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

Go West - The Wild West

Last Monday I had the opportunity to try a different location to Leith Hill and Swinley Forest so I decided to go for a ride to the west of London – to be a little more specific 5235 miles west of London in the Nevada Desert in Las Vegas.

Well, I was away on business and it seemed like a great opportunity to see a different side of Sin City. Luckily there were a number of cycle tours on offer so Søren (our OTH occasional guest from Denmark) surfed the net and came up with a 4 hour guided ride through Cotton Valley.

We were picked up at the hotel by the two guides and met the third member of our team Rodney who worked for the US Embassy in the Congo. After a quick stop at the bike shop to pick up the bikes and take on water we were soon in the remote wilderness of the Nevada Desert. The two guides then proceeded to set up the Specialized Stunt Jumpers and ensure we had the correct pressure in the suspension. Just a we were about to set out on the trails one of the guides said to me “your from the UK right, well just remember that your rear brake is on the right” at this point I called for a time out and quickly swapped the levers over as I did not want to go straight over the bars the first time the brakes were applied.

After a quick safety briefing on snakes, scorpions and spiders, we were ready to roll and started off with a slow uphill climb. We soon lost Rodney and the rear guide, after a five minute wait they were still nowhere to be seen. We quickly decided that we should head back and find our other two riders. As we cleared the ridge we found the two trying to repair the rear hanger which had been totally ripped clean off the tour guides bike. It was quickly decided that the rear mech could not be repaired so the cable was cut and the chain was shortened to turn his bike into a single speed (well he could do with a challenge).

The journey continued with some really cool descents through some fantastic landscapes – glad I swapped the brakes as there was a need to quickly drop some speed on a downhill section and I automatically went for the left lever which would have meant a but full of cactus spines.

It soon was clear that there were two riding levels in the group with Rodney and our Single speed friend following up the rear. With this divide in place our guide decided to turn up the pace and give us a lesson in desert riding. Søren did well and stuck on the guides rear wheel for the entire run. I was doing well until I took a corner to wide and ended up taking a short cut through some cactus which hurt like hell and cost me a good couple of minutes.

The trails were clearly marked and ride-able without a guide, but I would say the benefit of having someone that knows the trails is you keep up the speed and are guaranteed to lose a few pounds in sweat. In all the ride was fun and made a nice change from the soggy bogs that we are enduring in the UK. I can’t wait for the UK summer, it won’t quite be the Nevada Desert but it will be dry – I HOPE.

Back to Basics

Date: March 18th
Riders: XCTom; Mark2; Rich
Location: Leith Hill

Call me old fashioned but this post isn't about trumpet-based film titles, planning the 2010 Wales trip or even a jog-blog. No it's a return to basics (or as I like to call it "riding bikes").

The trails are in really good nick at the moment (Mark2 has been riding a lot), temperatures are slowly rising and until yesterday the rain had held off for a good couple of weeks. Consequently we set out on a night ride from Coldharbour with a view to hitting Windy Willows, one of those trails which is off limits once a wet winter sets in.

We took on Summer Lightning, including the top jumps on the downhill section and then followed the Ben Tudor (tm) route to the Ghurka Trail. Up the other side we rode the climb into Windy Willows which was in good order. We all hit the main jump in the middle of the trail and Tom even took the awkward log jump at the end, pulling it off with some style.

We took the bridleway climb back to Donnie Darko and then climbed to the Tower, following the by now familiar route back to the Plough via Personal Hygene, No Cycles, The Bombholes and Crooked Furrow.

By now the rain was persistent and had been joined by fog and wind which limited our lumens so we were glad to stop for a pint.

Probably only one more night ride when full illumination will be needed as the clocks go back next weekend - roll on a hot summer full of dusty trails, jump sessions and outdoor beers!

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Whilst I've been one of the OTH bikers who has been missing out on recent rides, I thought I'd post just to keep my blogging hand in!!!

I've been training for this year's London Marathon and this morning I completed 13 miles in a PB time of 1 hour 47mins.... very happy with that! And 8 mins off last weekends 13 mile run. Unintentional - but that's when PBs tend to come!

Hope you're all enjoying - I miss the bike and the trails... roll on April 25th!

Solo Mission

As Dunnie discovered the other week OTH members seem to be a bit thin on the ground at the moment for one reason or another. Last night I was determined to get out, having not ridden for 2 weeks and despite Mark2 and Dave2 pulling out I decided a quick solo night mission was the way forward.
I prepped my lights and put on some warm kit (it was only 1 degree at 6.30)and set out on the Cove. I found I had a very stiff bottom bracket (ooh err) but decided to press on, on the basis that it might free itself up with a bit of pedalling and if it didn't then it would be good exercise - like working in a higher gear!
I decided to tackle the steep Coldharbour road route, a first in the dark but thankfully there was little traffic about. I seemed to make reasonably light work of it so I then headed into the play area and Cream Egg. I mooched about around some of our jumps and drops, the hip-kicker was predictably boggy on the run in so after one go I decided to leave it to recover naturally.
I then headed up into Redlands, a slightly risky decision as this part of Leith Hill is well known for it's poor drainage and is an area I usually leave alone in the winter months.
I hit Wave of Mutilation at a reasonable lick, clearing the fallen tree at the end and then climbed into Sweet Sweet Bulbs and surprised myself by hitting the main jump (not sure if that's my first time in the dark). I then climbed up the bridleway to the resevoir and took "Tom's" trail down the hill, building speed I nearly lost it on one corner in deepish mud but managed to keep my outside foot down and pushing through as per the guru's instructions kept me aboard.
A final descent down the lane and back to Dorking took me to just over the hour mark - a good little ride and worth the experience of riding some slightly gnarly stuff alone at night.
Roll on saturday as the trails are in pretty good shape.
Rich

