Tim’s Ford S-MAX ready to roll

And a shiny Cannondale Prophet to play with

Clear priorities in loading the Ford S-MAX here – but it swallows two bikes and two snowboards easily

5 star rated Highland Holiday Apartments in Banavie near the world famous Fort William

I’m a lucky, lucky bloke! A Cannondale, a trip away with a flash loan car and a big box full of Fox riding gear is one hell of a prize and I still can’t believe it.

Here’s how the trip went:

Fort William is officially A Long Way Away! It’s a nine hour drive but the S-MAX was ideal for the job – it easily swallowed up two bikes and two snowboards and was great to drive. Nice high driving position without being a bus (if you get my drift) and me being a tight Northerner the diesel engine was also a bonus. Over a thousand miles at an average of 47.9mpg (yes, so tight that I remembered that). Posh inside too.

The weather on day one at For Bill was atrocious; pouring rain and howling wind so we couldn’t board and didn’t fancy biking so we kicked our heels until the pub magnets took over.

Day two was equally grim but we set off for Laggan Wolftrax anyway, resigned to getting very cold and wet. Just as we arrived the rain stopped and we had a great day. One lap of the red, the new red and the black trails plus some excellent food in between (Haggis & Mozzarella ciabatta for this tourist!). If you didn’t already know – Laggan’s black trail is proper black. Loads of big sharp rocky steps had me on foot quite a few times. Go and see – take a bike with long forks if you actually want to ride all of that black.

Day three we hit the pistes. The wind had dropped enough for the Nevis Range lifts to be open. There weren’t many pistes open (ie two) but the snow was good and we had a laugh without hitting too much rockery.

Oh and each night we stayed in a posh five star apartment at Banavie, just up the road from Fort Bill. Too nice for muddy bikers but we actually left it reasonably clean, unlike the Ford – that probably needed just a bit of a valet…

Typically, it snowed on the last night which made the drive home down the A82 a bit sketchy but the scenery was now totally snow covered and absolutely stunning. I’ve been to the Alps and the Rockies and that Scottish scenery is just as good.

Let me talk about the bike, it’s a Cannondale Prophet 3, although I’ve had the wallet and spanners out so it’s now more like the spec of a Prophet 1. It’s a good looking bike and rides really well. The mags seem to like it aswell – getting 10/10s in group tests is good enough for me.

And the Fox stuff – a big box stuffed with riding gear and casual/knocking-about gear. Got me one of their fancy Flux helmets too, plus they even chucked in some sunglasses and a hoody (that I look a complete tool in!).

So that’s it, easily enough stuff for four prizes but they gave it all out in one lot, to me! Sorry if this sounds like I’m sponsored but – thanks to BM and Ford and Cannondale and Fox and Highland Appartments. Bring on the next compo – I’m on a roll 😉

Tim

I want to S-MAX my life

The S-MAX is designed for maximum flexibility with up to seven seats. Pack in the kids, your friends for a weekend away or a couple of bikes. The CotY judges were impressed by the drive, too. Amongst a host of gizmos, the S-MAX has (optional) Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control (IVDC) with Continuously Controlled Damping, a modern suspension layout with Normal, Sport or Comfort settings and sporty steering. Find out more now.

Thanks to Ford, Fox, Cannondale, Visit Scotland and Highland Holiday Apartments for making this competition possible.