Great Rides

They've killed Kenny!

This years annual trip took us back to Afan Forest Park in South Wales for the second year running.  As usual the company was stimulating, the food superb and the fridge packed with beer.

Luckily there was no repeat performance by Graham of last years rendition of “Sex on Fire” by the Kings of Leon, Graham choosing instead to thrill us all with tales of his adventures with Chief Scout Bear Grylls.  Noticeably there were a few riders early to bed on Saturday night, with Tom catching Paul red handed watching Babestation with Neil.

Dorman - a class act

PJ, Marco, Chris, Adam, AJ, Mike, Tom, Jo, Neil, Gerry, Jonathon, Pete, Graham, Rob, John, Skelly, Kenny and Paul

The 2010 team comprised 18 riders of varying fitness and ability, bags packed full of energy bars and ready to tackle anything on offer as long as there was a lunch stop.

Marco pushes up the first hill, pausing for breath half way

The Psychology of Afan

By Gerry Duggan BA MA HPC C.Psychol. OBOB

Chapter 1: “You have nothing to fear but fear itself” – Cognitive Therapy

“Go on…you can do it”

Gerry peered over the edge of the precipice and convinced himself otherwise.  “No I can’t”.

The voice persisted.  “Yes you can, you can…you’ve nothing to fear except fear itself.”

“There’s death and/or permanent disability to consider”, offered Gerry as a counterargument. “Even at the lower level,” he continued, “there is a very real danger of serious injury or, worse, serious embarrassment.”

The voice wasn’t going to give up easily.  “Go on, push yourself over the edge, it’s not very far at all now.”

Gerry turned to see if the voice might be actually a real person in the form of Skelly…he that makes even great distances seem short; he that makes high mountains seem low; he that lies through his teeth so that you think you’re just getting somewhere only to find that you’re nowhere bloody near there at all.

“Go on”, said the Skellyvoice.  “The bike centre is only a few feet away now, you can almost touch it.”

Gerry considered this as objectively as possible.  To be fair, the Skellyvoice was somewhat right.  The bike centre was only about 20 feet away…when measured horizontally.  However, it was also 600 feet distant…vertically.  And to Gerry, that was the bit that mattered.  Even Euclid would have trouble denying that this was one mother of a hypotenuse.

However, the alternatives were no better.  The fact was, there were no alternatives.  The only road down was…well…down.  So Gerry, with all his athletic and technical limitations, with his non-suspension bike and no brakes, with his fat, overweight body unencumbered by body armour, pushed himself gently over the edge of the cliff and began the gentle plunge to the valley floor below.

Chapter 2: “Arrrrrrggghh!!!” – Primal Scream Therapy

(To be continued)