Ladies Day!

On a bright and brisk Saturday morning, there was a limited enthusiasm for riding from the regular members of the team - excuses ranged from hangovers, broken bikes, snowed in in Aspen, football through to concerns over the weather (!) - so OTH was represented by Dunnie, with my mate Dave 'Vermin' Wilson and his lovely fiancee Alice. We set off from Holmbury car park at a liesurely 0915, Dave on his trusty Trek Top Fuel, and Alice on her new bike (bought for her by Dave, who, being a cheapskate, had not invested in disc brakes...). It soon became apparent that Dave's Army Physiotherapist approach to his beloved's first proper MTB ride was somewhat louder than we would be used to, with the early morning peace being rent by his 'encouragement' to her... a 'beasting' would be more accurate, and soon I was feeling guilty at my perhaps optimistic choice of route.
Having warmed up on the easy tracks uphill, we hit BKB from the Hurtwood Control car park. As usual, it was 'moist' with no shortage of mud, even if it was well crisped over by frost, and we needed frequent pauses to allow Alice to re-clip in and get her balance perfected. A good run down the latter half of BKB, and a decision to forgo tea and cakes in Peaslake, was followed by a climb back up the bridleway to take in a gloopy Yoghurt Pots, and an equally mucky Telegraph Road, with some good speed on the last 2/3s, and a really impressive over-the-bars faceplant by Dave, reminiscent of Simon's best endeavours! A quick transit through the woods and final rooty downhill finish saw a short ride ended. Hats off to Alice, with a good performance 1st time out, and I think that Dave will be joining us again for future rides (and likely our Wales trip).
Those who planned to go out on Sunday (lashing with rain) will have missed a great day on Saturday - and for a change I managed to lead the way with no 'navigational embarrassment'....
See you in mid-March, if Idon't break anything else 'boarding in Norway...

Dunnie

Nocturnal Mutterings...

Date: February 12th
Riders: XC Tom, Mark2, Dave2, Rich
Location: Box Hill & Leatherhead Common

The first night ride of 2010 and indeed the first one for at least a couple of months. It was very chilly but dry as we set off from The Star, through Denbies towards Box Hill.
Dave was sporting a new rear shock which happily doesn't deflate on contact with cold air, one of the other benefits of which is that Dave now pops off everything like a scalded kangaroo, getting tons of air seemingly at will - I wish I could do that!
Determined to put in a respectable effort on the infamous Box Hill climb I sat in Dave's wheeltracks and let him winch me up. I had thought this would guarantee a great time but I was disappointed to only knock 5 seconds off my PB (9.25 in case you were wondering!).
Following a recovery breather we weaved our way over the top of Box Hill to the start of China Pig which was running very nicely without the hazard of wet roots for once. Down to Juniper Bottom where Tom said he'd show us an "easy" road route to the start of Alsation - well it didn't feel that easy to the rest of us!
Onto Alsation which was running great and then along the A24 for a little bit. At Mickleham Tom suggested we take the off road route and promised "no more climbing" as we started to feel the pace. As usual this was not a statement based entirely on fact and I think Tom could feel our collective ire as we hit a 1 in 2 climb immediately!
We eventually wound our way back past the Stepping Stones pub at Westhumble and followed the bridleway back into Dorking. Due to various committments we gave the pub a swerve for once but at least no bike cleaning was required!

To Leith and back

Date : 6th February 2010
Riders : Rich, Andy, XC Tom
Area : Leith Hill

A cold morning arrived, and Rich and Tom had already decided to push for the Lance Armstrong esque route that is Dorking to Coldharbour (ok, so it's a slight exaggeration, but it is a steep climb!!). Tom and I arrived at Rich's, and after much faffing about with shock air levels (me included) we set off to pick up Dave on the way. Arriving at Dave's, he met us at the door, looking like he'd just got out of bed, and telling us he needed to change his brake pads... but thought that was all. We all agreed, the 3 of us would ride on then meet him later on “the Hill” somewhere.

So with the steely determination of an Everest mountaineer on his final push to the summit, we set off for Coldharbour. We made good progress up the road, with me resting in XC Tom's slipstream – no idea whether it helped, but I kept up – with Rich falling a little way behind – something to do with the beers the night before I think.

