Welsh 2 Day 2006 Vess Report

Welsh 2-Day 2006 Preparation. 3 days riding in the Pyrenees!

Day 1: The expected hangover from Wednesday night in the Severn Arms didn't materialise. The ride on the road to the 1st special test wasn't much use as a warm-up, making the test a bit of a shock for the body, so I just took it steady (yes I know, I always take it steady). The Irfon forest check was tight as expected, but I was caught out and lost 2 mins. Strata Florida was its normal rocky self. I managed to wave a faster rider past just as we went through a puddle, so he obligingly doused me with muddy water. The forest check past the wind turbines to Sweet Lamb was fast and a bit dusty. The road work from Sweet Lamb to St. Harmon was tedious, but the best check of the day was then the forest run to the special test 2 - 77 mins of good going - no snotty bits or stoppers, just good fast fun. Started test 2 expecting it to be slippy but was suprised at the amount of grip. It didn't stop me taking it easy though! Later in the Severn arms, we had another go at producing a hangover.

Day 2: No hangover! Trundled around test 1 nice and easy, managed to hold off the following riders to the end - always helps to have someone to race against. The next forest check had been shortened to 60 mins with 6 less miles, but overall was a tighter check - great fun. The run from Sweet Lamb back past the wind turbines was even faster. Strata was the same as yesterday, but I managed to stay dry this time. I also managed to pick up the pace a bit in the Irfon check and stay on time (Strangely, the timekeepers clock at the start of the Irfon was 2 mins fast, while the one at the end was correct, effectively giving us an extra couple of minutes in the check - still had 3 mins spare at the end though). At the last test, I again managed to hold off all following riders, with a little encouragement from the West Glos. spectators who were watching on - thanks guys!

Impressions. Ok, so I'm not the fastest rider out there, but this was by far the easiest Welsh I've done, practically no boggy going at all, and very few climbs or descents to get stuck on. The fact that it was relatively easy was almost entirely down to the weather - it would have been a completely different story if we had had normal wet Welsh weather. A good fun ride around, I even managed to stay upright for the two days - easily achieved when not taking risks around special tests, or trying to race madmen on Shercos (ask Ben!).