MBR was not to be disappointed. Despite keeping the ciders to a minimum on the Saturday night (60-odd km of tough Welsh mountainsides to ride up tomorrow!) there was indeed a good vibe around the place and fun to be had. Giant double-height bikes were being pedalled around the site while anyone with a cider inside them was tempted by the various village-fete style games dotted around the place.
The ride itself the next day was a toughie. If the trail wasn’t going up-up-up, it was bombing down a loose, rocky, technical descent with very little respite in-between. The worst (longest) climb was the first but to make the effort seem less so the organisers had the genius idea of putting a live band half-way up and then a troup of cheerleaders at the top. As I said, genius! If only they were on every climb!
After nearly four hours we rolled back into town and took a well-deserved long, hot shower. Incidents were few between us but plenty fell foul of punctures or crashes on the tricky surface and shins were bloodied by rocks flicking up. Most of all our legs were finished by the punishing course. Still, at least we could enjoy a few scrumpys now, and bask in the legendary Dyfi atmosphere. See you next year!