Bike: Hunter
Distance: 3 hours
Playlist: Eagles Of Death Metal
Punctures: one (found the day after)

I’ve never seen the local trails so busy. I thought I’d escape the Royal Wedding and take advantage of quiet roads. So did everyone else.

I did take the opportunity to explore some local cheek which means I can now get in a three hour ride with, literally, 1 mile roadwork tops. And of those only 200 yards are on anything with any real traffic.

Legs not really in it today, but they were only as rubbish at the end as they had been an hour into the ride. I also wore a full Camelbak again just to help strengthen my back. Once it gets to races I plan on dumping it and carrying what water I need for a lap on the bike.

We’re a long way from Tattoine

Bike: Hunter
Distance: 4 hours
Playlist: Unplayed these last three months
Punctures: one*

* not my own though. Just as I was about to get ready to go out a bloke walked past the gate pushing a very cheap, very heavy, mountain bike – of the sort bought from high street so-called sports shops that specialise in polyester track suits – with a flat rear. I asked him how far he had to go. He named a village six miles away. Then he added that he’d walked from a village three miles back down the way. First of all, no tools, which just seems to be the modern way. Secondly, this was a lesson in how shite peoples navigation skills are when they go everywhere by car. He was walking the shortest route he would normally use to drive between the two villages. If he ventured onto footpaths or bridleways his start and end points would only have been three miles total. That’s by the by. I gave him a new “boy valve” inner tube which I have no use for seeing as everything of ours uses “girl valves” and had him back on his way in five minutes.

Green. Ribbon.

Anyway, time to see what’s in the legs. I had a destination to reach and a schedule to meet, but the route was entirely my choice. So I reconnoitered some likely looking bridleways on the way to my sister-in-laws favourite pub. I reckon it would be do-able on horseback with just a couple of miles of roadwork in an eight mile ride. We’d still have to get back though! Not me, I tried to find a cheeky way through Woburn Golf Club, but too many layers, accountants, and other city types were on the greens to follow the obvious tyre treads without being caught. Never mind. I successfully managed to lower the tone in Aspley Guise, especially as they have thoughtfully placed the speed bumps on a downhill and they make perfect little tabletops! I nearly managed a half decent tailwhip. Well, decent for me.

A quick ride round the back of Millbrook and then to my destination at the Martson Moretaine Millenium Country Park. This is obviously a cycling mecca in Bedfordshire, judging by the number of bike racks on the backs of cars. Tediously dull flat gravel paths suitable for the fitness and navigationally challenged. Still, if it means I can have green ribbons of trail like the above to myself then I’m down with that.

Bike: Hunter
Distance: figure of 8 loop

In return for lodging while I work away from home I have been looking after my sister in-laws-horses while she has a two week holiday. Half a dozen horses to muck out, turn out and feed twice a day. If it’s 5.30 Nick must be at the yard. a.m and p.m. So even though I had best intentions of riding the bike last weekend I was just too knackered.

Some tarmac is inevitable

Anyway, she’s back now so I felt fresher and managed to get in a couple of hours yesterday. The local singletrack is now carpeted with bluebells. The buzzard I saw in the woods the other week that flew through the trees ahead of me is, I discovered yesterday, part of a family of five. And the ford I ride through to cool my feet is nearly dry. I thought summer was already here it’s been so dry the last month, but in just two weeks I couldn’t believe things would change so much.

Todays lesson – riding for a team with all black kit in this weather is not good.

Bike: Hunter
Distance: figure of 8 loop
Playlist: Unplayed these last three months
Punctures: two

I fitted the suspension seatpost before todays ride. I would have got it ready for Mayhem anyway, and I hoped that it would solve the slipping seatpost problem. Apart from cursing USE for the wankily small allen bolts that hold the saddle to the rails I noticed up the first rutted climb that things were a lot more comfy. I could keep the power on a little easier.

Turned the far end of the ride into a figure eight so I could ride the swoopy singletrack. Because of the way I wanted to ride all the other sections I rode it ever so slightly uphill. It still flows this way, and in fact there are a couple of little kickers that are more fun in this direction. Not sure who was more surprised when I saw a jumpy boy coming the other way. Me at meeting another biker out on the trails here, or him at the fat XC-jey boy pulling a (small) tailwhip off a kicker.

When I got back the seatpost had not slipped, which was a first. Just to compensate though I had another two punctures. I’m now wondering how many patches my rear tyre will eventually have before I get my first patch-on-patch.

Update

Found another puncture this Friday afternoon. Hawthorna again. Is it time to investigate tubeless spooge?

Bike: Hunter
Distance: two and a half hours
Playlist: Unplayed these last three months

I now have enough local knowledge to string together a three hour, mainly offroad ride, without the need to carry a map. Todays ride took me round the back of Millbrook proving ground. Where they were proving that you can bog down whatever it is the British Army is about to buy.

After another week without rain the trails are hard dry and fast. Panaracer Cinders are fast wearing down to semi-slick at the rear.

I did stop to take some self-timer photos, which reminded me that I have lots of weight still to lose before Mayhem. Also that the slipping seatpost was noticeably preventing me getting full leg extension. Bernard Hinault spent a whole year slowly raising his saddle by 5mm in the cause of efficiency. My bike seems to lower it by the same amount over the course of a two hour ride.

Made a mental note to replace the seatpost when I got back – I have plans to start using my suspension seatpost again, just for the sake of comfort over the tractor ruts.

Autorotate image?

* I’ve already found a corpse.

Bike: Hunter
Distance: about 8 miles of new-ish* trails
Playlist: just the sound of my tyres on dirt
Punctures: one, but it was from Sunday

Todays ride was delayed slightly as the rear tyre was flat when I got the bike out. Investigation revealed another thorn from Sundays ride, upping it’s puncture total to two.

Once out on the trails the batteries were definitely flat, and heading up even the slightest incline I was pedalling in squares. A little rain had made the clay of todays route really slippy so peaky torque meant maintaining traction was also an issue. Still, once onto the ridgeline I managed to find almost four miles of offroad back home, a mixture of legitimate and cheeky.

Perhaps the strangest encounter on todays ride was the circle of ewoks dressed in pale blue robes** chanting away. I didn’t stop. Not out of any fear for my safety but because of my orange rims, which, being opposite on the colour wheel, would have clashed horribly.

* new to me. And judging by the lack of tyre treads, new to MTB

** or maybe it was the midget ku klux klan who’d accidentally dropped a dark blue sock in with the robes wash.

Bike: Hunter
Distance: yesterdays loop at speed
Playlist: New Order

Even with a trip home up and back down the M1 I was back at my digs in time to get out for a quick blast. I planned on the same ride as yesterday, with no map stops, and no camelbak. I’ve replaced (another) broken seatpack – zip, again – which meant my pockets contained only iPod, phone and camera. Nice and light. No knobbing about and better lungs had me round an hour quicker.

Greybeard

Bike: Hunter
Distance: as far as I meant to ride last week
Playlist: Foo Fighters

Last weekend was a wash out for riding, not helped by feeling distinctly under the weather. So instead I rode my other hunter. New spurs certainly adds some extra swagger to your walk, especially as they make me sound like a cowboy.

But with the usual early finish on Friday it would be a shame to waste the available time before I have to head back up North, and not get the bicycle version out. I still had a slight sore throat and the beginnings of a headache so even boosted by paracetamol the pace was always going to be pootle rather than blast.

It has rained this week

I’m having to ride farther afield to find new trails now, but by heading North I’m definitely finding stuff that is sandier and holds up better to a bit of rain.

The M1 was busy both times I crossed it today. Still, it can wait.