Jet trails

Weekend we had planned to do skipton ride but Si got a last minute attack of the family commitments, Johnnies was romancing his beau so I just headed up to rivi to abuse my legs. My hardware tried it's damnedest to ruin the ride but with such damn fine weather it wasn't going to happen. The climb up winter hill was slightly marred by gears bouncing about all opver the shop, had recabled Saturday night, bought from not my usual LBS and they appeared to be some new fangled bungee cables, buggered about all ride. But there was not a cloud in sight, just jet trails criss crossing the sky, glorious.

Johnnie had mentioned he might be out later so I text him from 2 lads to give me a shout if he was coming. Shredded down 2 lads and swiftly on to wildes, that corner that tried to kill me can be ripped around now, nice and grippy. Punctured going through the woods, front pinch, serves me right for filling in the STW poll "not had a puncture for months" bit of a wrestling match to change the tube. On up Bstard climb and down ice cream run, Si has been proper scoping the lines on here instead of my usual pin ball down it any old way and he reckons not doing the tarmac drop sets you up better for the next corner, as such he is seriously quick down here. Walkers on the tarmac as I came down so took his line, he's right too. Up to the pike down the drops up hole in the wall and san marino, had to pedal for a while at the top due to headwind but it soon died down and gravity took over weeeeeeeee. Back up, getting through a lot of water, will have to ask Johnnie if he'll bring me some more if he's out later. Down of the shoulder was fun and over to spittlers where the ground was good going but still a bit of a slog.
Great hill descent was brilliant twisty at the top warp speed on the double track, woops and line choices in the middle then the hammering of the bars and pedals over the properly fast bumpy grass at coppice stile house. Just on the final drop into WC where it gets rocky I flatted again, oops no more spares so sit and fix a tube in the sunshine, with my last 2 patches. Fone rang, thinking it was Johnnie I answered ready to ask him to bring spare tubes aswell as water, nope just the mrs telling me the boys were having water pistol fights and playing in the paddling pool at grandads. Aww. No spare tubes or patches and a bike and rider with a penchant for snakebites I decided to forego the planned healey nab trails just get home, via winter hill obviously :-) Set off up AICR again, gears acting up again then I was spinning madly oops dropped the chain looked down WTF?! dropped off completely and is 6 feet behind me lying in the dirt, cancel the tubes Johnnie, just bring a new bike this ones had it. Spare links added (good job I brought the full toolkit not the minimal one I was going to use. Up and along George's and push up (!) two lads

This set me up for the shooting hut descent, legs were spazzed tho, and covered in a thick layer of dust

summer riding eh? The dusty downhill was hardwork on my legs but nice and flowy. Pushed up to the res and did loweys singletrack, climbing over the stile midway my legs were properly properly gone, luckily there is a downhill road option all the way home from the bottom of this so not sure why I was subsequently riding up scout road in order to do the quarry drop and thinking "if I climb horrocks fold I can do smithills too". It was all good but the smithills trail has been blocked right after a bend, will have to watch out for that in future. Finally coasting down the road to home I thought I'd done myself in good and proper, stomach all cramped up, knees aching and seemed ready to explode, legs felt like someone had been battering them with a hammer all day and generally felt hung over. Fortunately couple of pints of water then a sit down in a cold bath with bacon rolls and sweet milky tea sorted me right out. Class day, 38miles 6000ft, fantastic weather, all my local downhills lovely. More of this please.