Ae Aefterman thraed! (loads of pics.)

Ok folks a few words and to many pictures but hey ho. Pretty wild trails at Ae, weather was a bit parky but overall not to bad, some snow flurries at the tail end of the ride but overall we were pretty lucky today.

Me Kaiser and ZZ turned up at 10.20 am and minced about in the car park looking great in our tights and admiring our respective weapons of choice. ZZ was going to give hairy mary a good session, kaisers slutty sally salsa was begging for a jolly good ride and my ingrid inandouta-bed was still smarting from the forum battering earlier in the week and out to make a point.

Trails went straight up and this was a theme for the rest of the day, pretty rocky and a bit soft so overall a really good work out. Lots of technical sections for Kaiser to hum and haw at e.g.


ZZ managed it with ease but my photographic skills let me down and I cut his head off- sorry and zz managed a cool pic of moi


Kaisers shame then pushed him and overcame the "fear"


some nice forest sections followed but with lots of rocks and doubles we had our obligatory mechanical..

up down up down up down and then some bastard fireroad climbs and always with Kaiser "the mountain goat" forging ahead ZZ on the big wheeled beast next up and me walking at the back


next up was some crackin raised board-walk looks easy but a bit of a mind f@ck as it narrowed further up


next we found a bomb hole that was taped off and out of bounds lots of big (very small really) AIR!!!!!





There were other rocky steep technical descents and tight rocky singletrack but TBH we were getting a bit hacked off with the lack of flow, maybe conditions and lack of fitness might have been factor but we agreed the tress flow does take some beating. Big climb up to the start of the "omega man"





pretty good downhill section but with a mad uphill section in the middle lots of jumps doubles and bomb-holes and pretty good fun, did this section again on the hairy mary and it really was fun and fast.




overall good day out with the macretro massive great chat but not sure I would head back to soon what do you think ZZ?

great write up gaz - looks like a fun place but shame about the flow of it all.

looks like a missed out on a good day

Great write up Gazz, and some top photies too - it helps that we're all so photogenic. Strange day's riding, only 24km but felt much longer. Definitely not a trail to go fully rigid, possibly rockier than Glentress Black. And as for single speed only for real men who ride splatter paint on-ones I think.

Highlight of the day may well have been the rather lovely blonde horse rider cantering cowgirl style up the fire-road as we stood puffing and peching like the mountain hard men we are - blessed us with a killer smile.

Really enjoyed the downhill bit after Kaiser's puncture (end of Granny Green Luv), rocky, slippy and fast. The wee boardwalk bit was superb too, total change of pace, not tricky at all, but it felt like you were flying through the trees, brilliant in a Star Wars / Ewok Forest way. Thinking back, the Edge was not bad, muddy as buggery, tight, not particularly fast but not too physically demanding either although you had to keep your wits about you and as Kaiser said 'Don't look left'.

Omega Man was a big disappointment, like Gazz said, no flow whatsoever to the start. The end section would have been good if I'd cleaned my glasses first and remembered to unlock my fork. Bah! Don't know if I'd rush back, there wasn't any single killer bit of track that just grabbed me. Although I'd like a proper go at the bottom half of the Omega Man, next time we should start there first!

Only took a few snaps since we were obviously in good hands with Gazz Bailey.

mmmmm...... yeah forgot about the bird on the pony, bouncy bouncy bouncy

is it just me or do we all look like we have sh@t our pants in some of those pictures?

Lucky buggers, especially ZZ as he got two days worth

Other Ae riders I have spoken to all say it lacks flow and most would go back only if no other choice available so lucky escape for me.

But again I say lucky buggers

Aye I think you'd only go back to see it in the summer or to say you've done it Its also worth noting that I won the car park dash

Utterly wiped out last night, in bed before 12 which counts as an early night for me. No energy this morning either. Could have definitely done with a day off today - wit a feeb

Kaiser sneakily sent Gazz off in the wrong direction on the run up to the car park. I tried the same with Kaiser as we approached the turn for the car park, wondering out loud which way we go from here while spinning up Gazz's on-one. Got myself a nice little lead, but I eventually spun out just before the car park with Kaiser predictably big-ringing it across the finish line. Honourable mention to Gazz who almost ninja'd it on my Mary, but just too much of a gap for him to make up.

There is some shred of truth in there but its not digging up, needless to say I took anther car park dash, league table to follow.

Gazz just noticed what you did there with the thread title, outstanding

I would have put a up a better fight had I had thumbies but ZZ's back to front gears confused me (easily done).

But to be honest Kaiser won engine of the day award- he was outstanding, watch out lap record at 10 the hairy fella is coming!