Twas the night (ride) before Christmas on hill dale and down

lights bright, freehubs whirring, mud turning bikes brown.
The route was planned out with the greatest of care
Mat and Simon to ride it, two only, one pair.

Those riders were wrapped up all snug in their kit,
With visions of singletrack, festively lit.
‘Less dreaming, more doing, out into the night’
The bridge from the car park the first gain in height.

From the monument downwards at speed did they go
Motorway, golf course, at last finding flow.
Walton, then Headley, just names in the dark,
But speeding down juniper- more of a lark

Box Hill- now approved an Olympian feat
Who’d begrudge at the top that they stop for a sweet?
Then on Headley they found out to their great distress
One tyre plus one thorn makes a hell of a mess!

A brief intermission to fill tyre with air
One last push and the finish was suddenly there!
Lights off, wheels off and collapse in the car
It hadn’t been easy mud plugging so far

They’d had lots of fun doing eighteen miles round
Though there seemed to be more dirt on bikes than on ground
And I heard them exclaim “life is more fun outside,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good ride!”

Disclaimer- Started Wednesday night before Adrians email!