Garneddwen Ten Time Trial

Posted on August 30, 2012 by wheelist in Riding.

It might have been the thunder. Perhaps it was the torrential rain. Or maybe it was the warnings about the road closure. Whatever though, I didn’t predict a great turnout for the inaugral Garneddwen Ten time trial. As it happened though, there were twice as many riders as I’d expected. Two. Me and Andy Braund […]

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Days like these….

Posted on August 1, 2012 by wheelist in Coaching, Riding.

You don’t get days like these very often. In fact they rarely happen at all. It started with an early morning blast around the Minotaur trail at Coed y Brenin – they’ve just opened the 3rd loop, which climbs parallel to the River Gain towards the waterfalls on the Gain and Mawddach rivers. It’s a […]

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Powys Xtreme 2012

Posted on July 28, 2012 by wheelist in Coaching.

This week I’ve had the pleasure to run some sessions for Machynlleth Youth Club as part of the Powys Xtreme series of summer activities. Day One was at Coed y Brenin, looking at some underlying MTB skills that can help any rider to improve their riding – braking, wheel lifts, cornering etc. We followed up […]

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Rain? Rain? Go away (to a small island in the Mediterranean)!

Posted on July 2, 2012 by wheelist in Riding.

This year in the beautiful mountains of North Wales the summer has been very….erm…..well….Welsh. The sun has come out on occasion but, like everyone else venturing out around here, it has peered through the incessant downpour, seen the flooding, and decided pretty quickly that it’s time to head back inside and sandbag the doors. So, […]

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Sometimes you eat the trail….

Posted on June 16, 2012 by wheelist in Riding.

There’s an old saying in the world of mountain biking: “Sometimes you eat the trail, sometimes the trail eats you.” It refers of course to the difference in performance and feedback you can experience between rides – some rides are incredible, effortless, fast and furious – the trail is delicious and you just eat it up and […]

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Tropical Heat in the Celtic Rainforest

Posted on May 27, 2012 by wheelist in Riding.

Last Friday I spent exploring new trails, in and around the Rhinogau (the Rhinog mountain range) to the west of Coed y Brenin, in an attempt to link up some familiar trails for some extended mountain bike guiding. The Rhinogs are often touted as the last wilderness in Wales – not many people walk here, […]

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Skills, trails and tea in the sunshine.

Posted on May 17, 2012 by wheelist in Coaching.

I had a lovely day out coaching at Coed y Brenin on Sunday with Hamish from Australia. The aim of the ride was ostensibly to improve Hamish’s cornering skills and help him learn to bunny hop, and we worked on the underlying techniques whilst we rode the Minotaur blue trail and the many firetracks that […]

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Dyfi Enduro 2012

Posted on May 8, 2012 by wheelist in Riding.

Last weekend saw the 11th annual howies Dyfi Enduro. It’s the fastest selling ticket in the world of mountain biking (sold out in 62 minutes!) and given the epic nature of the ride, the attention to detail, the friendly atmosphere, and the free bar before the finish line, it’s a well deserved accolade. As ever […]

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On learning to ride.

Posted on April 26, 2012 by wheelist in General Bike Stuff.

I can clearly remember learning to ride a bike: I first pedalled unaided in a small park in a small town in the midlands when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I might not be able to recall the exact time or location, but I can picture it in my mind like I […]

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ZipTyre – THE answer to the 26″/29er wheel size debate!

Posted on April 5, 2012 by wheelist in General Bike Stuff.

There has been much controversy and plenty of debate over the last weeks and months over the varying wheel sizes available in the sport of mountain biking. Once upon a time everywhere you looked there was standardisation: everyone was riding 26″ wheels. Then, thanks in no small part to the perseverance of Gary Fisher, 29″ […]

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