I made it out too...

Christmas came to Colley Hill, luckily I didn't ride over a cliff in the white out conditions

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas......

Everyone else bailed but I was determined to get some riding in despite the conditions. Here's a few pics from today - Dorking West, Ranmore Road and Denbies in the snow...

Water Proof Skin

Despite my skin being water proof, tonight’s ride was a no-go. Too wet, too cold. so here's a video to warm your hearts. Light a fire, make a cup of tea and huddle round your computer screen with your loved ones and enjoy.



Mark2

PS Go to my YouTube Channel to see it in better quality.

Displacement Theory

Oooooh! Its been a few days, so here's another Judges Seat video! Why not?



An example of Displacement Theory not working! Maybe you have to carry out some physical action while singing? See 1.14 sec for ideas. My favourite part is the look of shame at 45 sec. Enjoy.

Click here to view and subscribe to my YouTube Channel - then you won't be the last to see all the crazy MTBing videos I upload.

And another one....

By popular demand (i.e Bish), here is a man on a small bike jumping off a big drop at Judge's Seat

And here's one of my snowman....

Snow Patrol

Today I needed to rescue my abandoned car from East Horsley so I took the opportunity to cycle over Ranmore. I took a couple of snaps of GA, one from the top and one of the Pilgrim's Way at the bottom. Enjoy.

..And This One ...

My first jump off Judge's seat (Stand By Your Man courtesy of Andy's ipod playlist en route to Wales...

Winterfold 27 Nov 10

On Saturday Bish, Tom and Dunnie had an excellent ride out in 'brisk conditions. Some vids below. This saw Tom and Dunnie 'firsting' the drop-off near Two Headed Dog and jump at Judge's Seat.

Nice.

A Tale of Two Dunnies

Date : 25th November 2010
Location : Leith Hill and Redlands
Riders : Bish, Mark 2, XC Tom, Grievious Andy

Having not been out for a number of weeks on a night ride we though we ought to make an effort. The weather has been cold lately - and understatement - so the anticipation of nice firm trails was high. Tom and I arrived a few minutes behind schedule, to find Mark and Bish holed up in the van keeping warm, bikes already to go.

It was cold... nope, actually it was bloody freezing, as we proceeded to setup our bikes, get lights on, etc. It was this point I discovered I hadn't charged my main bike light... only had my headtorch (which in previous rides had lasted about 10mins!!!). But with new battery from deal extreme, I was hoping for longer - otherwise I'd be in real trouble - especially as Tom, having said I could borrow one of his batteries from his bastids.... immediately changed his mind. That was the first Dunnie moment.

Tom then spent the next 15mins sorting out his bike - cleaning it, pumping up the tyres, getting the lights set up, locking his car..... the list goes on (all whilst the remaining 3 of us attempted to keep warm by riding around the car park, shouting "Come on"). That was the second Dunnie moment.

We felt that given Dunnie couldn't make this ride we wanted to feel that in some special way he was still with us, and both these moments provided us with "fond" memories!!

When we did eventually get going, we enjoyed a full ride taking in summer lightning, first and pausing to attempt a little jump and the stumps half way along the second section. Mark took the challenge first and..... well let's be honest - rolled it! Bish was much faster on his approach and caught some air, only to suffer a poor landing with the bike slipping away from him. I know!!! Bish fell off!!!! That just doesn't happen. At this point Tom and I felt no need to repeat the exercise and so we headed off to finish the remaining trail. Off to the bomb holes and down the other trail into cold harbour, which has escaped me at this moment, and then over to Redlands. Turning Japanese followed and then up to Nation of Millions. All good trails, nice and firm and hard, and having all warmed up - a certain level of enjoyment was had!!

Riding with only a headtorch was rather a challenge - making my riding slower - but forcing me to feel the trail under the bike - coz I couldn't bloody see it!! My headtorch was still going at 75mins when we arrived back at the plough for the usual liquid refreshment, and some annoying dog barking....

A picture of some darkness....

Winterfold 10

Date : 13th November 2010
Location : Winterfold
Riders : Bish, Mark2, Grievous Andy

Just a quick video post to show todays ride over Winterfold way....

Andy Blue Bear says "Leave the wife at home! Damit!"

Been feeling a bit wrecked lately and struggling to build up the enthusiasm to go for a ride.

Somethings not right, as I turned down a night ride and beer to go riding the trails with, of all people, my wife!!

Yes Yes, I knew I was committing a heinous crime, and self allocated Andy Blue Bear.. Even my wife thought I was a Loser going riding with her.... weird!! See picture below, at top of Summer Lightning.



Still, better to ride your missus then not ride at all... eh... opps.... I meant ride with your missus then not ride at all... mind you, both apply.

Well that's enough piss taking out of me for the year... stay tuned as I redirect some insults at some of you guys over the coming weeks.

Laters

Mark2

New Arrival!!!

Dunnie's 4-5-6 was finally completed today, in beautiful brown and gold, weighing a solid but respectable 26 lbs 6 oz (including pedals). Proud father doing well. Should be out and about next week....

Isn't she nice?

(And now I want to build another - what about a big downhill rig.....?)

Alpine build latest

The wheels have arrived!! :-) Hope pro 2 hubs with Spank Subrosa rims.....

Andy Blue Bear Says 'Where's Bish?'

A top team from OTH met at the Brockham Beer Festival on Sat 23 October.... Andy, Mark 2, Dave Edwards 1, Dunnie and Andy Blue Bear.

Andy Blue Bear missed his mate Bish... we tried to console him with solid reasons for Bish's absence, but he wouldn't believe us. According to Andy Blue Bear, no-one who sent out such e-mails as....

All
Some of you will no doubt have experienced the unique delights of the Brockham Beer Festival.
Mark 2 and I are assembling a crack squad of drinkers to attend this years festivities on 23rd October - let me know if you can attend
Rich

...and (in relation to Andy's previous visit to Brockham BF)...

To be fair he did find the beer a little "strong" last year and got a bit "tired and emotional" so perhaps the fear is understandable.....

...would possibly be absent on such a flimsy excuse as' I've invited some mates round for canapes'... However hard we tried, we could not turn around the belief of the little chap that his hero had turned into a shandy drinking poof... By the end of the night, Andy Blue Bear was inconsolable, taking his solace in strong ale.....

