mix of carry up and rideable sections

Pic 5 - Need i say more... freakin stunning...

I'll let you guess for yourself what the downhill sections are like.. What i will say is its a fusion of fast grassy singletrack and small technical sections riddled with babies heads and death cookies. Hope the pics appear ok on your screen, they were only taken with a mobile phone.. have a great weekend all and be safe...

Thanks to everyone who has asked how my damaged arm is recovering

Just a quick message to say thanks to everyone who has emailed me to ask how the arm and wrists are coming on since the accident (you can see pictures in an earlier blog entry).

Its amazing how you go out day after day, year after year, pushing the fine line between a mad ride and getting home in one piece then all of a sudden your number gets called, and you end up having an interview with the tarmac or a tree. Its also incredible how long things take to recover. Jan 06 to May 06 has got to be the worst 4 months of my entire biking history. When June arrived, wow, it was so good to get back into it. It was well strange spending time out of the biking scene. People would come up to me and say things like 'you'll be able to chill now and watch dvds while the bone heals or read some books... what the hell is that all about!!!!!!! Seriously, i felt like someone had taken away a piece of my soul, it was so so strange, i didnt want to watch telly, i was more concerned about how quick i could get on that bike and get out of the house. Anyway, the good news is that i dont think its had a heavy knock on effect on the way i ride. I anticipated having a major fear sensation approaching high speed corners while on the first few outings but i'm not backing off that much at all, just airing slightly on the side of caution this season so i can work the weights over the winter and get everything back in order for 2007 :o)

Thanks again everybody, I'll try and post some info to my favourite North Wales rides etc in the coming weeks, its been mad busy at work and i'm trying to slot in any spare hours out on the trails :o)

Biking + Carrier Bags + Front Wheel = Smashed Face

Bit of a quick rant here -

While out training this morning i saw someone tanking down a country lane with carrier bags hanging from the handlebars.. baddddddddd.. :o( Just remember its not big and its not clever and one day those bags will end up between your spokes or ya front forks and result in you having some full on facial surgery. If you're going to hurt yaself, at least do it on a proper day out :o)