Tim Corrigan blogs on cycling, trips and programming…

Team A’s third visit to Afan this year was as usual packed full of incidents. By now the B&B parking routine seemed like an old friend (you can only really appreciate this if you’ve been there but essentially parking dominates the first evening).This time both Chris and I hired full suspension bikes, leaving only Andy on a hard tail and we stuck to the best two trails: The Wall and Whites Level.

I also spent much of the first evening in the pub being ridiculed for apparently ordering a Pina Colada last year. However, now I check back to last year’s writeup I realise it was actually a Mojito which is so much more manly and underserving of criticism. We also realised that – since he has been on EVERY SINGLE group bike trip I’ve ever organised, Andy is probably a completely imaginary friend of mine because that’s totally implausible. Chris and Mark may well be imaginary as well (there are people other than me in the video right?!).

So anyway onto the incidents:

• Chris broke his chain. (Just like last time!)
• Mark also broke his chain several times and had to take a link out each time. With his chain getting shorter by the minute, after the first morning Mark took his bike for it’s annual service at the shop at Glyncorrwg. (just like last time!)
• I got bitten by mosquitos (just like last time – though I was wearing repellent so I managed to keep it to around 30 bites this year)
• Andy fell off (who can believe it – just like last time!) At least this year it wasn’t on the very first section.
• With a grazed body and swollen knee from falling on rock, Andy managed to soldier on and ride the rest of the first day but ducked out of the second day (yep – just like last time). Next year body armour for Andy!

Anyway this year, instead of photos – we have video! This should hopefully give people an idea of what it’s like mountain biking at a custom built trail center. Think: endless, glorious single track, challenging technical stuff and awesome downhill but of course – you have to get up the hill first…