Words by Eric
Crew; El Pres, Butty, PtD, Eric, Mr I, Slim
In the pub; Dunc and Big Nick
Lame excuses; None registered.
Route; New Buxton Road to the Cat, Danebower, A54, Cumberland Brook, Standing Stone, Nessit, central descent, Leathers.
Conditions; Still warm and quite dry underfoot.
Stats; Punctures for Eric and the President.
Offs; None
The crew assembled in BL for the usual faffing and banter. Butty weighed up the PtD Lapierre carbon thing and sagely pronounced that it was “lighter than a decent dump”
Light it may be, but it wasn’t enough to help PtD through the pain barrier and he abandoned at the junction with Charity Lane. Climbing to the Cat would have been too much for the injuries sustained when he was recently hit by a stationary car.
Mr I was well off the front on the climb. It wasn’t until we all reassembled at the top that his motivational secret was revealed; a sneaky half glugged down before the bunch caught up. The run down Danebower proved to be as skittery as ever and despite our best efforts at pushing the pace it was clear that we were not going to get to 3 Shires and the Leathers Smithy! Surprisingly the Leathers took the “Yes” vote and we were soon descending Cumberland Brook. Slim and Eric very professionally adjusted tyre pressures for maximum grip on the descent. At the gate there were one or two tales of near misses with the new rocks. Now it’s a moot point whether rock can actually be new – but new or old these blighters were certainly in places they haven’t been before. All stuck up and sharp and some the size of a tea chest or so it seemed.
In the gathering gloom we made our way past the 3inch hole in the road in Wildboarclough, which is protected by 24 hours a day traffic lights and a droning generator, and up to Standing Stone. Communications from PtD indicated that far from being dead he was at the top of Nessitt contemplating a Córdoban sherry. Final route choice decided, we headed to the viewpoint post haste, lest Ptd become too gloomy about his incapacitation and finish the sherry – we arrived just in time. Toasts to Dan before a charge down to the reservoir. Crossing the downhill course Eric’s technical tyre pressure exercise ended with a load bang – leaving El Pres to speed on ahead, sniggering, safe in the knowledge that Slim would assist with the tyre change.
On arrival at the Leathers it was noticed that our President was missing. Having taken the singletrack he’d been visited by the puncture fairy too – running late the dynamic duo of Slim and Eric had taken a route Grande Direct leaving El Pres to fend for himself.
The Leathers sits up there in the “favourites” and full Thursday “Classic” merriment ensued. It was good to see Big Nick and Dunc. Conversation turned to whether we should start making local whisky and what it could be called.
It would be PtDistrict – Moon Shining Tor; hope it tastes better than it sounds.
