Syncros Endurance comes alive!!

MBR magazine have been their usual supportive selves, and are helping with the coverage of my main challenge for 2010, apart from racing.

"The Hobbits' Tale" is basically a Welsh Coast2Coast out and return. It's approximately 410mile long with 22-23000m of climbing, non-stop.

In May, June or July 2010, I will set off from Cardiff and ride to Caernarfon, before turning around and riding back home. I might stop for a wee, but hope that that will be all. I'll be waiting for a weeks dry weather so that the bogs are a bit easier to cross in Ffair-Rhos.

The route runs from Cardiff and follows a similar route to the WC2C, except in a northerly direction. Highlights should be the incredible vista offered as you crest The Gap descent in the Brecon Beacons, riding more singletrack at Nant-yr-Arian, The Chute in Machynnlleth's Mach3, and Coed-y-Brennin singletrack.

When I get to Caernarfon, I'll hopefully still have my full entourage of support crews and I'll turn around and ride the actual WC2C in it's entirety: This includes the stupid steep climb up to Castell Coch on the way into Cardiff. It's a little sting in the tail that makes the last few miles a bit more entertaining as your legs scream at you.

As noted in MBR this month, I'm hoping to be able to have this ride ratified as a Guinness World Record, but this is actually more difficult than it sounds. As far as any of my colleagues know, internationally, this will be the longest non-stop offroad ride ever. Sheesh! It may have to be termed something like "Longest distance covered in 48hrs", or something like that. If I'm not finished the route, I'll bag the record (with luck) and just keep going 'til I finish the double. The double might take a little longer than 48hrs, but I'm not sure.

This is a challenge and a half.

I'm getting sweaty just typing this.

So when it's done, you'll be able to choose to do a WC2C Northwards or Southwards as they will both be defined routes.

Now, to the bikes.

This season we at the newly named Syncros Endurance will be riding Santa Cruz Blur XC carbon bikes finished with top of the range Syncros kit. I'll have two of these beautiful bikes each with slightly different kit on them, but they will both be sinewy speed demons in the racing world.

Most of our other sponsorship deals will remain the same, otherwise, but the websites will change a little to reflect this in the coming weeks. I'm also lucky to have a couple of additional sponsors to announce, but not quite yet.