Started out with some trail maintenance on Countdown to Ecstasy- this has promise and more will come on this in future posts no doubt. Some of the guys had a go at riding the gap on it, so first efforts can be seen on the video. Much to do still though.
Then we headed over to Summer Lightning DH and went over to walk up and find the trailhead to trails coming off Moonlight in Vermont that we had not ridden before. It was a fast direct DH to a pretty flat landing kicker jump- yuk! But a good option off Windy Willows.
Up to Leith Hill for tea and cake- open on a Wednesday! What a treat. It was sunny out but pretty chilly at the Tower so we ranged from those in short sleeved T-shirts to me in waterproof and thermals!
We wound round the Leith Hill singletrack to the quarry for some jumps, where Ken showed off his flying abilities on his new Specialized Enduro bargain 2nd hand acquisition! We finally got him on a Full Sus and he is making the most of it. Meanwhile Gary graduated to the big jump- gradually!
We singletracked it back to the shop through fast and twisty dry trails and a great run down the Greensand way to Rookery- as always.
Jackie may not forgive me for the title of this blog entry (we're not old!) but that's nothing compared to what she'll say about the video!
I've been riding with the old blokes ride on Wednesdays for a while now, so today was time for us old birds to get out. Jackie and I headed up to Ranmore amongst fantastic views over the Downs in all their glorious colours in the brightest Sunshine we've had yet, luscious green fields, interspersed with swathes of yellow rapeseed, and the swelling blue oceans of bluebells-the best of what England has to offer this St.Georges week!
You'll witness from the video that we attempted the big tree trunk roll on the way to Abba Zabba, several times! Unfortunately I only got the 1st attempt on video and not the final successful runs as my hands were needed elsewhere. This was because after the swearing died down after the 1st attempt Jackie had the gumption to keep going back for another try while I spotted her.
The issue was however that I stood to catch her at the place she fell last time and each time she got a stage further and fell further from my reach. At one point she could not get out of her SPDs and was falling into the horrible hole between the logs from the highest point and she was only saved from an almighty fall by the fact I caught her camelbak straps and pulled her upwards as she fell to lessen the impact. (Not very graceful but it did the job- good old camelbak!)
I could not believe that she kept trying til she got it and indeed she did it! Hey this was the first time I've ever cleared the whole thing in one so it was a great achievement for us both.
After that adrenalin rush we mellowed out amongst the bluebells that are really sprouting up everywhere now. Such a sight! And we hurtled down a trail called "Coitus Interruptus" (don't ask where that name came from, I can only imagine!) at such speed that I realise Jackie's in it for the downhills if not the ups.
I carried on up to Leith as it was so dry and I wanted to check out Windy Willows. The trail is in good condition but still has some mud patches on the usual corners and dips enough to suck your speed back, but its certainly faster than recent times and I do enjoy the easy tree trunk jump at the end so I sessioned that a few times. Reluctant to come home out of this Sun!
Spanish for “The Handsome One”, The El Guapo is a 6” all mountain steed from Titus Bikes. Having spent many a Saturday gawping at it, it was time to take the bike out on demo.
Sitting in the same category as the Lapierre Spicy, the El Guapo has tough competition, but with trips to the Alps, Wales and the Lakes becoming increasingly common, a 6inch travel “do-it-all” bike is topping many peoples to-buy list. The Frame continues the Titus tradition by using the horst link, which over the years has been perfected by Titus under the license of Specialized.
New for 2009, the front end has been completely reworked with Kylie like curves and a 1.5” head tube. The oversized head tube opens doors to 1.5” steerer tubes which means a stiffer front and stronger bearings, although step-down headsets can be bought to run a conventional 1 1/8” steerer. Kept supple by 4 oversized sealed bearings, the frame also has ISCG mounts meaning that a chain guide can be fitted to keep the chain in check on those rocky descents. With a trusty Fox RP23 coming as standard, the El Guapo can also take a Fox DHX coil shock to give a more freeride and rock eating feel to the bike. With 155mm (6.1”) of rear wheel travel, I wasn’t expecting the all mountain Titus to fly up the hills, and its by no means a cross country race bike. But considering there is the potential to eat singletrack, make mincemeat of downhill’s, glide over roots and inspire confidences to new levels, the El Guapo behaved remarkably on the inclines.
