Anyone else watch the programme on BBC with Richard parks in extreme Wales! Bike packing across the country?
I want to know how he kept his clothes so clean whilst riding through all the wet and mud :0? Because when ever I go to Wales I get shitbound

Mike wrote:Anyone else watch the programme on BBC with Richard parks in extreme Wales! Bike packing across the country?
I want to know how he kept his clothes so clean whilst riding through all the wet and mud :0? Because when ever I go to Wales I get shitbound

Is it a new one Mike? He did the extreme wales show a while ago but I don't remember a bikepacking one? (maybe because it wasn't really bikepacking...?)

Ha I'm not sure it was aired on the 20th?? He was definitely bikepacking from Knucklas to Barmouth

Other half has just got this on- I wondered if there's be a thread here!

He did just say it took him 11 hours to do 42miles so I'm guessing either stu did the route planning or filming takes a lot of time

This is a new and different program
Erm... I'd hazard a bet that he's not carrying all his own gear and food for the 3 days, but i could be wrong...

Still on iPlayer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b095dxkd

Thanks, you're right, it's series 2 - currently downloading them on sky. Thanks

Well I enjoyed that. Fair play to yer man, you can't fault his enthusiasm, and it certainly gave a very good impression of the hell, sorry I mean pleasure, of BP. Pretty realistic selection of baggage I thought TBH no? Although I imagine the cameraperson was carrying the necessary hipflask supplies. As he was slogging up Cader I found myself leaning forward in my chair and pumping my shoulders as if I was there . Liked the inclusion of the "guests" who added an interesting/inspiring extra dimension. Hope he treated himself to a nice all-day-veg-breakfast at Davy Jones's at the end there!

No, I enjoyed it. And I like his adventures.

Was interesting that he'd chosen a rigid bike too.

Comment about luggage was just that as we never saw him enjoy any hostelries I'm assuming he had food for 3 days (and maybe stove kit), 'tent clothing', sleeping bag and mat, tools/spares, plus the stuff we saw him wearing it didn't look a lot on the bike and certainly the bags weren't overly full and didn't seem to empty.

He's maybe just a much better packer than me with smaller gear.

Fair comment re hostelries and luggage etc. Although if I'd made that film it would have been fairly untelegenic since 28 of the 30 minutes would have been of me sat on a stool in the Tafarn Dwynant hostelry enjoying a couple of Purple Mooses! The other two minutes would've been 'biking up Cader in wellies'....

I'll put it out there and just say I wasn't slating Richard or the programme... iv watched it twice now and really enjoyed it!! Just wondering how he stayed so clean I was just hoping it would of been an hour series as it was to short.

Mike wrote:I'll put it out there and just say I wasn't slating Richard or the programme... iv watched it twice now and really enjoyed it!! Just wondering how he stayed so clean I was just hoping it would of been an hour series as it was to short.

The BBC probably washed hime down. I did some filming for the One Show a few years back basically a short ride on my bike chatting about Tommy Godwin. I was not wearing a helmet as he wouldn't have. The BBC made us do it all again as they absolutely would not show a film of cyclists without helmets. Maybe they have a clean arse policy as well.

I enjoyed the programme, watched it last night. Showed him falling over and getting wet feet, and showed it wasn't easy. Good effort

Enjoyed that - thanks for pointing it out.

I past him and John Lloyd somewhere past the Clearwen dam which is where he spent his first night on the programme. I think he may have been getting some support from farms along the route as I spoke to one guy on a mtb who said he was waiting to meet a friend who was being filmed on a bike challenge across Wales, but he was late so he was going to wait for him at a farm. About an hour later they came past me but as I was riding up a steep section of trail from the reservoirs. I didn't want to lose my rhythm and stop so just nodded and smiled. I'm a bit disappointed now that I didn't stop for a quick chat because it looked like he wanted too. I have to say credit it to him because the weather in Wales that week was very Welsh with thunder a lightening at times, and the the 2 & half days I spent riding from Aberystwyth to Knighton were the wettest I've ever been on a bike. Every river,stream/nant was swolen and most of the trails were submerged too so you got wet from the ground up as well as the rain. The low point for me came when I was riding up a steep lane during a another heavy downpour as flock of sheep were being moved leaving me to ride in literally a river of sheep muck which covered everything and left me stinking of it! My original plan was to was to ride from Aberystwyth to Stoke but the soaking with sheep muck was the final nail in the coffin for me and when I arrived in Knighton to find the last train to Stoke was due in 20 mins It wasn't a difficult decision to make.

Regardless of how the program came across, this is a TV show for "entertainment purposes" and in the same light the "Bear Grills Extreme Survivall" series of shows. Take that for what you will. Why is he so clean... you already know the answer.

Anyone remember him doing "The Brutal" in Laanberis in 2013... same show format but "A double ironman set in Snowdonia, Wales. The Double Brutal saw Richard cycle 373km and run 82km non-stop for 37 hours".This is how it was shown in the "documentary" with a dramatic voice over, almost failing to finish but just making it in the end.... If you had only watched the "documentary" you would have thought, wow... good on you, well done, top effort that.

However, members of my running club were competing at the event too and they witnessed him being being transported in a nice warm car to the top of the mountain, sound asleep as they battled on. Now was this mentioned in the show, no of course not, it doesn't make good TV. He cheated, cut out a big chunk of the second run loop.

so I say again you can ask, why is he so clean... you already know the answer.

I enjoyed that, and thought I'd quite fancy a go at something similar. Then the weather turned...