XC in kent- Any willing volunteers!!!

Papa Smurf

impished wrote:

stevet1992 wrote:

cheers for suggesting challock russ ( if that is your name :roll: )

had a great time
big cut down my leg though took a muddy part to fast :twisted:

Don't forget to pick the scab so you get a decent scar :twisted:

So you can do an Ade and say "Oh I got this in Vietnam, got taken hostage and tortured for 3 days, it was nothing I couldn't handle"

Bmjboy

Hey guys Im back - What a place Afan is! - Bloody Brilliant!

I think we was being optimistic in saying we would do all 4 trails in 3 days, we only managed to do a trail a day, was far more knackering on the upper body than I would have ever imagined! - It is simply due to arm fatigue that we opted to wimp out on doing a second trail on the same day - simply couldnt have given the trail a hammering with aching hands and arms! - Lesson learned for next time.

We did Penhydd, Wall and Whites, failed to do Skyline.

I didnt go much on the Wall simply due to the amount of climbing effort is not rewarded as much in terms of downhill or technical decents, Penhydd and Whites however make the climbing worthwhile.

Nailed the Black Run on Whites, but I actually found Energy Trail harder than the black! - and came off on the peak(s) on the boardwalk section. Cant remember what I did wrong, but just went off sideways with no damage to me or the bike.

Overall we really enjoyed it, but was an eye opener and surprising that the most knackering parts where the downhills. Didnt have a problem climbing all weekend.

Whites was WET yesterday, spent most of the climbing up through streams! Windy Point earned its name well too!

Fave sections where Hidden Valley, Sidewinder, Energy and Darkside from memory, but most where great.

Pics and vids being uploaded tonight hopefully, so you can see what we got up to.

Time to save for a full susser and get those arms, hands and wrists stronger! - Probably buy a Kango and go work on the roads for that!!

RussAlf

Excellent glad you had a good time BMJ (what is your name?), Afan sure is brilliant and puts a big big smile on your face. I said about the arm fatigue that what gets me too, i can make it 3/4s of the trail and top speed but then i have to hold back as i cant keep hold and concentrate, its something ive been working on to.

Agreed about the Wall climb is a bit dragging, the last sections Zig Zags is excellent though and well worht the climb i reckon. Whites climb is excellent,i really enjoy the technical climb. The black run really isnt that hard, but it is hard if you go over the big boulders rather than take the chicken runs, there are harder parts round surrey hills way. For sure though some sections of the other runs are harder than the black run but it all dependshow fast you go.

Look forward to seeing the vids and pics.

RussAlf

Andy and my ride was good today if abit wet and soggy. Andy had a few near death experiences, i had to close my eyes and one point. Nick you know that steep downhill from the tower, well andy practically did an endo down it. Sorry andy i had to mention it and his new name is Tree Hugger Andy did ride very well though and he did some sections that he didnt do last time, I was impressed!

p.s Five Tens and V8s are amazing.

p.p.s Andys saddle really is that HIGH.

RussAlf

stevet1992 wrote:

cheers for suggesting challock russ ( if that is your name :roll: )

had a great time
big cut down my leg though took a muddy part to fast :twisted:

No probs mate, yup Russ is my name! If you want any more maps or closer up ones feel free to ask ill make you up some.

Scars are cool,ive got loadss and loadsss.

Bmjboy

RussAlf wrote:

Excellent glad you had a good time BMJ (what is your name?), Afan sure is brilliant and puts a big big smile on your face. I said about the arm fatigue that what gets me too, i can make it 3/4s of the trail and top speed but then i have to hold back as i cant keep hold and concentrate, its something ive been working on to.

Agreed about the Wall climb is a bit dragging, the last sections Zig Zags is excellent though and well worht the climb i reckon. Whites climb is excellent,i really enjoy the technical climb. The black run really isnt that hard, but it is hard if you go over the big boulders rather than take the chicken runs, there are harder parts round surrey hills way. For sure though some sections of the other runs are harder than the black run but it all dependshow fast you go.

Look forward to seeing the vids and pics.

Cheers Russ (My name is Ben btw!) - Thats encouraging to know its not just us thinking we where the only ones suffering from arm fatigue then!

Yes Zig Zigs was fun also, but I recall having some pretty bad arm ache then so it affected everything I did and didnt enjoy it as much as I should have at my limit.

I think for me, Sidewinder really stands out purely due to the speed I managed to get down there, I really flew and had bags of confidence. Its rocky and shook the bejesus out of me, but that was the fun trying to hold on so much! Felt like it went on for ages and was a real treat. (plus the fact it was day one and I was fresh!)

By pure fluke of mechanics, Whites really wore my brake pads and lever pull came way into the bars - THIS actually eased my hand pain, and realised my overreaching on the brakelever could have contributed to the aching. I suggested to my friend Jim in the group to try the same and let the lever in slightly and he agreed it worked in helping the hands.

