Kona Mash-up

Just realised I never said how I got on in the Mash-up. Well, it was, for me, a very satisfying 54th out of 219 (The official results sheet has a numbering error in it and shows me as 52nd overall, but there were 2 girls faster than me making me 54th out of the total 219). I never expected such a result! I compared very favourably with some of my friends who I considered as very superior benchmarks. I'm thinking of getting a Gravity Dropper seatpost which would have allowed me to adjust seat height on the fly. I reckon that would have easily saved a few seconds on all my times and given me another half dozen or so places :-) Am I taking it too seriously!? :-D

The Pentre Ifan burial chamber

I visited this burial site as little detour at the backend of my Preseli Mountains route. It's a 3 and a half thousand year old neolithic dolmen. It's one of Wales' largest and best preserved. This is the roof balanced apparently, precariously on it's vertical supports. Originally it would have been covered with an exterior made from dry stone walling.

Pentre Ifan with Carningli Common in the background


A 16 ton stone slab supported by three upright stones. How!? 3500 years ago! How!?


Pentre Ifan framing Carningli common.

More Preseli Mountain Photos

This time I'm Uploading these from my PC rather than my phone. It's easier and I can format the posts better.

The view over Cwm Gwaun from Cerrig Lladron.


The descent into Bwlch Ungwr and Carnmenyn beyond it.


Carn Bica


The (badly stitched) panorama of Foel Cwmcerwyn and Foel Feddau from Carn Sian.

Preseli Mountains photos

The peak on the left is Foel Cwmcerwyn 526m. My route took of onto the shoulders of that peak at about 480m then down and up onto the 467m summit of Foel Feddau on the right.

Preseli Mountains photos

The route forward over the next two peaks. Not actually as daunting as it looks here!

Preseli Mountains photos.

Looking back from the shoulders of Cerrig Lladron towards Carningli Common along the way I'd come, and knowing I'd started from Newport just the other side, I got a huge sense of achievement. Especially considering it felt like there was a lot further to go.

A true epic

Rode the Preseli ridge bridleway today. What an awesome route. I started in Newport village centre and headed up alongside Carningli Common, which is an impressive rocky outcrop on the end of the ridge above Newport. The route took me down into a valley via a scary fast, lightly technical bridleway. Speed and lack of foresight resulted in a minor tangle with a closed gate! Then I began the big climb into the Preselis. Often pushing, I made the partial ascent of Cerrig Lladron, then skirted round the summit before dropping a little down to the road through the pass.

Roughly following the bridleway I climbed and pushed my way onto the shoulder of Foel Cwmcerwyn, before dropping into the saddle between and climbing the next peak, Foel Feddau. Here was a stunning view (pictured) and lunch!

A superb descent followed, where I re-learnt how trail centres have a predictability about them that you can never rely on out in the wild. Several times I flew over ditches and sheep hollows without seeing them until the very last moment!

After a tortuous push up Carn Sian I was greeted by the humbling splendor of Carn Bica. Now I felt as though the return leg was about to begin. A pair of fast but technically demanding descents down to the car park at the north eastern end of the ridge kind of marked the end, now I was to tire.

After that came a rather annoying traverse around Foel Drygarn which was worsened by a boggy descent to a gravel track. The descent down the track, however, was worth doing.

Now was a mostly tired tarmac trudge back to Newport. However I opted to do a detour via the Pentre Ifan burial chamber and a bridleway down through the Pentre Ifan woods. And what a worthwhile detour it was too! Finally, after a mainly downhill tarmac sprint I made Newport feeling tired, dehydrated and on a high! I only wish I'd made Newport earlier and found a cafe to chil out in and get my breathe back. Maybe next time ;-)

Nostalgia!!

Found an ancient GT Avalanche in Newport village in West Wales yesterday. My first significant bike was one of these with an early set of Rock Shox Mag 20 forks. It was propped up outside a shop and belonged to a foreign girl who rather embarrassingly turned up while I was photographing her bike!! I guess she correctly assumed I was a loon, despite inarticulate attempts to explain I had one 15 years ago and that it brought back fond memories!!

