Group Mountain Baiku:
Collect Bikes and bodies on route to the drop zone. Roll call of 12. Head off after slightly prolonged faff and emergency jacket procurement from local outdoor shop. First flat track claims first inner tube. And tyre. JV reappears re-tyred and off again. Weather forecast lied. Wet, slow and slippy. Roots out for a body count today. Gump squeezes through the narrow valley of death roots unscathed - just. Could've warned him I realise. Into the woods trying not to loose people. Look round, lost Tintin. Again! And at the same point as twice before. Figure he knows the area better than me now and let him reappear at his own pace. Lots of slogging along and up to get to a closed cafe for a late lunch that just got later. More singletrack before hitting the lethal mixture of chalk and fresh rain smply known as the South Downs Way in winter. Tea shop. Expensive, average food was never so eagerly scoffed. Cake. Train. Smile. Hand shakes. Disband. Best ride of my life.
Solo Mountain Baiku:
Morning after the group ride. Up early. Just me and a set of thinner tyres today. Fast rather than technical mood this morning. Into the woods. Trail is all dried out! Why couldn't it be like this yesterday? Breath. Lungs. Work. Climb. Lockout. Awake and alive. See people I know. Quick hello. See people I don't know. Quick plug of the site. GT LTS2 and old FSR implies they might pop by. Down the downhills. Up the other side. Climb the good climb. Spin home. Mind free'd, along with endorphins. Big smile. This makes me happiest. This is why I ride. Best ride of my life.
Interested to hear other participant's Baiku's from Saturday...
Collect Bikes and bodies on route to the drop zone. Roll call of 12. Head off after slightly prolonged faff and emergency jacket procurement from local outdoor shop. First flat track claims first inner tube. And tyre. JV reappears re-tyred and off again. Weather forecast lied. Wet, slow and slippy. Roots out for a body count today. Gump squeezes through the narrow valley of death roots unscathed - just. Could've warned him I realise. Into the woods trying not to loose people. Look round, lost Tintin. Again! And at the same point as twice before. Figure he knows the area better than me now and let him reappear at his own pace. Lots of slogging along and up to get to a closed cafe for a late lunch that just got later. More singletrack before hitting the lethal mixture of chalk and fresh rain smply known as the South Downs Way in winter. Tea shop. Expensive, average food was never so eagerly scoffed. Cake. Train. Smile. Hand shakes. Disband. Best ride of my life.
Solo Mountain Baiku:
Morning after the group ride. Up early. Just me and a set of thinner tyres today. Fast rather than technical mood this morning. Into the woods. Trail is all dried out! Why couldn't it be like this yesterday? Breath. Lungs. Work. Climb. Lockout. Awake and alive. See people I know. Quick hello. See people I don't know. Quick plug of the site. GT LTS2 and old FSR implies they might pop by. Down the downhills. Up the other side. Climb the good climb. Spin home. Mind free'd, along with endorphins. Big smile. This makes me happiest. This is why I ride. Best ride of my life.
Interested to hear other participant's Baiku's from Saturday...