Afan Argoed... what a trail set up - endless rocky twisty flowing sections greet the rider on every turn. In the summer a dusty classic with 4 loops... in the winter a wet windy err... wonderland? perhaps... as long as you can handle rain penetrating your every part..
For those not in the know - Afan represents an investment of over £1 million hand cut trails traverse what was a beautiful but declining area - now being re-generated by the power of two wheels.
It was the Heroes convention - Simon, Will, Chris and myself joined by Tom, Barnie and Rob. A small cottage which we had equipped with stack loads of ale, whiskey, snacks and general unhealth. I was keen to test out the new Northwave GTX boot I had invested in - long story short.... POOR!!!! - They didnt hold and my feet sloshed around like a world war one soldier.
The plan had been to take in all loops over two reasonable days and then embark on back to back evenings of competitive drinking... the weather closed in and warnings were issued from the MET office.. But on the flip side the surrounding had that eery Lord of the Rings type feel that only the rain can bring, moss across the trees, raging waterfalls and misty hollows. It was good to get the crew out but we only ended up doing a couple of smaller rides but even in the freezing cold the descents rocked..