The placement of the linkage (directly behind the BB) means that when you do apply pressure through the cranks on the uphill, pedal bob is kept to a minimum, and help is at aid with the 3 position pro pedal feature on the custom RP23 rear shock. The full build weight of around 30lbs (Spec. Below) also helped to get the 6” all mountain rig up the hill. A noticeable feature on the El Guapo, Is the super low bottom bracket. Sitting at 13.80” the bottom bracket is a fraction under an inch lower than the Spicy. This results in a much better handling bike, and a lowered centre of gravity, which in essence, is going to provide a more fun nippy, trail bike. The head angle is slack enough to allow the bike to feel at home on the steeper trails, yet avoids narrow boat like characteristics when turning.
When riding the El Guapo down the steeper rooted sections, I couldn’t help but compare its handling with that of my Giant Glory DH. The frame felt fully at home on the rough, and could no doubt hold its own against bigger downhill specific bikes.
Conclusion – with the aesthetic appeal of a half dressed Beyonce, the burliness of the Mitchell brothers, and the speed of that Jamaican bloke from the Olympics, the El Guapo ticks all the right boxes on a 6” bike checklist. Not only does it climb like a cross country bike, it comes back down like a downhill bike, and will eat jumps and drops alike without breaking a sweat. The El Guapo is a serious benchmark in the category. NB
As quick as the mud came it disappeared. Wow the last few days have been glorious sunshine and today was the best of the lot. So sorry to all you guys stuck in the office!
9 of us started and finished today. Although after the 1st climb we lost Gary to 2 punctures. While he returned to the shop for first aid we rode Grievous Angel. Scott from Oz had come down from Essex to ride and was in at the deepend with a bad landing, good attempted recovery and then a comedy crash off the first log. (see video) Gilles was back on form although he did have a refusal on the 2nd.
Chris had a laying down moment on the 3rd, right in front of me but fortunately I did not land on him.
We lunched on the green outside the shop while Gary got tubed up again and rejoined the ride.
Sweet sweet bulbs ws calling and we sessioned that which is really in great condition now, then down F&M. Climbing up to Coldharbour we rode the Summer Lightning DH trail then over to Valorian to find Ken's shades (apparently he went OTB last night and left them there).
At that point having mentioned everyone elses crashes and mishaps I dropped into the Valorian bombhole, and trying to go fast to make it up the other side I sank my front wheel in the mud, went OTB and shoulder checked the other bank. Ow! 1st crash in ages and no armour- that hurt and I went quiet. (Shoulder and knee are now rather swollen and black and blue already! Watch out there may be photos later!)
I was not alone in questionable technique as everyone after me had an off moment trying to get out the climb and some tree hugging was attempted.
Descending damn fast down Bassanova (is there any other way?) we finished down to Rookery so fast and dry- fun! Another great ride in the bag!
Wow! After such a quiet Wednesday ride we had a huge turn out today- 15! And we were not the only ones- Peaslake stores were packed with hungry bikers out to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather even though the trails still had a few splashes of mud hanging around. (Especially at the bottom of big bomb hole drop ins!)
We climbed up around Leith taking in some time to practice drops off at"Jab it in the Eye" and the quarry before dropping down and up over to Holmbury, then dropped into Peaslake via Surfer Rosa and Golden Bridies which is in great condition. After a crowded snack stop we carried on up to Leith Tower again and then down via Windy Willows which was very muddy.
Stopping to video the jump on Windy Willows I was precariously positioned in the crash landing zone once again but had a narrow escape from a tangle with a Lapierre Spicy!
Miles and miles today at a mellow sunny pace- but clearly some technique practice still required by many preparing for their Alpine and Canadian holidays- no doubt a good turn out at next Saturday's skills ride I hope!
