HITCHIN ...... are you there ?

warm18

ill be interested in a meet up in the ny when im back. im just north of hitchin. would be good to get out for a thrash, i dont know the local area enough for xc. will be making regular trips to chicksands too.

johnhighfield

Hi All

We are back in business after a Christmas / holidays break........

2nd Jan @ 8.30 outside the Pine Hill Hospital in Hitchin for a 2 - 2.5 hour trek around the tracks!

All welcome - PM me so I know to expect you!

John

alcooker

Hi John,

Only just checked my email so missed this but thanks for the heads up. I'm getting over mild flu anyway so wouldn't have gone out today. Had the bike build finished for about 10 days now, so busting to actually ride it.

Cheers,
Alex

johnhighfield

Hi All

A good ride to start the year off! 4 of us out & did about 17mi on some slippery tracks.

I have given a link to the ride on 'mapmyride' website that does not really do justice as the tracks are not shown. The Fly-By video feature may be interesting.....

http://classic.mapmyride.com/ride/unite ... 7120923337

If you are up for it - see you next Sunday @ 8.30 outside the Pine Hill Hospital in Hitchin. PM me to ensure you are expected.

John

alcooker

Hmmm, looks like I might need to be buying a 10 speed cassette and derailleur this week, running my current single gear 32x16 on that route is going to kill me.

Here's a map I came across earlier, looks like you might have done some of the tracks.


http://www.sillygrin.co.uk/routes/Hitchin-W-Pirton-20m.pdf

johnhighfield

Hi Alex

We do lots of rides around the Offley / Lilley area - all slight variations - given the myriad of tracks. One of us, Mark. knows them really well.

You mention your single speed - but one of us Andrew, - usually rides a 29er single speed - but I dont know the ratios.....

Regards - John

paulbox

johnhighfield wrote:

Hi All

A good ride to start the year off! 4 of us out & did about 17mi on some slippery tracks.

Looks like a good loop John, particularly from mile 8 onwards...

I've done my back in but will be in touch when back in the saddle.

johnhighfield

Another great ride this morning - Sunday 13th Feb.

Apart from a few spots - the forcast rain stayed away & left us to contend with some of squelchy tracks around North Herts - although not as bad a a few weeks ago when it was like riding through a quagmire!

We did about 16mi in the 2 hours we were out & Mark took us on a tour linking some of the tracks up around Little Wymondly, St Ippollyts, Little Almshoe, Preston, Charlton & back to Hitchin.

We are out every Sunday @ 8.30, for about 2 hours, from Pine Hill in Hitchin if anyone else is interested......
Just give me a PM. John

patchesuk

Hey Fellas,

I live in Baldock, would am keen too get involved in some local rides! I do most types of riding from DH to XC to road; so am up for anything.

I tend to ride further afield at the moment but could do with doing some rides closer to home.

Would be appreciated if I could tag along sometime?

Clint.

johnhighfield

Hi Clint

Your most welcome!
Were out most Sundays but have missed the odd one recently - because of commitments & partly because the weather has been so bad..... re the MUD..

We should be out this Sunday - if your interested..

8.30am outside Pine hIll hospital for about 2 hours. POM me if your coming.
Regards - John

patchesuk

johnhighfield


Hi John,

Cheers for the reply... and that thank you for letting me tag along. I'll definatley be there. Do you know if there are places I can leave a car around there? I'm planning on riding Aston Hill in the afternoon so will have hte DH bike in the car too. Assuming that you're planning an XC ride?

Clint.

alcooker

Hi Guys,

Just sent a text out to some of you about tomorrow. I'm up for riding, well trying. I've had a cold since coming back to UK, so lacking on the energy front. I do have some new mud tyres to try out, but I reckon it's going to really wet out there.

Clint, you can park your car where we meet, it's safe enough, but I only live a minute away so if you'd rather put your bike in my garage, you're welcome.

Alex

patchesuk

Cheers for the offer Alex.... should be ok in the car I guess. If a little XC I was doing in Sheffield earlier in the week is to go by... it's going to be very very muddy.... and fun!

See you there.

Clint.

orange j

Hi All, message for Clint. If Your planning a trip to Aston Hill , beware its very unforgiving at the moment due to the lovely weather . The roots especially lots of them . I was there iast week and had a couple of hairy moments ........ Enjoy :twisted:


I'll try to meet up with you guys soon I'm in Totternhoe ,South Beds and do Woburn very often. How is chicksands rated?


