words by Stunt, pics by Slim
Crew: El Pres, Slim, Butty, Dunc, Coley, 3 Sheds, TJ, Stunt
Always with us: Dan
Pub: PTD
Route: BL, Zig, Teggs, Smithy, Reverse Narnia, Lower Chazza & Extension, Standing Stone, Fire road to the Kirsten Munt descent, Rezzies, Smithy
Conditions: Damp muddy & slushy, above freezing but feeling very cold, wind picking up
Stats: 1 post pub gear selector failure (Dunc)
Notes:
Gin…Yes
Tonic..Yes
Route..Yes (eventually)
New bike to drool/ridicule..Yes
Much interest in Butty’s Fargo with flared drops, close comparison with Dunc’s Latitute, and they spent most of the night riding at the front in deep discussion.
Route discussion rapidly resolved by a “Keep it Simple” approach to ensure food and time for the Gin sampling.
A night on which the damp cold seemed to penetrate all layers, climb to Teggs provided needed internal warmth.
Right hand side very rideable apart from a marching platoon of night ramblers who caused some novel route choices, lower down very muddy and interesting!
Food ordered at the Smithy (and super slack just stay in the pub option narrowly avoided) back out into the cold for another healthy climb to witches cottage – where the slushy icy snowline began in earnest. Reverse Narnia to the bench required much pushing as a result.
Stunt provided a new Gin experience with Smith Junior’s Cotswold Distillery Inaugural Gin – able to be sipped neat, with heady juniper aromatics, also works well with a dash of tonic 🙂 ..Dan would most definitely have approved!
The rest of Narnia and lower Chazza was suprisingly grippy on the slush – with the only real issue where it became too deep. – Respect to Katie for riding full charity yesterday!
The wind was rising by the time we approached standing stone, so Nessit was scratched, and with more slush on the trails making speedy descending unwise, this was a good plan. Second Nip stop abandoned after a time check, so everyone for themselves to the warmth of the Smithy!
Beer price increase shocker, Welsh beer (brains) a TNR first? and luckily plenty of coal on the fire to thaw out cold riders & kit.
Big news from PTD -A September Forest Chapel wedding brings visions of Bride & Groom arriving via Charity lane on the Tandem! (Go on you know you want to!)
Literally genuine bollocks being talked (in far too much grisly detail) by far too many, updates on injuries, operations (hope all goes well Dr S) and the loss of Barry the beard (or is it just starting from scratch again?).
..and of course reflections on our first year without Dan.
Respect to Butty for riding 12 days in a row including tonight, although the loss of Barry seems to have reduced his manliness in more ways than one, as the answer to the question “how many days are you aiming for?” was – “not going to ride tomorrow as its going to rain”
A very cold ride home, Butty’s decision not to apply his “my drinking club has a cycling problem” sticker to his helmet appears to be vindicated by the appearance of Cheshire Police’s Subaru almost immediately post pub, it doesn’t stop, although it does pass us again with lights flashing shortly before gunco lane!
So here’s to sunshine, enthusiasm and adventures to come, and if in doubt? what would he have done? #Inspiration (for the twitter generation)