Officially the quietest ride I've ever known! Simon had to man the shop, so Claire led the ride but only John Chef turned up from our "regulars" and a newbie- Tim who was on holiday in Dorking for the 3rd year running!
As a local and regular I never think of Dorking/North Downs as a holiday destination but when Tim got us talking about it, it makes a lot of sense. They hired a cottage in Broadmoor which was very cheap, had a whole gang of them staying there. They can walk and mountain bike the seemingly endless trails locally from their door. They don't even need to know the trails - just come riding with the Nirvana shop rides and its easy. It's only the weather that's a gamble and it seems that gamble payed off this week.
Plus down the A24 for the kids there's Bocketts farm and for the adults Denbies wine tasting tours! I'm sure the tourist info has lots more you can do but I never put myself in the shoes of a tourist here before.
Anyway we rode and rode and hardly stopped today lots of mileage. Over to Holmbury where I managed to lose John briefly (yes I know there were only 3 of us how did I lose one!) We whizzed down sweet sweet Golden Birdies to Peaslake to regroup with him. Then we climbed up Pitch, initiated Tim on 2 headed dog (see vids) and got ourselves lost on the Perimeter trail in Winterfold.
Muddling our way back on track to take in the bombholes, switchback trail and Orange Clawhammer whilst fixing Tim's 2 punctures delayed us a little but the weather was soooo good we stopped and had tea and cake at Peaslake before winding our way back to the shop by the usual tracks.
Such a great weather day and trails were so so dry and fast. Where were you all my usual Wed crowd? You missed out!
Ah well we have had a pretty good stretch of dry trails and after all we probably needed some April showers but isn't it amazing how mother nature knows that it's a British bank holiday!
After 2 days of solid rain and clearly quite a few mountain bikers who desperate to ride had ridden anyway- the trails today were back to a layer of mud in most areas and plenty of evidence of mountain bike tyres. Nevertheless we were 8 riders - the BH trains delaying Jonathan and Richards start and a lost brake pad pin scuppering Simon's efforts to start with us (Tip: NEVER throw away your old brake pads and parts til you buy the new ones!)
Anyway we rode up to Redlands and the Deja Vu trail- off camber in the mud is a wake up challenge! Then over to Summer Lightning and Richard (who is new to jumping) hit the first rooty jump on the DH trail and landed it a little wobbly before hitting the deck hard! He jumped back up but clearly this 4th crash of the week had taken its toll a bloody knee, elbow and a shiner meant that he was taking it easy for the rest of the ride- but he still managed to stick with it all the way. (Next stop is the Saturday skills ride for him!)
It was foggy all day and sitting up at Leith Tower for tea and cake there were no views to be had in any direction! I just found a photo from last Easter up here and there was snow so just a typical Easter again! We rode a lot of twisty singletrack in the area to let Adrian get a proper test ride out of the Lapierre Zesty and the new skills he acquired by riding such a great bike.
Then Simon made us ride delieverance/roller coaster in the mud! Now I only ever just about ride it in the dry so this seemed like a dumb idea but after filming Jonathan and Andy making it down in good control I decided to go for it but as I went over the edge and the bike picked up speed I started to doubt the decision but it was too late I let go off the brakes as the tyres squirled around on the muddy off camber diagonal roots and picked up lots of speed then just about managed to stop before I hit the metal debris at the bottom- phew!
Well we headed out doubting we could get such a great ride in such muddy conditions but ended up with big muddy smiles on our faces. In fact Adrian loved it so much he bought that Lapierre Zesty as soon as we got back to the shop- proof of a great ride!
7.5 riders today heading out from the shop. The half was Gilles who returning from his knee injury (read down a few blog entries) managed to ride half of the first half and half of the 2nd half of the ride!
