Welsh Rain Thing

I think my game plan was wrong from the start. I’d spent so much time on kit choice and faffing that I failed to properly plan my weekend and get my head into the right place for what should be a relaxed event.

That being said, the weather didn’t help. I set off on Saturday morning with an excited knot in my stomach at the prospect of what lay ahead. I knew that I’d probably packed too much food but wanted to cover all bases with the knowledge that I could be completely self sufficient for the weekend.

My hardtail bike was prepared and having been undecided on whether to use a bivi bag and tarp or opt for a tent, I decided that with the heavy rain that was forecast, a tent would offer a more relaxed experience and give me sufficient shelter from the rain. There was a massive weight penalty though of about 1.8kg because the only small tent I own is an old 2 person backpacking tent. The only saving grace was that the tent fitted snugly, strapped to the inside of my bike’s main triangle

After a nice and smooth journey, I arrived at Stu and Dee’s place for the scheduled start. They live in a lovely location and it’s hard not to be envious when you see the beautiful surroundings. There were plenty of raffle prizes on offer (sadly, I didn’t win any!) and bikes and kit were weighed. My stuff came in at a whopping 67lbs but I was carrying 2 litres of water and enough food for a small army.

We were sent on our merry way and headed out into the hills. I headed south and then east to the wind farm at Trannon. I’d been looking forward to seeing the wind farm but the climb up to it with a fully laden bike came as a shock. The remainder of the day was on gravel tracks and quiet roads with a particularly nasty bridleway which turned out to be a midge infested bog through the trees. I was immediately up to my calves which meant that my waterproof boots were now full of water as they filled up from the top. It was pretty unrideable so after all the hard work climbing, I had to drag the bike about a mile downhill. The views were spectacular though and at times I felt in the complete wilderness.

It was after the bog that I started pushing harder to reach Lake Vyrnwy. My planned route had the lake as my overnight bivi spot and I had it in my head that I was determined to reach it, which I did but at the cost of completely exhausting myself. I think the problem is that I’ve spent too much time road riding where distance and speed are a priority. I find it hard to take a step back and get it in my head that it’s not a race and because I couldn’t relax into the experience, I pushed too far when I would have been better off to stop in the Dyfi forest where I was a bit drier and have more rest.

Just as I approached the turn off for the lake road, I met a fellow rider who said that he’d heard of a farm further towards town where the farmer allowed camping for £2. I was so tired at this point that anywhere would have done so we headed straight there and were met by the farmer who allowed us to fill our water bottles from the tap outside his kitchen before I pitched my tent at the bottom of his field by a river. After cooking up some dinner and fighting with the midges, it was time for bed.

It rained all night and at times I woke up cold but fortunately, the tent stayed nice and dry. A wet start meant that everything got packed away wet and by the time I set off again, my heart really wasn’t in the ride. I started with the intention of a ride in the general direction of the start with a café stop before camping again but after the first few miles, I was struggling to warm up and knew that a wet night in the cold would be miserable so I took the easy option of a road ride back to the start and headed home for the night.

What did I learn?

Basically that mountain biking and bikepacking are two different kettles of fish. My route was too ambitious in the wet (probably in the dry too for that matter) and I should have scaled back my ambition sooner.

I need to relax and learn to enjoy these kind of things rather than pushing on when the whole ethos of the event is to have fun and enjoy it.

I think that next year, I will make sure I don’t ride alone as company will make the whole thing more enjoyable. I think a few more overnighters will help set me up into the right frame of mind to take things easier.

Kit that worked:

My Montane fireball smock and featherlite trousers were brilliant. The smock kept me nice and warm and boosted the rating of my sleeping bag while the trousers just took the chill off my legs. I slipped on a set of knee warmers underneath them as the evening got cooler.

The tent! Heavy in bikepacking terms but kept me nice and dry and afforded me the luxury of a large dry area to relax and unwind.

Garmin Etrex Hcx – I use this all the time for hiking so know how good it is. Meant that navigation was a doddle all weekend.

