WRT 24 thanks

[MarkW]

Thanks to Stu and Dee for organising another great event. Seems they even ordered some good weather this year.

I missed the weigh in, expecting to get heaviest bike with 65.5kg /144 lbs (including trailer & 4 year old child)
The TLS approach failed when colouring books and stuffed bears were added!

Thanks also to Neil for the loan of power bank. That allowed full coverage of pictures and bedtime calls home to mum. Much appreciated.

Also to Karl for being so welcoming when we turned up on their patch

Taylor for the bivvy spot tip.

Also Mike and co after that horrible wet, muddy, boggy uphill path that lead to a non existent path through the woods (at SH972098) They showed up just as I had exhausted myself and was starting to lose it. Having a bit of a scout ahead to see if we could get through, saved a lot more unnecessary effort and just their presence helped reassure me that I wasn't the only one crazy enough to try that route!

Both me and the little one had a great time and she apparently wants to go again next year. However after 98km with 2210m of ascent lugging 65kg around my legs seem to disagree

[AndreR]

I'll add another big thanks to Dee and Stu for organizing what has become my favorite event of the year! Another brilliant edition helped in no small part by Mr Climber and his intrepid gang who put up with me and were great fun to ride and bivi with over the weekend. Sleeping yards from a septic tank on Sunday night being a particular highlight!! Looking forward to next year already!

[jameso]

Aim of the weekend was dinner at the stores near lake Vyrnwy, thanks to them for staying open, good work JC for tipping them off and to try to get up to the top of the Berwyns or Wayfarer's route.

Bivied by the lake after a pint at the hotel then on Saturday morning took that lovely track up towards Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant for coffee



Rode up to a high point,


took a cheeky trail sort of descent down to a big waterfall and an ice cream,



then a push/carry up to the top of Caider (sorry Cadair) Berwyn to bag the highest Grid Ref




The descent down wasn't the one I'd mapped out -usual non-existent bridleway thing- so we followed a great trail all the way to the Wayfarer's track then finished the descent on that. You can guess from the pic ofd the 2 bikes at the trig point who was fastest down the hill Stopped for pint in the sunshine near Bala, got a Chinese takeaway for dinner then rode up towards the Bwlch-y-Groes descent where we struggled to find a decent bivi spot, got one about 9.30pm most of the way up. On Sunday morning the descent of the Bwlch-y-Groes woke me up! Took in an excellent forestry track to get us toward the lane next to Afon Tafalog on the way back to HQ on Monday morning.
Great to see a some folk again for the first time in ages and I really enjoyed the result of GR-inspired routing and reality on the ground. Love these wing-it kind of rides and getting the weather that made a big mountain day possible was a highlight. Wondering why I'd been so slack to not have made it up over there in recent years. Cheers Stu and Dee, thanks for all you do there keeping bikepacking real.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Very glad someone made the effort for that one James - I belief the rewards justified that effort

[Boab]

Also Mike and co after that horrible wet, muddy, boggy uphill path that lead to a non existent path through the woods (at SH972098) They showed up just as I had exhausted myself and was starting to lose it. Having a bit of a scout ahead to see if we could get through, saved a lot more unnecessary effort and just their presence helped reassure me that I wasn't the only one crazy enough to try that route!

I did that last year, and mentioned it was bad in the Wynnstay on the Friday night.

Eventually we made it back to solid ground and I resolved to never ride that track ever again; unless it reappears on a BB200 route, natch.

Top effort dragging that trailer around though.

[Bearbonesnorm]

As we're doing thank yous ... due to the efforts of all involved the Air Ambulance is better off to the tune of £2848 this morning.

Riders - who continue to turn up even after 16 years. No riders, then it doesn't happen.

Sponsors - new and old. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to take the p1ss for a good half hour. See T shirt for details of this years.

Matt and Taylor ... for their continued help year on year.

Karl, Cat and Reg for stepping up for lonely hearts duties ...not always an easy task.

Collette and her lovely baps.

Especially Dee who is perhaps the most important part of the entire thing ... T shirt design and sorting out. Two weeks of baking and the hundreds of other jobs and tasks which largely go unseen but make the entire circus look quite straightforward.

[godivatrailrider]

Massive thanks to all involved but especially Dee & Stu. Best event of the year for sure.

[benp1]

Thanks to everyone involved, particularly Stu and Dee, it's a great event

Despite ticking off quite a few of the GRs (or passing very close by), we didn't see many riders over the weekend, which was a surprise/shame. But the weather was far better than expected and I didn't wear my waterproof at all. Plus there were more pubs on this years route which is always nice

[Boab]

Thanks Dee and Stu!

Despite ticking off quite a few of the GRs (or passing very close by), we didn't see many riders over the weekend, which was a surprise/shame. But the weather was far better than expected and I didn't wear my waterproof at all. Plus there were more pubs on this years route which is always nice

I saw more people going the wrong way on Saturday afternoon (> 10), than I saw for the rest of the weekend (3 on Sunday, 0 on Monday).

[benp1]

I think you were the only person we saw on Sunday - outside the pub in the Lake Vyrnwy hotel, that wasn't serving food and was the whole point of cycling up that climb!

[godivatrailrider]

We saw virtually no-one but then we headed in the opposite direction to the GR's, out the back of Stu's and up and over to Nant yr Arian, then Nant Syddion Bothy, and back through Hafren on Sunday. We all had commitments on Monday so a Lite was required this year.

[macinblack]

Another year, another event that has left me with a warm glow.



Many thanks to Cat and Karl a weekend of miles and smiles.
Well done Martin.
Good luck Duncan.

Big sloppy kiss to Dee and Stu.

[Leerowe76]

Huge thanks to Dee, Stu and all the helpers Proper ace weekend