drunkcyclist2

Today Dan would have been 40, so hip flasks at the ready team TNR set off for high points to raise a toast!

The Bern’ers Lee combo went for a day ride to the Cloud, and described it as Baltic!

Team Tythy set out at 6pm for the Forest, snow on the tarmac of Charity, and drifts and driving wind blown snow on the main section. (Buxton weather predicting a windchill of -10!). Riding the RHS the only option, catching up two Brothers on adventure bikes – and a clamber past an abandoned Disco below the Narnia turn. We opted to miss the extension and head to standing stone on the snow covered road. All available layers donned (and a wee nip to keep us going) in the lee of the wall once through the gate, then a final push into the wind to get to Nessit.

Lots of huge woodstacks on the main white rabbit route back, snow rapidly dissappears as we descent – and the huge puddles on the last corner below the dam wall to the Smithy – were dry frozen ruts of doom!

Northern TNR elements reported raising a glass on Oakenbank, and frozen canals make for arty photos!

Dan would have relished tonight, and it was in all senses a marvellous adventure!

Ride 1 – Bern Solo

Ride 2 – Dunky & Stunty Tythy Twosome

Conditions: Mild, murky up high and torrential rain from 8pm

Another winters evening where motivation is needed to get going…

Bern determinedly set out into the forest solos, alas no Lee to spread Joy this week, and gave it a good bash before surfing home downhill to clock in on Whatsapp and brerate the bretheren for not keeping the faith!

The Tythy twosome donned waterproof trousers and set off for a Chazzy, Cat, Chumby Classic! Two riders lurking at the start of Charity turned out not to be Bern & Lee, and we were complimented on our formation riding!

Excitement further increased when the lights were on at the path to the old microwave station, so we turned them off as nobody was home!

Charity uber rocky and wet after the recent heavy rain with no clear line, but the same water had cleared the way down the extension.

Into cloud by the tearooms (some of us creating our own clouds tying to keep up with Dunc!). Across Danebower – low visibility, lots of water, slippy mud and soft bits made it quite challenging.

Chumby seriously washed out – the mid section has gullies 4ft deep! and lorra lorra water.

By the time we were at the gate, we were so in the Zone that we took on the ford and cleaned it before big deep breaths and relax.

So that was when the cloud taps turned to full, and added plenty of water weight just in time for the grind up to standing stone. Here we decided to hear right and across the boardwalks then down (eventually) to the road. Then a quick blast past Bob’s bench and home.

Good fun – the secret once it got biblical was to keep riding sufficiently hard to keep warm.

Arriving back in Tythy the wetness had soaked down all the way to my waterproof socks. But a great ride.

however you ride, whenever you ride, keep riding and keeping the TNR faith 🙂

New year, same issues in the world, and a fresh set of restrictions to deal with. Exercise limited to one other person outside.

Team TNR are not to be stopped, with snow on the ground higher up, and plenty of Christmas Calories to burn!

The Tythy twosome reformed, and went high. Danebower Hollow, Chumby, Forest, & home. Great hardpack most of the way offroad, occasional deeper bits caused a few wobbles when hit at speed! Little ice, but care in places on Chumby. Almost nothing in wildboarclough, back to a bit from Standing Stone, and the Ferriser fire road “half pipe” was only snowy in patches. A good ride!

The other dynamic duo out at around the same time were Lee and Bern who did a Charity Lane forest fun fest.

Winter season likely to be this format for the foreeable!

Crew: Two echelons from – El Pres, Slim, TJ, Dunc, Troll, Stunt, Bern

Route: RB, Clarke Lane, Redway & under Nancy, Ingersley Vale, Poachers Snicket, Pott Shrigley, Bakestonedale Road, Gritstone Trail, Sponds, Dale Top, quarry descent, chapel decent, Bolly, Lord Clyde.

Conditions: Light rain then clearing, breezy, soaking trails

Notes:

Weather not as bad as feared, and a few degrees warmer than last week (even with the wind). El Pres determines that we do a proper ride and aims us towards Sponds.

A suitably distanced peleton finds that big gaps can lead to confusion, so the rear group do Waulkmill wood thinking that the front group have gone that way (they hadn’t – just a long wait in Ingersley Vale)

Proper mechanical as Pete investigates the nasty noise from his back wheel, the good news is that it’s not his brand new mech! The wisdom of the crowd is proved right with a pesky brake pad spring bent over the pad. In the meantime Funky confessed to not sorting his brakes from last week..

Finally we get going again and up and up to the Gritstone trail. Shonky gates of Cheshire have a new contender in the second gate from the road – which promptly drops off its hinges when opened. We re-hang it, but the farmer needs to do some sorting with a big spanner!

We get a big wind assist up to Sponds, with great – but fuzzy views of the city & plains (and even the odd plane!). Bern checks with the rest of us that it is the weather making it blurry and not his eyes!! (there was a sub group chat on the aiments of ageing at some point too!)

Very wet and slithery over the grassy ups and downs, before more wind assist to Dale Top (well almost – the last 20 yards was serious headwind!)

The gate at the top (well gatepost to be more precise) was in fine tune alternating between a couple of notes as the wind speed fluctuated.

Quarry descent was a keep off the brakes kind of affair, with some riders aiming a the wet rock as it gave more grip than the mud/grass!!

Chapel seriously soggy on the top half and sketchy on the lower half too.

Time to head for pub/home (delete as appropriate) and there were at least four routes taken to two destinations!

The Lord Clyde group were impressed with the blankets and hot water bottles provided!

Crew: Dunc, Stunt

Route: Tythy, Cliff Lane, Tea Rooms, Shooters Clough, Track to the Shrine, Top of the Street, Pym Chair, Jenkin Chapel, Hooleyhey Lane, RHS of Lamaload to Waterworks, RHS grassy climb, Rainow, Oakenbank, Tythy.

Conditions: Cool, still, drier trails than last week.

Notes:

Good conditions for going high again, not as cold as expected, and no hill fog either! Generating plenty of our own heat in climbing cliff lane, and up to the team rooms. Big Owl swooped across in front of us at the start of the long drag up below Shining Tor.

Quiet on the roads and trails, only saw two other riders, and a pair of dog walkers close to the tea rooms, then one set of fell runners in the Goyt.

Main decent to the gate for Shooters Clough was a great mix of fast and dry, with wet slidey bits at regular intervals! As expected the clough was wet and muddy!

Once over the stream past Errwood Hall, Dunc nailed the narrow tricky ascent…as combination of pedal strikes, new boot cleat unclip anxiety, and general lack of skill meant he had to wait for me a lot!

Spooky moon poking through the clouds, and a visit to the shrine seemed a good plan. It’s well maintained and regularly visited, although we declined to write in the visitors book.

Very steep push up the steps back to the main track, and much better progress on the wider grassy trail back to the Street.

A couple of rear wheel squirms on the descent to Jenkin chapel, and the climb back to Hooleyhey lane is always a killer!

The gate at the top of the grassy descent to the waterworks was closed! Can’t recall having to use the stile in the wall there before.

Legs very pleased to top out above Rainow (less pleased to do the climb to the top of Oakenbank a bit later)…bodies getting weary we abandon plans for Lord Street and Kerridge, and take route one back (after a cheeky poachers snicket).

I fade and Funky does 2.5 laps of the Kershaw roundabout while I catch up.

Not quite a Munro night, but the stats say 21 miles, 2,700 ft of climb, and 1,700 calories burned!

Rule of 6 TNR’s return next week.

Lee and TJ did another monster day ride also!!