Everyone was looking forward to the Coed y Brenin Enduro,\u00a0especially\u00a0after the warmest and driest week on record for this time of year. We were hoping for fast, dry and dusty trails.<\/p>\n
Jay and Beale came up from Bristol on Saturday afternoon and stayed with us. We all walked over to the beach and went out for a nice little surf in the sunshine on Saturday afternoon. The waves weren’t huge but I think it was the perfect way for them to chill after the drive \u00a0up and I caught the odd little wave to play on as well.<\/p>\n
Back at the house I cooked a big curry for dinner and Jon arrived. I was giving him a lift to Coed y Brenin and had decided it would be easier for him to stay overnight as well rather than have to drive into Aberystwyth early in the morning to get him. So, he got the train to Borth and cycled up to Ynyslas on a bike with tyres that were very much inflated.<\/p>\n
The curry and beers went down well and after some rubbish on the TV we all went off to bed.<\/p>\n
I was up early of course (before 5am) and had to get the others up after a while so that we could have breakfast (I actually had two) before setting off for the drive to Coed y Brenin at 7.30am. As we got Jons bike out of the shed the rear tyre was flat. He quickly pumped it up and all seemed OK.<\/p>\n
There were plenty of other people that we know doing the Enduro as well, so when we arrived it was time for registration, another breakfast in the form of a bacon roll (breakfast number 3 for me) and time for a chat with everyone else. Dave, John, Pete, Matt, Shem, Mike and Mike were all there from our neck of the woods as were a contingent from the uni MTB club and I saw Darren (BEFS) too.<\/p>\n
We pfaffed with Jons tyres for a while as they still weren’t sealing, but before long we were all ready for the off. Out of the people we know, Pete and Matt started somewhere near the front, John wasn’t far behind them, then Jon, Dave and I started somewhere in the middle of the pack and Jat=y and Beale were off towards the back. The sun had yet to appear and everything was looking a little grey.<\/p>\n
It was a nice relaxed start, with us all chatting away in the middle of the pack, enjoying the scenery and having a laugh. On the first rocky climb I came up behind someone weaving all over the place trying to keep going, I slowed down and tried to guess where he was going next but in the end had to dismount as he virtually fell off in front of me. I then realised that is was John!<\/p>\n
I had a little chat with him as Dave and Jon headed off up the road for a little bit.\u00a0Jon held back for me but I told him not to wait, He said he was in no hurry, so as I headed off to catch Dave up \u00a0I seemed to leave him behind. It turns out that his tyre had gone flat and he borrowed a pump from John to pump them up. Jay had had a flat as well and ended up right at the very back of the pack, along with the marshall collecting the signs in.<\/p>\n
Dave and I continued on together for a bit but we got split up a little further in and I ended up pressing on on my own. Much of the course was away from the trail centre on private land. There were some horrible grassy, boggy climbs that had everyone off and pushing, some slidey, rooty descents, some sections of built trail centre single track, some exposed moorland double track, some tarmac, loose slaty descent and climbs, rocky climb and descents and just about everything else you could think of, including a silly steep descent and a stream crossing and narrow little descent with a big drop off to the side.<\/p>\n
I stopped at the first feed station for a camelbak refill, a sausage roll and a couple of flapjacks but as Dave hadn’t arrived by the time I finished I didn’t wait around for him and continued on my way.<\/p>\n
At the split I turned left to do the longer route and continued on my way which included a big long climb. I think I may have overdone things on the re-hydrating though as I had to stop for a wee at least three times. I felt good all the way around though and was soon back at the feed station for a second time. I’d been looking forward to another sausage roll but they had all gone so I had to make do with another delicious flapjack before heading off towards the finish.<\/p>\n
Not far to go now so I pushed a little harder and made up quite a few places on the final little climb. One last nice little bit of trail centre single track and that was it, all over with and I got a mug and some tyre levers for my efforts.<\/p>\n
Jay and Beale were already back, having only done the shorter loop. Pete and Matt were back as well, having gone around pretty quickly somewhere near the front of the pack. Jon rolled in next, having only done the shorter route, but having borrowed a pump from John, a tube from Beale and having had countless tyre issues. Dave was next in having done the longer route. We didn’t see John return. Jon and I waited around for him but never saw him. He did get back though and I think he too did the longer route.<\/p>\n
All in all a good day out and nice to ride some different trails, although the best bits were the bits on the proper trail centre sections. A nice relaxed day though and nice to do such an event without feeling the need to ‘race’.<\/p>\n