Alpkit dry bags. Everything stayed dry despite the downpour.

Kit that didn’t work:

Me.

Karrimor dry bag holding my first aid kit – FAIL!

A short camping mat - It would be unfair to say that the Base 120 mat from Alpkit didn’t work because it was adequate to sleep on. The only fail is that I opted for the short version which meant that my legs got cold during the night but this is poor kit choice on my part. I’ll be looking at alternatives in the near future.

Plan for next year:

Take less stuff!

I carried a lot of unnecessary clutter that I could have done without. I had a big hang up about powering my phone and ipod so carried a couple of spare phone batteries and a Vehu Pebble external battery pack. For 3+ days this might have been necessary but it was a bit OTT for what I did.

Carry less water. If I had a reliable filtration system like a Travel Tap, I’d have more confidence for carrying less as there was plenty of water laying around the place!

Carry less food. I was over cautious and carried too much.

Bike choice is open for debate next year too. Using a hard tail mountain bike was fine but a bit of a slog on the road and arguably a bit more than necessary for the predominant gravel tracks I was riding. I was glad to have gears, especially as I got more tired so was pleased that I hadn’t got round to converting the bike to singlespeed. I think with a set of wider tyres, my Specialized Sirrus hybrid could have worked and would have been lighter and more efficient. A few test rides off road will soon tell.

A better route choice with options to stop for food and more realistic daily targets will make all the difference next year, plus I need to learn to relax and enjoy the ride……..

Final preparations……

The Welsh Ride Thing is finally upon us and months of preparation have come to an end. Lately, I’ve been doing very little on the bike but have been getting out for more and more walks, which now means that a couple of the guys are taking great pleasure in calling me Rambler Dan and liking me to every person we see with a rucksack.
Last week, I went rock climbing with Hatt Adventures. It’s the first time I’ve ever tried it and I found that it was really enjoyable but very tough. I’d certainly like to do it again sometime but think I will do a few indoor bouldering sessions before I do another outdoor course. I certainly won’t be buying any kit though as I’ve spent enough already this year!

As the course was at Harrison’s Rocks in the middle of the woods, I decided that it would be good to test my bivvying gear prior to the WRT. Last week was especially hot and sticky but I managed to find a good spot and set up camp. The tarp was a struggle and as rain wasn’t forecast, I decided to ditch it and just sleep in the bivvy bag. After an hour of mozzies buzzing around my head (I’d forgotten the head net and mozzie spray), I decided that I’d had enough and got the pop-up tent out of the car which meant I had a better night sleep. The mat was as uncomfortable as I’d expected but my lightweight sleeping bag was ok, if a little chilly in the morning, which resulted on me adding a fleece around 6am.

I hadn’t appreciated just how bad I’d been bitten and by Friday night, one of my legs had ballooned. The doctor said I had a blood infection and so I’ve spend the last week on antibiotics, which in turn kept me off work as they’re a pretty strong dosage and upset my body a fair bit!

Anyway, so I’m all set for the weekend but it looks like it’s going to be a rainy one. I’m torn between using the bivvy and putting up with the rain and midges or whether to use my 2 person backpacking tent. It means a 1.4kg weight penalty but I know I’ll be more comfortable and happier in it, which will make the weekend more enjoyable.

I think unless the forecast drastically changes, I’ll opt for the tent. My route is all planned. I hope to cover approximately 100 miles over the 3 days but there are bail out points if I struggle. Having no knowledge of the area, I don’t know the kind of ground I’ll be covering so if it’s particularly boggy, I may struggle. I guess that’s why it’s so much of an adventure.

Precaution wise, I’ve set up Buddy Beacon so that I can be tracked as and when I have mobile signal and I’ll be carrying a good old map and compass as backup.