Silver Machine

It's here...my new toy
so how does it ride? - it's fair to say it wasn't built to climb but it nailed GA right enough and ripped a little bit of singletrack, then we took it to its natural habitat, the dirt jumps, where it proceeded to demonstrate its credentials on some doubles and the 4X track. So will I be abandoning the night lights and waterproof for jeans and a pisspot in future? Nah probably not but one thing's for sure - it's gonna be fun ;-)

Cycle show 2010 @ Earls Court

What a disappointment!!!! :-(

The two of us!

Date : 7th October 2010
Location : Colley Hill
Riders : XC Tom, grievous Andy

A night ride with two of us. Started off ok, I guess!! We found our little local jump area and proceeded to session a few little jumps and berms, but the ground was very "claggy", as they say up north, and quickly filled the treads on our tyres, turning them into slicks!!! :-(... It was at that point my helmet torch failed - 10mins if light is all it gave out tonight - cheap chinese rubbish I guess!! The ay-ups are looking more and more attractive!!

After one particular jump, I landed and was sucked in, hook line and sinker, by a tree cunningly placed in the exact spot my bike wanted to go (my mind was telling me the tree was not part of the trail... it was incidental....... It soooo was part if the trail, hence the headlong crash into it - one handlebar light bracket bust!!! Bugger!!! However, I managed to retrieve the rubber o-ring and secured the light back on. We decided to start riding a trail instead....

Off we headed up to Colley Hill, through the thick mud, and off towards Fizers!! We found the "jump" area Tom had been looking for, but without the jumps!!! So disappointed, we decided to head for home - with Tom's handlebar light now on amber...

Along the bottom of the downs - with half the downs attached to our bikes - we headed home.

The ride necessitated a bike hose down when we got home, transforming them from the weight of a hefty and portly 45lb downhill rig, back to the lightweight trail busters they actually were!!!!

We've had better rides!!!

Earth Carving

We are now in full decent towards the mud churning, root slipping rides of the Surrey Hills in Fall... hailed in by the screech of our contaminated brakes, as we dab them at every turn desperately trying to scrub off speed, as our well ridden trails go from dry grippey rail riders to slippy side ways riding bogs =(

For sure the seasonal transition is a difficult process. I looked out of the window the other day at the sight of heavy mist slowly drifting to the ground and I’m thinking.... “F**k it! I can’t be arsed”

But don’t despair because I have a plan. A plan to pay back my debt to others. A plan to make this winter and next summer better. A plan to carve the earth...Oooooo!.... Anyway enough pouncey writing – The f’ing plan involved me and Richard doing some trail maintenance.

A corner that I have always failed to ride with style, and I felt needed some work. The ground soft and spade, axe, builders gloves in the car, I got Richard who brought some rose clippers... hummmmm... oh and a wealth of experience at berm whacking. And we headed to a trail we all know – I took a before and after picture for moral boosting reasons, as after 2 hours of hard graft we barely scratched the surface of what we set out to achieve. We returned the next day to continue what we started and get the corner to a rideable state. Here are the pictures for you to laugh at and wonder what exactly we did for two hours. Enjoy.

Before

After

Enthused by our corner shaping skills we headed to the other side of the valley at a well known playground to build a small drop in, followed by a step up jump. Stopped by the failing light it’ll be a week now before we can test out our trail building skills.


Anybody who has the urge to to get stuck into back spazaming earth shifting, let me know and maybe we can organise a day where we can all get stuck in.

Aren't they lovely?

The latest addition to the Alpine build....

The King of Bling

Sadly I won't need to explain to any of you what these are

...and something very nice is arriving tomorrow

Can you tell what it is yet?

..And One Of Bish, Too... (just to keep him happy...)

Apologies, I seem to have forgotten to put on any footage of Mr Bishop! .. See the clip below for a fine bit of jumping...

Jumping with Bish's Downhill Mates

Great ride today - 6 riders out, excellent weather, and some good jumping sessions. Attached are a few vids of the better ones. (Unfortunately both big wipe-outs were missed, due to camera not being ready.)

Nice one, chaps....

Richards New Bars

Date : 11th September 2010
Location : Leith Hill
Runners and Riders : Bish, Dunnie, Mark2, Andy

Richards new extra wide bars were nice....but having to stick to firetrails all day because they were too wide to go down single track!!! Well that sucked!

The one when the project name changed!

Date : 11th September 2010
Location : Leith Hill
Runners and Riders : Bish, Dunnie, Mark2, Andy

4 of us headed out today slightly reluctantly due to the weather - slight rain!! But I was up for it, as my task for the day was to demo the Alpine!

What a lot of fun that bike was... so much so, the project has now binned the Prince Albert (stupid name for a bike anyway) and has taken up the mantel of the 'Alpine'.

We headed along to Milton Heath car park and then up to Squires farm before hitting Summer lightning for a few session rides. The Alpine performed well, and I felt like I could throw it around and still be planted on the trail.

We climbed to the top of Leith and the Alpine was a joy to ride, but very light and skittery on the front, especially during the climbing. I made it up the hill to the tower, but it was tough.

After the tea and cake at the tower (it was cold), Mark2 took the Alpine's reins for a little ride. Enjoying the experience as far as I could tell. I struggled with Mark's bike though, finding the size rather large!! We sessioned a jump off the tower for a little while before heading towards our normal jump session park, where Mark2 showed us how it should be done.

Done with our sessioning we headed off to Windy Willow and stormed along at great speed taking the jumps at the end of the trail.

Back to the tower and down personal hygiene along through the bomb holes, past deliverance and down through regurgitator. Back up to summer lightning and then along to beggars canyon. Coming down the canyon, narrowly avoiding 2 female walkers, we arrived at the farm sans Dunnie!! We headed back up worried he may have taken a tumble - but he was nowhere to be found - we headed back down to Squires farm, comfortable that he'd find his way back.

Arriving back at Cliftonville, it wasn't long before Dunnie appeared - thankfully in one piece!! Andy Blue Bear the award!!!

A great ride on a new bike - a lot of fun, and a project decision made!

Andy Blue Bear's Big Boy's Welsh Adventure : Day 1

Date : 20th August 2010

Location : Cwm Carn

Riders : Bish, Dunnie, Mark2, Dave, Andy, XCTom, Jim, Simon, Richard

So the day, nay weekend, had finally arrived. Around 6 months of anticipation…. Setting off at some unearthly hour of the morning, Dunnie, myself and XCTom headed off along the M25 and M4 heading towards Cwm Carn for the first uplift at 10:00. Hot on our heals were Mark2, Dave and Bish, but far enough behind to allow us a breakfast stop, which we took without hesitation!

