Right then. I did this ride today and thought I would write a little report so you know what to expect. I did the ride on a rigid (bar a Flexstem) 1988 Saracen Kili Flier. the temp was cold (around 1 to 2 degrees C) but the place has thawed nicely.
So had the mud. Now, I'm from South Devon so when my bikes got very muddy BiTD, the wheels wouldn't turn. Cannock isn't like that. The hud is more flinty and seems to clear from tyres pretty readily. I have a set of Helta Skelta on my bike and apart from the front letting go occasionally they were fine.
Seeing that I'm tighter than a gnome's foreskin, I parked well away from the cycle centre in the carpark opposite The White House or what was anyway. This meant about a mile down to the start of Follow the Mutt.
Basically, you ride the first 50% or so of FTD, up that long climb and off to the left, (it used to go right down the berms if I recall). Before you get to that ramp pictured on the opening page of this thread you now have the choice to do the Monkey Trail. I was alittle unsure whether or not to try as the signs warn of certain death, destruction, plague and pestilence ahead.
What follows is good. The whole trail is up or down with a lot of very tight and steep switchbacks on both the decents and climbs. You cross the railway and the road and climb a technical ans steep track that I cleared, (maybe it isn't too steep or indeed technical).
It carries on like this for some time. I then got lost. In fact I got so lost that a nice couple took pity on me and gave me a lift back to my car. Now, I'm not fit but I'm no quitter. I used to say if you don't hurl on a time trial or hill climb, then you ain't trying.
I found it vey hard going. The relentless braking with cantilevers gets to you (me) after a while. I reckon we should do this ride first and the whole FTD thing later. The race whippets will love it but it is hard going.
The decents that I did are all do-able on a retro bike. There are a few sections of mud coated rock slabs that I walked on and I had to lower the saddle a couple of times. I did avoid the Black sections that consisted of narrow logs to balance on.
See you then!
