Crew:
A Stunt, Eric, Butty, 3 Sheds, Dunc, Nic
B Slim, Dan (late starting forest furtlings)
Route: Bl, Zig Zags, Walker Barn, Chazza, Wildboarclough, A54, Cutthorne into 3 Shires, over the bridge up the rocky descent, left before the gate to loop round the back of the hill and descend back down the sandy track to 3 shires, Farm ascent, Chumby clough & brook, Standing stone, Sutton Hall
Conditions: Overcast, still, mild, dry
Stats: Slim breaks a hubster chain at the resevoir pre pub
Notes:
Last weeks excellent rocky sandy singletrack inspired this weeks route choice with four long rocky/dry decents
A select band depart promptly for a big ride having met the pre ride criteria of proper tyres (none of your nancy paper thin racing nonsense this week!)
Big Nic asks for leniency – then sets about fighting butty for the lead at every opportunity all evening 🙂
A first? Meeting an old suzuki vitara 4×4 mid chazza descent..completely blocking the lane..had to scramble bikes up and around..as well as the offroader driving, along for the ride was wifey and kiddie in babyseat in back!
Eric rules applied – no waiting and no faffing – means a cracking pace..Bottom of Chazza by 7:30, and 3 shires by 8!
Now for Eric’s route addition – a close examination of white strike marks on the rocks as we push up the steep descent (many an expensive rock metal collision no doubt) Dunc adds a bit of carbon black too 😉
Nic & Dunc clean the final section between the gates only to be called back..”just because you are in front doesn’t mean you know the way“!
Its left up an old drovers track then onto hillbilly tarmac lanes before we are a coming around the mountain back onto the path back to three shires- its sandy, its rocky and there are some bike eating puddles to avoid. Lights on as Dusk falls.
Weary legs up the field to the farm, and straight over to Chumby – it’s a bit skittish!
Final ascent to standing stone harder than normal, contact made with B team at 21:05 hrs, and road descent to Sutton Hall for guaranteed food.
Out of coleslaw kitchen shocker! Helmet Hair from Dan, Wildman (Bad Jesus!) from Slim
We discover that we have had a Munro night 🙂 miles and > 3000 ft climb) and Dunc has set 5 Pb’s on strava 🙂 Slim’s singlespeed chain is not compatible with Butty’s spare links 🙁 , Eric tells a chicken joke (don’t give up the day job), Stunt purchases kneepads from Butty having worn them all evening (but don’t you have to test them by falling off?), Racing tyres are rubbish thread continues as Dunc & Eric compare sidewall failures. Flowers, Leffe & Lager to rehydrate, Dunc first to have cramp attack. Slim limps home on bodged chain repair.