The weather en route was fine showing nothing of the forecast rain – and boy was the rain forecast!!! Having filled our bellies with a good old full English (except Dunnie, who had a little bacon bap!!!), we headed off initially trusting the faithful SatNav to guide us. With the first SatNav instructed exit from the M4, we ignored it… and went to the next junction. So far so good – after that things went a little ary!!! Driving through the village, we passed the turning to the Cwm Cairn trails, in a similarly “don’t believe the SatNav” type of way. After a little further down the road we decided we would trust the SatNav and turn round, trying to find a convenient turning spot – for a car with a bike rack – I was conscious of a car following us, and couldn’t shake him. I pulled over to let him pass, but he just slowed down behind us. I muttered some expletive as he pulled up alongside us real slow and wound down his window, beckoning me to do the same. I thought this was it – he was pulling a gun, he was a welsh nutter who hated mountain bikers… shit!! “Alright boys, you looking for the Cwm Carn park?”….. Helpfully he pointed us in the right direction. After a little torturous route through some back streets and out of the way houses, we fell over the entrance to the park. Meeting up with Mark2, Dave and Bish who had arrived a few minutes earlier, the heavens opened and the rain began. Getting dressed and getting prepared in the rain was not much fun!!!

Jim arrived a few minutes later, and once we were all geared up we headed down to the main car park to catch the first uplift of the day. We said goodbye to XCTom who decided to go off and do the XC trail instead of the Downhill. The trek up to the summit took around 15mins or so and the higher we climbed the more misty it became. There were about 8 others in the mini-bus, some looking much more like professional downhillers than we were, and some who were young enough to be our children…. Scary!!!!

A good thorough bike check prior to the Welsh departure had been carried out by all of us… all of us that was, except for Dave!!! Arriving at the top, he discovered a slow puncture, which necessitated a change. We weren’t too fussed, as it meant that everyone else headed off down the slope in front of us and we could take our time. With puncture fixed, we headed off down the “red” route. Feeling our way and taking things slow, we learnt the route and gained our confidence. The rain had eased a little, but the water underfoot was significant.

We all arrived at “the big drop” and a lot of um and arring took place. Dunnie, myself and Jim took the easy option and carried our bikes over. Rich and Dave took the plunge, admirably! Waiting at the bottom, for Mark2….. his flight was good, he looked in good shape, landed a little heavy, and then wobbled, losing it on the descent. His fall looked nasty and we all rushed over to offer our support, whilst going “Ooooooo”.

The last third of the course was sweet and we arrived back in the car park ready to wait for the uplift back to the top. Due to Dave’s puncture repair and our slow descent, meant we’d missed the 2nd uplift.

We had a further 4 runs down getting faster and more confident each time. Each of us taking a tumble at some point on the way down, but only suffering minor cuts and bruises, and a denting of pride!

Thoroughly wet through, we stopped for lunch in the park café, meeting XCTom who returned from his XC expedition. Sitting on plastic bags provided by the staff, to ensure the wooden chairs wooden get too muddy from our filthy backsides we took our fill of ham and eggs, which was literally ham and eggs, and chilli and lasagne!!

After lunch, Simon and Richard appeared and joined Tom for the XC route again, with the rest of us heading back to the uplift for a few more runs of the downhill course. 1 more run for Jim and he retired. Another run and Dunnie and I retired – the rain was just becoming too much – returning back to the park lodge to shower and change and get a nice cup of tea!

Mark2, Dave and Bish headed off for another run. 2 thirds of the way down, Bish got a puncture and whilst changing it, discovered he had a puncture already in his spare!!! D’Oh!! For that reason, Bish awarded himself the Andy Blue Bear Mascot – which no-one disputed!! He had to push his bike down the rest of the trail.

We washed our bikes, packed up and then headed off to Afan and our comfortable lodge. Finding an alternative route to the accommodation, given the programmed route was closed for road repair – not that that stopped Simon of course, who just drove down the closed road, scattering council workers by the wayside on his quest to follow his SatNav.

We all arrived at the lodge at about the same time – still in the rain, and unloaded the cars. Rooms found, we showered and met in the bar for a well deserved pint or two before sitting down for a respectable dinner, with Briggsie joining us and completing the gang.

More beer and a few mtb knarly vids saw the evening close.

A very wet day, but great riding and knarly fun.

Isn't she lovely?

You would though, wouldn't you?

Andy Blue Bear's Big Boys Welsh Adventure : Day 1

Date : 20th August 2010
Location : Cwm Carn
Riders : Bish, Dunnie, Mark2, Dave, Andy, Jim, XC Tom, Simon, RichardG

Coming soon..........

Just to get rid of that Jedi Post....It's been there for too long...

Like many of you, I have been logging on expectantly (and lazily), assuming that Someone Else will post an all-encompassing, witty and incisive Wales commentary, complete with pictures and vids....

But it's always the same bloody 'Return of the Jedi' blog.... So I thought I'd drop a line on last Monday's ride.

Bish and Dunnie went out on a ride last Monday. Weather was great. Ride was quite long, and quite fast. Dunnie nearly bought some honey at the Peaslake Fair, but didn't, as there was no room in his rucksack. Bish looked appreciatively at some of the hand-carved reclaimed timber fancy goods, but decided that they were a bit gay. Both rode like madmen to the Pilgrim where Dunnie got stung repeatedly by a wasp caught in his knee pad, and they both had a coupkle of well deserved pints.

The end.

Andy, hurry up with the Wales blog. And don't forget the funny bits...