We rode something a little different today as from the shop we turned right along the road turning left into Unum and climbing up to Ranmore on a very steep climb. Descending down through Denbies and up through Mickleham to a trail called "Pete's Path" a very off camber narrow singletrack with exposure on your right meaning you need to stay on the trail and not slip off, plus a few diagonal roots along the way just for a further challenge. Finishing with a chicane steeply descending around a fallen tree. Thankfully it was dry even after all last night's rain or there may have been a few casualties.
Climbing up via High Ashgrove Scout camp, and right towards the viewpoint at BoxHill- Jonathon and I got chatting and spinning along we realised Simon souped up on all his energy drink had disappeared with the pack and we were dropped. We descended a hairy wet chalky rutty descent which threw both of us off our bikes before we came out on the A25- not quite where we needed to be! A bit of road riding got us back to Rykas to meet the gang just in time to get over to Gilles house to take tea and cake in the Garden- fabulous!
Full of cake - we climbed up the Denbies fire road, Simon having an energy crash again - (yup he had chocloate cake!) then we dropped into Grievous Angel and tried the three jumps currently rideable through this barely used track that is covered in leaves. The first was a diagonal jump over a fallen tree and a sudden right turn after the landing. Simon demo'ed it, Richard flew over it at speed and landed nicely then bounced off his bike into the foliage beyond but was fairly unscathed. I punched over it and landed a little to the left hitting every possible root on the landing, Jonathon popped off it with a nice controlled manual and John then did a half-pop to land on his front wheel a little squirly but not hitting any trees this week.
On the 2nd jump a little bigger onto an off camber loose landing, you really have to punch out as you cannot get speed. Simon gave us another perfect demo, new Richard full of bottle went for it and completly nose dived off it but survived. (He needs to cut his seat post and lower that saddle- weight back!). Jonathon again made it look sooo easy popping his front wheel up and hanging in the air. Then John went for it and punched out with such gusto that he was still way off the back of his bike as he landed rear wheel first and took another adrenalin shot as he decorated his shorts with mud. After such demos I wanted to duck out of it but as John said the landing was soft I went for it and was full of my adrenalin filled self talk "ready and - punch out!" and ooh it was a very smooth landing- nice jump!
The next sections were pretty technical too espesh in the off camber leaves which really slide your bike from under you. Down the last drop in steep roll over a fallen tree trunk, new Richard decided to entertain us with one more fall- this time at speed towards a tree- and as we all heald our breath, fortunately he dumped the bike towards the tree and himself to a cushion of softer leaves. After all that we thought this might be his first and last ride but judging by his smile he's coming back for more.
So without my camera today the pics are from iphones and as they are not good for action photos you can enjoy the blurs! (No doubt some iPhone geek will be sending me an upgrade or some tips on how to get better photos on your iPhone).
Now today's Wednesday ride just happened to fall on April fool's day- setting out we all wondered which one of us would be playing the fool. Just 6 of us set out from a very busy shop- sprinting up Ranmore to ride over the tree roll and down into Abba Zabba, Blind Terror and Numb Skull.
Simon hit an energy crisis at Abba Zabba already and was refueled by some Power Gel and water both loaned out. (A busy shop keeper doesn't have time to prepare for his own ride!) We blame the box of chocolate biscuits from John which was supposed to be a post-ride treat but became a pre-ride snack!
Testing out the new benches and bike stands at Peaslake and of course an excellent cup of tea and cake- Simon was banned from chocolate and pop and stuffed with bananas and energy drink- fully recovered we headed up Pitch at a good pace and played on the jumps at Proper Beau.
In an effort to improve take off technique we were rolling in without pedalling in order to compress and pop off the take off ramp to try and clear to the tranny. This was all going fine and then John mentioned how we should pick him up when he hits the tree. Now its a funny thing but when you pre-empt such things they often come about - so he promptly took off over the jump, landed it, squirled into the tree taking the full force of the impact in the saddle area (body and bike- ow!)
And so our fool of the day had indeed been found- yes the redesigned saddle is a picture that tells a thousand hurts! And no these are not for sale at the shop in this design.
