Black Ops

I'm blessed with a brilliant family but I'm also cursed with a mountain biking obsession. As obsessions go it's not bad, it's healthy, it's not illegal - apart from the odd civil infringment, sure it can cost a bit but the biggest problem is it's a time sink - not a good mix with a young family. For a few very good reasons I'm not allowed to ride at weekends at the moment, so family stuff all day yesterday, put charlie to bed at 7 then out for a ride. A proper ride, my legs were due a beasting. Been working on a definitive 3towers ride, the standard direct route is a bit boring so been working in some stuff from various routes.
Usual nightride start, barrow bridge upto 2 lads, kennel, wildeswood, bastard climb, pike, proper nice sunset, welsh hills, red sun reflecting on sea, blackpool tower, morecambe bay and cumbria hills (I think).

rubbish phone pic but you get the idea.
Down the pike, climb hole in the wall, winter hill mast and down san marino. Mistimed a drop and flatted, bugger. Precious time wasted sorting that. Belmont res road whilst not open has been modified so pedestrians can cross it (yay) across to tockholes where I picked up Mr Sparkles nightride route, got a bit lost round roddlesworth, back on track down by earnsdale, up lions den, down the tech little chute from loweys rivi ride, upto the tower then down sunnyhurst. Halfway down hitting 25-30ish some enormous beast ran across the trail right in fornt of me, had to brake to miss it. Figured out it was a hare but it was the size of a frickin dog! Down and across to whitehall along the little ginnel, setting of everyone's outside lights - sorry paul :-) Upto cadshaw, legs were feeling a bit shot but figured I only had 2 climbs to do to get to peel tower. Sure I'd have to ride home somehow but thats just details.
Crowthorne was hardwork, thats one long climb, quarlton holcombe and the steep, steep climb up peel, phew, done, noticed it was 11:30, oops. Down the stepy rocky route Mr S showed us, then backup the steep climb almost to the top to do another one Mr S pointed out, also good. Properly tired, lack of concentration had me off, going up a steepy bit, just as I was gonna heft up a step section back wheel slipped and bike stopped dead, ended up doubled up over the bars and off to the side, handlebar in the face - nice. Dropped down crowthorn, my route runs into a bit of a dead end here, only off road route I'd found is via the jumbles which is a bit pants so decided to gib out down the road. Mrs Called me at that point "Where the #@$! are you? it's gone midnight!" ahem. As I was passing I called at Turton tower to cross that off too. home for 12:30, legs shot, nice.



Would have been happier if it was a 50miler but it'll do. Good time to be out, quiet, cool and a useful time to get some riding in. As some guy said, soaking up the hours everyone else throws away.