Words by Alex, Pics by Pete
Crew: El Pres, PTD, Slim, Butty, 3 Sheds, Stunt
Route: BL, Zig Zags, Windyways, Saddlers Way, Lower Teggs, Smithy, Ressies, White Rabbit Ascent, Singletrack back down through the DH course, fire road past the logged area, new campfire spot, various routes back to the paths & ressies, Sutton Hall.
Conditions: Cool, Damp, very soft away from well drained tracks.
Notes:
Stunt posts a time to meet him at the new campfire for flaming xmas pudding, PTD and Butty each bring half the ingredients for rusty nails.
Stunt heads there direct having run late with his logistics (and upgrading bike)
Crew head up hill and down dale in a direct’ish kind of route to meet up.
A good night for wildlife spotting,owls a hooting and several pairs/small groups of deer spotted (mildly creepy yellow eyes watching your progress if riding alone)
Despite being damp and c5 degrees, a lack of wind, and a lack of surface water means its not cold if dressed appropriately.
Cometh the hour cometh the man…and at the RV Stunt has a small fire, pre warmed brandy ready for lighting, warm pud, plates and shot glasses all ready!
Rusty nails served as the flambe is readied, delivered with impressive flame in both pouring cup and on said pudding, photographed, and then served.
Alpkit half and half pedals and 27.2 KS lev dropper post inspected on stunts bike (the chubster getting a dose of proper bike love),plus bikepacking geekery in titanium alpkit stove & anodised windshield, and niche folding chopping board…
More rusty nails, and a burning of the paper plates.
Winter campfire is something we should do more (although more people would need to bring dry wood)
El Pres does the official dousing (not that on sodden ground it was needed!)
Fun descent – half the crew opt for the very slippery singletrack option, the rest the fire road.
good thrash down, passing a couple of bikers in the stream near the lane between the forest and the ressies – cleaning bikes rather than unfortunate incident :-0
Urgent pumping required for both the chubby tyred boys (Stunt and Butty) – water bar burping the rear tyres. More needed at the pub…dirty rims not sealing properly!! (no one should have a dirty rim?)
Ligher bites with dense pudding already inside us, steak sandwich the right answer, sausages and mash almost too much.
The lack of a Dunc Ribaldry Catalysis meant that we had to work hard to lower the tone, prior to which we discovered fascinating facts on adhesives….Araldite was invented as a dental adhesive (but gives off nasties so not actually used for such), and false nail glue is very effective as an emergency tooth sticker -inner!
Pete almost starts to stack zeds, but is persuaded to have a welsh whisky before the ride home.
Chubby rims seem to have sealed, but do lead to some more rapid riding home than normal!!