I have had a reasonably active week since being off work. I have had a mild cold for the majority of the time so I have been careful not to overdo it. I set out on christmas eve on my road bike with a vague idea of where to go for the first 6 miles or so. After that point I just followed my nose with a little help from google maps on my phone. I ended up with a nice 40 mile route avoiding all major roads with some nice gentle hills thrown in. I regret not making the most of the Derbyshire countryside when I lived here because you can go for miles on almost deserted roads. My cold got a bit worse on Christmas day so I stayed in all day and tried not to each too much chocolate but I didn't hold back when it came to seconds of roast potatoes! With family expected for boxing day I managed to sneak in the reverse of christmas eve's ride before lunch.
On Wednesday I met up with northern monkeys Al Willis and Matt Jones for a poutle around Ladybower Resevoir in the Peak District. We had a route from MBR promising to link up some of the best descents in the area. Willis had been bragging about his new found map reading skills which would need to have improved since we last tried to ford the Tyne on a Northumberland adventure. Unfortunately, while his map reading may have improved, his counting certainly hasn't. We followed the route perfectly in reverse meaning each of these fabled descents turned into a technical climb! It is safe to say Jones was not ammused! It was actually quite a good ride and there was still some good descending but the wind was pretty brutal on the climb up to the final summit. In reality, whichever way we had ridden it there would have been some significant hiking involved so I probably wouldnt bother doing the route again. I was also sporting a super-cool retro Jersey that I got for christmas from Willis.
On Thursday I met up with former team mate Andy Cockburn for a quick thrash around Thetford Forest. The terrain could not have been more different to the previous day but it was good fun to smash some turns without the fear of being blown away by a gale or falling off a cliff into a resevoir. It's also good to have a local guide make the most of all the hidden trails. To tell the truth I actually enjoyed Thetford more than the Peaks which tells you something about the type of rider I am!
On Wednesday I met up with northern monkeys Al Willis and Matt Jones for a poutle around Ladybower Resevoir in the Peak District. We had a route from MBR promising to link up some of the best descents in the area. Willis had been bragging about his new found map reading skills which would need to have improved since we last tried to ford the Tyne on a Northumberland adventure. Unfortunately, while his map reading may have improved, his counting certainly hasn't. We followed the route perfectly in reverse meaning each of these fabled descents turned into a technical climb! It is safe to say Jones was not ammused! It was actually quite a good ride and there was still some good descending but the wind was pretty brutal on the climb up to the final summit. In reality, whichever way we had ridden it there would have been some significant hiking involved so I probably wouldnt bother doing the route again. I was also sporting a super-cool retro Jersey that I got for christmas from Willis.
On Thursday I met up with former team mate Andy Cockburn for a quick thrash around Thetford Forest. The terrain could not have been more different to the previous day but it was good fun to smash some turns without the fear of being blown away by a gale or falling off a cliff into a resevoir. It's also good to have a local guide make the most of all the hidden trails. To tell the truth I actually enjoyed Thetford more than the Peaks which tells you something about the type of rider I am!
I thought you might like to be reminded of some of the claims in the fated MBR route. They are:
ReplyDelete"You'll struggle to find a ride in the UK that packs in as much top-class descending as this ride: it's only 30km, but it's all killer, practically no filler"
"From the high point above the reservoir it's one long downhill back to the pub"
Who would have thought it could be so good in the other direction! Who doesn't love a good descent on a paved trail and walking up climbs whilst watching endless riders with beaming smiles coming directly towards you at 30mph!
It was made even better by Jones' obvious disgust.
ReplyDeleteFirstly "To tell the truth I actually enjoyed Thetford more than the Peaks which tells you something about the type of rider I am!" - have a flippin word with yourself!
ReplyDeleteSecondly, technical pushing up isn't my idea of fun! Good job I had a bag full of xmas cake to keep me happy. Oh and that last final proper carnage descent I led us to!
I too don't enjoy pushing my bike anywhere and until that final descent everything else was pretty average. Maybe If the whole route was rideable my opinion would be different but i'd pick ridig on a turbo to pushing up!
ReplyDelete