Birthday Ride 2008
We, indeed, had us an excellent ride.
As usual, in the Chilterns, there was plenty of mud, and very deep in places. Fortunately, overnight rain had made it just a little sloppy, and in places it was still frozen. It was most noticable that several bikes had already been along most of the paths we rode, and it made it so much easier to get through ~ it's always more difficult if you're the cutting the first track across the soft stuff. This phenomenon was more noticable this year than in previous years.
We had a good range of machine designs:
Mercian Semi-Cyclo-Cross bike
Classic Ritchey
Original HighPath Cleland
Modern Cleland Aventura II
Tall two-niner
Three 'standard' modern mountain bikes.
All the bikes rode well throughout the ride, just showing that there is no one design for riding off-road, and how adaptable all riders can be. I also noticed how the general level of off-road riding skills is reaching heights inconceivable fifteen years ago.
It was really good to see several veterans of the early rides, who'd tracked down the details from the Cleland Website, and I was especially pleased to meet with Ed & Max, RetroBike Gurus. And we mustn't forget the late arrival of 'The Captain' ~ Steve Chantler, who probably has the most extensive collection of Clelands in the country.
The after-dark section was particularly enjoyable, riding on corn flakes as the frost came in. We were lost only once in the thick woodland, where all paths look the same when daylight goes.
And the final whoosh down to Wendover in pitch black, I have a 4w front lamp and a 1w headtorch, was, as you can guess, a bit frilling . . .
Thanks everyone ~ the experience will keep me going for some time.
What about a Cleland ride in Thrunton Woods, up here in the north?