We rested briefly at Coldharbour before pushing on to Leith, up the trail and towards the start of summer lightening. The usual seatpost drop, and we were off, looking ahead, not at the trail, and pumping the bike, not braking in the corners, but still not getting quite enough speed to launch over the last jump before the second section. A brief pause and we were off again racing through the next piece of trail, which flowed well considering the conditions. With Summer lightening behind us, we headed off to the tower taking in the “Bracken Trail” (Does it have a name?), whose level of bracken generally meant you couldn't actually see the trail!! Off to the top of the tower, with Tom leading the way, in his usual XC head down type way (despite wearing his humvee baggies!!), and missing all the fun trails off the sides!!

Up to the tower for a well deserved cup of tea, and a slice of date and marmalade cake... lovely! Tom lusted over a green Orange 5, and got talking to the chap who owned it – thus cementing his longing and determination to purchase one!!

Off we set for a bit of a play, finding a a serious kicker to session. Rich went first, but not much air was had. Tom went next, and very impressively looked as though he went vertically upwartds and landed vertical on his back wheel before the front dropped down. A few inches further back and he would have been on his back!!! Despite Tom feeling he was in control we decided the kick was too severe, and re-shaped it in expert fashion, allowing us to session it with confidence!!! A few more drops and jumps of varying skill, and we headed back to the tower. On to personal hygiene and up no cycles, at which point I decided to take on a puddle at slow speed which was much deeper than you could see!!! My front wheel disappeared up to it's hub, sending me slowly and gracefully into the air, and just pausing at the vertical point, for what seemed like minutes, before unceremoniously ditching me over the handlebars. I somehow managed to stay on my feet, but as a consequence received a seat up the arse!!! After a few minutes heavy breathing and huffing and puffing, I was able to rest back on the bike and we were off. Back on the trail to Coldharbour.

Hitting the road at Coldharbour, we enjoyed the 30mph shoot down towards Dorking, and bumping into Dave en route (remember Dave!!). He'd only just sorted out his brakes, and a couple of other things, and seemed to have found 3 other riders to go off with. They were heading to Peaslake!!! In this weather? So we wished them luck, and set off on a little off road before hitting the main road back to Dorking. At 36mph on the road Tom, leading the way, thought is would be funny to allow some water to escape from his mouth, as Rich found to his cost!!!! Oh how we all laughed!!!!

Back to Rich's place, thankfully all in one piece, to meet Mark2 just arriving home. His bike has been in the wars, so wasn't able to make it, but we let him know what a good time we had anyway!!

The Winterfold Sessions: Part 1

Winterfold Wood, south-west of Pitch Hill is one of the areas we sometimes ride where my trail knowledge starts to run out. I'd like to correct that situation, so armed with a small map and some tips from Roger at Head for the Hills, Tom, Dunnie and I arrived at Hurtwood CP4 on sunday morning. We met Simon, Richard (who joined us on our xmas ride) and another new rider Mark 3(!), a neighbour of theirs fielding a rather tasty new Boardman hardtail. A clear cold morning meant the remaining snow and slush in the car park had become a skating rink and we had to carefully walk to the first bridleway. The longish climb to the summit of pitch was made more challenging than usual by the snow, punctuated by mud and streams of meltwater.
As we got to the plateau I took us on a minor detour to a couple of jumps which we often tackle. It was all going so well until Simon hit the 2nd, slightly larger double....planting his front wheel solidly into the gap he was thrown forward into a spectacular half sommersault, landing hard on his back with the bike following in a similar arc. I have to say it looked bad but thankfully he was only winded and soon able to carry on (jumping was over for him though). Sadly not caught on film as it ranked with some of Dunnie's best efforts.
We reached the top of Pitch and then headed down a techy bridleway to a Car Park near the Windmill. A climb through a stream up to the Windmill followed and we than found "Judges Seat", an infamous feature with several challenging drop offs. We all decided that today wasn't the day to hit these first time and after speaking to another group of riders took a long, flowing bridleway down to Jellies' Hollow, a steep and fairly spectacular gulley. We messed around on this for about half an hour, trying various lines and jump options, a lot of fun and I have a feeling we'll be back there before too long.
Taking the bridleways back towards Pitch we came across a bomb hole trail we've ridden before and sessioned the bombs and a nice berm before we made the long climb back to the Winterfold car park. From here it was an easy roll back to the cars at Peaslake.
A really good ride and some new routes mentally mapped for the future. I'm still trying to locate "I Should Coco, 2 Headed Dog and Christmas Pudding!" so plenty more exploring to do over there - watch this space....

The shortest route to the bike shop, please....

As mentioned below, I did indeed turn back on Saturday's ride. Lack of any form of enjoyment being the main cause, however I also stopped in Dorking to leave my bike in the shop again - my front forks are off to the fork doctor to remedy their complete lack of pressure (luckily within the warranty period). This means that my bike has now been in for 3rd party attendance 5 times in 9 months.... Perhaps I should cut out the middle man and just drop my bike into the shop every Saturday and go to the pub.....