My 2020 Dragon Rally

[Sir Fallsalot]

Inspired by Bob i thought i'd share my attempt at this years Dragon Rally. The plan was to go to the Bruce Pollard memorial rally on the Friday night held at Y Giler Arms at Rhydlydan, Betws-y-Coed and then onto the Dragon rally on the Saturday night. The route planing was easy i drew a straight line from my house to the pub and just picked the roads closest to it no off roading was planned. So set off after the rush hour traffic had died down about 9.30 no breakfast as the first stop would be the dolwen garage cafe just outside Llanidloes two hours away it's a bit of a tradition of mine stopping there every year, weathers great for January, the bikes running sweet and i'm really enjoying the roads to get to the cafe and i'm starving, to my surprise its bloody closed Feeling a bit pissed off i pushed on thinking i'd get something to eat in Bala another hour further on, The roads are even better from here ( using some google street view images as i was riding )

the road past Clywedog Reservoir

 

After this its back onto some smaller roads with great scenery and no traffic not that i'd had much on route

At the end of this there were some trails i hadn't done before and my sense of adventure took over and next thing i know i'm climbing up some rocky track with way too much pressure in the tyres i struggles on for about a mile only to end up a few yards from where i started but on a much easier trail lol. I come to a closed gate with a guy doing some gardening i ask if its ok to go through and what the track is like, he says its OK but the track is rough and i may struggle with the luggage on, well in my head i thinks yeh ok man I've heard this all before just trying to scare me off, so i say OK i'll have a look if you don't mind and off i goes.

Its a bit slippery with the hard tyres but not too bad

I gets to this little stream crossing thinking this is great

goes on a few hundred yards and things start getting a bit narrow

Ends up pushing it backwards back to the stream and up the field on the left this had me a bit hot and sweaty sometimes the land owners not lying LOL. Anyhow back on the road for a few miles to cool down i'm off my route now and have to do another lane to get back to it luckily this one is great 

My original route is at the bottom of this valley passing the white house heading up over the hills in the distance the photo doesn't show just how steep this is

Back on the road now and gave myself a little row for going off road but it was worth it this is the top of the pass another regular route for me to get to the dragon 

I gets into Bala and realise its only another 20 minutes to the pub so decides to have food there, Pitches the tent and has a quick look around its about 14:30 and there's already a few there i bungee's the the bike to the tree as I've seen the weekends weather warnings

 

So into the pub for food but the welcoming committee is there and i consume a lot of alcohol before the food and its all downhill from there

Getting merry with my enemy Jager

The night was great, in the morning my jaw was aching from laughing last night, i hadn't spewed in the land ladies flower pots this year and still have all my possessions everything's peachy. I'm up for breakfast relatively early scoff that and catch up with a few for a chat but when i go back to the tent last night gets hold of me with a vengeance i'm dying takes me almost two hours to pack my kit away and i head off to the Dragon checkpoint after stopping for fuel and a lucozade hoping it will pick me up. when i get to the checkpoint i just stop and rest my head on the bars of the bike for about 20 minutes before i get off to get my ticket stamped and directions to the rally site, i leave there heading west and the wind is picking up getting blown about and riding like an old lady, the campsite is another 20 minutes ride north west of me i come to a junction at Capel Curig and take it south towards home and don't stop until i get there never been so happy to see my bath
When i get up the next morning i see the photos coming in of the night i missed i do wish i was there to experience it for some reason but glad i was home

This is a photo of somebodies ride home

[XTreme]

Superb Fred!

[Pedro]

Good stuff, I suppose you have quite tall gearing on the XR to be good for touring? What kind of cruising speed can you manage with luggage like that?

I might be spoiled, but my XRs brakes are awful for the road, are yours stock?

[Sir Fallsalot]

7 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Good stuff, I suppose you have quite tall gearing on the XR to be good for touring? What kind of cruising speed can you manage with luggage like that?

I might be spoiled, but my XRs brakes are awful for the road, are yours stock?

That's my modified 650 dominator with XR400 clothes and front end on i have an oversized EBC disc on the front to slow her big ass down it makes a great long distance trail bike, always wanted the |XR650L but they don't officially import them to the UK so had to make my own, suspension not the best but it works its also my winter bike.

[Pedro]

Interesting bike, good stuff!

[boboneleg]

You definitely took the best option Fred by heading back home.  Next year I'm just going to stay in the Conwy YHA and not move, it's an ace spot

That's an ace lane, not very long but with a fantastic view, I did it with Paul Mules about 10 years ago

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