Night Baiku

[Augustus]

Meet StevePSD at his country abode. Faff/ Depart. Cold. No, Freezing on the Downs this evening. Into the woods and up a nasty climb. Warmed up when we hit the woods proper. Nice and steady this evening. Climb. Catch up. Talk retrobikes. Afan. Cars. Cake.. The important stuff. Out onto the Downs again. Warmer now. No stars. See villages twinkling across the valley. Trains. Cars. People inside everywhere. We are the minority. Outside. Mtb feels so slow compared to cross bike. Decend and arrive. Pack up car, say goodbyes and head off. Take the wrong turning on my way home from my own loop and get lost. !!!!!! U-Turn and head home the way I know. Eat pizza at 10.30pm. Best ride of my life.

 

[Geoff]

Ach maybe it's the beer and seeing England on TV, but the bit about villages twinkling across the valley got me!

Probably give the impression that I'm always homesick to the max which isn't true, but some things I miss!

 

[Pickle]

Hmm, trying to decide. Solo night ride or turbo session :?

 

[Augustus]

Geoff - don't focus on these images of rare beauty, instead, when having second thoughts about having left, think of the times (much more frequent) when local underclass abuse you for no reason just because they can. Like night before last on way home when two 10 yr olds shouted a lot of abuse for no other reason that I was riding a bicycle. And they were drinking. Genius. Be under no illusion mate. Abroad is better.

Pickle - solo night ride.

 

[Pickle]

Pickle - solo night ride.

Now, call me indecisive, but do I do a semi-road ride along the gravely canal towpath to get a few pre-MM miles in, or go fully off road and get down-and-dirty! :?

 

[Geoff]

Hahaha true! I think my eyes are too easily turned anyhow- watching a documentary on Southern Soul at the moment and now I want to be in America!

 

[heathy]

Just got in from a cracking night ride, DRY DUSTY TRAILS :shock: And dry roots everywhere Awesome stuff

 

[Pickle]

Gus made my mind up for me....solo night ride it is....get home earlyish so start ride at dusk....lights fitted to Avalanche and off we roll....meet trials lad on outskirts of my trail and give a nod or respect to each other....hit the dirt....hmmm, my route is dry, this is nice....out the saddle and pump the first climb....I need this as its been turbo work since Saturday....first bead of sweat trickles accross my forehead, I feel good....quick blast down the farmtrack and into the woods....half an hour later and its time to light up....blast down the hillside and 'CLANG TING TING CLAAAANG' a large stick mangles itself in my wheel/cassette/mech....remove aforementioned tree and flick up down the gears and I'm rolling again...quick road blast and into the woods again....proper dark now and my senses are alive....start the last downhill before home, flick into the big ring, pick up speed and 'SHHH*******TTT!!!!!!....a hare runs out in front of me....I lock up and start hyperventilating....deep breath Jon, please!....ok, you didnt crash, move on....last short sharp climb of the farmtrack to the road and spin home....not a speck of mud on me, makes a change....thanks for the suggestion Gus....best ride of my life

 

[No Longer Registered]

Great ride...Still ammused by the looks on the faces of the paranoid, Dope smoking teenagers crammed into a Fiesta, parked up in a forrest car park.. as me and Gus emerge from the woods lycra clad with football stadium flood lights strapped to our bars.
Currently on a mission to sell all the superchargers gathering dust in my workshop to folk to fund the purchase of the night lights I had on Demo last Wednesday..

 

[Augustus]

Great ride...Still ammused by the looks on the faces of the paranoid, Dope smoking teenagers crammed into a Fiesta, parked up in a forrest car park.. as me and Gus emerge from the woods lycra clad with football stadium flood lights strapped to our bars.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the doggers.

There's always doggers up there.