Return of the Jedi

Last friday Mark2, Dave and I got up very early to hit the M25 before the morning rush and headed up to Woburn Sands, near Milton Keynes, for an MTB coaching session with Tony "Jedi" Doyle of UK Bike Skills. I've been researching MTB coaching since our session with R Kelly and had come to the conclusion that Jedi was just what we need in terms of moving on our technical capabilities.
Fortunately this turned out to be correct! Tony focuses a lot of effort on the phsycological aspects of riding, although of course the technical skills need to be present too. This included working out our individual learning styles (all visual kinetic) so that he could tailor his approach to us. I think we had an advantage in terms of understanding (if not always doing) the basics of looking, footwork and VPC's etc that we had picked up from Richard.
Tony built on this with energy management, introducing us to the push and bilateral pumping. We then moved onto a small drop to implement these techniques.
Once he was happy we had got it he took us to a tabletop to practice and then onto a linked series of berms to focus on our cornering.
We had the advantage of a lovely day at Woburn and the new technical trails there certainly pushed us.
The finale of the day was a steep track, starting with steep loamy berms, running through a "black grade" drop of about 3 feet and finishing with a 7 ft double. Tony broke it into sections for us to session and then we finished with several runs at the whole thing. We all cracked the trail and came away very stoked!
As a part of the deal Tony asks you to keep in touch by mail and to ask him any questions which arise as you try to put the skills into practice day to day. He's keen that we share and discuss our learnings with our riding group (apologies to Dunnie and Andy who got the first taste of this on saturday!).
From my own perspective it didn't contradict the RK experience (they are both CTC qualified) but built on that foundation and took it to the next level. I also feel really confident at the moment, demonstrated by the fact that I took on the double on Donnie Darko for the first time on saturday without issue.
I would absolutely recommend that any of you guys who want to move your riding on look up UK Bike Skills and get yourselves up there. There is also a blog and some photos of our day on the link.
Rich

Mark's Hardtail Project

The Dunnie hardtail project is also underway - current purchases:

-Bikestand

-Avid Elixir CR (£200 from Merlin, complete set & shifters)

-On One 456 in Chocolate Brown (can't see the mud so much...) - see above

-Fox Float RL 150mm travel front forks (black)

- Refurbed V12 Pedals from my Trek

- Various other bits from the Trek (bars, stem etc)

I have taken a different approach to budget - as far as Mrs Dunnie is concerned all of the strange packages arriving are 'bits for the bike' (note that I haven't said whcih bike...

Estimated completion date - just before Andy's bike!

See you on the hill

Dunnie

Prince Albert Hardtail Project

Project Update - 8th July 2010

Business case written, presented and approved.
Financial authority granted - but with monthly budgetary constraints.

Planning phase and trial phases complete.
Procurement phase in progress.

Purchases this month :-

• Bike stand (not strictly part of the build, and therefore not classed as part of the project from a financial perspective).
• Fox Float 32 RL 150 15mmQR in black (who needs compression adjust anyway - when have we ever adjusted our compression settings??) - £399.00. New!! Bargain I say!

Purchases for next month :-

• Dialled Bikes Prince Albert Hardtail frame in orange.

Estimated completion date (due to budget restrictions placed upon the project) - December 2010.

Bitten!

Nope, I'm not too old!

Double Demo!

Date : 3rd July 2010
Riders : Bish, Grievous Andy
Area : Leith, Holmbury and Abinger

With the Higher Authority permission gained, I am embarking on my self build project! I have been granted a monthly budget, with governance arrangements if I need to go over that!! So with the nod given, I arranged to demo a Dialled Bikes Prince Albert Hardtail, with 140mm travel!

Bish and I met up at 0845 at cliftonville and headed down to Head for the Hills. Whilst I was picking up the Prince Albert, Bish decided to take out the Alpine and give that a go!! We headed off on our “new” bikes, out to Milton Heath, to take the road behind Westcott and up to Leith via Squires farm. Both us us were immediately struck by how squeaky our front brakes were.... which unfortunately stayed with us for the whole of the ride.

The first thing I noticed was how bouncy the rear end was – it's been a while since I've been on a hardtail! But also how light the bike was – easy to control and fun to through around! We headed straight up to the bomb holes, past deliverance and on to the tower. The climb to the tower was fast – due to the lightness of the bike, and I found it remarkably easy! We didn't stop and instead headed off to the play area on the other side of Leith. We sessioned this area a number of times, trying out the drop and the nice kicker with both bikes. I found the jumps much easier with the hardtail and the bike just seemed to glide....

After a little while, we headed off towards the quarry, disappointed that the the large rock pile had disappeared!! We rode through the quarry and bombed down through High Ashes farm. Half way along the bridle way, my chain snapped, so we needed to take a forced break to fix it. Chain repaired, we headed off to Holmbury, guiding some South African contingent back towards Leith, as we went.

We headed to the summit to look at the fantastic sunny, if a little hazy view, and then blasted down yoghurt pots, racing past a group tentatively waiting at the entrance. Yoghurt pots caned, we headed on down towards the Volunteer pub and then up over the back fields towards Abinger Roughs. A smooth squeaky brakes ride back towards Dorking.

Stopping in a field to hoist our bikes over a gate we decided to photo them for prosperity! It was only then that I realised the forks were Fox Talas and set to 100mm travel, instead of 140mm – D'Oh. Adjusting them to 140mm immediately changed the ride position (for the better!!), and I only had a mile back to the shop! Bugger!!!

The Prince Albert

The Alpine

So aside of the error with the fork travel setting, the ride overall was very successful, and roll on the Prince Albert purchase......

Are We All Getting Too Old for This????

I know I haven't been out with you guys for a while but have been riding in other fields. I rode end to end of Ireland last week. 400 miles in 4 days on a road bike. Spit. Great countryside with more hills than the LEJOG version. Once finished, I got the old hardtail out, dusted it down and arranged atrip with the girls on a Wednesday night at Swinley. Your blogs about injuries and scrapes and falls put me off the Thursday nights until my skills are improved.
Seven of us, set off at 1830 with only me on a hardtail, the rest on their comfy sofa bikes. I managed to keep up as the temperature hit 25 degrees. We rode the normal trails and I asked if 'the labarynth' could be on our schedule. Simon had stated that it was a cracking ride.
We went down this great track and it lived up to it's reputation. After it was knocked off, Andy, an ex downhill racer suggested we go and do a jump he had done last week. We made our way to an area furthest from the car park and virtually on the M3. Andy went to the top of the hill to get the required speed for take off. The rest of us lined the route to watch the spectacle. Andy made two aborted approaches and appeared to be going too fast for the corner before the jump. On the third attempt, Andy hit the jump, off line, and launched into the air. He landed off line on an incline and was thrown over the front of the bike and landed with an awful thud against a substantial tree stump.
I was fearing the worst but Andy moved and got to his feet. However, he had taken one hell of a bang on his left shoulder and back. His helmet was split on the left side also. The bike was a mess with all the cables wrenched out snapped and fluid peeing out. A quick assessment said that Andy needed to be checked out properly and quickly. Two guys went to get a vehicle in to evacuate and we started to walk out with Andy. He deteriorated after the initial adrenilin rush and shock set in. It would now require Ambulance.
Andy was evacuated and the ambulance took him to Frimley Park Hospital. He suffered, Collar Bone- fused joint- displaced. two #ribs, Shoulder ligaments ripped and back muscles torn. Big bump on head.
You can see him jumping on 16/6 and 23/6 on you tube. Put in Bracknell Cycling with 23/6. He is such a nutter that he only had one day off before returning to his loft extension business. RESPECT.

