Sixteen riders from St Ives CC and Cambridge MTB enjoyed a fantastic weekend of mountain biking, riding the Gwydir Mawr, Bach and Penmachno trails in North Wales near Betws y Coed. Due to the high winds on Saturday a change of plan was made as we were due to ride the exposed Penmachno Trail, changing our plan to ride the Gwydir Mawr trail which was within the forest and more protected from the weather. The weather was super kind to us, and after slogging up a steep 1.6 mile climb at the start of the day, enjoyed some awesome single track riding, with a very natural feel, with plenty of berms, drop offs and jumps to keep grins on our faces and our tails constantly wagging.
After an evening of bolognese and chilli and the odd can of beer and bottle of wine, with music and banter, we awoke to sideways sleet and snow, which miraculously turned to sunshine! A hardy group decided to brave the peaks and puddles of the Penmachno trail as the wind had dropped, and the rest of us decided to head back and ride the Gwydir Bach trail. A super weekend was had by all, with us all having many stories to share, showing off bruises and muddy bikes to prove it.
James Bamford
