Today's Ride

First MTB ride since October and what better way to kick of the season than enter my first proper XC race (mayhem doesn't count) in over 30 years 😶‍🌫️ That memory burnt a deep scar and I needed to make some new, more positive memories and try something different.

Que yesterday over at Grammercombe Woods for round 1 of the SWXC series. Open vets, I made sure I started right at the back and gave plenty of space for the whippets who were churning out 16 mins laps to my 25 🤣 Slow and steady was my mantra, and most of all finish. Which I did, so super stoked about that. 17/21 in the category. The only way is up!

The course was excellent, lovely single-track, lot's of features, not too much climbing....but dear lord...the weather. Soaking. Absolutely soaking. The woods sit on flint so thank goodness for that but the earth turned into liquid mud/slop. Big up my new tyres which are incredible, barely any slipping over wood, rock and the slop. The only downer was a crash on the final lap that wiped me out sideways thanks to a hidden log in the slop. At least I game out better than the chap who stacked it on the 4th corner of lap 1 :oops:

A sign of things to come, this was after the practice lap, and it wasn't raining at this point...

n6BTCZ.jpg


At the back where I'd happily spend most of my time bimbling along 👍

LBQcsP.jpg


Destroyed (me, not the field 🤣 )
pVmbHS.jpg
 
First MTB ride since October and what better way to kick of the season than enter my first proper XC race (mayhem doesn't count) in over 30 years 😶‍🌫️ That memory burnt a deep scar and I needed to make some new, more positive memories and try something different.

Que yesterday over at Grammercombe Woods for round 1 of the SWXC series. Open vets, I made sure I started right at the back and gave plenty of space for the whippets who were churning out 16 mins laps to my 25 🤣 Slow and steady was my mantra, and most of all finish. Which I did, so super stoked about that. 17/21 in the category. The only way is up!

The course was excellent, lovely single-track, lot's of features, not too much climbing....but dear lord...the weather. Soaking. Absolutely soaking. The woods sit on flint so thank goodness for that but the earth turned into liquid mud/slop. Big up my new tyres which are incredible, barely any slipping over wood, rock and the slop. The only downer was a crash on the final lap that wiped me out sideways thanks to a hidden log in the slop. At least I game out better than the chap who stacked it on the 4th corner of lap 1 :oops:

A sign of things to come, this was after the practice lap, and it wasn't raining at this point...

n6BTCZ.jpg


At the back where I'd happily spend most of my time bimbling along 👍

LBQcsP.jpg


Destroyed (me, not the field 🤣 )
pVmbHS.jpg

That was a bit of a trek mate. I was in Tiverton until about 2pm yesterday and the weather was beautiful, though we did drive through the mother of all hail showers, just after Exeter, on the way home
 
That was a bit of a trek mate. I was in Tiverton until about 2pm yesterday and the weather was beautiful, though we did drive through the mother of all hail showers, just after Exeter, on the way home

Yep, it's the furthest away of the locations but I'm up in Exeter for work 2 or 3 times a month so used to it now. I even drove through all the rain on the way up, so I'm double stupid for cycling through it again 🤣
 
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