drunkcyclist2

From TNR 30-08-2012 the Roof Of Cheshire

Crew: Dan, Slim, PTD, Shaun, El Pres, Stunt, 3 Sheds, Bernard, Joe, Butty

Pub: El Pud & Mawds

Route: BL, old road to Walker Barn, Chazza, Narnia, Hardingland, Langley, A54, Croker Hill, Dans Descent, Ryles Arms
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From TNR 30-08-2012 the Roof Of Cheshire

Conditions: Cool, Clear, trails muddy in places and very soggy on Croker. Very cold later!

Stats: Dan punctures twice, Phil once

(do we need a new category – rework punctures?)

From TNR 30-08-2012 the Roof Of Cheshire

Notes:

Blue skies at BL, but already feeling chilly as we head off.

Great views from Chazza with evening sunlight over the hills and plain

Dan and Phil rivalry down Hardingland = pinch punctures at the corner.

We reunite a black lab with its owner into Langley, and pass a man with a gun in Sutton!

Dusk falls as we climb up and onto Croker, where Butty joins us on the crosser.

Under a stunning blue moon a double celebration (and some incompetent tube changing)

From TNR 30-08-2012 the Roof Of Cheshire

G&T to wish Dan and Katie well ahead of their imminent new arrival

“B62” for Shaun to toast his noble calling to learn the dark arts of Distilling in Sconnie Botland

Comedy food ordering by phone – Dulux burgers a first 😉

The choice of Field descent may not have been the best – softer , boggier & hoofed up than a soft boggie hoofy thing – plenty of slithering, squelch stops and muddy boots! The grassy descent to the stile over the wall was 3 ft high wild meadow – most interesting ! …and of course the muddy bit at the bottom was indeed very muddy.

10 pairs of muddy boots removed at the entrance to the Ryles, Black Sheep, Wincle Waller & Endless. Staff almost outnumber customers before our appearance – but no complaints from us as we are very well looked after J

Teeth chatteringly cold on the ride home (~5 C?) and new low for August!?

From TNR 16-8-2012 Roaches Return

Crew: El Pres, PTD, Joe, Dan, Eric, Butty, Stunt…..3 Sheds & Slim

Pub: Mawds, El Pud, Croxy, Shaun

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Route: BL, Hollins Lane, Barlow Hill, Danebridge, Lanes to Roach End, Roaches Trig point, Back Forest Ridge, Swythamley hall, Danebridge, Barlow Hill, Sutton Hall.

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Conditions: Overcast but warm, bit buggy later

Stats: 2 punctures (Eric)

From TNR 16-8-2012 Roaches Return

Notes:

A big ride posted on the forum doesn’t always mean that those turning up at BL fancy it.

Not sure there was a fancy dress code – but Butty arrives as Dennis the Menace anyway

We head off promptly to cover the distance to the off road target, but soon discover that Phil has decided to take a solitary jaunt around the forest..Slim is late and has to settle for that option also.

Fourways by 7:15 and Roach end at 7:40 now for the rewards

Slabby climb to the trig point (highest point in Staffordshire?) then grippy rocky gritty riding back down.

Back forest ridge is technical singletrack fun interrupted only by a spectacular puncture for Eric.

Lights on for the final tracks back to the road, and a long long climb out of wincle (well especially if your back tyre explodes Eric)

Lack of Root Cause Analysis from the first incident meant a torn tyrewall was missed. A proper tyre patch is rustled up and with some regular checking of the bulge its as you were and off to Sutton Hall.

From TNR 16-8-2012 Roaches Return

An excellent ride – we must get over there more often!

Honorable mention to El Pres for having a significant lock (in fact possibly a record number of locks tonight)

El Pud has walked to meet us (Superhuman or Supersilly??) together with a selection of other country members including Croxy – so there is a compare and contrast surgical styles discussion.

(but no Phil…saving his strength for deeply darkside devilry on the morrow – engines tsk tsk!)

Flowers and burgers the victuals of choice (swiftly demolished) and a relaxing state follows.

All too soon its time to head home into the warm night.

photos by Stunt, editing/effects by Slim, technology by Apple..

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From TNR 19-07-2012 TDF#3 – Hell of the North

Crew: El Pud, Dan, El Pres, Coley, Slim, Eric, Stunt

Route: BL, Higher Hurdfield, Kerridge, Bolly, Pott Shrigley, Brickworks, Whaley Road, Left past Moorside into Disley, New Mills, Mellor Road, Marple Bridge, Hazel Grove, Macc

Conditions: Dry at BL but then it started raining….and cool too.

Stats: Another 1 flat 2 tubes faff from Slim, El Pud has a comedy low speed off before another saddle mount failure!