So my final(ish) kit list is:

Shelter/Sleep:
Eurohike Backpacker 210 tent or Rab Storm Bivvy and silnylon tarp.
Alpkit Base 120 mat
Lifeventure Downlight 600 sleeping bag
Exped pillow

Cooking/Food/Water:
MSR Pocket Rocket stove
125g gas canister
Lifeventure Ti Mug
Blacks solo panset
Spork
Lhoon (long handled ti spoon)
Lighter
Fire steel
1L camelback bladder
750ml bottle
Chlorine dioxide purification tablets
2 x dehydrated meals
1 x instant porridge
8 x brioche/raison roll/waffle (selection of for breakfasts/snacks)
5 x pepperami
1 packet cheese crackers
Cereal bars
Banana chips
Coffee sachets
Horlicks sachets
High 5 Zero electrolyte tablets

Clothing:
Montane fireball smock
Montane featherlight trousers
Regatta shorts
Cotton hat
Buff
Mosquito head net
2 x base layers
1 x pair evening socks
2 x riding socks (wearing 1)
Flip flops
2 x cycling jerseys (wearing 1)
2 x bib shorts (wearing 1)
Gloves
Arm warmers
Knee warmers
Waterproof jacket
Sunglasses
Paracord wristband with whistle buckle

Misc:
Etrex HCX gps
Spare AA batteries
OS map
Compass
Mapping on phone
Vehu Pebble external power pack
Spare phone battery
Alpkit Gamma headtorch
First aid kit
Alcohol hand gel
Biodegradeable wet wipes
Suncream
Anti-mozzie roll on
Ear plugs
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Microfibre towel
Book
Ipod shuffle
2 x inner tubes
1 x Park patch kit
Tyre levers
Multitool with chain breaker
Leatherman Charge Ti
Chain lube
Chain link
Pump
Gaffa Tape
Zip ties
Trowel

I’ll let you know how it goes…..

Spring has sprung....

Time to touch base with you all again and give you an update on what’s been happening….

The last few weeks have mainly been about spending time as a family. We’ve been to a few National Trust places which is always a nice day out and took the kids on a walk over the North Downs around Reigate Fort. This past weekend, we went to Birling Gap on the south coast and were graced with some beautiful weather considering the time of year. Always a bit nervous having a 4 year old near a cliff edge! Great views and a nice potential spot for some wild camping.

 
I’ve been getting out on the bike a bit more, mixing things up between road and mountain bike. The warm weather is making me favour the road bike again. It’s good to get some decent miles in and try to build up a bit of fitness. I think the yoga has helped with my flexibility on the bike, I seem to be able to get lower to the bars and more comfortable. I don’t think I’ll ever be a yoga master but I can certainly see the benefits of it so I’ll continue with it as every little helps!

I will be taking a break from signing up for a block yoga course though as it’s quite a commitment and with the light evenings now, I want to be out riding more. I’ll still drop into the classes on an ad hoc basis but I have other priorities at the moment.
 

I need to do some overnight trips in preparation for the Welsh Ride Thing and I’m gonna have a crack at doing the 90 day P90X workout to get fitter for the summer which is a massive commitment in itself! I’ll supplement some of the cardio sessions for riding though which means I just have to fit in 60 minutes a day on the other days. There’s a yoga session too as part of the structure so that will ensure I keep the up with the yoga before booking back onto the course later in the summer.

Plans for the Welsh Ride Thing are slowly improving. I’ve got all my kit now and tried it on the bike last week. I’ve used the Eurohike down bag a few times indoors over winter and have been absolutely roasting! For this reason, I think it will be too hot for Wales in June so have got a lightweight Lifeventure Downlight 660 bag which weighs in around 700g. It packs very small and is lighter than the Eurohike bag and means I can get everything in the dry bag on the handlebars. I’ll post some pictures of the loaded bike when I load it up again as I forgot to take any this time. If the weather is too cold, I can sleep in my Montane Fireball smock as I’ll be carrying it anyway. The sleeping bag has a comfort rating of around 12 degrees but I sleep warm anyway.

