Ride Reports

today’s prizes

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no longer orange enough

Steve (steveW rather than steveA) seems to have usurped the orange prize of the day. He nearly won the really awkward little jumps but was beaten to that by John (F that is) who popped everyone to be the only success. Rob wins the “I know I can do it but you think I will die prize ” on the big jumps but only managed the first couple. His back wheel wins the strength prize of the day.

I did think a big fall could result in injury and death and Rob was the only trier however Lou was there and had already won the photographer prize despite her protestations that her expertise is blunted by people moving and she is only expert in the dead people category. So Rob would have had a great photo at least.

Mark (P that is) won the best big jump of the day eclipsing Rob in the success stakes by jumping high, jumping long and landing perfectly softly. Andy (L that is ) wins the most lives lost in a single jump (eight out of 9) as he landed completely flat on his hardtail and shot sideways off the trail in an upright but pedal free position. Bravely he attempted the same jump several times using the novel technique of landing with the brakes on. His justification was that it reduced the walk back up the hill.

Luke (T that is) , David (B that is) and John (F that is) vied for the hesitation prize but all lost when they all managed a first jump missing the hole of doom. Luke wins the overcoming uncertainty prize as only he thought he lost all his jump skills. John also won the somersault prize earlier and Rob awarded him the yard sale prize when he surveyed the helmet, glasses, bike and body spread all around. Rob at the same time won the “lack of sympathy” prize.

The mountain bike climb secret weapon prize was won by David as he has the biggest beard as it seems that climbing prowess correlated directly with beard length. Andy argued colour (beware ginger content) but Laurie (absent that is) proves the negative so his theory was shot down in flames (reddish). Everyone seemed unaware of the Andy Hamilton (old harry’s game that is) reason for ginger hair.

Mark also won the ” do not practice what you preach” prize by not wanting to remove his gloves for the sweet share. His justification as an expert in how to poison yourself he was sure he would be fine as my hands would be clean and he may be right but leprosy is not that obvious to some. Lou won the cake prize easily again.

My strava signal was lost in the aether so started at the tail on the first run through the bombholes and won the “when you change fork settings and hurtle foolishly into a bombhole as if you are invulnerable and about twenty five then you will almost certainly wheelie out the other side so fast that you will take about a year off your life” prize.

I will never do that again. I do not have nearly enough years to gamble a day now.

Good conditions, good trails thanks to Friston Fairies, good weather and great company.

Thursday Night Lights

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Since discovering them online the BrightonMTB Facebook group and forums have proven to be an incredibly useful resource. Plenty of great tips on places to go riding and all things pedal powered. But it wasn’t until Thursday night that I actually had a chance to join the group for a ride. And was I glad I2015-03-05 20.42.00 did.

There’s always something equally exciting and daunting about heading to a ride you’ve not taken on before. Despite riding around Stanmer Park on a number of occasions since becoming interested in riding trails rather than going cross-country all the time, I’d never been out on a mountain bike in the dark.

Oh well, there’s a first time for everything. Continue reading →

Introducing the Surrey Hills to new riders

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Last Sunday I led a “slow paced” ride in the Surrey Hills, specifically aimed at those who perhaps only ride with the club during the week and never join us on our away days.  This was also an opportunity for those who had gone into hibernation over Christmas to emerge from the sofa and get back on the bike. Surrey Hills 2

The Surrey Hills are one of my favourite places to ride and subsequently I’m up there with others from the club most weekends. If it wasn’t for the local trail fairies, the Surrey Hills would just be a network of fire roads in some pretty stunning countryside. Fortunately, since the early days of mountain biking the locals have been gradually building up a forever-expanding and forever-evolving web of trails in the woodland and heathland between the fire roads. Continue reading →

The unlucky badge

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Some riders think that thirteen is an unlucky number and as Carl led out and Toby ran sweeper I looked around to spot the likely candidate. Straight into the first trail and then a quick push up the the incline, change down ready to restart and chain jumps off and jams firmly. As the other riders rode off ahead I had found the unlucky rider of the night. Continue reading →

a good friday

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Arrived early at Coldharbour and as there was a boat shortage understood the name was literal. New parking restrictions meant I grabbed almost the last place and waited on other early birds. When we all arrived we decanted to the nearest Leith Hill car park and then used the short road trundle to warm up before hitting Summer Lightning. New bits abounded with shiny bars and even a bright coloured frame – yeah!

I have been told by early Surrey Hills riders that short trails and even northshore appeared in the 1980’s but I first ventured Leith way around 2002. Then Summer Lightning was a twisty smooth trail with mini berms to test your cornering and a rollercoaster feel to test your courage at leaving the brakes alone. Now it has worn considerably and uneven steps and drops, gnarly roots and a general roughness has changed the feel. The old gentle trail is long gone and forks and shocks have to work hard along with my brakes at least.

