Introduction.

Whilst most visitors will know what the WWC is all about, maybe some of you won't, and you're just exploring out of interest. So let's start with a description and a little bit of history.

The Wild Wales Challenge is a bike ride - with a difference. Held annually, on the bank Holiday Sunday at the end of August, it attracts over 500 cyclists, young, old, and not-so-young to Bala in North Wales, where the event starts and finishes. The WWC is NOT a race - it's a challenge ride, with a different route every year, set amidst glorious scenery and using minor roads and lanes, and riders ride it at their own pace, the object being to complete the route within a generous time allowance.

Being set in North Wales, the route is of course up and down, and it is a challenge. The distance varies between around 76 to 86 miles. The route is devised by the Organiser in the hope that riders will look around as they pedal and enjoy the spectacular surroundings which abound in Wales.

Who can enter? The event is open to all cyclists; you don't have to be a member of a club or organisation. Although the WWC is organised on behalf of the Merseyside District Association, which is affiliated to the Cyclists' Touring Club (C.T.C.). There is an entry fee which covers all the services provided to riders (more of that in a moment) and the surplus goes to the Merseyside D.A. The WWC therefore is not a private enterprise event run for profit, but an official C.T.C. event.

The WWC has been running every year since 1984. The original idea was devised by my predecessor as Organiser, Paul Olson, and the very first ride attracted around fifty riders. That number quickly multiplied in succeeding years as the popularity of the event spread rapidly, and before long it was attracting 400 or so riders from all over the U.K. and even beyond.

The WWC has always had a great reputation, not just for the excellence and variety of the routes, but also for value for money. The food and drink provided, "pit-stops" sometimes in the most unlikely of places, back-up service with a sag-wagon, fully detailed event booklet, and of course a commemorative article to all finishers. For the last ten years this has taken the form of a slate plaque, made in Wales, and depicting a scene from the route that year. The idea is that these plaques make up a series which will of course only be available to WWC riders.

Paul Olson organised the event extremely successfully for 12 years before retiring from the job, and I took it on in 1996. Although at the time there was understandably some concern whether it would survive, it has, and has gone from strength to strength attracting over 600 riders. So, now you know a little bit about the WWC and its history.

Now let's talk about riding it, which after all is the objective. How tough is it? Are you going to be up to it? Well, of course it IS a challenge event, so it's not easy-peasy, unless you happen to be a Tour de France rider. But if you're reasonably fit, you won't have any real difficulty with the route. Some of the climbs, like the Bwlch y Groes or Church Hill, are pretty daunting and yes, some riders will dismount and walk up. So what? There's no dishonour in doing so; you won't be disqualified or anything.

The message is: Enjoy yourself; take your time; appreciate the scenery, make new friends and chat to old ones. Any sort of bike may be used, but it must, for obvious reasons, be roadworthy. Brakes are especially important. Unless you're an exceptionally strong rider (or a masochist) low gears are a must; whether you ride a mountain bike, a tourer, or a racing bike, and we also have tandems completing the event. So far, no-one has managed to ride it round on a unicycle!

So, that's the WILD WALES CHALLENGE for you - let's hope that you feel it's for you!

Denis Holder. (Organiser 1996 - 2005)