2020 mileage, riding, days out update

[formula400]

I think that’s normal. They young and fearless. They don’t care, it’s some serious confidence they have.

I feel the same when I go out, street triple / MTB I am getting more and more cautious.

[weeksy]

I think that’s normal. They young and fearless. They don’t care, it’s some serious confidence they have.

I feel the same when I go out, street triple / MTB I am getting more and more cautious.

I can safely say I'm less cautious on my MTB than at any other time in my life, but I'm a pussy compared to my 12 year old

[formula400]

Right so did just over 100km today, the 2 Strava pictures don’t include the cycle to the station.

Went from north london to Watford, then to Slough then Windsor,
Had a coffee and sandwich and had a look at the castle from the outside, and then headed back to london. Maps took us a long some “cycle routes” apparently they are “London cycle Routes”. We did 5 odd miles going along canal paths in mud, one lad was on 25mm road tyres, was tough going, mate got a puncture, we stopped, fixed it (after dipping the inner tube in the canal to find the hole) went to set off and realised it did his front as well, double puncture, but we set off home in the end, but whilst sort the wheels found some local mushrooms, not sure if they were magic though

[formula400]

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[weeksy]

Spent the day at Southampton bike park and Lordswood, the place is just astounding really considering it's a local park in a random town.

Lovely built trails, jumps, berms, groomed, smooth, awesome.

Massive kudos for my boy doing this gap in the woods, he just makes it look effortless.


2020-11-28_04-03-31 by Steve Weeks - Flickr2BBcode LITE


2020-11-28_04-03-24 by Steve Weeks - Flickr2BBcode LITE

[formula400]

that place looks great, no action shots????

[weeksy]

2020-11-28_04-59-21 by Steve Weeks - Flickr2BBcode LITE

[formula400]

hes nuts

cool trick though

[Beancounter]

Headed out to Peaslake this morning with a mate who was riding my old Whyte T-130. Got there just after 10am, all the car parks were rammed, even those up in the hills and not particularly close to any of the viewpoints. Drivers were parking on every square foot of space they could find, some of it quite inconsiderately. Eventually got a space in the main Walking Bottom car park after doing more than a few circuits. Lots of families out, both riding and walking.

Rode up to Holmbury Hill, view off the hill (to the South) was very foggy. A quick breather for my mate who was riding for the first time in two years and then headed down to Yoghurt Pots which is a nice warm up trail given it’s not steep and is very twisty. Then on to Telegraphs, normally this trail in Winter is very muddy on the first section but with a lot of the trees removed it’s draining a lot better. It’s mainly a straight trail that follows the Telegraph poles (obviously) but the first section is very rooty and because it’s pedally it’s really important to get a good line choice to make good progress. The second section is short and flat with lovely sandy, loamy flat turns. This is perfect for practicing corner technique, outside foot dropped, thighs on the same side of the cross bar and you can easily throw yourself at this piece. The third section is on a deceptive downhill gradient. Nothing extreme but you pick speed without trying. What appear gentle kinks can catch the unwary and the cocky out. A blind left hand entry into a bomb hole which then carves up and right keep it interesting, the hidden rock in the dip is just for extra spice. There are a couple of kickers and a small drop, about a foot deep, that raise the heart rate because you need to land in time to make the next gentle kink in the trail.

It’s then a slog on fire roads back up to the reservoir which marks the start of Barry Knows Best (or Reservoir Dogs if you’re of the older generation). It was really busy at this point, five other riders waiting for a clean run but a Dad and three kids had just gone down and it was clear that they’d be taking their time (which is fair enough, nobody wants blue lights). It’s a long trail for Surrey Hills, similar to Telegraphs with bigger bushes to the side so you can’t see down the trail, four or five bermed switchbacks, some nasty rooty off-camber jinks that can easily lift the bike off the ground if you’re carrying enough speed and a couple of tight chicanes in the trees which judging by the additional tracks have caught a fair few riders out.

After BKB it’s a bastard of a climb up from Gasson’s Farm as you make your way up to Pitch Hill. I’ve only ever completed this climb on the EMTB, on a clockwork bike you need to be a pretty strong climber. It’s steep, average gradient of 12.5% with loose rocks, branches and a git of a rut running down it. It’s just unpleasant but even walking up it saves time over going into the village and through the car park to the bottom of the fire road.

The trails on Pitch are generally more technical, the trails are quicker because there is more gradient, they’re more rooty, the soil holds more water so the trails can be sloppier and the roots a lot slipper.

