Very informative video. Thank you for uploading it and sharing, Matt. Very tempted to give the FKT a crack myself if my diary allows this September or I'll maybe save it for next year if it doesn't. Chapeau!
Well It was designed as a three day route for fit mortals, but that was back in the days of 26". I took MBR's Danny Milner over it and he really struggled on the second day last climb. Went white as chalk. Turned out just cycling all winter to the train station wasn't quite sufficient..... I didn't mention the short cut, I thought in hindsight he wouldn't appreciate it.
Congratulations Matt- great achievement. Many thanks for both TCW vids, they've helped me set expectations for my first crack at it this spring (praying for good weather 🤞🤞🤞). Do you know if you still have the FKT?
It is still at the moment, but a few people have come very close, one who was on track to beat it but suffered a mechanical. The time will probably fall this year.
Outstanding. Did it in a leisurely three days with a guide a couple of years ago. Thought it was doable in two days but not eight hours, that’s just silly.
Great effort - well done. I completed it last night in 17hrs. What food did you take for the ride and how did your nutrition work out? Any recommendations for feeding without stopping?
Great effort Matt, I’m riding it for a second time soon but again over 3 days. We used to ride together I believe when you went by the name Voltage on a certain bike forum almost 20 years ago?
The good old days of MTB Wales! I still have my jersey somewhere and that site was what kicked my cycling adventure off and I have lifelong friends from it. TCW over 3 days is still a good effort and I would also recommend over 2, using the awesome Bothy a few hundred metres off the course to make it a good 2-day ride, although in Winter where daylight is limited it is a push for time.
Those descents look gnarly if doing it on a Gravel bike. Would definitely loose time there. Would you do it with front sus next time instead of a Lauf?
No, I think the Lauf gives a good compromise. The forks give brilliant small bump comfort and overall I think the benefit is greater than the few minutes you'd gain elsewhere. A more durable, but still fast front tyre would be the main change.
Hiya Matt, firstly congrats on a great effort and nice commentary too. Just wondered, is there a leaderboard viewable online? I'm attempting it in just over a week and hoping for a good time. What was your overall time, including stops, from start to finish?
There is a website that has some previous times listed, but I don't think it's kept up to date. The overall time given at the end is elapsed time, so includes all stops.
Don’t be fooled by all these video guides on TH-cam showing young people having the time of their lives doing this ride in one day. I’ve just completed it in 3 days with 3 of my mates and we all agreed that there’s not enough emphasis on how hard this ride is. I’m well above average fitness. Parkrun and circuit training every week etc and I struggled. Most of the climbs you will have to get off the bike and push at some point. Some of the tracks are so rutted you can’t pedal without getting pedal strikes every 10 seconds. The track around the reservoir is just deep potholes full of water so you can’t fly along them like in this video. The 4x4 track before the dam is completely unridable for at least 5 miles due to flooding and mud. So I have to say, I honestly don’t believe any of these so called ‘records’ on here. I certainly couldn’t do it over two days, let alone one. And get used to your feet being permanently soaked due to the silly amount of stream and river crossings.
@@MattPage not necessarily. I just don’t see any video evidence of the tough parts in your post. It’s very cleverly edited to make the ride look like a doddle. Which it isn’t.
@@GK1976A I wouldn't be able to win the Olympics or ride the stuff that Tom Pidcock can, but I wouldn't call him a liar. If you think Trans Cambrian is technical you need to ride elsewhere, because it's really not technical. Hafod forest has changed since I did it 3 years ago and Claerwen is rougher, the rest is similar.
@@MattPage I also forgot to mention that the downhill section after the last big climb before Llangurig is a death trap. Most of the tarmac path has been washed away due to flooding, leaving only a very thin strip of tarmac path with a metre drop on either side. If that’s not technical I don’t know what is.
@@GK1976A I cycled down that section a few months ago, so I know which section you mean. It has worsened since 2021, but I cycled there with no problems.
That's a bonkers time!! Congrats, Matt!!
Very informative video. Thank you for uploading it and sharing, Matt. Very tempted to give the FKT a crack myself if my diary allows this September or I'll maybe save it for next year if it doesn't. Chapeau!
It is a great route and currently will be in good condition. Give it a shot!
So fast. Did it last year over 3 days. Doing it in June with my son. Can appreciate how super fit you are. Well done 👏
Thank you. I hope the weather is equally good for you.
Well It was designed as a three day route for fit mortals, but that was back in the days of 26". I took MBR's Danny Milner over it and he really struggled on the second day last climb. Went white as chalk. Turned out just cycling all winter to the train station wasn't quite sufficient..... I didn't mention the short cut, I thought in hindsight he wouldn't appreciate it.
Awesome ride Matt - great to hear you are staying hydrated with your Water-to-Go bottle. Thanks for the mention 🙏
Brilliant ride Matt
Congratulations Matt- great achievement. Many thanks for both TCW vids, they've helped me set expectations for my first crack at it this spring (praying for good weather 🤞🤞🤞). Do you know if you still have the FKT?