So when I fit my new Juicy 7 Carbons this weekend, I will ensure the lever is in towards the bars and not right out as Ive been used to since day 1. Just need an equally thrilling downhill to test them on in Kent! :roll:

Pics and vids Im working on, taking fooking ages!

stevet1992

Papa Smurf wrote:

impished wrote:

stevet1992 wrote:

cheers for suggesting challock russ ( if that is your name :roll: )

had a great time
big cut down my leg though took a muddy part to fast :twisted:

Don't forget to pick the scab so you get a decent scar :twisted:

So you can do an Ade and say "Oh I got this in Vietnam, got taken hostage and tortured for 3 days, it was nothing I couldn't handle"

haha dont think that would work with me for some reason :roll: 8)


just out of intrest as anyone ever rode up white hill all the way without stopping? :shock: i must of got 3/4 the way up and i had to get off either that or fall over sidewards :P

deadpool2e

Bmjboy wrote:

RussAlf wrote:

Excellent glad you had a good time BMJ (what is your name?), Afan sure is brilliant and puts a big big smile on your face. I said about the arm fatigue that what gets me too, i can make it 3/4s of the trail and top speed but then i have to hold back as i cant keep hold and concentrate, its something ive been working on to.

Agreed about the Wall climb is a bit dragging, the last sections Zig Zags is excellent though and well worht the climb i reckon. Whites climb is excellent,i really enjoy the technical climb. The black run really isnt that hard, but it is hard if you go over the big boulders rather than take the chicken runs, there are harder parts round surrey hills way. For sure though some sections of the other runs are harder than the black run but it all dependshow fast you go.

Look forward to seeing the vids and pics.

Cheers Russ (My name is Ben btw!) - Thats encouraging to know its not just us thinking we where the only ones suffering from arm fatigue then!

Yes Zig Zigs was fun also, but I recall having some pretty bad arm ache then so it affected everything I did and didnt enjoy it as much as I should have at my limit.

I think for me, Sidewinder really stands out purely due to the speed I managed to get down there, I really flew and had bags of confidence. Its rocky and shook the bejesus out of me, but that was the fun trying to hold on so much! Felt like it went on for ages and was a real treat. (plus the fact it was day one and I was fresh!)

By pure fluke of mechanics, Whites really wore my brake pads and lever pull came way into the bars - THIS actually eased my hand pain, and realised my overreaching on the brakelever could have contributed to the aching. I suggested to my friend Jim in the group to try the same and let the lever in slightly and he agreed it worked in helping the hands.

So when I fit my new Juicy 7 Carbons this weekend, I will ensure the lever is in towards the bars and not right out as Ive been used to since day 1. Just need an equally thrilling downhill to test them on in Kent! :roll:

Pics and vids Im working on, taking fooking ages!

Glad you enjoyed Afan we must arrange a mass XC in Kent Afan ride.

stevet1992

deadpool2e wrote:

Glad you enjoyed Afan we must arrange a mass XC in Kent Afan ride.

stupid question but where is afan :oops:

deadpool2e

So did Andy live up to his name ROBOANDY




Dont worry im board i will do some more (Nick ,Ade)

deadpool2e

Ok OK i had the chance for another one. get ready for nick the Mountain goat.






Sorry got to go to bed now, but Ade beware....muuuhhhhaaaaaa

andyturner28

RussAlf wrote:

Andy and my ride was good today if abit wet and soggy. Andy had a few near death experiences, i had to close my eyes and one point. Nick you know that steep downhill from the tower, well andy practically did an endo down it. Sorry andy i had to mention it and his new name is Tree Hugger Andy did ride very well though and he did some sections that he didnt do last time, I was impressed!

p.s Five Tens and V8s are amazing.

p.p.s Andys saddle really is that HIGH.

I like trees, trees are good,trees stop me going over the bars and falling down a 4 foot drop off :shock: That was funny though, i grabbed hold of one tree to stop me falling, carried on and ended up cuddleing another right on the edge of said drop off. That could have really hurt! I really need to get my weight back more, i kept forgetting or haveing the saddle too high and that is always where i stuff up. Think i will definately look into getting a Speedball soon, as sometimes i just couldn't be arsed to lower it! Realy enjoyed today thou, thanks Russ, I'll let you know when i am off on a Monday again so we can do it again.

Tree hugger

andyturner28

deadpool2e wrote:

So did Andy live up to his name ROBOANDY




Dont worry im board i will do some more (Nick ,Ade)

Ahahahah nice one Mark, that's brilliant I might use that as my avatar But where did you get "Roboandy from, have i missed something? :?

pittpony

Glad you guys had a good ride today. There's a lot of Surrey some of us missed out on during the big ride a while back that i'm sure is within our capabilities. I remember the steep bit near the tower and remember i didn't ride it last time so next time i want to drop the saddle and go for it. I know some of the other bits i rode after were equally tough or harder and i managed (most of) those OK, with one rather large exception

Love the pics Mark, you having a quiet evening then??

deadpool2e

andyturner28 wrote:

But where did you get "Roboandy from, have i missed something? :?

