Mountain Bike Touring; King Alfred’s Way

It’s just over 2 years now since I completed my first multi-day off road bike tour, the stunning beast that is theTrans-Cambrian Trail stretching across the mountainous heartland of Wales.  

It was spectacular ride but, over the course of our three, 30-40 mile days, there were some pretty brutal hills involved and much technical riding. A huge, all-consuming challenge and one I was glad I’d completed, but vowed never to repeat. Nope, never again was I likely to go on an epic, off-road, multiday adventure. And if by some miracle I did, there was no way on earth I was hauling all my camping gear.

Memory, it seems however, is a selective thing. When the King Alfred’s Way circular, a new, 225 mile, long-haul bike packing route was launched not far from home last year a little devil appeared on my shoulder.

Hmmm that could be fun…?!

A brief interlude of cows

If you’re a fan of any kind of countryside activities, walking, horse riding, mountain biking, there’s a strong chance you’ll have come into contact with cows. Having hugely increased my quota of cross country mountain biking over the last year, I’ve noticed that cows have come to occupy quite a niche in my regular rides and not always in a good way!

The Only Way Is Up! Mountain biking in the Shropshire Hills.

You can usually tell what kind of ride it’s going to be in the first couple of miles. 
Less than 5 mins after setting out I’m gasping away in my lowest gear, facing a 20% ramp of road that looks more like a wall. Hmmm, it’s definitely going to be an ‘interesting’ day out.

24 Hours of Madness; Racing Mayhem

Question: What’s the longest bike ride you’ve ever been on? I’m talking hours spent in the saddle over the course of a day.

Dropping Behind (or how to lose a mountain bike race)

I’ve noticed that cycling and writing have definitely taken a downward turn over the last few weeks. Sometimes life just throws too many things at you and something has to give way to accommodate. Whatever it is, both the time (to cycle) and the inclination (to write) have definitely been lacking.