So how's the trek going. Great and not a lot to report. As many know my favourite riding is more XC based having sherwood pines on my doorstep and it being part of my commute. Because of this since I rediscovered MTB 4 or 5 years ago that's where most of my riding and riding practice/skills have developed. I'm a big fan of fast flowing trails, the ebike helps feed this of course. I still throw in a few peaks rides and others but these are very much rides for a day out and the scenery and I wouldn't ever ride them at 100% like I do locally. So using Pines as my favourite place to push I time all my rides and there's a group of us on there that swap and share times. I don't know many of them personally but it adds to the fun there.
I have tried a couple of local mtb groups and they were very much cyclists who's view of ebike isn't great and they seem to assume if you have one you can't ride or are a novice. I didn't go back to their rides as they were too slow lol.
So last night I thought I'd try another group ride, who knows why as it's known I have enough friends and to make a new one an old one has to drop off
but I find myself dropping a £5 into a charity box and joining 25 riders for a tortoise and hare ride round pines. Basically the normal bikes will set off and then the ebikes will follow upto 10 mins later over an 8 mile course and see who arrives at the end first. It's not a race...yeah right lol.
I don't recognise any of the names from the 'strava' groups but not everyone uses it but still I'm confident enough. There are 15 normal bikes and 10 ebikes. From the pre event banter the thoughts are the ebike can't catch the faster normal riders, we'll see. The first groups head off, 5 mins later some of the ebikes go but I along with 7 others stay the full ten minutes. I set off third after two of the ebikes say they are quick and know the course. It takes two sections till I politely ask to be let by as I've got some normal bikes to catch !. Takes a good 3 or 4 miles to catch the first riders, about 6 miles in I catch the earlier ebikes and then at 7 miles the last of the normal bikes. I get my head down for the last mile expecting to see more but I arrive at the finish first having passed 15 or so riders, another ebike arrives a minute or so later followed by the first of the normal bikes. But it's not a race although I set some PB times and gave it 100% as did everyone else. It turned out to be a superb idea and event and many have asked for it to be repeated as all thoroughly enjoyed it. Personally I didn't think I was competitive anymore, that kind of got blown away once we were all moving lol
