Chilterns September (14), originally uploaded by Alex Leigh.
My old friend Andy Hooper, latterly of these parts but recently relocated back to Gods County, rocked up for an XC ride after surviving the dustbowl of Chicksands yesterday.
Riding a loop of the trails we used to ride all the time, in perfect conditions with a good bunch of friends was a fine way to spend a Sunday morning.
I’m glad to note that excuses from 2003 were still deemed valid (“wrong trousers, poor fish breakfast, exploding shoe”) during a brief, yet terrifying pilgrimage to well named “pit of doom“. Andy rode it like a man having just spent two weeks in Canada (which spookily he had), the rest of us minced about and took pictures.
This was the inaugural ride of the almost comically beefed up PA and ,as expected, it is a pilotless tankbusting missile locked onto big stuff that I’m a bit too nesh to ride. Show it a brick wall and it’ll be stamping a tyre and demanding an all out frontal assault. Fab 🙂
We found some super shonky North Shore which was hardly worth the potential barbed wire testicle removal to ride, swooped down perfectly groomed, rooty singletrack and finished on a favourite descent which left legs shaking and grins firmly in place.
Sadly Andy couldn’t join us for the post ride BBQ but – in the spirit of shared companionship of many years – we ate his portion.
Super day. Top fella to go riding with 🙂
Work tomorrow 🙁
Nice, we were up round Wendover etc today too on a ride out from Princes Risborough – awesome dry dusty trails 🙂 Guess today was a kind of farewell to summer though… shame about the forecast for the coming week 🙁
Nice Indeed – a proper old school Chilties ride this afternoon, including some old favourites (and some new trails just next to the ones we always used to ride). Damn those pesky nettles though.
Chicky session soon then?
It really is quite easy to forget all those muddy days when the trails are that perfect. Top place to ride when the weather is right, top folks to ride with whenever, wherever and whatever the weather, ( lakes trip a few years ago, with all the Alison yoghurts at the YHA) and the ewok/jedi trail still makes this old bod produce ample amounts of adrenelin. 🙂
I was thinking the same. Riding around in the mud after a day like yesterday is going to feel like purgatory. Still enjoy it while we can although – as James point out – that’ll be until about today 🙁
Chicky a week Sat I think Tim 🙂