Ever since my friend Lee was a support driver on TransAlp last year, I’ve had a little yearning inside me for something similar and I’d heard of TransWales. I’d looked at the website a few times, it looked a bit nuts, especially as my aptitude for off roading is laughable. I suggested it to the hunky Davut, who wasn’t able to make the dates and I decided it was too mad even for me, especially since I’ve not even been riding off road for a year yet.
The yearning was still there niggling away as the weeks passed by, so I asked a good friend who I know would be unbiased in their opinion what I should do. The answer was “Wales would be fun and very tough, but the choice between sunny, hot France and Wet and windy Wales, France would win hands down.” So that decided it and besides, France would still have been tougher than anything I'd done before.
I set myself on sorting logisitics but I was stil undecided in my heart, something kept drawing me back to the TransWales website. I kept finding myself pouring over the spikey profiles, the sharp ascents and equally steep descents, at the high numbers in distance and elevation. I wondered if i was possible – of course it is for the pro’s but for mere mortals like me?
I emailed the organiser for more information and advice based on my inexperience – he emailed back making it sound like a walk in the park! ( he must be in Sales)
A few weeks passed and I still wasn’t sure of my logistics for France and adding up the costs it was getting pricey, I referred once more to TransWales. It was such good value for money – for 7 days riding, camping, transfer of kit, all meals, aid stations and water all for five hundred notes, for an extra ton some one erects and pulls down your tent for you every day too!
So a few weeks ago a confirmation email appeared in my inbox and now here I am, just over a week to go... wondering what the hell I've got myself in for!
erects....thatisall.
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