2-Headed Dave

Following Thursday nights' successful Leith/Redlands jaunt with Dave2, Mark, Andy & Tom (taking in Milton Gore, Bombholes, Ghurka, Windy Willows, Bossanova, Personal Hygene, No Cycles, Regurgitator, Foot and Mouth and finally Firebeater) Saturday brought a smaller crew of three riders.

Heading over to Peaslake at 0800 by car & van Mark2, Dave and I popped into Pedal and Spoke for some final directions to a trail on Winterfold and then headed up to the summit of Pitch. From there we dropped down to the quarry car park and climbed up to the Windmill. We tried a drop I had discovered last week (and filmed it for posterity) and then carried on to "2-headed dog" (another feature I had located last week). Having left instructions about the severity of the 2nd section and the need to kill your speed I rolled down and set up the camera to film Dave's first attempt. Dave hit the first drop quickly and didn't appear to brake at all before the second, flying over it and crossing up the handlebars, whilst dropping several feet and landing dramatically on his head and shoulder.

He scraped loads of skin off his shoulder, ripping his sub gear armoured top in the process and complained of a sore head and wobbly vision! Mark and I administered some first aid on his shoulder which was gleaming white with adipose tissue!

As Dave was now showing all the symptoms of concussion we decided to head back to the cars. However as we passed the trail head for "Orange Clawhammer / Christmas Pudding" Dave felt well enough to have a look. It's a cracking bit of singletrack and I look forward to riding it in anger soon. We headed back to the car park via some nice flowing trails and had a cup of tea and some food at Peaslake. Dave went to the Doctors later and was confirmed as concussed.

On sunday I went for a ride with Rog from Head for the Hills. He led up onto Ranmore via the Pilgrims Way and took me to a completely new area on the Denbies side. A corking trail split into 3 sections christened RWR (Red, White & Rose) it will be a welcome addition to our thursday evening repetoire. We then took on the horrid Box Hill climb to ride China Pig - very fast at the moment and then ascended again onto the back side of Box Hill. From here we rode over heathland to the old water tower which is the start of one of the gnarliest descents I've ever ridden! Rooty, skinny and off-camber to start with it drops into a huge bermed bowl which is so steep I basically hung off the back and locked up both wheels all the way down - it's like Numbskull, Blind Terror and Abba Zabba turned up to 11!

It spits you out (literally) to the old lime pits in Brockham and we took the rode back to Dorking from there. Gnarly dude!

trouver le chien a deux tetes (finding 2-headed dog)

This week has been one of longer rides and discovery. Longer rides because I'm keen to be in good shape for Cwm Carn and Afan, and discovery, as Chris Bonnington said when asked why he wanted to climb Everest, "because it's there".

On Thursday evening Tom, Andy, Mark2, Kik, Dave2 and I charged up over a slightly slippery Ranmore, taking in Abba Zabba and Numbskull, then headed up onto Leith via the Dearleap and a footpath (tut tut) past the church at Wooton Hatch. We traversed Wolverns Lane all the way to Coldharbour and then popped into Redlands, riding through the woods over a few jumps then taking Foot and Mouth (new to most) and finding Rogers' "Firebeater" trail. This is a really good technical way off Leith Hill down into North Holmwood, the only drawback being the longish roll back to Dorking and the pub - still plenty done in just under 2 hours.

On Saturday I was riding solo and decided to head over to Pitch and Holmbury for a bit of exploration. A couple of trails turned out out to be bum steers but I did follow some guys and found the famous 2 headed dog by the Windmill on Pitch. As they pulled on their body armour I thought it must be a really gnarly feature (it's only about 50 metres long) but I had a quick look then hit it - no problem at all. I guess it's a sign of how far our riding has come in the last year. I also found a sweet little drop into a gulley and finally found Death Star, a really rooty fast gulley with some little drops which I'd previously failed to locate.
I climbed up onto Holmbury and found part of "I should coco" but the end seemed to be decimated by the recent forrestry work (unless I lost the trail!) Finally a blast down BKB and into Pedal and Spoke for a chat with Howard who gave me some directions for "Christmas Pudding", something for the next visit.

On sunday I went out again, this time with Dave2 and Neil, a trail veteran and neighbour from Dorking. We left at the rather unsociable hour of 7.30 and headed to Holmbury. We took in many of the usual trails, BKB, the T trails on Pitch (including a new ending to Ewok/Proper Beau) and climbed back up to Holmbury to take in Parklife and a new variation to Telegraph (much better) finishing with Mutiny.

Plenty of top riding!

Angels & Demons

Yesterday morning the drop near the top of Grevious Angel claimed another victim as Dunnie stacked his landing on a decent first ever attempt. No pics unfortunately and no real harm done apart from some grazing to the arm.

Dunnie was not the first (or even second) victim of the week on this particular trail obstacle. On thursday evening Dave 2 and his mate Kick(?) gave it a go and both crashed, in Kick's case leading to several rather nasty chainring punctures on his calf. We tried our best to help numb his pain by plying him with drink in the Star.

It seems that following Andy's dramatic crash a few weeks ago the notoriety of this drop is growing so remember

.....be careful out there

Bike porn

I thought you like minded men would like to have a look at some pics of my new bike. I hope you enjoyed that?