John rode back with the saddle just resting on the rails and fastened Blue Peter style by me with some string from the Peaslake shop!
Great weather, good fun, plenty of miles and a few laughs at our fools expense.
So Andy Watermand from MBR definitely shares our views of the Lapierre Zesty - what a great ride!
Here's a video of the Zesty in action as part of Andy's testing-
But to really see it in action you can ride with some great Lapierre riders on our group rides - or even take one out on a demo ride yourself- we have a medium 514 demo bike in store.
OK the title is a bit dramatic but... whether it was the change in clocks last night (and the need to stay in bed) or the Boat Race or the Australian Grand Prix, or the fact we broke a rider or 2 recently- there was a surprisingly low turn out for the ride today and not only for us - the trails were dead quiet and even Leith Tower had no queue for its fantastic cake and tea stop!
Well Simon, Simon and I headed out anyway bang on time and played on a jump in the local woods when Matt and Laura caught us up so we were 5!
We rode Sweet sweet bulbs and did some more trail maintenance on the berms which are shaping up nicely, then via Capt Underpants we headed over heads roll and up to Leith Tower for said Cakes- mmm Yummy! Then we weaved around over to the quarry and played on Worth the Myther and once we were pretty dizzy after that we sprinted back via Personal Hygiene down to Summer Lightning where we sessioned the DH trail while some guys borrowed Simons chain tool to get fixed. This set Shop Simon a new challenge to clear the last double, whilst Happy simon was clearing it smoothly by the end. It appears some compression off the take off is really necessary balanced with a good speed but not too fast. Check the video action and action stills for details!
Trails are still in great condition despite the rain yesterday and Summer Lightening was at its fastest so it was a fun run back. It appears the trees are sucking up all the moisture to make leaves so its nice and dry!
Many have heard of Abba Zabba, some may call it by other names and have ridden it, others ask where and what is it. So today we headed up the North Downs Way near Ranmore and White Down car park to ride a linked up fun piece of Singletrack from Abba Zabba into Blind Terror and down to Numb skull and show the fun to be had here- especially as the conditions are so great up on Ranmore right now.
Above is a video of the whole trail.
Below is us playing just on Abba Zabba a fun bomb hole with a left hand turn around a tree.
If you want to know where it is- come ride with us or pop into the shop for directions, but beware the big gap jump at the end of the trail- a big hole that could catch out anyone who is flowing with the trail and unaware of what's ahead.
We had a big crowd for Wednesday's ride despite the fact clouds were gathering and rain threatening- but there is some fear that the trails won't be dry for much longer.
Heading up to Sweet sweet bulbs for some trail maintenance we shot a couple of jump videos- Nick showing us how we should be styling it up over the jumps. Then over to Heads Roll where inspiration spread and Gilles was in form and loving his highs before a kick up off the new jump which led to a bad front wheel landing and an over the bars landing on his bad knee- and his ride was done. Pleasure and pain Gilles- hope you recovered well.
Next up the agony climb from the Plough to the cricket green, across Bop til you Drop and over the tower down to Donnie Darko where Nat was doing dog squashing sessions. A few drops were hit then we were pedalling again and weaving through Worth the Myther, losing Nick who wacked his shoulder on a tree. It looked like the rain was on its way and we rode back via a speedy speedy Summer Lightning and into the shop for tea just in time for the rain to chuck it down.
Weather was still holding out today but when the wind blew it was arctic, forecast is a return to wintry conditions next week so we rode lots of dry trails from Ranmore to Newlands and around to make the most of it.
Watch the video of us riding Abba Zabba- I missed Steve's crash and breakage of trees. Fortunately he was bruised but not broken.
The rest of the ride we just rode and rode at a mellow but costant pace- some beautiful views over St. Martha's Hill where many mothers were being treated to Mothers day picnics.
Nick decided to scare some young ladies by riding through the fords and getting wet as is his habit, the rest of us keeping dry crossing the bridge instead. We carried on until Simon hit the wall after lunching in Shere on chocolate and had to pootle home on zero energy- we rode on a little via Peaslake led by Gilles and then we did the usual ride like mad back to the shop, beating Simon back.