Other purchases of late include some new Karrimor KSB walking boots. I’ve had my old Karrimor boots for 5 years now and it was time to update them. I’m getting into the walking a bit more and will be doing a fair bit in the Peak District over Easter. I’ve got a long term plan of summiting Mont Blanc but this could be a couple of years off yet as I’ll need to gain other experience first in the UK mountains with some hill walking and scrambling.

I’ve signed up for a rock climbing course in May which will teach me the basics before we head into Europe for the summer. This year we’re going to the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia so will have good opportunity to engage in some outdoor pursuits. I’ll be taking the mountain bike and hope to do a bit of hiking along with some scrambling and climbing.

I’ve picked up some other outdoor bits – a North Face Venture rain jacket and a 50L Forclaz Ultralight rucksack. I’ll give my verdict on both when they see some use!

Time to get out and enjoy the sunshine……

Hurting

Having trouble walking today after yesterday's run.
Feel even more pathetic. Who would know a measly 1.6 miles could hurt this much?!
My muscles are not used to the whole running motion.
I can now definitely confirm:

Running sucks.

Shhh, it's a secret...

I want to get this straight from the start. I hate running. Over the last few weeks though, I’ve noticed that I’ve got lazier and slightly fatter. Since taking up cycling, I have lost weight but my upper body is still rounder than I like and, although I do have a reasonable level of endurance, I lack the lung capacity for sustained efforts. When you throw everything into the mix, I need to do something other than cycling. Yoga is good and I’m enjoying it but I need the extra bit of cardio. This morning, I had a later start at work so I decided to get up early and go for a run. I'm keeping this pretty quiet though amongst my cycling buddies (they never read this blog anyway. In fact, I’m pretty sure nobody does). Stealth training if you like. I'm hoping to lose a fair chunk of weight and increase my stamina prior to the start of those spring rides. I'm hoping to turn up, buff and lean and get the leg up on the season ahead.

Did I enjoy this morning's run? Nope. I managed a pathetic 1.6 miles but I guess everyone starts somewhere. Running distances are feeble though. In cycling terms, in 1.6 miles I’ve barely clipped in and adjusted my crotch. I will be running again though, often, perhaps every day until I develop some decent skills or until KFC go bust. It'll help for my next hair brain idea, or fad if you like. More details to follow at a later date. Clue: it involves outdoors and heights and the Alps or similar.....

Loving the outdoors

Not had too much of a chance to get out on the bike of late but I have just spent the weekend with the in-laws in the Peak District. I absolutely love it up there.
I got out on the mountain bike on Sunday for a short while but had most fun climbing over the rocks at Higgar Tor. He enjoyed it too.....

Waiting for the postman...

My spending spree continues. This week I'm eagerly awaiting the delivery of my new Montane Fireball Smock. It's an ultra light top that uses Primaloft insulation which is very warm, even when wet. Should be a valuable piece of kit to carry on my events. More when it arrives...

Welsh Ride Thing 2012

I finally took the plunge and have signed up for the Welsh Ride Thing 2012 and I’m a little bit excited about it to say the least!


For anyone not familiar with the theme, it’s a self-sufficient mountain biking weekend where you carry all your kit with you, sleeping wild (if you wish) and collect as many checkpoints as you can.

The beauty of the event is that you decide the distance and what you want to do. The grid references are there really to guide you towards some good riding.

Even though it’s only January, I’ve already started compiling a kit list for the bits I’m planning on using. I now have even more opportunity to buy more kit!

I’ve even started listing what I have and respective weights so that I can try to stay as light as possible. I think that I am pretty much there with everything that I need. I have a few more items that I would like, such as some sort of lightweight down vest and a merino wool base layer.

