I thought you only got mosquitoes that big in Scotland?

Starting to look at what the various trackers, and plans offer. Am I right in my understanding that the inreach free checkin messages are fixed content, and the ability to edit the preset messages are just a convenience in terms of the (limited count of free) normal message count?

JohnClimber wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 10:40 pm Anyone fancy a Friday 7pm meet up at The Wynnstay Arms in Llanbrynmair for an evening of talking bollox and drinking beer to start the WRT weekend off in the right frame of mind?

Managed to book a room, so count me in!

ton wrote: ↑Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:12 pm

A bottle of Orval, the world's best beer.

i am pretty sure the monks at Westvleteren would argue with that.
got a couple of bottles for later.

That’s a tough choice. I’d have to have a couple of each to be sure…but I’m all outta Orval.

I've had a few requests for the seaside this year, so who knows but given my record of GR in the sea, then maybe it's too much of a gamble? :wink: Hmm, must make a note to bring a fat bike & water wings. I'm certainly hoping to get over for this as my first BB event. Is there an example of the ...

I'm certainly hoping to get over for this as my first BB event. Is there an example of the sort of data provided to the participants in prior years?

If I was you I'd go with Custom Merit Gear. Had mine made and absolutely love it. I can echo that. I got a custom frame bag made up last year. The guys added an extra opening at the rear of the top tube for me, so I can feed my dynamo connection back to my rear blinkies. I'm very happy with the pro...

It's one of those months with too much travel and not enough free weekends, so another mid-week local bivvy. Home from work late, a quick snack, pack the bike, top up the hip flask (dry Jan? you must be joking!), and off I went. I decided to go for an hours spin first, a circular loop of about an ho...

Still drying out gear from December’s bivvy! I’m on for another year of BaM and hopefully some longer rides.

Got my final BAM done this week. I was down in Wicklow visiting my parents, and the wife was heading on down to Wexford afterwards, so I packed the bike. I set off late on Thursday, with a plan to head up into the Wicklow mountains, pick up the Wicklow Way trail, and follow that back to Dublin, pick...

BaM 10/10 for 2022. Mad Allens Hole. Caving bivvy? Excellent idea, that's definitely something I need to try! Nice one GC for keeping your chips on the table and spinning the wheel each month Thanks, RIP! I've looked at the idea of trying a tarp. I like the idea, but not entirely convinced given th...

November's been a bit crap with work and family issues getting in the way of cycling, and I was rapidly running out of options for a bivvy. Determined to keep the run going, I headed out for a late night, almost backyard, bivvy last night. It wasn't even worth logging the route or distance, as I ret...

Right, so Sept's bivvy was a local one, on the basis that I didn't have a weekend free due to work travel and other commitments. So it was a local spin, and a nice spot with the sheep on the hill above the village. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361555718_c56f786d96.jpg BBBaM Sept - looking N...

Dodgy coastal path / near death awar d goes to gone caving on his May bivvy If I'd known/spotted that there were sub categories, I'd have tried harder ;-) And the May (Sheep's Head) bivvy rather than the "don't roll in your sleep" AUgust biivy on the Cliff's of Moher? Oh well. Sept & ...

Running out of time for an August bivvy, I decided to combine it with a trip down to a cave rescue practice in Co Clare. I'd always fancied cycling along the cliffs of Moher path, and thus it seemed like the obvious option. Got down to Doolin at sunset on Friday evening (26th Aug), and set off along...

Thanks @Blackhound. That sounds like some spin, and a bit more than I’m up for so far! 200km in a day’s my best so far. I’d much rather a bit (lot) more off road riding, but that’s so hard to stitch together in Ireland.

July BaM ticked off last weekend. I'd been down in Dublin on the Friday night visiting some friends, and the wife was heading S to visit her parents, so I decided I'd cycle home and get in July's bivvy along the way. Hot weather was forecast, so I decided it was a ride to take it handy, and stay out...

I was wondering how people handle navigation following a re-route? Do the organisers send out an updated GPX? How easy is that to download while out on the course?

I had reason to be down in the Burren, Co Clare last weekend, and it seems like the ideal chance to get a spin and a bivvy in for June. I was late getting down to Kinvarra (work getting in the way again), and set off an hour before sunset. A nice road section started the ride, and I was treated to l...

Not convinced. The TD is a war of attrition against the elements, luck, your ability to ride into the night and many many other factors beyond rolling resistance. I suspect if you analysed moving average speed there's not much in it between the top 20. I seem to recall someone doing an analysis of ...

Ok, so looks like Zoe would have started earlier in the field. That’s not great.

Looks like the womens group is in order where the fastest woman in the group would appear if it were not divided. So it’s not clear to me that Zeo would be at any disadvantage, and others in the group perhaps benefitting? I’ve not had the chance to read her post though. From what I read the grouping...

I'm on hols down in West Cork this week and wanted to get in a decent spin and bivvy. The weather forecast is the usual unpredictable mix of sunshine, rain and gales. Mon/Tues seems like the most optimistic in terms of rain so off I headed, much much later than planned, starting on the coast South o...

April ticked off last Saturday. After a long day on the road, I packed up the bike and bits, and headed out on a shortish local loop. The ride felt harder than it should have, perhaps a result of a couple of days hillwalking earlier in the week. On the flip side, the camping is getting slightly easi...

March BaM ticked off last night. After a frustrating day at work, it was so nice to head out on the bike at about 10pm. I took a leisurely, and fairly local, loop out to the coast, and then back through the village where I live, before heading up into a nearby forest where I'd scouted out a suitable...