A big thank you to everyone who came and took part in Mach' n Back. Without enthusiastic and quite frankly trusting riders, these things don't work, so congratulate yourselves on a job well done

Great event as always Stu. Really chilled out event and great weather to boot perfect all around.

I was a tad cold last night but that was my fault for poor kit choice, I survived so no harm done :D

Thanks go out to you and Dee for the copious amount of tea and toast/cake as usual

The beanie hay was an added bonus too, dioch

Looking forward to WRT

So who's going to he the first to post a report and pics?

Brilliant weather, good company, very friendly event and lots learnt. Got rid of the solo night riding demons too. Thanks to Stu and Dee for and great event and the coffee and cake. Nice beanie too!

My crusade to ease the misery and suffering of the self inflicted rough sleeper, got off to a great start with the first meeting of bikepackers anonymous

Fantastic weekend all round: hat, tea, toast, ride, ale -(lots of), AC/DC, whiskey,cigars, fryup, ride, tea, cake ... And ofcourse great company..My cup runneth over!
Thanks for taking the time to make it happen!

Thanks Stu & Dee for another great weekend, and keeping me topped up with tea.

Also a big thanks to Taylor and Pete for putting up my tarp. Much better than my first attempt whilst freezing cold.

Glad to help chew.
Big thanks to Stu and Dee for another top weekend with no train spotting.

Fantastic weekend, thanks Stu & Dee! Well done everyone who took part, quite an adventure :)

http://iwillbebacksoon.blogspot.com/201 ... -2012.html

Frosty moring at Tarren Blwch-gwyn (just two Cardiff boys, Alan, Nick and me) -6 C on Nick's thermometer!
http://vimeo.com/35111809

Frosty morning ... -6 C

That's nothing, you should have seen the snow in Watford...

Thanks to all, especially Alan for finding my camera after my only uncontrolled dismount.

Great weekend, my first event like this and first proper ride on my new bike - so a fun but steep learning curve all round. Such a friendly event it was brilliant.

Will be back for more I think :D

48 miles, 8 waypoints, 2 bivi spots.

5 dancing on ice moments, chased by a 3 legged dog, 1 litre of river water drank, 1 puncture and last one in on Sunday afternoon

wrecked.

G

Ian wrote:

Frosty morning ... -6 C

That's nothing, you should have seen the snow in Watford...

I spent my weekend looking after my sister's kids, slightly more pressing than riding bikes. Still at least she wasn't as dramatic as last time and got a free ride.

Cheers to Dee & Stuart for the cake, tea & the event

T'was nice to meet a few more people from the forum(s) and beyond.

I had a splendid night's sleep on the Saturday. In fact, I reckon that it hardly dropped below zero in the forest as my water bottle didn't freeze (unlike the previous night in the van). It was, however, certainly cold a few metres away on the exposed fire road 'cos all the puddles were frozen solid by early evening.

I'm currently sorting out my piccies at the Gnoment ( ) but some are here.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8308384@N0 ... 894074881/

Once again, thanks to all

Stu & Dee

Thanks for a relaxed and well oganised event again. Great to meet others out and about.


Hope to make the welsh ride if in the UK in June.


Clive (Alias Stanly) the geriatric from the north.

Nick wrote:Fantastic weekend, thanks Stu & Dee! Well done everyone who took part, quite an adventure :)

http://iwillbebacksoon.blogspot.com/201 ... -2012.html

Nick,

That was me after your fight through the forest :)

photo's here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 509&type=1

my night photo's didn't come out that well.

Thanks Stu and Dee, hopefully see you at the WRT.

G

Top event, great cake and coffee. Really enjoyed meeting a few like minded souls before, during and after, just wish I didn't have the southernmost bivvy spot to myself! Hip flask of whisky had me making my own entertainment though!

Top moments - climbing a few of the hills to be met by views as stunning as you could imagine.
Being asked by a women walking her dogs to go to the pub (on my own unfortunately - although she wasn't my type) (Star Inn in Dylife) instead of going up into the hills to sleep as it will be "-12 tonight". She said there'd be food and a log fire at the pub - nearly had me tempted!
Pitching at the bivvy spot and getting into a warm sleeping bag with the stove chucking out some heat.

Low moments - only one - struggling across a boggy tussocky grassy field thing to try to get to the Hafren forest bivvy, in the dark with only a small headtorch, with the GPS showing Low Battery, wondering when it was going to get serious!

Thanks Stu and Dee - it makes a real differemce to do a relaxed event with no racing involved!

(Star Inn in Dylife)

You had a lucky escape

Cheers all for a good weekend, the weather could not have been better for this time of year and it was good to meet up with various people at various places over the weekend.
On Saturday we managed a not very respectable 24miles, 5 waypoints, rode through the middle of a rabbit shoot which was a bit surreal, fell on my arse once whilst going down a a steep field, downed 5 pints and was treated to a free firework display which could be heard off in the distance as we were bedding down for a cold nights not kip at the bivvy spot north of Mach.
20 miles on Sunday saw us unintentionally picking up waypoint 8 at the top of a long climb out of Mach ( the original route planned was for a short ish run back all on the road but a turn was missed....), once I was up there I realised I had been there before in May 2010 on a Bangor to Tenby ride, it was grim then and one of the lads with us almost got hypothermia on the descent down towards Llandiloes, this time it was even colder with the added excitement of the odd ice patch on the road....

Day 1 route here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142290548
Day 2 route here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142290567

See you in June for the WRT.

griffdowg wrote:
That was me after your fight through the forest :)

Ahh, good to meet you fella, nice pics too. See you on the WRT (thanks for not mentioning I went off in exactly the wrong direction then had to come back past you)

I spent my weekend looking after my sister's kids, slightly more pressing than riding bikes

That's a pity, as you seemed all fired up and well prepared for the event. Hope your sister is back to good health soon :)

Thanks to Stuart and Dee for organising the event and everybody else making the event a degree of fun. Think I would have been quicker on foot for most of Saturday;-). The climb to the bivy spot North of Mach was a bit of a climb as well. Nice and warm up in the forest sleeping inbetween EnduroMark and Ken.

See you all in June.

Not having done it, thanks to all who have posted pics etc.