MTB Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury

Getting Ready for Traws Eryri

Alan Cole — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:38:00 +0000

A while ago, Mike asked if I fancied doing Traws Eryri with him. I’m not entirely sure whether this was an invitation or revenge. A couple of years ago, we did the OMM together, and, depending on which version of events you believe, I either pushed us both rather enthusiastically or nearly broke him. Either...

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Bees, Bikes, Burgers, Beers and Buttocks

Alan Cole — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:31 +0000

The amazing summer weather continues. We haven’t seen a drop of rain for almost three weeks now, and every day has been either hot or very hot. The sea is lovely, the grass is yellow and the trails are dusty. We’re recycling bath water each day to give the struggling garden plants a drink and,...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Reaching the Caribbean

Alan Cole — Tue, 26 May 2026 06:37:55 +0000

Today was the day we would finally reach the Caribbean coast and complete our coast-to-coast journey across Costa Rica. The Pacific now felt a very long way away as we prepared for the final push. Early Start We had another early start, which suited me perfectly. Everyone else had been going to bed incredibly early...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – From Sugarcane Fields to Rafting in the Rainforest

Alan Cole — Sat, 23 May 2026 05:32:33 +0000

The Road to Rio Pacuare I slept a bit, but not much, so I was thankful for a fairly early start today and a quick breakfast in the hall before climbing back onto our bikes once again. We started with a pleasant ride along easy roads beside the Rio Pejivalle and then through endless sugar...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Into the Interior

Alan Cole — Fri, 22 May 2026 07:42:33 +0000

Early Morning Stroll After a fairly relaxing night at the Rio Perlas Resort, I was up early for a wander through the grounds. Oropendola birds could be heard and seen in the trees, and the vegetation was amazing. I checked out the pools, hot tubs, and little natural lake, simply strolling around marvelling at the...

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Costa Rica Coast to Coast – Over the Continental Divide

Alan Cole — Thu, 21 May 2026 06:06:00 +0000

Today was the day we tackled the Continental Divide, billed as the big day of our Costa Rica Coast to Coast adventure. All of the reviews and anecdotal stories suggested that the climb on the bike would be really tough. From what I’d heard, everyone had to get off and push at some stage as...

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Costa Rica – The Coast to Coast Adventure Begins

Alan Cole — Tue, 19 May 2026 07:43:14 +0000

I managed to sleep a little in the hotel in Quepos, but not much. Fortunately, I’m quite used to this and function pretty well on next to no sleep, so I felt fine. We started the day with a nice breakfast, and then I pfaffed about with my bike for a while as I’d brought...

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Ralltgoed MTB Ride

Alan Cole — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 05:42:48 +0000

A Stop-Start Winter for Thursday Night Rides Our Thursday night MTB rides have been a bit hit and miss so far this year. The dark nights, cold temperatures, and particularly the wet, windy conditions have kept enthusiasm low. One week it was just Lorraine and me; the following week I turned up and no one...

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Finding My Way in the Dark (Again)

Alan Cole — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 10:54:01 +0000

I’ve been heading out on MTB night rides again lately. It’s something I used to do religiously every week, but it fell by the wayside while I was triathlon training and then dropped off the radar completely after my heart attack. Recently, though, I’ve decided it’s a good way to ease myself back into some...

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New Bike Day – Is it Better?

Alan Cole — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 11:02:52 +0000

It’s been years since I had a new bike, but having started doing some night rides lately, I thought it was time to rectify that situation. I’d been joining the night riders on my Whyte 901, which was fine. As a trail-oriented hardtail it was probably the perfect machine for the sort of rides we...

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