GETTING LOST IN WALES

As a roadie and a mountain biker, if there was one metaphorical hill I was willing to die on it was the firm belief that you need to have a road bike for road riding and a mountain bike for off-road riding. That was until I, a city urchin, begrudgingly agreed to go on an overnight ‘adventure’ ride in Wales where I discovered the very genuine freedom you can find when it’s just you, a couple of mates and your luggage strapped to your bike. It was on the serene Transcambrian I found that time sort of slowed down. This was most likely because I was 2km into a 10km off-road climb — it turns out this was the hill I was going to die on — but also because all you need to focus on is turning your legs, drinking your water and eating Welsh cakes. Out in the hills, there’s no rush to get to work, beat the traffic or get home for tea, mostly because my tea consisted of dried, vacuum-sealed space food that I carried in my bag. I had discovered the perfect mix. The technical challenge of riding off-road was the perfect relief from the constant whirring of your brain, while the endorphins of hard exercise and the total embrace of Mother Nature the antidote to life’s anxieties. Even the hard ground I slept on sorted out my desk-bound posture for the better. Following long descents of what were definitely mountain biking trails, it was clear I never knew how capable ‘adventure’ bikes were, or just how much fun they could be. I’ll be the first to say: give adventure riding a go, you won’t regret it.