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15th March 2003

Richard, Keef, Mike, Huey, Andy, Dave F and Tim - Cwmcarn

The excitement has been growing all this week. There's always lots of banter via e-mail in the lead up to an 'away' trip but the weather has heightened the excitement. Sun all week and it's still only March.

We leave Epsom at about 8-30 on Saturday morning after waiting around for Mike to sort out his family arrangements and then hit the M25/M4 to South Wales. Straight into the outside lane then foot down for the next 150 miles, only changing down as you turn off the A467 at Cwmcarn and up Forest Drive. Click on any picture to enlarge

Huey lookin' explosif

Andy and 'Dale

Huey is driving the passion-wagon with 4 bikes on board and is around half an hour behind so the other 3 of us take a quick warm-up lap around the first section of the Twrch trail - you know, the one that starts in the car park then finishes by the toll-gate. Tim realises he has forgotten his lid and SPuD's He decides to carry on but takes it easy. I ordered a second Hope M4 disc brake from Chain Reaction and it arrived earlier this week and it feels great on the front - just starting to bed in. A new Helly Hansen base layer keeps me snug in the early morning sun.

By the time we return, there is plenty of bike fettling going on as Huey prepares the Kona Explosif he has recently built up for only it's second outing. And very nice it looks (and rides) too - steel frame with canti pivots removed, Psylo forks, Hope discs and hubs with Race Face cranks and Tioga rubbers - bling, bling!

Dave

Huey in classic climbing poise

Tim goes 'sans lid'

Richard © www.merrony.com

Elliot

A great pic that shows how Airstream snakes across the hill (click to enlarge to see the other riders following Andy)

Mike has bought about a truckful of good old Surrey mud with him (attached to his bike) and is surprised to find that the drivetrain isn't working quite how it should. He doses it liberally with some lube in an effort to dislodge the crud.

We finally set off and the trail doesn't disappoint - it has bedded in well over the winter and is bone-dry in most places. One section along the side of the river which was virtually unrideable when we last visited in November has been closed for logging but a short climb on the road brings us to Giant's Finger - a calf busting climb towards highest point on the trail.

A pause for breath and the odd Power Bar before heading down Airstream - my personal favourite section and scene of many of the photos. Most riders return up the fire road to repeat this section before heading on down past the closed Odin section towards Gate Keepers and Archie's Lift. The trail is constantly undulating and the trail builders have done a fantastic job of building a trail that demands to be ridden rather than allowing you to coast along. Perhaps this is why the fairly short 8.5 mile course feels a lot longer.

Mike

Keef goes off piste

Another group we met who have travelled from our neck of the woods (Surrey) and also competed in the Kakatak

Huey hoping the trail continues round the corner

The descent along the side of the mountain is still pant-wettingly good. The trail disappears around so many blind corners that you really feel you are in danger of sliding down to the town below.

After a lunch consisting of sausage, chips and Andy's donuts we repeat the route (although we take the road up to totem pole to save time).

It's just as good the second time around although my SRAM powerlink inexplicably decides to break and I have to make an emergency repair. I also manage to get my front wheel to wash out on the final descent just 400 yards from the car-park which requires an embarrassing dismount / grovelling in the dirt kinda thing. This leaves me with battered knees and a bruised ego but big grins abound as we dismantle the bikes for the day.

We head for home with the sun setting behind us. There is only a little mud on the bikes (Mike's bike was actually cleaner than when he arrived) and almost nothing on ourselves - are you really sure this is Wales in mid-March? What a place and what a day!

Elliot

Huey