MTBBerkhamsted ride report - South Wales, July 25

 

Wales. It must be raining. Well, it wasn't, quite. But it had not long before. Sadly A Fish Called Rhondda - Claire's favourite chippy - wasn't open when we passed so we instead enjoyed The World's Biggest Bacon Sarnie and Ridiculously Oversized Toast from the Glyncorrwg visitor centre while pondering just how wet we were about to get.

 

Rocky trails mean the water drains off pretty well but it was still pretty damp under wheel as Claire shot off up the White's Level climb at an astonishing rate. I just about kept up and before long we were at the top, heading down to the intersection with the W2 link to The Wall. Claire complained her back brake wasn't working and seemed miffed I didn't have a Hayes bleed kit and a bottle of Dot 4 brake fluid in my Camelbak. "You'll be alright," I muttered.

 

A blustery traverse later and we were at the top of The Wall. Along the first descent Claire repeated that her back brake wasn't working and seemed annoyed the required Hayes bleed kit and a bottle of Dot 4 hadn't materialised in my Camelbak. "You'll be alright," I muttered. Again.

 

 

Down, down, down and past a few fallen soldiers along the way, Claire's pace was quick. But it turned out her back brake wasn't working. This could have explained it but the new bike must have played its part.

 

After tearing down the last descent my front tyre exhaled all its air out but I was glad of the break, though slightly less glad when I broke the valve off my spare tube while pumping it up. A policeman on a mountain bike stopped and asked if the problem was serious. Claire mentioned her back brake wasn't working but sadly he didn't have a Hayes bleed kit or a bottle of Dot 4 either.

It's a long slog back to the top of The Wall and at the top we stopped for our sarnies. I couldn't believe she hadn't said already but Claire said her back brake wasn't working. I was shocked, but we pressed on regardless, back across the windy traverse and to the Energy trail.

 

 

 

Here we were going well, until we got overtaken by a dog. Claire said she'd have been going faster but apparently she'd had to hold back because her brake wasn't working.

 

I did manage to fix a bloke's chain for him before the final push along the boardwalk and down the final White's descent, Claire getting some great little hucks in off the rocks and tired legs hauling us back for a final RV with a healthy snack of Coke and crisps before loading up and hauling ass back across the Severn bridge and home.