Tom AM

Mechanical Failure

Date : 31st May 2010
Riders : Bish, Dunnie, Grievous Andy
Area : Leith Hill

An interesting start to a “ride”. We met at Bish's house, Dunnie, complete without bike, which he needed to pick up from HftH, after it's latest repair job. With Dunnie jogging, and Bish and I comfortably, riding we headed off for the shop. A quick bike change for Bish, borrowing a carbon frame Ibis, and the collection of Dunnies wheel, we headed off towards Milton Heath and the journey up to the top of Leith Hill. About 1 mile from the shop, Dunnie's pedal came undone from the crank, which necessitated a very brief stop and pedal tighten. Onwards. After another mile, Dunnies pedal “fell off”, or rather the bearings failed and the pedal became a useless flailing piece of metal sliding up and down a metal shaft – probably not delivering the true performance come to be expected of even the basic pedals. So Bish and I decided to crack on, while Dunnie headed back to HftH for some new pedals. This, I believe, is probably the shortest ever time Dunnie's bike has been out of the shop!!

Bish and I headed up to the top of Leith Hill by way of Squires farm. A pleasant ride in nice weather, not too hot and not too cold. We got a call from Dunnie after about 20minutes in, and successfully met up at the bomb holes. Blasting up to the tower, we took in the obligatory cup of tea, before heading off towards the little kicker (can't remember the name of the area!!). The guy who served us our tea at the tower was already there on his skills bike, showing us exactly how to do it! Without much speed he gained terrific height, pulled the bike to the side, and then landed smoothly and gently, and all he was wearing was a pair of jeans, t-chirt and a baseball cap – no safety gear there. Our efforts, whilst technically, fair, had no height and no flair. Needless to say we hated him!!

Off then towards windy willows and a fast smooth ride through the whole trail. At the end of Windy we turned right and down to the new descent Bish had found a few months back, and hacked down it at great speed. It was nice and dry and flowed well. Heading back up the bridal way towards the tower, I ran over a small branch, SNAP went my rear mech hanger! That's ok I said, I've brought a spare – and we proceeded to dismantle the mech hanger and attempt to position the new one..... to find it was the wrong one!! Bugger! So single speed it was. Now Dunnie has had afiar bit of experience of this activity, so thanks to his expert guidance, we'd quickly transformed the trusty stumpy to a single speed.

Off we set back to the tower, down personal hygiene and up no cycles and then along to deliverance. I didn't fancy it with my sore thumb and knackered bike, so took the easy way down, whilst Bish and Dunnie took it in their stride. Down to cold harbour, Bish and I said goodbye to Dunnie, and headed off to Milton Gore for a quick look at some of the jumps, which Rich had a few sessions on. Again, my bike not in peak condition, I declined. We headed back down to Dorking, taking in all the trails we could – Bish at one point taking a tumble bunny hoping a small twig!

On the road back to Dorking it was quite apparent that gears were needed to retain speed – most of the route I freewheeled... slowly, and if not I was pedalling like a madman for no real gain.

So a mechanically challenged ride!

The Kiss of Death.

Date : 22nd May 2010
Riders : Mick & Simon
Area : Swinley

Well, the forecast for the weekend was great, in fact it was promising to be a bit too great so Mick and I decided we would go for a nice early start on Saturday morning to avoid the scorching midday temperatures that the weather people were predicting.

So by 8:00 we were both at the car park and ready to ride. We decided to go away from the normal routes so headed off in search of some new trails. This proved harder than we had first anticipated and soon we were back on the more usual trails. So after completing “Tank Trap” we then headed to star point No. 5 where we decided we would head over to the far back of Swinley and see what tracks were on old MOD training area. Not a lot to be found in the area but we did get some miles under our belts with some steep climbs. We eventually came to the top of “Labyrinth” where we only ride the first section and then head back up to the reservoir to pick up some more single track on the way back to star point 5 again. From there we picked up two more bits of single track before heading home for a cup of tea and a bacon roll.

Whilst on our way back we were discussing riding preferences (Downhill and jumps Vs Single track) we both agreed that the single track was more our cup of tea. Mick then went onto explain that he was always wary of the risky stuff as he was self employed and couldn’t afford to be off work with a cycling injury. He had a very close call on the previous Wednesday night ride when he lost the front end on a tight berm and ended up on the deck luckily with no major injuries. I agreed totally with this view given the injuries I have had over the last year.

I think this conversation must have been the “Kiss of Death” for me because as we approached the car park on the last fire road I took the sweeping left turn and caught a load of loose gravel under the front wheel which took the bike from under me. I hit the deck like the proverbial “sack of shit” and ended up sliding along the loose gravel with the bike. At first I wasn’t quite sure what hurt the most, my Knee from the gravel of my shin from where two teeth from my chain set had punctured it right on the bone. Then it became more apparent were the real pain was coming from – my left hand. After a few minutes with my breath back and some very strong words of frustration I decided I was ready to get back on the stead and finish the last 100 metres back to the cars. It was at this point I realized I had a bit of a problem as I could not close my left hand to grip the bars so we ended up walking back to the cars.

Back in the car park Mick kindly dismantled my back and stuck it in the car as there was no way it would be going on the roof. We then headed over to the café for the refreshments and to closely examine the left hand which by now was about the size of a tennis ball. We both agreed that it may be advisable to seek a medical view as our engineering skills were not coming up with any real diagnosis. We sat for a bit longer admiring the scenery (well the sunshine does really bring it out) and then headed our separate ways.

On the way back home whilst trying to negotiate gear changes with a hand that was now the size of a grapefruit and through gritted teeth I made the dreaded call to the better half asking if she would mind dropping me off at casualty before we took the girls swimming. The call went far better than expected and she was even pleasant to me whilst on route to the hospital. In fact even the casualty staff were pleasant especially the casualty sister as she insisted that due to all the cuts on my legs I should have a tetanus. As she still had hold of my hand at this timeI agreed and she quickly administered it before I changed my mind.

I was then taken to xray and after a short wait I was called back into the consulting room by the still smiling casualty sister, before I had even got my bum on the seat she turned round and send “well you’ve done a fantastic job of breaking that bone” and boy when I looked at the xray she wasn’t lying. She then trussed me up like a oven ready chicken and sent me home to a still smiling wife.

It’s now Friday, I have seen 3 consultants over the last week , two NHS (which I won’t bore you with here) and one private hand consultant who has dealt with this type of fracture before. So this coming Tuesday I go under the knife for open reduction and fixation of comminuted metacarpal fracture with ligament reconstruction. In boy’s speak their going to pull the bones back together, straighten the knuckle and finger and pin the lot.

And before you ask. No, I am not going to sell the bike!!!