Cold legs seemed to find me pedalling the whole time but Luke had chosen a super sticky tyre for grip like me and we seemed to be paying a price for this. to be fair I did not slip though. A myriad of small trails appeared left and right but connectivity seemed less than before so we ended up turning uphill towards the tower. After a coffee and cake break for some of us we headed to the small play section nearby where drops and jumps were repeated until a hint of boredom appeared. Encouragement in the form of “try the tiger line” got riders dropping over roots and jumping odd lines but we quickly needed to move on.

We headed northwards to find some gangster trail for Rob to consider and started with the old drop in section that has lasted well but seems tame on a modern bike. The gaps were big and too large for even the mighty Rob to attempt this visit  but all of obstacles had a chicken run to allow you to look before you leap. Many looked tabletop from the approach and could easily catch out the less familiar so worth a dry run first.

Eventually we found our way to the cricket pitch and the new Summer bit which is a rework of an old trail line. It is much more challenging than before even if it is wider and the small blind sections eventually caught out Ashley who caught a giant log root on the “tiger line” he  was following. He managed to pick himself up but had landed heavily and was forced to ride in wince mode for the rest of the day.

Rob eventually reached a section of jumps to test his mettle and in particular a trail gap jump, uphill and between the trees. His first attempt was completely successful, clearing the jump and mildly flattening the rear rim. It needed considerable lift to clear the full gap and full control on the narrow landing area but rather than rest on his laurels he went back to try once more.

The video is available via the forum as Steve caught it all. The slow motion should demonstrate why Rob wins the best bail of the week award and uses up two of his nine lives.

Although we only covered a fraction of the trails I think a return visit to ride the smaller twisty tracks may be suitable for all Brightonmtb riders even those who are gravity-careful so I will look to return for a few scouting runs and arrange something shortly.

New weekly ride

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Loads of us turned up!

I had expected a smaller turnout until we got this established but we started off with a crowd. It was a short ride to Rob’s first planned task at the kerb at the entrance. This looked somewhat tame to the more experienced riders but everyone played the game and the ‘keen to improve’ riders all learned the basics of moving over the bike and letting it drop horizontally in a neutral position. Later I heard a few opinions marking this as the best skill to learn  for the improvers and perhaps the best reminder for the more able.

Next stop was the reduced jump at the Witches Table which split the group into some riders riding some repeated loops of jump after jump and the improvers transferring kerb skills to a trail. This was a big step up, or step down really, from the kerb drop and good riders struggle to find the correct balance of speed and position. All the improvers got there in the end but some faster and some slower. Unexpectedly some of the more experienced group used the time to perfect the drop skill and I was surprised that a few riders managed to find the ‘making it look easy’ level.

Running on to some trails to try and include the practice took us up and around the high trails and everyone in the group warmed up again. Using any new skill on the track is hard at first but everyone was trying to find lumps and bumps wherever possible and so as lights began to turn on flashes of light flickered up and down through the trees. We stopped at some of the new obstacles that could be included as part of the Big Dog this year if the track saboteurs leave them alone.

This was a bigger drop which forced each rider to improve their balance especially if they wanted to ride it very slowly. Alex tried to ride almost stationary at one point and a couple of other riders managed it pro-perfect but I think this was due to my generous heckling. I was surprised that everyone managed such a large drop so well and that all the improvers group had raised their technical skills so much. As there was some play time I also realised that some riders have an over-abundance of skills that need to be used in the future to teach the rest of us how to wheelie, jump clear over large obstacles, attempt a wheelie-drop, tail-whips and surely someone can teach me to balance on my front wheel and turn a one-eighty on a tight track.

This may be a challenge too far. For me. And for someone else’s patience too.

The first ride was always going to be a little slow but we should be able to progress a little quicker now to make it more interesting for the experienced riders and add a little more continuity to the whole ride. There should be something for everyone to improve and as Rob begins to venture further afield there could be a new challenge for even the best riders. As long as there is the odd chicken run we should manage to keep the whole group riding all the fun stuff so come along even if you are not quite sure.

Thinking of joining a Thursday ride?

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Happy New Year!

2014 is welcomed in with strong winds, torrential rain and a slight hangover! The dry, fast rolling trails of summer 2013 are now just a distant memory. Instead, this seasonal weather has blessed Brighton with saturated ground and fallen trees.

All this does not sound particularly enticing, but the first rides back after Christmas have proved to be most entertaining. The slick ground conditions have truly tested the cornering ability of even the cockiest riders. In fact, the slick ground conditions have tested most people’s ability to keep the bike upright in a straight line. But not to worry; the mud provides a soft landing. Fallen trees have diverted trials or provided new obstacles to tackle. Strong tailwinds have led to some record times on the climbs, while strong headwinds have surprised us all with unusually exhausting descents.

The empty promise of the next trail been dry has amused some, but the genuine promise of jelly babies has been well received by all. As fun as these first rides of 2014 have been, as one Brighton MTB member put it, things can only get better from here!

Steve A