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  • Heaven of the South

    Heaven of the SouthThe dynamic duo turned up ready for action in beautiful sunshine in the Cotswolds on Saturday. The riding was ace and there was not a towpath in sight!
    It must be said that the BCC representation at this event was somewhat underwhelming but quantity was made up for by quality (well our bikes are nice anyway). No mention in this editorial will be made about the BCC rider who failed to be able to tell the days of the week although his middle initials are not short for Totally Clever.

    We set off on the mass start having eaten quality rider energy food (read bacon bap with brown sauce) with the final instructions from the course organiser ringing in our ears “Don’t die and now PISS OFF!” ….. I think we were clear about this.

    The route itself consisted of a large circular “lap” of about 56km plus 3 additional loops which were options along the main route. Batman and Robin (or is that Dumb and Dumber? – other duos are available) opted in to the first extra loop which was a very pleasant forest singletrack. However there was a slight technical issue with a rear wheel. It began to shed spokes and resemble a Salvador Dali impression of a wheel so the decision was made to avoid too many further dramas and avoid the future extensions.

    This did not detract from the enjoyment though as the route had quarries, woods, grass, singletrack, badger sets, doubletrack and loam aplenty. Surprisingly there was mud too – the really thick sticky sort which demanded a combination of luck and speed to plough through. Some were more successful than others but BCC riders stayed on board their bicycles despite the best efforts of the terrain (and occasionally other riders) in trying to unseat us. Riding in company always leads so some mysterious behaviour which brings out the MTB snob in me.

    Why do people brake at the bottom of a hill when momentum will take you up the other side?

    Why do people push downhill?

    Why do people not give warning about braking?

    Why am I such a …….. ?

    One unfortunate rider did manage to come a proper cropper on the first descent and somehow managed to break his hip and some ribs. He was well looked after by riders and medics and taken to hospital.

    Have I mentioned climbing – why ever not? There was plenty …. minimal pushing tho’ as the climbs were just about obtainable / horrible. The return to the car park was made of some tarmac, a long climb and then ……….. CIDER ……….. very welcome it was too.

    We arrived back in 5.59 hours returning an average speed of over 10km p\h including mechanicals and bananas.

    A great friendly sociable event ridden by riders of many styles in a fab location.

    Can’t wait for the next one.

    Rich and Steve

  • A tale of two rides

    A tale of two rides

    Perhaps its the dry trails, perhaps its the warm weather or perhaps its the light evenings. Who knows, but after a winter of the hardy the Nightrider is once again busy enough for two groups and double the fun! We don’t really do “fast” and “slow” since speed is relative and we ride what teh group want to ride, so we split into “social” and “other” and ventured off, to meet after in the pub…

    Social:

    Following a minor bit of tyre faffing from Rhys (nice “bang”  BTW Rhys), the social group consisting Marjory, Andy, Rhys,James and Pete headed off with Andy leading from the back (demonstrating proper ride leader behaviour) and Pete at the front (demonstrating the “Darwinian” approach to ride leading).

    Having negotiated a bit of felling in Shepherds Wood we made our way through (around actually) the ford and up the allotment via the scenic route. 

    We made our way into Doodles via the new path by the road and enjoyed a very nice sunset from the woods – mixed opinions were shared about old doodles vs new doodles – the paint someone had use to mark the trees was unanimously frowned upon !

    We then bounced and skipped our way along Transistor and down “the middle one” (we must name that descent [Its called Stubborn Erection – Al]) back up to Canimore woods to try the usual bits such as Vlad, Pump and Vancouver plus a couple that were new for some.

    As the time drew on, and the need for cider became pressing for Andy, we headed back around Centre Parcs with one last “hurrah” by way of a quick blast down Fenceline.

    It all seemed very agreeable and I don’t believe we had any falls or refusals (Rich Cory was with the other group!)

    — Pete

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    Anti-Social:

    The trouble with the faster boys is that they are always in such a hurry to get to where they are going, they miss the fun bits getting there. So it was a Nath missed both lefts in Shepherds and we rode out the wrong side and missed the ford. No matter, it’ll all still be there next week.

    Again, faster boys, they get fixated. I made the mistake of mentioning the Strava time of a local roadie up the BCC Climb to Chris as we rode along the road to it, and duly he fired straight on up at warp speed, missing the easier, more fun way on the left (why always the left?). We regroupped as 8 at the top and headed for Fencline. I say headed, ‘cos whilst Diz added some air to his tyres bored minds plotted a more direct route down. Direct, loamy and bloody good fun as it turned out, which cheering from 4 chaps also out halfway down. I myself even cleared a double, on my XC hardtail with my saddle up – it was new, I knew no better and just rode it! Phew.

    Up to Jihadi’s, or Wigwams as its been renamed to avoid annoying terrorists, and straight back down with joyful abandon. Bumped into Curtis out riding his dogs to. Up, Bonnet, Duk, Endurex, Duk, that new bit, Vlad, Jeremy (where we waved George off home), Transistor and Doodles to finish. At which point whilst heading up to the gate my legs knew I’m better at being social than riding XC. Good job it was downhill to the pub! Some direct, some via BBMS. Its all good and no lights!

