Like greased butter on ice...

...was not how anyone chose to describe the trail conditions this morning, but if they had, it wouldn't have been inaccurate. By the time we'd made it safe to Tillings for tea there had been a fair few squeaky-bum-time moments involving mud, tyres and an obstacle in a direction other than that which you wanted to travel getting rapidly closer.

 

A couple of hours earlier an unusually small group was waiting for their ride leader to get his together. After waiting for Lee to come to the rescue by borrowing me a replacement bolt from Head to the Hills after one of two keeping my front brake attached ejected itself somewhere on the ride over, we could set off. Except, we didn't all make it past the quarter mile mark as Steve suffered a complete seatpost collapse and retired, with possible plans to meet us for tea. Nothing heard as yet, Steve, are you still out there?

 

All for all bar one now the motto and it was up through Denbies. Lee, claiming that no other bikes were suitable to ride, but surely just looking to break us in gently to his arrival in full Rapha and lycra, was on a cross bike and stormed up the climb. Come the subsequent descent of Golden Nugget though, those skinny tyres and drop bars apparently seemed quite scary, as the noises of panic behind me attested. Slippery singletrack as we worked our way all along the top of Ranmore certainly tested tyres to the limit all round, with body weight shifts, hip twists, leaning and counter steering all employed to little avail on the slime over frozen mud.

 

And then we catch up with ourselves safe at Tillings, in a nice warm room, topping up on tea and cake. I think had I suggested it we might have stayed there. But there were homes to get to, so out we went, up White Down and then, on the last descent of the day, on a roll in I'd assured everyone was easy, I proceeded to come a cropper and smash shin and elbow into the floor. Had to happen some time I suppose.

 

Not the highest mileage ever at 21, but it certainly felt it in the mud. Happy days.

 

Mat

Event / Article Type
MTB Experienced - Rykas
Dave adrift