Please click
here:- Photos
taken by Christine Whitehurst 2008
The following emails were
received from riders of this years challenge to Mo Cliff:
----- Original Message -----
From:
Jon
Lingwood
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 9:06 PM
Subject: Cambrian Challenge
Hi,
Today I took part in your Cambrian Challenge road
ride and just wanted to say a big thanks for putting on a great event.
The organisation was superb and the route was a good challenge with some
stunning views.
If you're interested some photos from my ride today
are available at the below link.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53710&l=2c255&id=562427524
Can I be cheeky and make a request please? The
image you have used on the certificates of the cyclists going up a hill is
actually of myself, my dad and a friend from when we did the ride a few years
back. Is there any possibility of you emailing me a copy of this photo?
Many thanks again for a wonderful day out and hope to
ride again next year.
Thanks
Jon Lingwood
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon E"
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 9:19 PM
Subject: Thanks for organising the Cambrian Challenge
My first, but definitely not my last.
Thanks,
Simon.
----- Original Message -----
From:
chris
powell
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2008 11:13 PM
Subject: Thanks for todays event
Just thought I'd drop you a line to thank you for
organising today's 40 mile off road event. We had a cracking day out in
fabulous countryside and cant wait to come over for next years event.
So, thanks again for your hard work it
was greatly appreciated.
Chris Powell
Dukinfield CC
From:
gareth
evans
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 3:32 PM
Subject: Cambrian-Challenge
hi
I like to thank you for a great event on sunday even
if the weather wasn't the best. The route for the off-road was brilliant and
had everything
you need for a off-road event like this. The only
thing that I didn't like was all the gates we had to open and close, but you
have exspect that with
a route like that unless you have a lot of marshals.
There is another thing I would like to ask is
that there was a lady taking photos just before the feed station at 11miles,
was she anything to do with
the event, if so would we be able to see the pictures
on the website. It would be good if you could do that.
Thanx again and look forward to next year.
Thank you
Gareth Evans
From: "Tom Simpson"
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 12:21 PM
Subject: RE: Late entry
Mo and all the North Shropshire Wheelers,
Thank you very much for an absolutley fantasic day! I really enjoy the
40mile up and down slog!
Keep up the great work, if you need any help with next year's event
please don't hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Tom
From: Gaskell, Robert
Sent: 29 September 2008 12:21
Subject: Cambrian Challenge - 2008
The Cambrian Challenge is one of the highlights of
our off-road calendar, as it offers a challenging course in the heart of the
majestic Berwyn Mountains and is well marked and run by the organisers.
This years promised to be an excellent day, with
Saturdays weather being warm & balmy - Sunday, needless to say, was drab
and grey, with the cloud being accompanied by a heavy drizzle as we clocked in
at 9:00am. Ever the optimists, we set off hoping it would clear and at least
we knew it would keep us cool on the initial interminable climb out of
Oswestry into the hills.
The rain eased on top of the hills and allowed us to
start enjoying the challenges before us. Following the clear route markings we
were soon honing our off road skills and trying to avoid the sheep. At this
point we started to miss Ian Maybury, who can generally be relied on to fall
off in a fairly spectacular fashion. Instead I did the honours - coming to a
particularly deep flooded track, we decided to ride around it. All went well
until the front of the bike hit an unexpected bump, stopped dead, I did a
cartwheel and ended up in a fresh cow-pat. Come back Ian, we do miss you….
Suitably cleaned up we started to enjoy some of the
down hill sections, avoiding horses and taking on some very technical single
track as we took an unofficial detour to avoid a caravan that was blocking the
official route (and was in danger of toppling over).
The unofficial lunch stop at the Hand in Llanarmon
D.C. was as enjoyable as ever - Our hosts gave us a warm and friendly welcome
and sitting in front of a roaring log fire soon warmed us up as the beer eased
our aching joints. We were even invited to try some quality control work on a
fresh barrel of beer as the old one had mysteriously emptied itself twice as
quickly as normal…. In between supping ale Martin, who had been reassuring
the local dogs that the unusual smell was nothing to worry about, quickly
impressed some other guests with his knowledge of fine English porcelain and
was taking commissions before we left to face the steep climb back into the
hills. The day was looking up and even the sun had come out.
We all know that beer & cycling don't mix, so it
was no surprise that we were slightly tired soon after climbing to rejoining
the official circuit, with Martin demonstrating that beer, deep ruts & SPD
pedals definitely don't mix on the climb up the green lane to the top of Hen
Graig. The descent was glorious, as we all seemed keen to try the most
challenging descents (either that, or we simply couldn't see the sensible
lines to take….), with the only casualty being a mangled rear derailleur
from a rock which refused to get out of my way.
As ever the steep grassy field defeated us all on the
climb towards the final hills - Even Mr S had to admit defeat and walk it. The
final run back to Oswestry allowed us to enjoy the spectacular views over the
hills, with clear skies and the late afternoon sun picking out all the
Autumnal colours in the hills for miles around - Bliss. A warm welcome awaited
us back at the control centre and we weren't even the last ones back for a
change!
Roll on next year.....