    No falls, no refusals, and we even had Rich Cory in our group! 😛

    — Al

    Fun

    Same time, same place next week for more of something similar, but its never the same…

  • Himalays Part 2

    Himalays Part 2

    In part one, Sean made us all think we need to go riding in the Himalayas _right_now_. Here in part 2, well, you read it…

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  • Himalays Part 1 (Big Bigger Biggerest)

    Himalays Part 1 (Big Bigger Biggerest)

    As a club we have members that do all kinds on bikes. From a regular little loop in the woods every weekend, to multi-week epics across the Himalayas. Sean took the later option and came back with reports of hill even bigger than Clay Hill…

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  • Richard’s Trail Riding

    I enjoy a huge variety of riding. I ride in all sorts of riding conditions and locations. I sometimes pay for uplifts at Bike Parks but mostly I enjoy “natural trails” riding in local locations which relaxes the spirit and give me a sense of freedom.

    I appreciate these locations and understand that they are there for others to appreciate too. I am merely “passing though” and I believe I owe it to everyone to do this with the minimum impact on the environment. Marked and graded trails are fine for Bike Parks and other official riding locations but I do not create them or take responsibility for their impact – I simply turn up, pay and ride.

    In the woods when I am riding natural trails I aim to:

    leave as little trace as possible
    make as little noise as possible
    be respectful of other users in the environment

    I hope that I succeed at this.

    Do you share my view?

    Rich

  • Ride Away – April 2015

    Ride Away – April 2015

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    The weather was booked in advance so we were greeted with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze as we arrived in Porlock. 8 riders took on the challenge of Sean’s outing which promised some “punchy climbs” and some long descents. Having ridden the Exmoor Explorer previously some were prepared for what was waiting for us but after 1400m of climbing and 40+km distance we were all in awe of our ride leader. He had scoped out the route and rode it all in 4 hours – sadly he was on his own when he did this and there was no-one to verify his claim. We would not, of course, have any comment to make about his good character and honesty.

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    From the car park at sea level we climbed and climbed in beautiful scenery pending the first descent which was a neat introduction to what was to come. A selfie stick was produced and how we enjoyed the moment! The only punctures of the day came on this descent and sadly one of the group punctured at the top (no one took the micky). Following this was some fab XC riding and a short stint of tarmac to get to Dunkery Beacon. This offered the opportunity for nuts and bananas or malt loaf depending on each riders personal preference for high performance food intake. Photos were taken – the selfie stick was replaced with a tripod and photos from the beacon were taken before we took to the descent. This proved to be a rocky river of shattered stones which made the forearms quiver and numbed the fingers as it went on and on. Grins were huge and there were no crashes although there were real tears when a tranny was abused!

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    More XC riding traversing hills on singletrack followed and we were almost back. However the closer we got to the car park the further away we were as the ride leader teased us with trails that wound this way and that. At this point I will have to confess to witnessing some pushing of bicycles as there were some very steep bits. However each up was rewarded with some exhilarating down. The final descent was dusty and narrow with whoops and grins we descended, at speed, to near the finish.

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    A final piece of tarmac to the nirvana of the ice-cream van was negotiated and all arrived back safe and sound. No one sensible fell on the tarmac and there was no blood!

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    Bring on Heaven of the South, May’s ride away.

  • It’s time to get back at it

    It’s time to get back at it

    Theres been a lot going on. Things have changed, things haven’t, but the long and short of it is that we’ve never been away but we are back anyway… (more…)

  • Ride Away – March 2015

    I’d be surprised if you have never been to Glyncorwwg, or Afan depending on which end you start riding at. Its an old favourite of a South Wales trail centre and with recent additions the trails are better than ever.

    In yet another happy coincidence, the weather was warm and dry. So warm we had to stop at the top of the first climb to remove layers and base skin. A marked difference to the last time some of us were here when it was cold, wet and blowing a gale. The main climb out of the cafe has itself changed little over the years but in recent time has had a hair cut due to a tree disease. Its now open and you can enjoy the view all the way up.

    We started on Blade for a jolly loop. Its a good fun trail that once you are at the top gives you a cracking descent with some fun fast rocky bits to keep you on your toes. The climb back out isn’t to bad, for a climb and the final descent (we did the proper one, not Jetlag) is just a rock embedded fun-fest all the way back down to tea and cake at the cafe.

    Suitably refuelled (and re-inner tubed in Ade’s case) we headed back up for a lap of Whites Level. Windy Point and Energy are just brilliant fun. We tool the “new” final descent and to be honest, no one was a fan. The “old” descent, which is still there as an option if you want it, is just more fun in our opinion, but like so many things in life, its good to have options ‘cos we are not all of the same mind.

    More tea and cake before the long drive home. Next month, Exmoor!

  • Ride Away – Feb 2015

    What with it being winter and all, we thought for this month’s ride away we’d stick to something surfaced. We had ventured over to Swinley just before new year and had a blast so what better place for February’s ride away!

    We were 13 in all, some old, some young, all out on bikes for one common cause. Fun! It turned out to be sloppier than ever, especially on the red where they were doing some works, but the water was only below with favourable weather so who’s going to complain? Exactly.

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    Next month its off to Wales to enjoy the cafe at Glyncorrwg, oh and ride some trails too!

  • Ride Away – Jan 2015

    What with it being a whole new year and all, Its time to get back into some regular ride aways. They are the third full weekend of the month, and this month we headed over to the Quantock Hills for some favourite fun, in the sun!

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    As always with Quantocks rides, your Garmin never tends to suggests you have travelled all that far, and a modest sounding 14.4 miles was the case here, but if you have ever beed to the Quantocks you will know that its up or down, never flat! 6 of us today, up Ladys Edge, down Wea Combe, up to Smith Combe and down, oh thats a fun down. The climb out is a bastard though… along the tops to Frog Combe, up Hodders, down Dead Womans Ditch and home via Holford. Its a lovely way to spend a few hours with your mates.

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    Next month its Swinley. See you there!