anyone up for mtb leith on sunday?

[Alex P]

Set out early to Leith Hill to get a warm up ride in with the intention to meet up with you all at 11:00. Parked at Coldharbour and warmed up on the new trails that have been cut there, then from the tower followed the downhill to what I thought would be Holmbury St Mary, missed the bloody turn somehwhere and ended up god knows where . Anyway after riding blindly around a few roads ended up in Holmbury at 11:30 - doh.

So went up Holmbury hill to see if I could find you all but to no avail, saw loads of other riders, waited a bit, did the yoghurt pots (wiped out) and telegraph before heading back up Leith Hill.

All in all a great ride (apart from being on my own ) , plenty of snow and frost about but next time I might take a map with me.

[Andrew G]

Shame you missed us Alex. It was a good fun day with plenty of hooning about like a kid . After Dombo left us we headed over to Deliverance where everyone stayed at the top and sensibly looked down at the madness of the thing. Well everyone bar George that is who (seeing as he had a borrowed MTB today) went down the damn thing. Nutter!!!

A bit more hooning it before finishing off the day with Barry Knows Best. Marvelous stuff. Hope your wife wasn't too angry with you for getting her bike dirty Marek.

Had to have a go myself but also managed to snap some pics of us on the frozen pond.
"Commando" Kasper
[img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/andrewgreen23/IcedPondKasperWEB.jpg[/img]
"Smiling" George
[img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/andrewgreen23/IcedPondGeorgeWEB.jpg[/img]
"Bambi" Marek (couldn't help it as you're all legs )
[img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/andrewgreen23/IcedPondMarekWEB.jpg[/img]

Thanks to Marco for organising and Dombo for his early navigation.

[Marek]

This morning got up and thought, well it still looks a bit icy, I think I'll head on over to Leith Hill with my wifes mountain bike. Put the saddle post up as high as it could go, still a bit too small, but seemed as though it would be ok.

Met up with Marco, George, Kasper, Dombo, Andrew G and Bob. I have never ridden a mountain bike off road (I know what was I doing when I was younger), but this was absolutely brilliant fun, helped by the jovial banter and steady pace that Marco set which was perfect for my first time out. A bit of climbing up mostly wide tracks and then descending down some narrowish single track with a few little drops and roots etc to keep it interesting. I was by no means going to be keeping up with any of the others on the downhill sections as was just getting used to the bike and learning how to change gear was an issue.

I have to say though that was one of the most enjoyable rides I have had on a bike for ages. The views from the top of the hills out across over London were fantastic. Even had a chance to stop off at the Tower for a cup of really good soup and a piece of banana cake which was actually quite cheap.

At one point we found a smallish pond/large puddle that was iced over and we all had a bit of a ride on the ice. I think I have decided once and for all that George is a nutcase. Some of the stuff that he can do on a bike is amazing. He descended something called Deliverance which was basically a very steep and root ridden descent, the rest of us watched in awe and sensibly avoided this section.

I don't know the names of the tracks we were riding today, they seemed to have some strange names, but they were great fun and even for a first timer like me it was not too hard. A few sections I had to stop and use my feet to push me up. Marco took us to one section which was basically unrideable upwards, excellent training for the calves pushing a bike up something that was about 1 in 3.

I was struggling a little bit keeping up with George and Andrew Green on some of the ascents as the bike size being a bit small meant I was pedalling out of normal position so was getting a bit tired on the hills, but it was not a problem as all waited at the tops of the hills before we descended.

Next time I make a bike purchase I know what its going to be, a shiny mountain bike is defo the order of the day.

Cheers guys for a great day out and opening my eyes to the world of off road riding.

Cheers

Marek.....

[George]

Great ride today thanks guy's here's one of the routes we took today
http://ru.youtube.com/watch?v=zgdDPdfuGfM

[Alex P]

Deliverence doesn't look that bad.......

[youtubeuk]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rPsVhW2UKqI[/youtubeuk]

[Andrew G]

Or this one Alex.
[url]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=A6dYpxfo5B4[/url]

We'll have to use the other car park next time so we can come up from the other side and do Summer Lightening at the start and finish of the ride.

[higg]

[quote] I think I have decided once and for all that George is a nutcase. Some of the stuff that he can do on a bike is amazing. He descended something called Deliverance which was basically a very steep and root ridden descent, the rest of us watched in awe and sensibly avoided this section.

[Andrew G]

Not that bad Aodan, he was on a hardtail MTB he'd borrowed.

[Andrew G]

Note to self: Don't go walking with Marco at Ashdown Forest.

[Marky Mark]

[quote="Andrew G"]Note to self: Don't go walking with Marco at Ashdown Forest.

[Sylv]

I might know of an ACC member who's been rambling along naked
My lips are sealed forever

[Marky Mark]

[quote="Sylv"]I might know of an ACC member who's been walking around naked outdoors
My lips are sealed forever