07Apr 2024 by The Mahojos No Comments
This Is The Ultimate Bike Ride Through All 22 Counties Of Wales

This Is The Ultimate Bike Ride Through All 22 Counties Of Wales

Cycling, Latest posts, Walks
Hey! I'm Ali, one half of The MahoJos. Me and my wife Amy live on a farm in South Wales and in March 2017 we went on an epic bike ride through all 22 counties of Wales. The Route When planning the route, I wanted to try and achieve the shortest distance possible between all 22 counties. Our journey started in our home town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf before heading north towards Merthyr Tydfil, then east across the 'Heads of the Valleys' route towards Monmouthshire. We then headed south towards Newport before heading west to Pembrokeshire. From there we went north, right up to Anglesey before turning west for the final leg to Wrexham. Time and Distance I estimated that the bike ride would be about 450 miles…
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19Jul 2019 by The Mahojos No Comments
Le Tour de France – five reasons to go and watch it

Le Tour de France – five reasons to go and watch it

Campervan, Cycling, Latest posts
Ugh, we've been back from France for 5 days and it feels like a lifetime! One thing we're missing is following Le Tour de France. If you've been thinking about going over to France to catch some stages, here are our 5 top reasons to go... Seeing different parts of France The route for Le Tour is different every year. In the two times we've followed Le Tour, we've seen two stages in the French Alps and two in north Eastern France. We've wild camped at the side of the road near beautiful little towns and villages, meaning that we're exploring parts of France that we'd never normally see. Experiencing 'The Caravan' About two hours before all the riders sweep past, the sponsors 'caravan' speeds by which is a sight…
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10Feb 2019 by The Mahojos No Comments
5 things NOT to do on a long distance bike ride

5 things NOT to do on a long distance bike ride

Cycling
Over two years (nearly three) have passed since finishing my long distance bike ride from Pontypridd (South Wales) to Chamonix (French Alps) and it already feels like a lifetime ago. Back in the hum drum of everyday life I'm wishing I was back on my bike but I've had a lot of time to reflect on what I would do differently if I were to do it again (yes, there will be a next time!). So, here are my top 5 things NOT to do if you're going on a long distance bike ride (not in any particular order). 1.Travel without a map In my wisdom, I thought I'd be able to ride from Pontypridd to Newhaven via Bristol, Bath, Salisbury, Southampton and Brighton without a map, and by relying on the…
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10May 2017 by The Mahojos No Comments
The Beast – up the valleys

The Beast – up the valleys

Cycling
In an effort to re-motivate ourselves after the recent round-Wales adventure, I (stupidly) suggested that riding 100 miles a week would be a good way to get going again. New Challenge It might sound like a lot but some cyclists (err not us) do that in a day. Doing it over 7 days means that cycling becomes a regular part of our lives again, and is a decent enough mileage to have fitness benefits. Route Planning We thought about starting this new challenge on Tuesday once the bank holiday was over. But Amy was keen to start right away so we looked at a local route. We pored over Google maps and a South East Wales Sustrans map to get some inspiration. We settled on doing a north west loop…
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28Jan 2016 by The Mahojos No Comments
Fat Biking in Chamonix

Fat Biking in Chamonix

Cycling
This trip to the Chamonix in the French Alps was the third of three cursed attempts to get out there and do some Snowboarding. Attempt number one: other half had a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament. We went out there anyway and holiday ‘highlights’ were drinking, eating pizza and playing crazy golf in Evian (the town, not the drink). Attempt number two: Christmas and New Year holiday completely cancelled due to other half having an appendectomy. Attempt number three, other half still recovering from a broken ankle which hasn’t healed properly. They say things happens in threes but this is really taking the piss now, so laughing hard in the face of yet more adversity, we decide to get out to Chamonix anyway and find alternative activities to do which are leg-fracture-friendly. Plus…
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