Once again the sunshine brought a good turn out, 8 of us went up to session heads roll.
Some (like me) stuck to the existing jumps where skills still need to be honed while Florian created something new and the brave amongst us rode it in a varied range of styles, slow fast, sketchy, smooth.... Matt had a close encounter with his top tube which raised his voice a few notches for a while.
Gilles arrived without his Mojo- at least it was still riding up the hill some 2 miles behind him- and after a quick practice he reluctanly got dragged along with us over to Donnie Darko where we played on No. 1 drop with a few spectators and then most moved on to No 2 which needed a good approach speed to clear it. Florain, Hugh, Tom, Matt, Gilles and Simon all made that one but Chris and I decided it was not for us ...yet.
As that was going well and the trails were dry and fast a decision was made to go for No. 3 which Simon, Matt, Florian and Hugh all cleared. You have to ride with speed and pump the take off to clear the 14-15 foot gap here. We all looked on in awe as another young rider overcooked it a little but had no worries continuing on to absolutely fly off the No.4 gap so high in the air and easily clearing the 20foot gap between take off and landing. (Thankfully no-one went for it- although Hugh was tempted I feared!)
We scooted down Windy Willows and headed home. I might not hit the big gaps but I actually love the 3 log rolls/jumps at the end of Windy Willows- even better in the dry right now.
So lots more acheivements for many from today's session. (Keep these dry trails coming)
The sun is shining on Surrey so there was a great turnout on Wednesday to ride some dry dry trails.
We headed up to Sweet sweet bulbs for some trail maintenance and after testing out the good work done by all there we rode via Heads Roll on up to Leith Tower, over to the quarry jumps for a few sessions and then back on Worth the Mither into Windy Willows finishing down the Rookery which has a new tarmac top to it recently.
John quiet as ever provides some good commentary as to everyone's skills or attitude - check the video footage.
The trails out there are so so dry- ride 'em while it lasts (oh long may it last p-lease!). A great chance to make use of those technical skills acquired all winter without fear of slipping in mud pools or slick roots for a change.
So I disappeared off to Spain to ride in the sunshine (more on that later) and did not join this ride so I've no idea what went on but luckily Christine subbed for me on the videos and pictures so here they are.
No I'm not going to get all political and talk about the "new values" of society today. Rather- this is the sequel to the blog video below from Wednesday 25th Feb (scroll down) about "Will she, Won't she ride the New Values drop off?"
A group of 9 of us headed out from the shop at 11 and today was really about getting some good mileage and playing on singletrack taking in some challenges along the way. Alex in the shop told us that Ranmore was in good condition, usually so muddy at this time of year, it is pretty dry after this fine weather spell. So up we climbed to the North Downs Way (NDW).
We practiced our log hopping technique then headed down Abba Zabba- a challenging huge fast bomb hole descent with a sudden up and turn left around the tree down again into another hole and back up the other side. Then sweet singletrack to another technical rollover called "Blind Terror"-- mmm yes I can see why? Not as bad as it looks just go in slow and stay off the brakes over the roots. Everyone managed it down- Dave riding it fast and smooth and Melanie with a grimace of doubt on her face just went for it and despite a squirly finish stayed attached to the bike! We figure she just proves that Vancouverites are born with a need to ride this stuff.
Along NDW and down to Shere for a picture postcard setting for a lunch stop next to the river. Up to Pitch Hill and play on Proper Beau for a few videos of the jump. Matt from Oz rode off it behind Gilles, me and Simon landing it and then almost exiting over the bars as he ran into simon. Then Michael from Slovakia rode off it a little off line and landed it with one foot on the pedal one foot on the jump- we all gasped, but he controlled it fine.
Then Simon said "Let's go to "New Values"". Well at that point my heart rate went up as I refused it on Wednesday but said "I'll be back" (in my best Arnie impression). Can I do it today? Am I switched on?