Here is a list of what I have so far. I have a choice of two sleeping bags dependant on the weather (weight in grams):

Rab Storm Bivvy Bag 550

Alpkit Base 120 Mattress 525

Silnylon Tarp 200

Guy lines 75

Eurohike Down 500 Sleeping Bag 1100

Karrimor Global traveller 700 Sleeping Bag 750

Exped Pillow 75

MSR Pocket Rocket Stove (inc case) 100

125g Gas Canister 210

Lifeventure Ti Mug 75

Blacks Solo Pan Set (lid 90g) 200

Spork 5

Fire Steel 10

Mora Knife 100

Alpkit Gamma Head Torch 105

Alpkit 8L Airlok Dry Bag (Rear) 80

Alpkit 13L Airlok Dry Bag (Front) 100

Aluminium V Peg x 6 (5g each) 30

Leatherman (No case) 200

Multi Tool 150

Peter Storm Thermal Top 190

Peter Storm Thermal Bottoms 180

Base weight is around 4kg. There will obviously be more things to consider such as evening wear (tuxedo etc) and food (caviar, Moet etc).
As soon as the weather improves, the serious testing will begin……

Family time

Usually on a Sunday morning, I go out for a bike ride which gives me a bit of freedom and the rest of the family a chance to laze about.
At this time of year when pace slows slightly and summer drifts into a memory, we find ourselves having more time to spend alone as a family which is always a good thing. We enjoy camping and the outdoors so it's becoming a bit of a ritual that Sunday afternoons are spent wandering around together.
We're National Trust members which gives great opportunity for an inexpensive day out. Last week we headed out into Surrey and spent an enjoyable few hours walking through the woods at Winkworth Arboretum. It was really beautiful but a little cold so we were glad to find the shelter of the boathouse to have our lunch.
Also gave me the opportunity to try out my new MSR Pocket Rocket with a round of hot drinks. I was a bit of a hero with the kids when I whipped up a surprise hot chocolate!

I'm rubbish.

No really I am. I’m full of excuses too.

All my best laid plans haven’t really taken off! Christmas bivvy was cancelled (wimped out and went for a ride around Ladybower). To be fair I kind of didn’t see the point in sitting out in the cold and dark from 4.30pm just for the sake of doing it. I’m itching to get out but will wait until March when I can coax some friends out to join me.

Afan didn’t happen this month either, just haven’t had the time to get away for a whole weekend. I am doing an Audax on Sunday though so it’s not as if I’m not riding! 65 miles at this time of year should be a nice test of fitness. I’m still feeling relatively strong although the pounds have crept on over Christmas.

The turbo trainer has been promoted from the garage to the dining room and occasionally gets glanced at. I’ve managed three sessions on it this week and I can see that picking up with time.

Purchases? The last couple couple of weeks have seen a few new additions. Firstly, I’ve revolutionised my whole shaving experience by switching to a DE safety razor which is a nice retro twin sided bladed approach to shaving. I started with a cheap Boots job but have since bought a Merkur 34c. I’m pretty impressed and have tweeted a few times about it. Shaving’s actually become more enjoyable and a lot closer. I feel more manly too. GGGRRRRRR.

Another blade in my household is a Mora knife which should see some outdoors action as the year goes on. I’ve also picked up an MSR Pocket Rocket because my meths stove leaked in my bag and I’ve just found it too messy to work with. I’ll take the weight penalty for the ease of use. I think that because of the convenience of gas the MSR will see more action.

Second Yoga lesson this week and I’m still enjoying it. I think Matt took it easy on our first session because this week I really ache. I’ll report back in due course as it’s still early days but I think it will have great benefits to my core strength.

And breathe...

Every winter it's a struggle to out on the bike but in the last couple of weeks I've been a bit more motivated to invest in my cycling.
Unfortunately the weather has been pretty awful on my days off so I've not put in as many miles as I would like but I'm feeling optimistic about riding. No huge plans for any major events but I do have a few ideas.
I can't say that the cycle show in London last week was particularly exciting. All much of the same really so I won't bore you on the details. I'm just glad that I blagged a free ticket rather than paying for one!
The main reason for my positivity is that I had my first Yoga session last night and it's stimulated me to think more about my breathing and posture. It's early days but I'll give a more detailed post in the next few weeks.
Happy new year everybody.