This one was the fully rigid version with adjustable geometry forks. It has had luggage racks, a narrower bar and adjustable stem fitted. I don't think they started life with Shimano XT components, I think that's a later addition.

Idyllic!!

This is the view from the front veranda of our cottage. They don't have Afan Argoed, but they have some stunning coastal views!!

Hankering after the Preselis

Everywhere I go I seem to get a view of the Preseli Mountains. i know there's some good riding in them thar hills, but I'm not sure where exactly. Still, the hankering may yet drive me to give the Preselis a try before the holiday's out.

A thisiswhy moment.

Did a 40km XC ride around the north of Cardigan today. And what a corker, great weather, good trails. And what's more, I'm not feeling too bad post-ride. Makes a change from Sunday's ride. I've been experimenting with energy bars and recovery drinks and when I got back Sunday I came down with a blinding headache and was actually sick. Not sure what caused it, but I suspect it was good old fashioned dehydration. If not that then it would be the Zipvit recovery drink but I doubt it.

(www.thisiswhy.co.uk)

Afon Doethie and Cwm-y-Rhaiadr - the perfect combo.

Some mates and I met up yesterday and rode the Doethie Valley/Llyn Brianne loop. Lots of gravel road climbing then the superb Doethie Valley singletrack bridleway. After that we headed down the road to the Cwm-y-Rhaiadr trail centre. The 7km feature rich red loop is a perfect finish to the day if you've got the legs for it!! The picture was taken near the top where the view is fantastic.

What was really good was that when I organised this, I thought only 2-3 of us would show up. As it happened there were 6 of up which made for a superb day out.

I'm spending a week in West Wales. So planning a number of XC rides in the area. Should be a superb week.

More Kona Mash-up pictures.

My Bike


Couple of my friends on the long haul back from the Black Run


Me


One of my friends shifting on a retro mid 90's championship downhill bike.


Another of my friends shifting!

Photos courtesy of EvilGoose.

And we all got mashed up!!

I went for it! I rode the Kona Mash-up. My first race in something like 17 years!! It was excellent I feel I can hold my head high. Through sheer balls out speed I managed to clock an absolutely superb time down the Black Run, in one attempt. I had 2 attempts at each of the other 2 sections and rode them at 100%. So I should have respectable times off those too.

The picture is from the refueling station at the summit. The atmosphere up there was electric, I loved it!! Our little gang is in the photo. They suffered quite a few problems. Falls, punctures and worse of all timing problems, with the chips not triggering the detector. They still didn't get that fully right in spite of last year's problems.

Think I can do it.

Looks like I will be OK enough to ride the Mash-up. Disappointingly I won't be on top form, but I think I'll give it a whirl.

Whites Bites!!

Went up Whites Level on Sunday to scope out some lines for the Mash-Up. At this point I'd been up and down the Black Run a couple of times and produced good consistent times. Shortly after this on the first of an intended 2 runs on Windy Point I stacked it, AGAIN!!

After a short while licking my wounds and feeling sorry for myself and mad with myself in turns, I pressed on down to Glyncorrwg Ponds. I did manage to push it a little along Darkside, just to try and make sure I was still "on the horse". Again considering I wasn't fully in the zone the time was OK.

By now (Monday) I'm hurting all over! And I'm really concerned I won't be OK to ride the Mash-UP!!

Kona Mash-Up

Finally decided to take the plunge and put my name down for the Kona Mash-Up. I've had my eye on it for weeks and eventually managed to test my times on Whites at the weekend. My times were respectable compared to last years, so I figured it was worth giving it a shot. "Respectable" to me is 3rd quartile. I know the competition should hot up this after the Mash-ups good reviews last year, however I'm still hopeful for a respectable finish. If I can get a 2nd quartile finish I'll wet myself!

It'll be interesting to see how much my competitive spirit will drive me. It's 17 or 18 years since I last competed in a mountain biking event. In those days I was following the cross country scene and the competitiveness exhibited itself as pushing the bounds of fitness. This is like a downhill event and whilst fitness will play a major part, sheer balls and bike skills will be much more at the fore than in an XC event. I shall get up to Whites and scope some lines before the event!