Iwasgoodonce
Old School Grand Master
Let’s go with yours!
CANNOCK CHASE 2023 TWIZZLER
- Thread starter bontybonty
- Start date
bontybonty
Dirt Disciple
Weather looks to not be heavy rain
11 degrees light patchy rain but windy
Fingers crossed dooable
I'm taking my oldest clothes for sure
11 degrees light patchy rain but windy
Fingers crossed dooable
I'm taking my oldest clothes for sure
Iwasgoodonce
Old School Grand Master
I’ll look out for you. I’m on the pink/purple Kili Flier. Car is a black pickup.
bontybonty
Dirt Disciple
Cool I'm in a silver bmw estate LV51
- Feedback
- View
Look for the ghost of twizzlers past
Iwasgoodonce
Old School Grand Master
They live on in the mud.
Iwasgoodonce
Old School Grand Master
The Aftermath…
Upon waking up, the first noise I hear is the wind whistling through the phone wires outside. The second sound is the rain hitting the window. So far, so bad.
The night before had seen a few rubbish attempts at adjusting the brakes on the bike. I was tilting at two windmills with my adjustments. First, to not have the levers hitting the grips before any gradual retardation of the bike‘s speed. Secondly, a reduction in the terrible noises that happen when contact twixt rim and block is made.
I thought that if I adjust them so they actually rub on the rims without me touching the levers, I’ll at least have brakes for a while before the Cannock grinding paste gets to work. This proved to be the case. Attempts to remember how I used to toe in the blocks, (I know I used to use a couple of matchsticks) failed utterly and Cannock residents again had to put up with a sound like an angry tomcat having his nuts squeezed with a tailcracker.
The bike fitted in the back of the car with only the front wheel needing to be removed. This of course seemed to totally undo my earlier adjustments!
The wife and daughter had volunteered to come with me. To go, they said for a walk. I wonder if the wife thought she might need to drive my broken carcass home again? Daughter had borrowed my expensive jacket and looked the happiest of us as we set off.
There were some truly impressive puddles on the way there.
A short time later we arrive at Birches Valley. Almost instantly I was down £10! That’s expensive parking that I won’t be partaking of again.
@bontybonty arrived within a few minutes and the usual, “Oh I remember you from xyz ride years ago” introductions happened.
A last minute decision to leave my seeing glasses in the car meant I wouldn’t be scared by the drop offs and big rocks because I couldn’t see them. We quickly decided to go around the few sections of ‘Black Run’ apart from those I didn’t see in time.
The big choice was of course Monkey or Dog? As I only ever follow the dog and because of miles travelled to get there, we opted for the Monkey.
The first, second and third crashes all happened at the bottom of the climb on the other side of the road. We both went for the slow topple sideways down the bank as forward progress was ended! They third crash was bonty trying it again but with more of a run up. Result was the same crash slightly further up the hill!
I think that is when my stem started to loosen itself. This made right hand hairpin turns even more awkward. We continued on pulling over occasionally to let some buzzing e bike jockeys through. Up and down in the Monkey way. Parts were shut apparently for the conditions and other parts for maintenance. We decided to follow the Classic Monkey up the Never-Ending- Hill-of-DOOM.
A quick blast down the other side meant that the washing machine would be in for a very hard time later. A short spell of being confused by the wrong visitor centre and we were back on the final bit of the Dog. Just time for me to be taken out by a series of braking bumps (?) and fall off with a bit more conviction this time. That’ll be sore tomorrow!
Back to the car park in time for tea, medals and a mince pie.
Neither picture that my daughter took was a classic of me. I have gone for the PTSD expression option rather than the failed cheesy grin!
See you next December!
Upon waking up, the first noise I hear is the wind whistling through the phone wires outside. The second sound is the rain hitting the window. So far, so bad.
The night before had seen a few rubbish attempts at adjusting the brakes on the bike. I was tilting at two windmills with my adjustments. First, to not have the levers hitting the grips before any gradual retardation of the bike‘s speed. Secondly, a reduction in the terrible noises that happen when contact twixt rim and block is made.
I thought that if I adjust them so they actually rub on the rims without me touching the levers, I’ll at least have brakes for a while before the Cannock grinding paste gets to work. This proved to be the case. Attempts to remember how I used to toe in the blocks, (I know I used to use a couple of matchsticks) failed utterly and Cannock residents again had to put up with a sound like an angry tomcat having his nuts squeezed with a tailcracker.
The bike fitted in the back of the car with only the front wheel needing to be removed. This of course seemed to totally undo my earlier adjustments!
The wife and daughter had volunteered to come with me. To go, they said for a walk. I wonder if the wife thought she might need to drive my broken carcass home again? Daughter had borrowed my expensive jacket and looked the happiest of us as we set off.
There were some truly impressive puddles on the way there.
A short time later we arrive at Birches Valley. Almost instantly I was down £10! That’s expensive parking that I won’t be partaking of again.
@bontybonty arrived within a few minutes and the usual, “Oh I remember you from xyz ride years ago” introductions happened.
A last minute decision to leave my seeing glasses in the car meant I wouldn’t be scared by the drop offs and big rocks because I couldn’t see them. We quickly decided to go around the few sections of ‘Black Run’ apart from those I didn’t see in time.
The big choice was of course Monkey or Dog? As I only ever follow the dog and because of miles travelled to get there, we opted for the Monkey.
The first, second and third crashes all happened at the bottom of the climb on the other side of the road. We both went for the slow topple sideways down the bank as forward progress was ended! They third crash was bonty trying it again but with more of a run up. Result was the same crash slightly further up the hill!
I think that is when my stem started to loosen itself. This made right hand hairpin turns even more awkward. We continued on pulling over occasionally to let some buzzing e bike jockeys through. Up and down in the Monkey way. Parts were shut apparently for the conditions and other parts for maintenance. We decided to follow the Classic Monkey up the Never-Ending- Hill-of-DOOM.
A quick blast down the other side meant that the washing machine would be in for a very hard time later. A short spell of being confused by the wrong visitor centre and we were back on the final bit of the Dog. Just time for me to be taken out by a series of braking bumps (?) and fall off with a bit more conviction this time. That’ll be sore tomorrow!
Back to the car park in time for tea, medals and a mince pie.
Neither picture that my daughter took was a classic of me. I have gone for the PTSD expression option rather than the failed cheesy grin!
See you next December!
bontybonty
Dirt Disciple
The aftermath epilogue.
We made it!
We few,
We happy few,
We band of brothers.
The mud was deep
and so were the puddles.
But a rare species was sighted on the Chase that morn.....
The retro biker!
An endangered creature in these parts
It appears.
Maybe next year there will be others.
Only time will tell.
Thanks to "I was good once"
For making the day both memorable
and bearable.
See you next year.
And any others brave enough,
or foolish, enough to join us
FOR.....
THE GHOST OF TWIZZLER
We made it!
We few,
We happy few,
We band of brothers.
The mud was deep
and so were the puddles.
But a rare species was sighted on the Chase that morn.....
The retro biker!
An endangered creature in these parts
It appears.
Maybe next year there will be others.
Only time will tell.
Thanks to "I was good once"
For making the day both memorable
and bearable.
See you next year.
And any others brave enough,
or foolish, enough to join us
FOR.....
THE GHOST OF TWIZZLER
