Sunday 4th March 2007
More and more often I get an overwhelming feeling that I should find a cleaner, safer and warmer hobby Philately springs to mind.
It was not raining when I set out to meet a rider who wished to see the hidden treasures of Cannock Chase. I decided to ride from Rugeley across Wolseley Quarry Bridleway , followed by a quick dash to Milford Common where we had arranged to meet. Fifteen minutes into the ride it began to spit, twenty minutes into the ride it became a monsoon with a head wind that you would not wish on your Granny, (strange saying that).
Not being one to let people down, mom dragged me up proper, I slogged through the sapping mud and sand in the bottom of the quarry, pushed, yes pushed, my MTB up the steep gravel path out of the quarry and avoiding the temptation to ride some very nice single track on Wolseley Plain and Strawberry Hill, flew to Seven Springs then West, against a wind that seemed determined to blow me east to the Urals , splashed through the ford at the Stepping Stones over Sher Brook, without any of my usual regards for the soaking, a passing runner was not so impressed when my over enthusiasm drenched him, but why he complained so when he was already wetter than a drowning cat was beyond me, and then through the Cutting across to Milford.
Arrived like a member of some MTB formation swimming team crossed with an Hippo (not a reference to my size you understand), SOAKED and covered in MUD! I am still not sure if it was my appearance that scared the rider off or if it was genuinely the wet weather, I will give him the benefit of my doubt and believe it to be the later.
I politely said ‘I fully understand’ said goodbye and set off back, muttering something about Mobile Phones, fine weather riders and ...... Best say no more.
The journey back got worse, on arriving back at the stepping stones I lost all gears except low on the back mech (could this be some sort of karma for the earlier thing with the runner). There was clearly something wrong with the change up lever on the bars, messed about with it for thirty minutes , but the wet and cold prevented me spending longer, hypothermia felt imminent. Toyed with idea of shortening my chain and converting it into a one geared, but higher geared mountain bike, but the thought of fiddling with chain links with wet cold fingers did not appeal, so, I rode back, legs spinning like crazy, getting strange looks from walkers, bikers and horse riders to whom I hailed with ‘Only got one gear!’ So if you hear tales of a mad Van Gogh arty MTB rider who shouts to all and sundry he only has one ear, that's me.
Sunday 11th March 2007
After a week mending and indexing gears I awoke to a bright sunny spring day, all last weeks thoughts of Philately have been well and truly stamped on.
Mountain biking today was going to be a pleasure! A four hour ride was planned with my son, I was looking forward to it because I knew he was not going to keep up. He had not been on his MTB for a week or so because of a cold, he had also put on weight (to much of the golden nectar) and my gears were tuned to perfection so today was fathers revenge.
We started with two single track routes near Pepper Slade and down into Sherbrook Valley. A large group of mountain bikers were having fun ahead of us, you can imagine my surprise as we whistled out of the woods into a clearing with a deep natural indentation that had become a a black mud hole, to see this group stood high on the far bank waiting for us to attempt the mud. I picked a high line missing the worst of the stuff but had my exit impaired by one of the group and came to a halt, my son didn’t get such a good line and ended up peddling hard to keep traction in the black stench, but he got through. In my usual polite enquiring way I asked the group if they were O.K , had any mechanical or medical problems (I thought this may be the chance to put my newly gained First Aid knowledge to the test) ‘Yer fine’ they replied ‘ we just stopped to watch you guys fall in the mud’ we were not sorry to have disappointed them.
As we sped out of the end of the section onto Peppers Slade they were gathered again, this time to watch us cross a gully with two very narrow logs laid side by side and a gap in between them just the size to fit a 1.9 tyre, I run 2.1 but still decided to go for a single log rather than risk the centre gap. Shouts of ‘don’t even think about it’ came from the watching group, but I was committed and just felt my back wheel sliding off as I reach solid ground, so once again we disappointed them.
But hey, that’s what this mountain biking lark is all about, watching others enjoying and making fools of themselves, staying fit, enjoying the open air, scenery, feeling good when all goes right and I know that same group would have been first to give a helping hand if all went wrong, I hope!
Tuesday 13th March 2007
If you have ever met a Stag in the rutting season (Autumn) you know what it is like to be a Spanish Bull Fighter, don’t RUN!