Andy's New Helmet (should have bought a full face)

Date : 20th May 2010
Riders : Grievous Andy
Area : Nutwood

Following last week's dent of pride, and head plant on Grievous Angel, I was still recovering from all the aches and pains which that fall generated. I also had a trip to purchase a new helmet to replace the one I used as a crash mat on my last outing.
New helmet in hand (or on head actually) I decided to venture out solo in order to see how all the aches and pains faired on the bike, but also to practice my drop offs. I had been running the drop off process over and over again in my head and was sure I'd mastered it... in my head!!!

So I got home early and headed off locally on my mini adventure, to Nutwood where Tom had told me there were a few jumps. I found the area easily and discovered a nice little practice zone containing jumps, drop offs, doubles, berms and very steep descents.... what a find!!!!

I found a nice little drop off to practice and sessioned it a number of times – driving the bike, not riding it! It;s a bit difficult on your own to see how far you fly, but there were some good feelings flowing during some of the drops – others were a little ropey, but practice makes perfect!!! Once I'd mastered this little drop off, I thought I'd get some more speed, so started higher up the trail. The difficulty was that the trail was not a straight line to the drop off, and by the time I'd reached it, I was out of position!! Flying through the air (or that's what ot felt like) I landed awkwardly, with the front wheel sliding out on me (again!!!). I slid, and my face decided to plant a tree branch – which had no intention of moving....

So – bloodied, and pride dented yet again, I headed home!!

Apart from that mishap, and the thought that maybe I should have bought a full face, to protect my boyish good looks (now gone for a burton!!!), this is a great little practice area – and local too. Thanks Tom.

The crash site

The culprit

Noooooo, not the face

Grevious Andy

Date: 13th May
Riders: Andy, AM Tom, Dave, Mark2, Rich
Location: Ranmore

An evening ride of anticipation - Tom because he finally has his Orange 5, resplendent in electric blue and for Andy as it is his first taste of the gnarly Ranmore trails. We muster at the Pilgrim, a deliberate move as we've all agreed this is a most excellent post-ride hostelry and cast envious glances at Tom's new steed as he explains the importance of his Hope upgrade package and braided hoses....

Up the Pilgrims Way to the top of Grevious Angel - we try to break the top section down into manageable chunks for Andy and Tom - first up the kicker and log jump into a tight left handed berm. All manage this, Tom with some style as the 5 demonstrates its AM capabilities.

Next up is the platform drop - now this is tricky, picture if you can a man made 3ft platform which drops onto a steep off camber slope, firing the rider down into a deep and steep berm. Mark, Dave and I who have ridden this a few times go first and then Tom makes a decent fist of it on his first attempt. Next up is Andy and as the pressure builds he refuses on the edge before walking back up for a second go. This time the commitment is there but not the speed or body position and he tips forward over the edge in slomo, landing smack on the top of his head. The bike catapaults forward, slamming into a tree and taking the full force on the handlebars. Andy is down and we're not even laughing, it looked that serious. He's hurt his nose and head but after a few minutes is ready to carry on.

We decide that the 2nd section of Grevious Angel should be left for another day and proceed up to Ranmore, across the open field and bridleways and then through some twisty fun singletrack which we discovered a couple of weeks ago. Onto the log pile section and across the road to Abba Zabba. Andy has recovered sufficiently to want to do the top bit twice and we then carry on down the steep roll ins. I come to grief on the final "round the tree" section, losing the line and ending up on the deck.

We then climb the road to the top of Reformation where Dave makes bold claims about doing the drop and double but is talked out of it by Mark2!

We tackle Numbskull, Blind Terror and the off camber end of Reformation before climbing back up again to do some extra bits.

Andy seems fully recovered and enjoys the technical challenges and we finish with the field bridleway and footpath route back to The Pilgrim in Dorking.

Refreshed by ale we fire up their patio heater and talk of upgrades and body armour!

Words of technique wisdom

Like a Buddhist monk RK has said some things that have stuck in my mind and continue to whisper in my ear as I send myself into battle. I thought I should remind you all of his words of wisdom:

Drive the bike not ride the bike;

Under rotation prevails over over-rotation;

Good energy management, good body position, footwork and looking;

We dont yank on the bars we push energy through the bike;

Lay of the breaks, carry more speed and generate a smoother ride;

Concentrate on the trail ahead and not what is’nt the trail;

Keeping your head up slows things down;

It does’nt matter how fast you enter a corner but how fast you leave it;

Its next, next, next, always looking ahead of the bike at what is coming next, i dont want to get caught up in the now but what is going to happen in the future;

And finally kids remember:

You cant change what is happening only what is going to happen!

See you out on the trails. XC Tom

Dust 'n' Disorder - The Ranmore Sessions

Dates: Weds, Sat, Sun
Riders: Various including Mark2, Dunnie, Dave, Dave2, Tom, Rich, Roger & Duncan from HftH
Locations: Ranmore, Leith Hill, Redlands, Milton Gore

Haven't blogged for a while...frankly all I've been doing is riding in my spare time so I haven't managed to squeeze one in, as it were.

In fact I've done so much riding (6 days out of the last 10!) that it's all melded together in my mind into one big session. I'll try my best to pick out a couple of highlights but the overall theme has been one of dusty bone-dry trails (dare I say it we could do with a shower to dampen them down), seriously technical new trails and jumps, lots of jumps!

The technically challenging trails on Ranmore have been a big feature - Abba Zabba, Blind Terror, Numbskull and the new one "Reformation" - check the Nirvana link attached for some videos - plus Grevious Angel.

There's some seriously challenging stuff up there - big drops, doubles, kickers, steep rooty and off camber sections although we all emerged reasonably unscathed.

None of the OTH'ers rode the sketchy drop and double on Reformation although Roger showed us how last night before dispatching the very scary bombhole double at the end of Numbskull.

Other highlights have included nailing more of the new jumps springing up at Milton Gore (both Marks progressing to get over the bigger double), Dave and I jumping the big fallen tree at the bottom of Wave of Mutilation in Redlands, going to the Yeti demo day at Peaslake (no I'm not buying one) and several post-ride visits to the Plough and the Star.

Those who aren't riding at the moment are missing out big time - get yourselves out there!

Hold on a minute - this isn't a Mountain Bike!!!

Well it would be, if it had wheels and a seat and handlebars.....

Can I post a video of me running....? What, not even if it's really fast, like????