It is still at the moment, but a few people have come very close, one who was on track to beat it but suffered a mechanical. The time will probably fall this year.
Nice one! I’ll give this a stab when the borders open here! 🇮🇲
Outstanding. Did it in a leisurely three days with a guide a couple of years ago. Thought it was doable in two days but not eight hours, that’s just silly.
Brilliant!👍
Great effort - well done. I completed it last night in 17hrs. What food did you take for the ride and how did your nutrition work out? Any recommendations for feeding without stopping?
Thank you. Nutrition was fine, eating at least every 30 minutes, but for 8.5hrs, you can fit enough into pockets and the small bag on the bike.
👍 Awesome Mate.
Great effort Matt, I’m riding it for a second time soon but again over 3 days. We used to ride together I believe when you went by the name Voltage on a certain bike forum almost 20 years ago?
The good old days of MTB Wales! I still have my jersey somewhere and that site was what kicked my cycling adventure off and I have lifelong friends from it. TCW over 3 days is still a good effort and I would also recommend over 2, using the awesome Bothy a few hundred metres off the course to make it a good 2-day ride, although in Winter where daylight is limited it is a push for time.
Those descents look gnarly if doing it on a Gravel bike. Would definitely loose time there. Would you do it with front sus next time instead of a Lauf?
No, I think the Lauf gives a good compromise. The forks give brilliant small bump comfort and overall I think the benefit is greater than the few minutes you'd gain elsewhere. A more durable, but still fast front tyre would be the main change.
Good effort! How many Welsh Cakes did you get through in 8.5 hours?
A very different approach this year. Total intake, 15 x TORQ gels and 4 x Clif gels.
I had a nutrition strategy and stuck to it and it worked well.
Round Two,Fight 👍
Hiya Matt, firstly congrats on a great effort and nice commentary too. Just wondered, is there a leaderboard viewable online? I'm attempting it in just over a week and hoping for a good time. What was your overall time, including stops, from start to finish?
There is a website that has some previous times listed, but I don't think it's kept up to date. The overall time given at the end is elapsed time, so includes all stops.
That's awesome! Nice one, what was the reason for not going wider on the tyres? To save weight?
It's just not needed. The amount of terrain that is tough is quite limited.
hi matt, the section you say is really ruff and runs parallel to a road, is that the stretch from rhayader to the elan valley?
It's alongside the road to Claerwen reservoir
That section is totally unridable as of the weekend just gone 12.08.24.
I.m doing it in July on a gravel bike over 2 days
Good luck. Over 2 days I think is great, get a big chunk done on day 1, then an easier day 2. It makes for a challenging few days still.
Hi matt you did this in a single day hats off to you ,do you have a gpx file for the route
Cheers
Try here: bikepacking.com/routes/trans-cambrian-way/
Fantastic effortt 💪
Myself and two mates are planning on doing this next month, would you care to share the gpx?
Good luck on your ride. The GPX you can find here: bikepacking.com/routes/trans-cambrian-way/
Not a sheep track Matt an unsealed council road
Don’t be fooled by all these video guides on TH-cam showing young people having the time of their lives doing this ride in one day.
I’ve just completed it in 3 days with 3 of my mates and we all agreed that there’s not enough emphasis on how hard this ride is. I’m well above average fitness. Parkrun and circuit training every week etc and I struggled. Most of the climbs you will have to get off the bike and push at some point.
Some of the tracks are so rutted you can’t pedal without getting pedal strikes every 10 seconds. The track around the reservoir is just deep potholes full of water so you can’t fly along them like in this video.
The 4x4 track before the dam is completely unridable for at least 5 miles due to flooding and mud. So I have to say, I honestly don’t believe any of these so called ‘records’ on here. I certainly couldn’t do it over two days, let alone one.
And get used to your feet being permanently soaked due to the silly amount of stream and river crossings.
So you are calling me a liar? The Strava link is in the description for you to see for yourself.
@@MattPage not necessarily. I just don’t see any video evidence of the tough parts in your post. It’s very cleverly edited to make the ride look like a doddle. Which it isn’t.
@@GK1976A I wouldn't be able to win the Olympics or ride the stuff that Tom Pidcock can, but I wouldn't call him a liar. If you think Trans Cambrian is technical you need to ride elsewhere, because it's really not technical. Hafod forest has changed since I did it 3 years ago and Claerwen is rougher, the rest is similar.
@@MattPage I also forgot to mention that the downhill section after the last big climb before Llangurig is a death trap. Most of the tarmac path has been washed away due to flooding, leaving only a very thin strip of tarmac path with a metre drop on either side. If that’s not technical I don’t know what is.
@@GK1976A I cycled down that section a few months ago, so I know which section you mean. It has worsened since 2021, but I cycled there with no problems.