Fitted in a hours ride on some of Cannock’s Bridleways, was getting some speed up down Marquis Drive towards Haywood Slade when in the distance I saw a couple looking very concerned. In true MTB rider polite fashion I slowed to pass them and wish them good day, they were obviously very worried and were making a call on their mobile. I stopped and asked if all was O.K, they were obviously very agitated, ‘It’s that noise, did you here it?’ the lady spluttered, I must confess at the speed I had been doing all I could hear was the wind and rubber on the pebble bed surface. So I removed my helmet and waited and sure enough there was that familiar roar, ‘There Lions!’ she said in a stressed whisper and grabbed her partners arm, he had started to call the emergency service on his mobile again. I have to admit you don’t normally hear that roar in the Spring and if you have not heard it before it can be very alarming. Not wishing to have to treat two panic patients for shock I explained to them it was not Lions but Stags making the noise, I am not sure they were totally convinced, I assured them as it was not Autumn they were in no real danger and left them to their adventure. Before dropping down Cherrytree Slade I looked back and swore I saw some large animal sleek across the path behind the fast retreating walkers, must be the light but I pushed on a little faster, just in case.
Friday 16th March 2007
How can you resist such a sunny day, found an hour, not without some feeling of guilt, to blast around Follow The Dog. It was such a wonderful day I chose only my favourite sections, missing the long climb to Brindley Heath but going via Fair Oak Pools and the steep but short climb to the great down hill back to the pools. I am for ever telling the groups I lead to look ahead at the track on technical routes, something distracted me and for a couple of seconds I looked to my right, the next thing I know my front wheel is jack knifing and I am in serious danger of leaving the saddle, however on this occasion I corrected the situation avoiding some nasty grazes, been there before, Ouch! Moral of this story is no matter how attractive the distraction, DON’T LOOK!
Is it me or are there a lot of people not at work on Friday afternoons.
Saturday 17th March 2007
If you want to improve your slow riding skills follow a horse. Went out with my wife on her horse, I was on my MTB you understand. This is great for balance, although you do start looking for daft things to do like log hopping and track stands on drop offs, daft because at these low speeds I normally end up bashing a shin before the ride is out. Trots, yep I can keep up, up hill canters NO CHANCE.
Saturday 25th March 2007
There are days when I hate gears!!!!!!
Sunday 26th March 2007
Not a very windy day so I must have done something to upset some ones god. Riding beneath some large mature Beech trees near to Coalpit Lane Covers off the A513 there was an ear splitting crack, startled, I was lucky enough to see a very large branch smashing it’s way through the tree taking down other branches as it fell. A quick kick on the pedals had me away as the wood splintered to pieces when it hit the ground. This is not a well used track so what where the odds of this happening when I was beneath the tree? Scary!
Rest of March Lots of uneventful Pedal Power
Tuesday 10th April
We could have been in Italy in August it was so hot and dusty! Lead a group of novice riders around some of the Afan Valley softer trails they managed a 30k ride in all that heat. Stopped the group to watch a lone rider crashing a hard tail down Whites Level he must have had his heart in mouth the speeds he was reaching, suddenly disappearing from our view we heard a mournful ‘Whoooooooooooo’ then silence, no crashing hard tail, no sound of loose stones, I was amazed at the lack of explitatives. The group all looked to me for some reaction, do I get the First Aid Kit out and stagger up the single track, what am I going to find. Just as I decided to make a move a lone rider shot of the single track onto the main forestry road, ‘He’s O.K’ the group announced and so we went on. But a week later I am still trying to remember if the rider we first saw was riding a Silver Bike and wearing a Red top, which of course the guy leaving the single track was.
Sunday 15th April
Still in Afan Valley and even hotter than Tuesday, helping to lead and assess a group of MIAS students. Before we even started we encountered a rider at the bottom of The Wall (which is open again) with a very bloody and broken nose, certainly made us all pay attention for the rest of the day.
Lots of uneventful rides
4 days in Afan Valley
Friday 4th May
Second day of four in Afan Valley, there are lots of good MTB trails here, but the late afternoon reached 29 degrees with high humidity at the end of a hard 25k ride. Thank goodness for Electrolyte and Protein recovery drinks, kept the old muscles working. Afan Valley offers some great rides, stay at the log cabins at Bryn Bettws to get straight onto The Wall.
Saturday 12 May
A week of flat tyres, I hate it when you cannot find the thing that did the damage always expecting the new tube to go flat. Two flats in a week on different bikes and also on my VW who have I upset?
Sunday 13 May
I know we needed rain but this is ridiculous! I put the bike in the truck and arrived at one of the Chase car parks (to wet to ride to Chase) by the time I had walked from the drivers door to the back to remove my bike, I was wetter than a duck in a pond, so I gave up and went home. Must be getting soft, but at least I did not have to clean my MTB.
Thursday -
Two Marines in the group had very high MTB skills and no fear, they covered most of the distance off the ground, leaping over all obstacles in their path but running on fast slick rubber in such conditions, saw a major wipe out on some easy single track. Usual excuses, tree came out and hit him.