661 pressure suit comes to mind.........

Bmjboy

Hi All - Pics are up


Just FYI, Left to Right : Andy, Rob, ME (Ben), Jim

Couple of hundred pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmjboy/sets/72157608422561696/

All videos now on there!

Would welcome your comments!

Papa Smurf

deadpool2e wrote:

Nick the Mountain goat.

:twisted:

deadpool2e

Bmjboy wrote:

Hi All - Pics are up


Just FYI, Left to Right : Andy, Rob, ME (Ben), Jim

Couple of hundred pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmjboy/

1 Video on there, another 4 or 5 to upload.

Would welcome your comments!

Looks like you had a wicked time. I want to go back now.......

Looks like you had a bad day of rain

pittpony

deadpool2e wrote:

Looks like you had a wicked time. I want to go back now.......

Looks like you had a bad day of rain

Yep, looks like a great (if slightly wet!) trip you had there 8)

Can't wait to get back there!!

Bmjboy

Yep, Sunday was a wash-out - the Whites Climb was upstream in a few places, REALLY flowing down the tracks. Didnt put us off though, although it did get cold as we cleverly stopped for a snack after the Black Run at Windy Point (not a good choice of picnic spot!)

We where otherwise very lucky with the weather on Fri and Sat, so cant complain too much.

Nothing spoiled our weekend, wouldve taken much more than a bit of rain to put us off!

Some vids are now showing on the same link, couple more to go of the black run section.

Our cottage was also excellent, take a look at the purpose built bike storage/wash down area - a real godsend!

RussAlf

Great vids and pics Ben, looks like you had alot of fun! Shame about the weather but looks like you got some good days in aswell. Just watching your videos now.

Andy, i think a gravity droper is not the answer, even if you drop the saddle but dont move your weight back your still be in the same position. You just need to get used to riding with your saddle lower on technical rides, i have my saddle set slightly lower than "optimum" race position so i get that much more movement around, mark does this aswell.

andyturner28

RussAlf wrote:

Great vids and pics Ben, looks like you had alot of fun! Shame about the weather but looks like you got some good days in aswell. Just watching your videos now.

Andy, i think a gravity droper is not the answer, even if you drop the saddle but dont move your weight back your still be in the same position. You just need to get used to riding with your saddle lower on technical rides, i have my saddle set slightly lower than "optimum" race position so i get that much more movement around, mark does this aswell.

Yeah i think i will just do that whenever i am riding somewhere like Surry, i want a new frame first anyway. The trouble is even with the saddle in the optimum climbing position i am still shite uphill at the moment! Oh well, i am back to riding every day again so hopefully this will improve. Bloody cold tonight though!

andyturner28

deadpool2e wrote:

andyturner28 wrote:

But where did you get "Roboandy from, have i missed something? :?

661 pressure suit comes to mind.........

Oh yeah

impished

Nice pics Bmjboy 8) I soooo wanna go to Afan again.
I'm assuming the bridge-crash-pic was a mock-up

Come on guys, when we going again?

andyturner28

Nick/Ade- are you two riding tomorrow?

pittpony

I'm most likely going to have to give tomorrow a miss. I've come down with what Ade had so am probably going to be having a day on the sofa :?

impished

andyturner28 wrote:

Nick/Ade- are you two riding tomorrow?

My nose is still dripping like a leaky tap at the moment and I'm trying to OD on lemsips. Defo be good for a couple of night rides next week.

Bmjboy

impished wrote:

Nice pics Bmjboy 8) I soooo wanna go to Afan again.
I'm assuming the bridge-crash-pic was a mock-up

Come on guys, when we going again?

Thanks - I assumed that the "Bridge Crash" shot was almost obligitory? - I didnt want to let the Kent XC collective down, so my friend Andy happily obliged!

I think we are discussing going around April/May time once xmas is paid off and its a tad warmer.

From the lessons learned this time around, hopefully we will improve on an already great weekend in terms of biking.

pittpony

I think my bridge indiscretions are fast becoming legend! Nice attempt at recreating the pose - if i have to be hyper-critical the bike (and rider) should have been lodged in the bridge a little more Oh and there should have been several other riders piled up behind

Sorry about tonight Andy - definitely won't be riding as i'm still not feeling good

Bmjboy

pittpony wrote:

I think my bridge indiscretions are fast becoming legend! Nice attempt at recreating the pose - if i have to be hyper-critical the bike (and rider) should have been lodged in the bridge a little more Oh and there should have been several other riders piled up behind

Was it the right bridge? (I know it was the same one from the other mock crash picture)

Not meaning to take the "rise" but that was a very grippy bridge, I could understand some slippage on the wooden one at Glyncorwg ponds!

I have the right hump this week, I think I have post Afan blues.

Ive just given a right earful to a cold calling "recruitment agency" on the phone - poor lass didnt know what hit her!