From TNR 19-07-2012 TDF#3 – Hell of the North

Notes:

Ominously Pete’s text alert re adverse weather appears prophetic as dark clouds begin to spit light rain at BL.

Dan is keen to stay in the dark re TdF outcome.

Coley has the cleanest bike ever (what a waste of effort that turned out to be)

Pete has the tattiest saddle and gloves (why did we mock?)

By the time Pete has his tube change faff its already bucketing down, and we gratefully huddle in the churchyard porch at Pott Shrigley.

By the time Pete has finished his faff we are all cold as well as wet, and the rain has only eased slightly.

Water is running down the road in waves, Pete delays further up past the gritstone trail to take photos of the ragged skies.

Full concentration required on downhills as rain stings eyes – or obscures glasses, and roadcovers and potholes are tricky to spot underwater!

Passing through dreary rainsoaked northern streets occasionally we smell delightful oriental aromas, hear the deep growl of modified citroen saxo/honda exhausts and the hunched figures of locals scurring home to coal fires.

We carry on (once you are wet…) but at Mellor Moor finally decide we need hot food and warmth

A long final descent to middle england in the shape of Marple bridge (the Goyt in full spate!), Coley & Eric depart homewards leaving five dripping wet figures to new territory in the form of the Midland gastropub.

Donning any dry clothing and answering the “how many wet cyclists can you fit in a disabled toilet” question the marginally less wet quintet settle in to a busy dining area. Waitress service of Mary Jane and Landlord, placebo portions of chips & gammon, followed by the best sharing pudding platter ever seen on a TNR (Four full puddings for the price of less than two!). Careful financial management (aka the lack of plastic backup, and Dan’s Kershaw moment) mean that hard liquor is not an option 🙁 worse is getting back into wet kit, and heading out into the cold and still wet for the long ride home, mercifully it starts with a steep climb to generate some heat! Cold limbs and fuzzy brain = comedy off for El Pud part way up!

Finally we get a chain gang going and start munching miles, then have to stop again as El Pud’s saddle wobbles, and this time bolts are good, but clamps are missing arms…A grand carbon roadbike is for Christmas..not life! Another stop later it’s clear that without Eric’s lashing skills it’s an out of the saddle ride from now on.

Red lights fade to black in the rain.

When its wet its better offroad methinks!

From TNR 19-07-2012 TDF#3 – Hell of the North

From TNR 05-07-2012 TDF #1 – after Light Room

Team TNR El Pres, El Pud, Slim, Butty, Coley, Dan, Stunt

Route: BL, Gawsworth, National cycleway route 55 along the cheshire lanes to Congleton, Biddulph valley way, Biddulph Moor, Brown Edge, Leek. Main Macc road back.

Conditions: Warm and Sunny to start, menacing clouds later – but dry other than wet roads back.

Stats: Another slow puncture for Slim

From TNR 05-07-2012 TDF #1 – after Light Room

Notes:

Skinny tyred roadie behaviour whilst Wiggo and the boys battle it out in France.

El Pres shows off his carbon On One crosser (still on flats though- you can take the boy out of the

mountains…)

An annoying section on main roads (well annoying to rude 4×4 & Mercedes drivers) led us to the

relative quiet of the back lanes (a good few speeding madmen here too!)

El Pud relishes his domestique duties with taking food orders, and map reading. We finally avoid

cars altogether on the Biddulph Valley way (although real roadies would have been shocked to be

riding on earth paths with real mud!)

Pace ticks along nicely while its flat (we need to be at Den Engels fairly early to get food) – but we

have a couple of category 4 climbs to complete before then!

Butty(the Manc Missile) and (King of the Moutains) Dan get geeky on Strava sections, and El pres

wishes for an MTB rear cassette.

Cresting Biddulph Moor we see unholy weather unfolding on the hills towards Macc, and dash into

Leek like the all day breakaways trying not to get caught just before the finish.

Skies darken alarmingly and a few drops fall as we reach the sanctuary of the Den Engels thirsty and

dry.

Belgian beer lubricates the conversation rapidly (5:2 Wheat beer to dark), Proper portions of Belgian

Beef, Quiche, Scampi or Pirahna (Trout!?), weather radars are consulted to justify staying for a third

rather than risk catching up the rain riding back.

We find Leek CC are in need of the TNR spirit as a very ragged chain gang head back… to be brutally

bossed by a bearded U boat Captain!

Apart from a few big puddles causing Japanese style splashing 😉 Team TNR avoid incident (despite the potholes) and post a very respectable team time trial time back to macc…rehydration and bed.

From TNR 05-07-2012 TDF #1 – after Light Room

For the record 3 sheds did a solo knobbly ride early doors and was back before the rain for tea and

medals from the lovely Sharon (or at least that’s what his text suggested!)