Amazed at the number of MTB riders that think it is O.K to ride on Common Land and that Open Access applies to mountain bikes sorry lads and lassies YOU CAN’T and IT DON’T other than in Scotland and then you need to check.
Yes! It’s been awhile.
Sunday 16 Sep
Where did the summer go? All that rain then a blaze of glory.
Have done lots of rides with groups from Telford and Birmingham, have met some very nice young people and adults of all abilities. Two highlights were a group of younger children from Holte School Lozells Birmingham, who were very polite and well behaved when guided on a Cannock Chase ride. The group consisted of 13 youngsters but for some strange reason we were joined at Brindly Heath by 2 lads on a BMX who stayed with us for the whole 3 hours and seemed to enjoy the activity and ask LOTS of questions, great day out. The other highlight was leading a party of adult riders around the bridleways of the Dark Peak on a very hot day, take a look at the pictures.
Mountain Biking on Cannock Chase in the period of dry weather became more and more interesting, the loose pebbled surface common to the trails and tracks on The Chase became looses and looser until even the most moderate slopes caused the wheels to slither about when any speed was reached, exciting!
A moan SORRY! Come on Boys and Girls please take your litter home with you, I have noticed an alarming increase in plastic bottles, paper from energy gels, inner tubes and chains on the trails and tracks of Cannock Chase.
My son uses lubrication like a spray air freshener!
Waiting for him to turn up to ride on Sunday I noticed how much thick sludge clung to his Cassette, jockey wheels, front and rear mech, so I set to with a stiff brush and performed the messy job of removing the stuff. Pleased with the job I had done with no de-
Some very cold rides leading young people in Afan Valley. Most turned up without gloves, drinks or food (even though told to bring these items) had to loan my gloves to one lad who was suffering and use all my encouragement to get them to complete the ride. On another occasion with adults, I had to carry several litres of water strapped to my own back pack because the group had not come with bags, carrying water bottles in their hands. Often these groups have not been Mountain Biking and don’t think BUT come on you organisers, enough emails are sent explaining the groups basic requirements please make sure that they are met.
2008 Arrives with plenty of wet rides on Cannock Chase time to put on my mud grips having lost control of my front end in some spectacular drifts through muddy forest tracks. Got caught in a heavy hail storm, even the fireroads became technical, great fun!
Jan 08 How many right foot shoes are buried beneath the crud???
Lots of very wet rides on Cannock Chase. Came upon a group of lads from Forest of Dean only a mile into Follow The Dog. I came down to the boards ready to ride the planks but had to change my mind and ride the North Shore because sprawled flat out on the last plank with his arm up to the arm pit in mud, was one of this crowd trying to retrieve his lost shoe ( his mates lost shoe) why the others in the group were doubled up laughing and taking the inevitable pictures, (if you read this lads email me a picture and I will put it on the web pages). They never found the shoe which is what started me thinking about how many are lost in this deep quagmire? So if you have lost your shoe and had pictures taken send them to me and I will start a lost shoe gallery.
The Planks and Crud.
Afan Valley 24/25/26 Jan
Running MIAS mountain bike course, had to find a new 25k route which we rode on the Friday afternoon ready for the weekend. Included single track climbs and decents on the Penhyyd Trail and the final decent with the rock steps on Whites Level, great fun, big climbs but well worth the fast down hills. Great but spent Monday knackered.
Noticed riders of Full Sus bikes are going back to hard Tails, more fun!
Feb 3 Great Guided Ride on Cannock Chase
Met a very nice man from London and spent 3 wet/windy hours on some Northern trails on Cannock Chase. He will be back!
Why are so many MTBers still not wearing helmets, we met several on our ride, do they have special heads?
Feb 24
Sunday is not the best day to guide a group of youngsters around “The Dog”. I had reservations about agreeing to lead this group of young people but had no need to worry, although their ages ranged from 14 to 17 they had very good skills, lots of sticking power and enjoyed the entire route and we finished before the rain set in!
BUT WHY do so many other trail users have no time and are often very rude? Maybe I have it wrong but I believed the log steps or rumble strips at the end of the first section of “The Dog” where it comes out on to the Heritage trail are to slow us down because all outdoor types use this trail, but I could be wrong as some MTB riders think they are there as some technical part of the trail, allowing them to speed over and skid to a halt or worse still run down other trail users who are on the Heritage Trail. One bloke shouted abuse at a group he thought was blocking his exit, slowing him down, we will never win over the ramblers if we continue to have this poor attitude, shame on you sir. Burt perhaps it’s me and those logs are there for our enjoyment.
March 7 8 and 9
3 very wet windy days throwing myself off the tops of Afan Valley, even the winds in the valley were gusting at 25mph, great to see that the trails were still busy, there are some hardy MTBers out there.
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