Bob meets Zingzam…

Zingzam vs. Open Source:

Zingzam vs. Ning:

Not wanting to start the riding with a hangover, after 2 pints i scanned the lighter options at the bar for something I thought I could get away with. “Ahh, how about a Mojito?” I announced. Nice try. Mark and Andy were very firm that ordering such beverages was not going to be part of the weekends activities. I managed to get away with a G&T…

Having last year felt the full force of each and every bump and scraped the skin off the inside of my thumbs from holding on for dear life to my v-brake levers, I decided to take the opportunity to try a full suspension bike for the weekend. So I rented a KHS from Afan Valley Bike Hire. This turned out to be a great decision as not only was the riding experience completely transformed but also the bike was delivered to our B&B early on the Saturday morning and I didn’t even have to wash it! I’d recommend hiring one of these to anyone thinking about riding at Afan who (like myself) doesn’t do enough technical riding to justify buying their own full suspension bike.

The weekend wasn’t without incident though. Chris had various mechanical failures – a broken chain in the first 30 seconds, numerous chain derailments and a rear derailleur fall to pieces half way round the Skyline. Thankfully, Mark was ready to help out with his trusty chain removal tool and all problems could be fixed on the trail. Not so for Mark himself though who suffered a leak and subsequent loss of all brake fluid in his rear brake. We were just half way up the first hill at the time so it was down to the shop at Glyncorrwg for repairs for him. Andy managed to fall off (also whilst climbing the first hill) and damage his thumb to the point where he couldn’t use it to grip the handle bars or change gear. He valiantly continued on and completed the skyline using his left hand to change both sets of gears.

My ride was incident free, though I did find by the end of the weekend I had suffered an onslaught of mosquito bites… over 100 PER LEG (I tried to count and gave up at 100), plus plenty more on the arms, neck and head. Thank goodness for my nice tight cycling shorts stopping them from getting anywhere else! The day after the trip I had to resort to spreading Anthisan over my legs like it was sun cream to try to stem the itching. All is good now though and despite the incidents we will definitely go back next year for more (though I will be wearing Jungle Formula insect repellent)…

Finally – although I did not actively seek sponsorship myself for this event – if you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause – you can do so easily online at Michael’s sponsorship page – it’s not too late! You can also read Michael’s account of the walk.

Till tomorrow then – time to consume a whole load of pasta before the 2 hour drive up to Avebury where we are spending the night before an early start tomorrow!

The unusual bikes consisted of 1 tandem, 1 single speed recumbent trike, 1 hand cycle and 1 trandem. The hand cycle is best described as a wheel chair with a single front wheel on a steering column with pedals instead of handlebars! The trandem is similar, but with an additional rider behind (with foot pedals). The 9 participants swapped around bikes – so it was an all over body work out for all.

All of the unusual bikes were great fun to ride – though a whole lot tougher to ride up the hills of the Lake District than a normal bike – hence why the trip was a 24 hour event! (we did have 2 hours sleep in a tent) For the serious hills like Birker Fell, Cold Fell, Matterdale End, Whinlatter Pass and Kirkstone Pass we employed various strategies to get these bikes up them. These included others helping to push and pull – both mounted on normal bikes, and for the steepest – walking.

The event was to raise money for the Bethesda project – which will be setting up an outdoor activities centre specialising in people with disabilities in Burundi, Africa. Find out more about the Bethesda Project and support it if you can.

The night was spent in a B&B in Port Talbot – a town that although not blessed with beauty or wealth was nonetheless worth a visit for the experience (£9 for 7 drinks). The B&B also provided sherry in our room!

Day 2 was pure adrenaline on the White’s Level trail up the road with an hour and a half of technical climbing, followed by enough downhill that we were struggling to hold on to our bars by the end (I have blisters on my thumbs). Everyone came off the bike except me – I’m the cautious one (and therefore not that fast!) but all walked away without injury and a big grin on their face. We can’t wait to go back!