Category: Words

On Friday I took the road bike out and spun around the Cheshire lanes. It’s a familiar route, one that requires no planning or real thought and one that can be as long or as short as you want it to be. From Altrincham, you ride towards Alderley Edge and onwards to Macclesfield and up the Cat and Fiddle towards Buxton. I haven’t really enjoyed riding the road for a few years. I think part of it is to do with the traffic, but I think a big part of it is that there is no excitement. I know the roads. I know where they go. There isn’t much chance of getting lost or discovering something new. For some reason when you’re offroad even familiar trails give a buzz.

Saturday I caught up with the guys in Harry Halls. It’s been a long time since I spent much time in the shop and it was great to find out what everyone is up to these days. Of course since I stopped working there has been an increase in competition. Manchester now has an Evans and an Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op, but despite the money behind both chains they seem to offer little threat to the depth of experience, field of knowledge and the genuinely ‘passionate about cycling’ attitude of the staff in Harrys.

This afternoon I headed back over to Llandegla. Since my last visit they’ve opened another 2km of black run. If it really is only an extra 2km then I’m surprised, it seems like a lot more. Either way the designers have done another great job of using the hillside to maximum effect to pack in as many swoops, berms, rollers and jumps as possible. The best thing about the forest is that it is so easy to double back and do the best bits again and again. I think it only fair to say that two or three runs on each of the best sections is now compulsory…

After two weeks away the flat has a distinctive smell. Wood and fabric that has been warming in the sunlight. It’s strange to come home after such a long break especially when there is such a big temperature difference between Manchester and Cape Town. The bikes both made it home, so tonight I need to unpack properly and check them over and make sure they survived international travel. It looks like a lot has happened since I left a couple of weeks ago for the race.

Singletrack gave us some lekker coverage via a couple of updates (stages 1 to 3 and 4 to 5) and there has been support from a number of friends including Nick and Chilly. You know what I want to do this weekend? I want to go riding and try and forget about the Cape Epic. I want to see the green hills and lush forests. I want to get muddy. Wet. Cold. It’s great to be home in the UK.

Andrea’s been in touch. It turns out her boyfriend Karl Yeh is riding in the Epic too with a guy named Mike. The two of them are flying out tomorrow and I’ve said we’ll have to try and meet up during the race. We are both under strict instructions as she wants to see pictures of elephants, zebras and rhinos. I’ll have to see what we can do. She has also been showing off about the fact that last weekend they went cross-country skiing. This winter landscape is just over an hour from her new home in Calgary.

I updated the Singletrack Archive yesterday with the listing for the latest issue. A new look site is still being developed – a time consuming process for which I have little resource. With the latest update I have added in all the spinelines that have graced the bound edge of the magazine since issue five.

For some time I have also wanted to acknowledge the work of the photographers who have made it on to the front cover and who have contributed to the contents pages over the issues. Looking back through the issues made me realise the calibre of the contributions. There are some big names and some stunning work. Here are the links to some of them:

Rob Hamilton-Smith

Sterling Lorence

Seb Rogers

John Gibson

Dan Barham

Ben Haworth 

I’ve a few old mountain biking Videos on my bookshelf that I’d like to get into digital format so that I can watch them on the DVD player. A brief question raised on Singletrack’s forum has generated some great feedback. Although I know there are a few firms that specialise in doing this, I thought it might be something I can try myself. Of course wanting to do it on a Mac adds an extra level of challenge.

Word is that you can capture to DV tape and recapture the long way or there is wee application called BTV pro carbon which will capture via a camera or deck with analogue video in/firewire through, direct to the hard disc. You can specify the format and change it once its captured. Then you just edit and output whatever you fancy. You can apparently also capture a firewire stream direct into Quicktime Pro or iMovie too

So I think I’ll have a look at www.hireacamera.com. They’re recommended and it’s said that they deliver via courier and are pretty cheap. I think I’ll make some enquiries at work too, as I’m sure we might have some useful kit available.

There is another me. Well some one else with my name and they appear to be from East Anglia too. A recent google has revealed a runner who is continuing ‘his one man assault on the Cross Country series with his third win in succession and no-one looks like taking him in the last two races barring injury, illness or some underhand move by league bad boys Tri Sport Ford’.

In other news IMBA-UK and CTC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. IMBA has demonstrated that mountain biking provision will improve more speedily if cycling organisations work closely together. As a result, increasing cooperation between IMBA and CTC has led to this first formal step in formalising the arrangement between the two organisations.

1)  CTC and IMBA believe the health and wellbeing of the nation will be improved by encouraging more people to enjoy the public trail network by cycle.

2)  CTC and IMBA agree that the byway and bridleway network in England and Wales, and cyclists access rights in Scotland should be protected and enhanced

3)  CTC and IMBA recognise a common interest in promoting and campaigning for greater rights for off-road cyclists and will actively seek opportunities to work together in support of these objectives.

4)  CTC and IMBA will encourage greater integration of our volunteer networks to work towards better promotion of and provision for off-road cycling.

Not much from the trip, but here’s a few…

Mabie Dark Side Shore. It doesn’t look as wet and slippy in this photo as it was.

Tyrrell just about to drop down one of the slabs at Dalbeattie.

Neil leading Tyrrell through some cracking Singletrack at Kirroughtree.

Smarties have the answer to split sidewalls…

Glentress in the Tweed Valley has to be one of my favourite trails. I think because I have ridden there many times it has the kind of appeal that you get from revisiting something familiar. The black run is one of my favourites. I know the first climb up to the mast at the top of Dunslair Heights is a big climb. The secret is not to go at it like a bat out of hell, but to sit and spin and work your way up. You need the energy for the climb up redemption later in the trail.

Sunday’s blast around the forest didn’t disappoint. After making it to the wooden hut just before riding Brittany Spears last, I still had plenty in the tank to take on the rest of the climb and lead off through the singletrack down to the top of Deliverance. The Patriot really is a fantastic bike. I don’t think I have ridden anything so confident inspiring on the downhill trails. Front wheel drifts, rear wheel slides, two wheel drifts where the tyres are scrabbling for traction, but all the time just on the right side of the ragged line between being in control and in danger.

It was also quite satisfying to be pulling away from the others. The honest truth is that the Orange probably isn’t the best climbing bike in the world and getting dropped on the climbs isn’t much fun. The grip is fantastic. It’s not a question of traction, but more to do with a freeride kind of setup that isn’t best for powerful climbing that you can get away with on a hardtail or singlespeed. On the downhills though the bike just comes into its own. The suspension travel seems endless and plush and wit the Fox 36s up front and oversized wide bars it goes where it’s pointed.

After a wet ride in the forest with Neil getting lost just before the Ewok Village and then picking up a puncture just afterwards, by the time we made it down to the Hub it was cold and our enthusiasm for Innerleithen had vanished. We consoled ourselves in the fact that four trails in three days and some great and hard riding had been a good accomplishment. We’re already making plans for when we’ll head back.

Just tried to download the photos from the trip. There weren’t many as the weather was grim, but the few I had and some snippets of video have all disappeared off the memory card. Doh! Might have to try and find some recovery software for that then. Road Trip Report Part 3 soon.