Fanylion Mountain Bike Team
Official site of the Fanylion Mountain Bike Team. Includes mountain bike ride guides, gear reviews, bike maintenance, team reports and rider profiles of the Fanylion Racing Team.
Coed-Y-Brenin and Gwydr
May 27, 2002, Wales
After a clandestine meeting in a dodgy lay-by on the A55 we set off towards Wales, Team Starkey's new Trek gleaming on the back of his equally gleaming Ford Focus. Team Saddleworth were rocking in their Team van, and Team Hodgson was struggling to keep up on the twisty Welsh roads in his sloth-pig of a Laguna (it's an automatic for God's sake!).
Upon arrival at CYB we decided to do the 12 mile MBR route which we hadn't attempted previously. We had agreed to spend Sunday in Gwydyr Forest and I was keen to do the Red Bull run before we left CYB, so everyone said they would see how they felt after the MBR and see if they were up for the Red Bull afterwards.
The MBR was wicked. Equally as technical demanding as the Karrimor and maybe as much as the Red Bull in places. Some good singletrack descents and more technical climbs than the other rides.
The MBR route took us past a legendary place: Danny Cliff, the location for Danny's 30 foot tumble/near-death-experience last year. We stopped to marvel at the height of the cliff, and set off again, only for Team Lockwood to knock Danny off his bike, sending Dan over the bars, cracking his helmet down the middle and ripping some good sized chunks of skin off his back and behind. Danny is convinced that area is jinxed, a kind of Bermudanny Triangle. Time will tell.
Team Potts punctured, I fell off, Sheldon sweated, it rained heavily, and then we were back at the car park, all agreeing the MBR was a cool route.
"So", pipes up I, "who's up for the Red Bull?" Correct. No takers. So I take the proverbial Red Bull by the horns, scoff a Mars bar for a sugar boost and set off on my own, setting myself a target by shouting "See you in an hour"...Surely not?
I knew the Red Bull took us about an hour and a half when there was a group of us. I figured that doing the 8.5miles in an hour was do-able, but I had just done the MBR and the Mars bar had kicked in and worn off in about 10 secs and had given me 'mars bar phlegm' that was choking me. The first climb sent my legs to jelly and my lungs ablaze. The rain was still coming down and the wind had picked up. What had I let myself in for?
After overtaking three groups of riders I kept full race pace up and arrived back at the cafe. 51 mins. Team Hodgson the Animal was back, and in record time. A quick jet wash (of bike and me) and we were packed up and off to Criccieth for beer, steak, fighting with the locals and pulling of young girls. The first two happened, the last two didn't. But we did have a good few hours drinking ale and basically ripping Dave to pieces. Good fun. I have known Dave for ten years now and never knew he liked to dress up in mini skirts...
Sunday dawned bright and fine, and after a mighty fine breakfast at the hotel we set off for Betws-Y-Coed, Team Starkey leading the way.
Gwydyr Forest was a different prospect to CYB. A tough 3km (yes Danny you were right) slog up a fire road was enough to make you feel as though you hadn't been off your bike from the day before. The technical downhill sections weren't as technically demanding as CYB, but the scenery was better. Six and two threes of plusses and minuses, and we all agreed that all in all the ride was good, and a nice change from CYB. The only crash at Gwydyr was Team Potts giving it large knee-grinding, skidding straight into a huge boulder: over the bars and straight into a rock the size of a Ford Fiesta. Didn't he see the rock or something? Madman.
An old friend also visited us in the forest: midges!!! (or midgets as we called them). Whilst waiting for Sheldon to fix a technical we were being eaten alive. I now have bites all over my legs, on my wrists, on my forehead and on my left ear. Little bas**rds. Quote of the day came from Team Shack, when he was following me down a fast descent, and catching me up: "Team Hodgson, " he shouted at me "I am right up your ar*e. And it feels brilliant!!" Oo-err...
So as a resume:
Big Respect to Team Starkey for his new bike and for navigating us to and around Wales, but No Respect for wearing full leggings on the Sunday: made me hot just looking at him.
Big Respect to Team Potts for once again proving he is a completely fearless nutter when it comes to downhills, but No Respect for going home via a strange route and taking half an hour longer than he need have. Big Respect to Team Danny Cliff Diver for taking another huge fall and for giving Sheldon's old Orange a good home, but No Respect for nicking my gloves.
Big Respect to Team Lockwood for finally admitting he likes to wear mini skirts and that his favourite top shelf publication is "He" magazine, but No Respect for stubbornly refusing to buy himself a mountainbike. Big Respect to Team Shack for converting himself from being 'The Bloke at The Back' to being one of the front runners, but No Respect for floating some of the most vile air biscuits I have ever tasted in the pub.
And Big Respect to me for doing the Red Bull in record time after the MBR, but No Respect for... wait for it... none of you know this... sorry lads... having a bottle of insect repellent in my car and forgetting to use it. Ooops.
Team Hodgson, out.
Riders present
Team Starkey
Team Downhill Maniac
Team Lockwood
Team Cliff Diver
Team Hodgson
Team Shack
Enjoyment level
Great