Words by Pete & Dunc, Pics by Lee
Crew : Dunc, El Pres, Lee, Butty
Route : MC, zig (but not zag), Back Eddisbury, Cliff lane, Calrofold lane, Hawkins Lane, Tower Hill path, Kerridge bridleway, Waulkmill Wood, poachers snicket, Reverse Oakenbank, Jumper Lane, Blaze Hill, Main Road, Bakestonedale Road, Gritstone Trail (Rendezvous with Butty), Dale Top, Birchencliffe, Stypersons wood, Canal towpath, Middlewood way, 5 Clouds
This weeks trending hashtags :
#isthreemechanicalsbadmaintenanceorbadluck?
Weather : Cloudy but warm and mostly dry
Notes:
The Bad news :
– a poor turn out this week, excuses a plenty, thank goodness for the dedicated few
– mechanical bad luck comes in threes for Dunc: 1) Time Pedal spring retaining pin trying to escape 2) realisation that rear mech clutch does actually keep your chain on 3) Badly designed SLX chainset means it’s easy for chainring bolt threads to strip (cue a disappearance into the rabbit hole of internet research on Helicoils)
– By the time we found Butty he’d been playing in the quarry and had dropped a rock on his finger
– Stunt-Dunc manages a spectacular speedway slide off at speed on the Birchencliffe grassy descent in exactly the same spot as Alex a couple of weeks earlier. No significant harm done
– Middle class Pizza shop has stopped doing discount for Five Clouds customers
The Good news :
– Lee volunteered to be ops leader with an unauthodox route which kept Butty guessing on an intercept point
– excellent choice of post ride watering hole
– Lack of p1ss taking at Dunc’s mechanical mishaps
– An excellent selection of beers and despite the selection veering towards The Troll’s idea of cooking strength ? the quartet were mostly sensible in their selections, until….
– Double Whiskys at a £5 each
Other Five Clouds points of note: Rave music, Mini Croxy & Battlestar Galactica lookalike