“You can keep your nice, your leisurely and your convenience”  Mike Hall 2016 (The Bugle by Brooks England)

In the days following the sudden death of Mike Hall in 2017, some of Mike’s friends in the UK Audax community felt the need to plan a group ride that encapsulated his spirit. Driven by the challenge of self-supported adventure, Mike often rode 400km in a day on his bikepacking races, was always keen to incorporate a bit of gravel into his Welsh road training rides and was certainly not shy of hills. We wanted to capture the essence of his article ‘This is not a tour’ in an Audax format.

Having discussed it and shared ideas with Mike’s close family and friends, a plan was hatched for an Audax UK calendar event. The result was a challenging 400km mixed surface route with some of the steepest 7500 meters of ascent you’ll ride in Wales. We felt that Mike would approve. However, to live up to Mike’s efforts to be inclusive of all abilities, we broadened the rides.

So, in 2018, 100km, 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km rides were organised in memory of our friend Mike. We finished the weekend with real ale, a spit-roasted pig, and veggie burgers, and TINAT was born. The event ran again in the summer of 2019. We have a collection of rider stories that tell the events of 2018 & 2019, but then the world stopped, and TINAT has yet to return.

We are currently planning a 2025 event for 30th May – 1st June.

As before, these rides will demand a commitment to make the time allowances. And whilst they are not races, we encourage spirited riding and a community atmosphere.