Grid References are out!

Well that's it then, the grid references and map details for the 2010 Welsh Ride Thing have gone out this afternoon. If you're on the list but haven't had the email and pdf then firstly check your spam folder and if it isn't there then email me stuart@forestfreeride.co.uk and we'll get it sorted.

So you've now got a month to work out a route, panic, do it again and so on and so forth. If you've never slept under the stars or ridden with a fully loaded bike then it might be worth having a trial run during the coming weeks too. Good Luck.

Stoves ... again.

While in the bright lights of Newtown yesterday I happened to call into the sell everything shop for a quick look around their 'camping' section. I have to say I wasn't expecting to find anything of interest, just the usual selection of family camping stuff ... 3' thick air beds, sleeping bags the size of a cow and tents you'd need an HGV to shift. However, something caught my eye and I came away with a tiny little stove. Even though it says Gelert Blaze PZ Micro on the box it's actually the same stove that Outdoor Designs used to sell under the name Camp3. The only difference is that this cost me £12 and Outdoor Designs ones were £50!

The thing weighs under 90g (for those that are bothered) and the picture should show how big it is. Quality seems good and it even has piezo ignition and fold out titanium pan supports ... very posh. I haven't made a brew with it yet but I'll take it out into the mountains next week and give it a try. If you're in the market for a stove then I reckon you could do much worse than getting hold of one of these.

A backpack for backpack haters?

An incident a couple of years ago involving a deep rut, a separated shoulder and a 40 mile ride home left me with a dislike of carrying anything on my back when riding ... until 2 weeks ago. A week long job monitoring a DofE cycle expedition in the Brecon Beacons had me searching for a new waist pack - bum bag type thing, it had to be waterproof, lightweight and have enough capacity to carry a days worth of gear but I couldn't turn anything up so gave up looking. Whilst buying some new dry bags for the same trip I happened to spot the Gourdon dry bag / backpack hybrid things at Alpkit. I decided that for the money if I didn't like it I could just use it as a normal dry bag so ordered one.

I went for the smallest 20l one and it's great. Firstly, it weighs next to nothing and it's fully waterproof (as you'd expect a dry bag with straps to be) but it also has a bladder pocket, 2 mesh side pockets, an external bungee for lashing extra stuff on and a removable foam back stiffener which makes a handy seat. I used it again this weekend whilst doing a first aid course. Packed in it were, waterproof trousers, Montane winter weight jacket, 2l of water and my butties plus a few bits and bobs. There was still plenty of room to spare and joy of joys it didn't give my shoulder any grief!

I reckon if you're still pondering how best to carry your gear then you could do far worse than buying one of these. They're available in 20, 25 and 30l versions and various colours so there might be one to match your eyes. Go and have a look here http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=category&category_id=295 and see for yourself. P.S I'm not just saying this and yes I did buy my own.

The List.

I wasn't going to bother with this but there seems to be a little confusion so here's a list of all those entered for this years WRT. If your names not there and you've sent a form off then email me stuart@forestfreeride.co.uk and I'll look into it. If your names not on the list and you haven't sent a form off then sorry but it's too late.

Greg Richards - Alex Baker - Rebecca Baker - Ian Barrington - Paul Pomfret - Ian Nutt - Geoff Lever - Steven Bromley - Mike Thomas - Alison Mitchelmore - Amy Baron-Hall - Sam Good - William Good - Roger Baker - Adam Bournes - Kevin Roderick - James Shorten - Anja Fischbach - Patrick Adamson - Nicholas Goodwin - Tim Williams - David Gaule - Shaggy - Duncan Mellor - Taylor - Nick Gilling - Robert Langley - Philip Bowler - Nigel Bache - John Moore - Neil Parkes - David Adamson - Simon Battersby - Paul Smith - Paul Leach - Steven Brookfield - Lourdes Ordzco - Hamilton Carroll - Nik Skidmore - James Davenport - Thom Bostock - Alan Ready - Javier Martin - Ian Middleton - Owen Elson - Matthew Cockerham - Luke Ellis - Simon Jones - Paul Crone - Jamie Talbot - John Talbot - Helen Sherwood-Taylor - Freddie Platt - Dougal Platt - John Platt - John Large - David Lancaster - Lee Jones.

SSEC10 ... Say hello if you're going.

If anyone is attending the European Single Speed Championships over the weekend of April 16th - 18th then come and say hello. I'll be riding a black Carver 69er with a fetching tartan saddle ... see you there.

If your names not on the list you're not coming in.

Enteries for the best non-race of the year closed on Wednesday night. I've counted up and it looks like we've 52 riders this year with a good mix of solo riders, pairs and groups. The hills and mountains in mid Wales are pretty quiet even over the bank holiday ... but something tells me they might not be so quiet at the end of May.

Everyone who entered will get the grid references and map details at the end of April. Those that aren't riding will have to wait until after the event to see where they didn't go.

Late enteries may be allowed but it'll hinge on what you try and bribe me with!