I have to admit I have been "mentally rehearsing" it in bed. A technique I learnt in my netball days where you play the set plays in your mind before matches until you can do them without even thinking. In my dreams I can see myself riding up to the edge and punching the bike forward, enjoying the view from the air and landing buttery smooth on the transition slope- so I hoped I was ready!
As usual Simon and Gilles popped off it and made it look easy. So with my heart racing I threw the camera at Matt to video me (although I did not stop to check it was actually set up right). I was quickly starting my slow slow run in, I stopped thinking about the drop and just crouched my arms in tight to the handlebars, let go of the brakes and punched the bike forward off the edge. In the air for ages, landed, yeehaaa that felt just like I dreamt it- high fives- Job done! (Phew!)
From there we raced back at a good pace to Westcott off road. Another array of smiley faces- great weather, great trails, great company.
Riders: Simon, Gilles, Richard, Melanie, Matt, Dave, Michael, Claire, (oh no- whose name did I forget? Well I did warn you about my recall for names!)
Stats: 36km, at least 1 huge ego boost (me!), 9 smiley faces
Today's freeride group ride had surprises for each and everyone of us. Everyone surprised themselves with how far and high they jumped but some were also surprised by that thing called gravity and how quick the ground can rise up to meet you sometimes! There was definitely some helmet product testing going on.
We set out with 8 and decided given our skills levels we should do a gradual warm-up and build up before we tackled the bigger challenges ahead at Donnie Darko. So we had a go at the gap jump, Captain Underpants, and then over to Heads roll where we sessioned and sessioned the 2 gap jumps in the middle. The first one kind of throws you up a small kicker to a natural tranny into a dip but the 2nd one you really have to have speed and a good take off technique to clear a horizontal gap of around 10+ foot (maybe 3-4m).
At first everyone was landing on the flat landing on the 2nd or landing rear wheel first but you can see from the video analysis that gradually speed and technique were pieced together until we were all landing on the transition with 2 wheels together of front then back. And the smiles said it all- each rider was stoked to have nailed a gap jump!
Matt and Simon then impressed us by tackling the "stupid" 21 foot gap where there is no option but to clear it, no nice flat landing to save you mid way you MUST commit and you MUST make the transition. They both went for it and heart in my mouth they both landed it- spot on! Phew!
Next stop was Rollercoaster really just en route to Donnie Darko but Luka riding it blind got into a fast flow and flew over the last big bomb hole, taking air and landing in a rut to go over the bars or rather into the bars, winding himself badly and crumbling on the ground, gasping for air. We decided once he got his breath back that he should finish riding for the day and we called "Thunderbird 2 to the rescue" (Jackie) to chauffeur him and his bike off to get checked out- just in case.
Meanwhile some hairy descents down deliverance were had and the group then had to split off. 5 of us carried on to Donnie Darko. Now without Simon our chief jump demo guy with us, I took the lead and expertly described the technique (in theory) for dropping off the stone ledge and I got Matt to demo it (well I have not done it for 2 years!) Then I did a demo and clearly it was good enough for Anthony to try it too. Ed decided "maybe not", but while Gareth was videoing we all did it again and this time we did it better and it looked and felt smooth.
Clearly it was impressive as Ed decided to go for it so I clicked record on the video and ... "oh boy" he decided not to jump it but rather to try a front flip off of it! Unfortunately that turned into a somersault landing on his head and folding in 2- all on video- watch to the end for the entertainment! (My reaction in words says it all!)
Amazingly he was soon up and walking away, a little dazed and confused! Imagine if he did not have a helmet on! Which reminds me- I can't believe it when I see people riding the trails round here without a helmet, even if you don't ride off the technical stuff like this- you never know when a branch will catch you or a root grabs your front wheel and over you go. Protect your bonces guys!
So well done Luka and Ed for wearing helmets- anyway we would not ride with you without them. (By the way there's a special on Giro Xen's on the Nirvana online shop (best helmet ever) - especially there for people like you).
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