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The Aftermath:
This event was held to mark passing of thirty years since the first mountain bike specific competition event, 'The 1984 Wendover Bash'. The 'Bash' was the first mountain bike specific event to be held in Britain and took place in Wendover woods on the 17th of June 1984.
For the Anniversary British mountain bike designer and pioneer Geoff Apps invited some friends and RetroBikers to join him on in revisiting the site of the original 'Bash' and to ride in the hills and woods where he designed his Cleland mountain bikes. This is also where he started the first mountain bike rides in Britain in 1982, to promote his Cleland Cycles company, the first mountain specific bike manufacturer in Britain, probably Europe. The bikes were designed when Apps lived in Aylesbury and manufactured in nearby Rowsham from 1982-1984.
An unprecedented number of 'Apps' bikes were gathered for the event. From the remains of first bicycle to be ridden up a British Mountain, the 1980, Cleland Range-Rider prototype, which was ridden up Snowdon in October 1981 (by a team led by modern day television presenter Nicholas Crane), to Apps' most recent Cleland Aventura TT design.
Also being ridden was the first Cleland bicycle produced at Rowsham in '82 and the most influential of Apps' designs the 1981 700c wheeled Range-Rider prototype. A bike that inadvertently led to the development of a whole new class of mountain bike, the 29er. This happened after Apps exported some of the big Finnish Hakkapeliitta tyres he used on this bike, to US mountain bike pioneers Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly.
The weather on Saturday's ride was hot and humid, but despite Apps now being in his 60's he still managed to lead a ride of over 18miles of hilly and difficult terrain. More reports and pictures to follow.
On the Sunday we joined in with the festivities at the Chiltern Cycling Festival held at Amersham, whilst wearing some fancy dress deemed appropriate for the occasion. It was at Dees Cycles in Amersham that the first frames for Geoff Apps' mountain bikes were made in 1979/80. One of these would have been the first mountain bike to be made made in Britain, but unfortunately it no longer exists. However the search is on to track down what happened to a second Dees Cycles made machine.
All in all a great weekend was had by all.
Watch this space for photos.....
All the best,
Graham.
This event was held to mark passing of thirty years since the first mountain bike specific competition event, 'The 1984 Wendover Bash'. The 'Bash' was the first mountain bike specific event to be held in Britain and took place in Wendover woods on the 17th of June 1984.
For the Anniversary British mountain bike designer and pioneer Geoff Apps invited some friends and RetroBikers to join him on in revisiting the site of the original 'Bash' and to ride in the hills and woods where he designed his Cleland mountain bikes. This is also where he started the first mountain bike rides in Britain in 1982, to promote his Cleland Cycles company, the first mountain specific bike manufacturer in Britain, probably Europe. The bikes were designed when Apps lived in Aylesbury and manufactured in nearby Rowsham from 1982-1984.
An unprecedented number of 'Apps' bikes were gathered for the event. From the remains of first bicycle to be ridden up a British Mountain, the 1980, Cleland Range-Rider prototype, which was ridden up Snowdon in October 1981 (by a team led by modern day television presenter Nicholas Crane), to Apps' most recent Cleland Aventura TT design.
Also being ridden was the first Cleland bicycle produced at Rowsham in '82 and the most influential of Apps' designs the 1981 700c wheeled Range-Rider prototype. A bike that inadvertently led to the development of a whole new class of mountain bike, the 29er. This happened after Apps exported some of the big Finnish Hakkapeliitta tyres he used on this bike, to US mountain bike pioneers Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly.
The weather on Saturday's ride was hot and humid, but despite Apps now being in his 60's he still managed to lead a ride of over 18miles of hilly and difficult terrain. More reports and pictures to follow.
On the Sunday we joined in with the festivities at the Chiltern Cycling Festival held at Amersham, whilst wearing some fancy dress deemed appropriate for the occasion. It was at Dees Cycles in Amersham that the first frames for Geoff Apps' mountain bikes were made in 1979/80. One of these would have been the first mountain bike to be made made in Britain, but unfortunately it no longer exists. However the search is on to track down what happened to a second Dees Cycles made machine.
All in all a great weekend was had by all.
Watch this space for photos.....
All the best,
Graham.