We start with Fork Right, it’s pedally to begin but you soon start picking up speed, often charging into a corner a bit too quickly but able to use a conveniently placed tree stump/berm combo to halt your fun/stupidity. There are a couple of small doubles which are easily rollable, to be fair on the e-bike I struggle to get any lift at all. The last third of the trail is nice grippy loamy berms which flow really well before ousting you out on to the fire road that you’ve just used. It’s a nasty, short steep part of the fire road and you’re likely in the wrong gear because you’ve just come off the trail.

head back up the trail, past the start of Fork Right, ignoring Fork Left because that’s just way too pedally and is only really a filler trail IMO. Down the fire road with as much pace as you dare and into Proper Bo. This is a bit muddier but the corners are all gently bermed With a few roots running across your path. Out of one corner and the trail starts to point down hill where there is what is becoming a double - it used to be a double a few years ago but after a spate of injuries across the area the Ranger demolished all doubles that were on the ride lines - understandable given most were built without landowners’ consent and the injuries usually required an ambulance. Proper Bo ends with a short spring climb back towards the fire road but you hook a left just before popping out and on to a nice link trail to one of the best trails in the area - John the Baptist (AKA Graveyard Rollercoaster but now you don’t ride alongside the graveyard so it seems a bit of a misnomer...). The first half is just fast, flowing and a bit rooty. As with some of the other trails, there is a bugger of an off-camber chicane which helpfully has a root kicker/18” rollable drop in the middle. The second half, which replaces the graveyard run, is smooth with berms, table-tops and some rollable doubles. By the end of this trail my arms and legs are usually aching as it’s so easy to carried away.

John the Baptist brings you out at Walking Bottom car park and it would be easy to finish there but with a little more effort and 15 minutes of your time you can find yourself at the top of Supernova. This isn’t a particularly long trail, maybe 50 seconds to a minute but it’s an all-out blast. It starts with a pretty level charge along the trail running parallel to Lawbrook Lane. Through some fast kinks and then you’re met with a rooty 18” step down into a left to follow the trail. I’m sure with practice, and I’ve done the trail enough times that I should know better, you could hit this like a proper drop and carry more speed into the real start of the fun section. Instead, I end up pedalling like a hamster in a wheel. If it’s been raining this is the trail that you’re going to get muddy on. The trail is carved in the hill side so the corners are banked, there is a small jump which you can’t see the other side of which can be off-putting. Thankfully there is a chicken line which I’ve been using recently because last time I did the jump I almost went OTB because I hadn’t anticipated the landing dip on the other side. You’re spat out of Supernova, across the fre road and on to Vauxhall Nova. This has been much improved since a few years ago. The old section used to be pedally the whole way through, not so now. If you feel like harnessing your inner Danny MacAskill there is a logged tree running parallel to the trail which someone has built up the soil to. It sits quite a few feet higher than the trail. Needless to say my balls aren’t big enough. Around a few banked corners and back to the car park.

This doesn’t even scratch the surface of the trails on offer. Going off the south side of Pitch Hill there are much steeper, much more technical trails - drops and jumps not for the faint-hearted. Head across to Winterfold and you’ll find more of the same. You’ll have to do a lot of climbing to get your rewards but it’s worth it IMO. I really should venture to Leith Hill and Ranmore Common, the only trouble is that you need a guide or to take a day out and just go exploring.

[MingtheMerciless]

Good write up BC, haven’t been to the Surrey Hills for years.

[weeksy]

Today was my first day back at Swinley Summit since breaking my scaphoid. If I'm honest here, it kept me awake last night thinking about the drop I'd face and whether I had it in me to take on the 4' drop, it's more a jumpy drop than a drop drop as the approach is inclined upwards, but that's then off a cliff face of 4' vertical into a slight downslope. I'd done it plenty before crashing, but it was really playing in my mind.

So for 30 mins I ignored the others we met and left my lad to it and sessioned the drops, there's 3 others that are slightly easier of 1' 2' and 3' did them about a dozen times, then went to the sequence of drops. First 2 runs I didn't go for the last and biggest one, but I hadn't planned on it. 3rd go I went for it and landed it perfectly. Relief!!!

I find this stuff mentally really tough and was happy to have done it, so did another 5-6 runs just to prove to myself it wasn't a fluke.

Happy days. I'll sleep well tonight

[MingtheMerciless]

I am so bloody broken now..............

[formula400]

Ming, your rides looks great. Very jealous

[MingtheMerciless]

Thankyou, I am a broken Galactic Dictator this evening. 3 E-bikes with Mrs M and her coven along with the chalk and horrific mud destroyed me today. The scenery is epic and right on our doorstep and I have to remind myself of this after we come back from Dartmoor and I get the local blues.

[Mr Moofo]

Still sitting it out with a buggered shoulder

[formula400]

Still sitting it out with a buggered shoulder

that's shit.


I am currently planning a route to Brighton for a ride Sunday.

[Mr Moofo]

Still sitting it out with a buggered shoulder

that's shit.


I am currently planning a route to Brighton for a ride Sunday.

What route?

[formula400]

https://www.strava.com/routes/2773340369196824654