Sometimes when I’m back at the family home, I just don’t have time to get out and ride. It’s a bit of an annoyance because there’s loads of places that I want to go and explore on two wheels, but most of the time I just don’t have time to do it, being kept busy with work around the house. This time I was pretty determined to get out and about and so announced my intentions to get out and ride in advance.
Jed and I managed to get a bit of pre-sleepless in the saddle training in down in Thetford and we’d hoped that the Chillmeister might have joined us but when couldn’t make it on the day. So anyway despite the forecast of imminent rain we headed down to the A11 with his Volvo loaded up with bikes and night riding kit. I think the rain dampened our enthusiasm a bit, because we ditched the Stadiums and just headed off without them.
It was pretty wet. I think this year I’ve done more wet rides in Thetford than dry, which by all accounts makes for muddy bikes to be cleaned and at times depressing prospects, that said tonight’s ride was one of the best I’ve ever had on the swoopy singletrack on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Everything just seemed to click and the riding was good (despite a puncture towards the end) – riding the rollercoaster in the fading twilight was the highlight of the evening, it was an edgy, sometimes sketchy and jet propelled blast through one of the best singletrack sections in the UK.
At the end the light wasn’t enough to see by under the forest canopy, but back out on the fire roads we managed to snatch a bit more riding before heading back and sighting a deer on the way.
R O T H A R . C O M 