Words by Alex, Pics by Pete
Crew: El Pres, Troll, TJ, Dunc, Slim, Stunt
Dinner: Bern, Mawds, Joe, Lee
Route: BL, New Road, Charity, Extension, Cat, Danebower Hollow, Cumberland Clough, Standing Stone, Nessit Hill, Ressies, Coalpit lane, Bern’s.
Conditions: Cool & Dry
Stats: 2 Punctures (Troll & Stunt)
Notes:
A quiet pre ride build up this week (mostly taken up with holiday travel tip swaps!) before Bern delivers a fantastic bombshell – Can’t Ride – Can Cook!
Well it would be rude to refuse, Dinner at 9 (non riders welcome) , El Pres takes charge of ride.
Crew assembles under clearing skies (much better than expected) and immediately de layer as its not a cool as predicted.
Stunt tweaks a brake caliper to quell a noisy front disc on the returned chubster with newly compliant fork.
El Pres declares a classic route and we’re off.
Great views across the plain as we climb, it is still a novelty to be riding in the light 🙂
Conditions on Charity are excellent – dry, but not loose – fast and fun!! Troll tells us there were some sharp rocks up there though..
Extension is sketchier than usual with large rocks in unhelpful places…amazingly we all make it down in one piece.
Light from the bottom’o’t’oven is gorgeous…even if we then realise the view we are admiring is the climb we now have to do.
Once again the breeze is at our backs to take the edge off the long haul up to the tea rooms, where it is time to layer back up rapidly.
By the top of the tea room climb the wind is literally whistling through the spokes!
Danebower also nicely firm and dry, uber fast too…and it’s still light!
Lights on to be seen on the A54, new fence posts have appeared half way down the first section…a future hazard?
Troll discovers a front puncture at the (traditional) gate, and despite blaming all those darn sharp rocks…turns out to be a tiny thorn.
Having had to use his tube last week….yes he has no tube, and although slightly concerned that El Pres’ donation may not be big enough (it’s a 2.5 inch tyre) and hence may cause the tyre to derim, it is safely inflated.
A group of riders appear and we chat as they regroup before they head down whilst we are attending to Troll’s tyre.
We are soon leap frogging them on the descent…THE ROCKS…..oh THE ROCKS!!!! fresh rubble including blocks a foot square has transformed Cumberland Brook, some of the riders in front are walking and muttering, we just hang on and try to find the lines…it’s brutal!
The leap frog continues at the bottom gate, Stunt discovers that his saddle bolt has come loose with all the pounding!
The two groups are mixed together now all the way up to standing stone, and then across to Nessit.
Good games to play are is it a plane or a planet (plane), and the Moon’s about to rise over there (oh no it isn’t) 🙂
Properly dark at Nessit, and our trail companions head down the white rabbit route, whilst we go down “the middle”.
Time has marched on, Bern is called (although luckily the food is a bit behind schedule), dawning acceptance that coalpit lane will be needed to be climbed, and that legs are getting tired.
Stunt burps his rear tyre on a water bar lower down, and then has the mother of all battles to reseat it…accompanied by a faithful TJ, it takes 4 stops and much pumping before it finally holds.
The rest are away to secure food and drink and the welcome of Bern.
What a feast sir! Roast chicken pieces on sweet potato, salad, garlic bread, tins of beer as far as the eye can see, cheeses, a huge homemade apple and rhubard pie (it was so worth the wait)
…and then the tray of multicoloured spirits…
A great evening of catching up with folk, tall tales of the ride, and an axis of “nicely relaxed”.
Sipsmith sloe gin awesome…some of the others more interesting…
Tis well past the witching hour when we trickle homewards