Page 66 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

The mountain bikes we had hired were deliv- ered to our accommodation and exceeded our expectations in terms of quality, giving us all the confidence to tackle the arduous, rocky terrain the Akamas Peninsula has to offer. The group’s mountain biking experience varied widely, but we used this to our advantage on the first day, cover- ing some mountain bike skills lessons, with more experienced members coaching less experienced Cadets under the supervision of the instructor, to ensure everyone was properly prepared for the challenges ahead. We also covered some moun- tain bike maintenance and repair which would prove invaluable as the week progressed.
Our overall aim was to build confi-
dence and mountain biking ability;
we achieved this over the course
of week by progressively increasing
distance, elevation and technicality
of routes. By the end of the week
we had undertaken routes across
the whole area of the Akamas Pen-
insula and the Akamas Fores,t and
everyone had put the basic skills
they had learnt into practice on a whole variety of different terrain, from flowing sandy tracks to technical steep rock gardens. Also incorporated into some of our routes were stops at some of the famous sights of the area including the ancient Baths of Aphrodite, which was a great addition to the expedition.
The main challenge we faced during the week was keeping on top of the maintenance and repair of the bikes. Despite the quality of the bikes we were using, the terrain of the Akamas peninsula was rocky and unforgiving and it took
its toll. Much of the ground comprised incredibly sharp, volcanic rock and together with the narrowness of the tracks it caused a number of mechani- cal problems as well as numerous punctures (five on one day at the high- est count!). Nevertheless, this gave us the opportunity to practice our main- tenance skills we had learnt earlier in
the week; we were forced to improvise solutions for some of the bigger mechanical problems and we were all experts in puncture repair by the end of the week.
In conclusion, it was a challenging but incred- ibly enjoyable week. We all learnt valuable skills, both in conducting the activity and in planning the expedition itself, and this will be of huge ben- efit to us in our future careers, and to the soldiers under our command. We would like to express a huge thank you to The Sandhurst Trust for their assistance in making this happen.
...we were
all experts in puncture repair by the end of the week.
64 SANDHURST