I too did some running - but enough of that, and more video of blokes on BIKES doing JUMPS and occasionally FALLING OFF. ('Cos let's face it, a video of me [or anyone else, unless maybe it was Diane Kruger running naked round my garden or something....] running would be BORING.
So, we all agree - this is not a running site. Here are some clips of a little jumping session Bish, Dave2 and I did last weekend. (Having said that, I only did three jumps, not wanting to get injured and impacting my running.... oops)
As for the blog bit, we went out, did a big climb up Coldharbour Lane, got overtaken by a skinny chick who looked like she weighed about 5 stone, did soem jumps, did a few trails, then had a pint in the Plough to celebrate Dave's birthday, then rode back to dorking (where, for the record, I got a replacement seat post collar for the one I knackered in one of the below jumps).
Mullac-a-bu!
Dunnie

The Welsh Hills with the welsh

I wasn't going to put anything on the blog about my ride on Sunday, but after Andy's blah about running.................... This is a Mountain Bikers Blog. Get on a bloody Running Blog. Enough said!!!

Anyway, went up to the Welsh Alps over Easter and was asked by a friend , up there, to take him on the Marin Trail on Easter Sunday, the only decent day. We met at 0900, weather was fantastic. We looked a million dollars. Me on my Specialized Hardtail and Gaz (Gareth in Welsh) on his peugeot full suspension Halford's Special. I had asked if he had a bike(beic in welsh) and he stated 'Oh yes, a full susser' No probs I thought.
We set off. After a hundred metres all i could hear was a constant squeak. All was not going well. 'It always does that!' Oh well, let's give it a go. We went through a deserted Llanrwst and up the Nant Hill. After half a mile of up and Gaz huffing and puffing, he stated that he shouldn't have had the TEN pints last night and his guts were playing up. Still the weather was great and the air fresh. We turned off to the start of the Marin Trail.
We managed about 2 miles of the 16 miles before Gaz announced that a) he didn't think he was up to it AND b) his bike definitely wasn't up for it. We hit the minor roads and headed for the lakes. A pleasant climb up to Llyn Gerrionydd which was like a mirror. I gave him a choice of up and over to Llyn Crafnant or straight route home. He'd cheered up and opted for the scenic route.
Boy was it worth it! The views of Snowdonia with Snow topped mountains was superb. Proper Mountain Biking. none of your manufactured trails here. We battled up to the top of the fire road and after stop at the viewpoint, blatted down to a lakeside cafe for a brew. High Speed decent with the odd wait for the squeaky boy.
Tea and cake consumed we had an uniterupted further blat down into Trefriw. The Welsh alps now bathed in Spring Sunshine and a quick nip across the Gowers Suspension Bridge and into the pub.
Hope you are all still awake! The good news is I have found accommodation above a Pub in Penmachno half a mile from the start of the Penmachno Trails. Who's up for aproper welsh trip later in the year????
Nos Daa....................

The second 18miler!

So... just thought I'd keep you all updated on my marathon training progress! The second of my 18 mile training runs loomed on Saturday morning, and based on how I felt the previous weekend, at the completion of the last 18 mile run, it was with an element of trepidation that I set off!! The weather forecast of heavy showers, and the torrential downpour which had happened only minutes before my departure did nothing to boost my confidence. Nevertheless training is a necessary evil, so with a break in the rain I set off at 0910 steeling myself for the miles ahead!

The weather was kind, the road was kind, and although it took my legs a good 6 miles to get comfy, the pace felt good. For the first time in my training career I had to stop twice en route for a pee, once at 3 miles and once at 10 miles!! Still - a sure sign I was hydrated enough!

I won't bore you with the full details of the run, suffice to say that running that kind of distance can be quite boring!!

I completed the 18.6 miles in 2hrs 47mins - doing 1/2 mile longer than last week and doing it 10mins quicker! The bonus being I didn't feel sick, and although my legs were full of lactic acid, I could've kept going. Now at that pace I'm on for a sub 4hr marathon time (just), and if I achieve sub 4hrs at London I will be more than made up... I'm now well and truely fired up for this, despite my wife dousing the flames by saying "you've still got a few weeks to go, don't build your hopes up!!". Pin, ballon, burst all sprang to mind!!

Crash landing

Date: 28^th Mar 2010
Riders: Mark2, Dave and a very nice South African
Location: Milton Gore jumps, Summer Lightning, Beggars Canyon

With a new SLX double crank, shifters and overhaul of my cables and test ride was required. Short on time and weather closing in, a dash up the hill to Milton Gore jumps to where after a small adjustment to my front derailleur my bike was shifting sweet as a nut.

Dave arrived 5 minutes later where upon we spent a good while discussing jumping form and what we were going to try today while waiting for the newest arrival to the group, Stefan, a very nice South African. A few easy warm up jumps to get the adrenalin going and we stepped up the pace, goading each other on until we were hitting jumps left right and center, stuff we wouldn’t of considered last week. Incrementally increasing the speed on each of the jumps, we were flying.

Buzzing like kids, Stefan turned up and took a few shots at some Jumps. As Dave and I pushed the boundaries and started to link up some jumps, this is where things went wrong.

Too much speed I hit a small kicker with a steep run out with the idea of linking in the short but long double at the bottom. My right foot slipped as I landed the kicker but I was too committed to bail and even though I had my feet all squared up on the bike I was not straight and going way too fast I launched off the up ramp at an angle and the bike rotated around that angle. Nose down and going sideways at about warp factor 9, the bike hit the ground 2 foot past the down ramp and I hit the ground 3 foot past the bike. My bag was torn from my shoulders and my head hit the ground hard as slid into the up ramp of another jump where upon I stopped followed shortly (1 second) by the bike hitting me. My veggie shin pads have a hole in them, better then my shins. My hip, right upper arm and back have general scrapes and I walk at a funny angle now but I lived.

Not only did I live, but like those crazy kids in the New World Disorder films I tied my pack back on to my back, bent my derailleur back into place, pushed my bike to the top and did the same jump again but without the crashing bit... Boo-Ya!!!

Then off to summer lighting, despite the rain wasn’t too wet and a very fast ride down Beggars Canyon with some nice air time at the death stars exit before the rain.

Lessons learnt

1. Protection gear when jumping is a must (back packs can be considered protection)

2. Don’t do what Dave does do! dig it?

Later

Mark2