At this point the combination of tiredness and the weather started to take its toll a bit, and a few guys began to make uncharacteristic mistakes. One stack in particular resulted in a pretty nicely gashed chin, and the unlucky rider was told to park–up, have a bite to eat and collect himself for a wee bit. Again, it’s a great part of riding as a club. We’ve all got respect for one another and want to have fun, but if someone’s about to do something really stupid or dangerous there’ll always be someone to step in and get some perspective on the whole situation. It’s how we got everyone down in one piece(ish), and means we luckily don’t really get our fair share of injuries, accidents, and guys coming out without proper gear for riding.

Towards the end of the Rangers Path proper came a section we dubbed as ‘Mordor’. It was the most tech part of the whole route – and definitely the most fun. A nice flowing rock garden, but one with some deceptively big drop–offs. Mordor definitely put the skills of everyone to the test – and skills are another area where riding with the university makes it interesting. Not everyone with us was an incredible rider. In fact, there were a few people who’ve been off–road on bikes for less than a year. Yet these guys were halfway up a massive mountain in the freezing cold, holding their own with some of the other blokes who’ve been tearing down hills on two wheels since they could walk. It’s catering to everyone’s skill and confidence levels, while trying to push people to develop as riders that makes the club such a great institution to have in Sheffield.

It’s not even the range of skills that make us so varied either – we have guys and girls from all sorts of backgrounds. From blokes that have never moved from the house in the village they were born in, to people who’ve never stayed in one country for more than a few years. Students aren’t just young either. Plenty of mature and post–grads have joined our ranks over the years – along with high ranking staff! To have a group of people from all walks and corners of life brought together by a mutual love of biking is pretty great to be a part of, and then being able to take that group off on a jolly to ride bikes in one of the best places in the country for a weekend makes it even better.

Following Mordor, everything calmed down and then ended in a push back uphill, which would allow us to descend back to the car park. Needless to say this wasn’t well received by tired legs and backs, but the rapidly fading light made everyone get a good crack on. We’d all spent so much time pushing back up sections on the Rangers Path that we arrived at this uphill about an hour and a half later than we’d planned, but you didn’t hear anyone complaining…until the group suffered two more punctures in the space of about forty feet.

Without a doubt, Snowdon should be right up near the top of any list of riding destinations for people based in the UK (and you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if you made the trip from further afield). It is a real effort to get up to the top, but that just makes you feel that bit more satisfied when you make it down. The best review I can give it though is that none of our lot that went along for the weekend will forget it in a hurry – and that’s a ringing endorsement if ever there was one.

Also, if you ever happen to be in Sheffield and fancy a ride with some good beer and chat afterwards, please come and find us. We ride at half one every Wednesday from the Arts Tower car park by the uni (we’ll be the massive group of bikers clogging up the entrance to the library, you can’t miss us). It’s not Snowdon, but you’ve got a pretty decent chance of enjoying yourself if we’ve got anything to do with it.

Ed’s note: If you are taking on Snowdon remember that it is a massive mountain…it’s 3,560 feet high, so be safe. Also you should be aware that there is a ‘Snowdon Voluntary Cycling Agreement’ where cyclists have agreed that between the hours of 10am and 5pm from 1st May to 30th September cyclists should not cycle on the Snowdon bridleways. Nobody wants a complete ban to be brought into force, so try and follow these ‘rules’.