Hope to see soon Jay.

alcooker

Hi Jay,

I think Chicksands is awesome, I'm not a great rider but i do have mates that are very good, they'll happily come to Chicksands from Brighton, London and Sheffield. There's a fee of £5, I'm sure some people don't pay, but for the effort the guys put in to maintaining the tracks, £5 is fair enough. The tracks are not long as it's only a small wood, I reckon from about 30 seconds on the dual track, but you'll be smiling big time after it and you can do it again after a small uphill walk. There's a 4x track and a few tracks inc a mini downhill. Northshore area too and usually a Thai food van there. Get yourself up the A6, it'll only take you 25 mins from your place.

Al

patchesuk

Yeah, chicksands is pretty good... although I miss the northshore they had there! Although I hear they have re-vamped alot of the dual trails over the winter.

Cheers for the heads up Jay. I goto aston hill pretty regularly. I need it muddy and wet at the moment to train for the last winter races... although I don;t seem to be getting any better!

orange j

Thanks for the recommendations guys , I'll be sure to get up there in a couple of weeks! I was at Woburn Sands this morning and doing a bike demo next week ,so hopefully the weather will be better!!!


Enjoy the rest of your winter races Clint


Jay 8)

johnhighfield

Great ride again this morning!!

It was good to have Clint with us - from the forum - & the mud did not seen too bad this morning as the sun was out & it was a very pleasant day.

Did 20 miles in about two and a half hours in a variatiion of the Charlton Offley Lilley Pirton loop.

We'll be out next Sunday again from the Pine Hills Hospital in Hitchin @ 8.30am if anyone else is interested.

John

johnhighfield

Hitchin Sunday riders are taking on the MK off-road on Saturday 12th.

We are leaving Hitchin about 7am to start the ride at about 8.30. 5 of us are presently doing it (the 25mi) & if anyone else is interested - transport is available!

Check out the EVANS website & PM me if your interested!

John

paulbox

Hi John, are you guys riding this Sunday?

I am currently free and have secured the use of the Mrs' motor for the morning.

johnhighfield

Hi Paul

We should be out.....we missed out last Sunday (which was unusual) as 5 of us did the Evans off-road in Milton Keynes on saturday. This was a brilliant outing & it was interesting to swap the Herts mud for some of the sand around Woburn Sands...

We normally do a text around on Saturday night to confirm who will be out as some are variously on holiday or racing. If you PM me your mobile number I will text you to confirm were out.

Regards - John

paulbox

Cheers mate, you have PM.

paulbox

Cheers John, enjoyed the ride today.

Please pass on my thanks to the rest of the guys.

Paul.

noggs

It may be worth you having a look here http://www.sillygrin.co.uk/ if you're short of a ride as we ride the Hitchin and surrounding areas on a regular basis. Saying that Pirton tends to be a Summer ride as the mud can be quite soul destroying .

We ride a couple of times a week throughout the year with plenty of away days to the good stuff

johnhighfield

Hi Noggs

Thanks for the input. I read the SillyGrin website regularly & hope to ride with you sometime. I know some of your rides start from Pirton so we do overlap.

OTT who ride out from Harpenden are also worth checking out & riding with & also have an excellent website (http://www.ottmountainbike.co.uk/index.html). I have ridden out with them & they are an excellent group - and they also ride up around Whitwell & Hitchin and overlap on where we ride.

We had an excellent ride out on Sunday - again around the Lilley Offley area with DRY trails - NO MUD and only dust to wash off afterwards. This has been the dryest day of the year so far....

We had 7 out with us wth 2 off racing so our numbers are growing...so if anyone else is interested - meet us on Saudays at Pine Hills Hospital @ 8.30am.

Regards - John

noggs

Hello John, it would be good to meet up some time.

Incidently we're riding from Pirton tonight if anyone is around we're meeting at the motte & bailey at 6:30, lights will be needed for the final hour still.

cancelled as we're off to chicky as it's too wet for some. :roll:

evo3ben

Hi John, are u riding this sunday from Pine Hill? If so i will def be there

johnhighfield

Hi evo3ben

Yep - we will be out!
I canvassed interest in doing the Evans 'Ride-it' off road in Woking on saturday but all of our sunday riders are busy - so there should be a good turn out on Sunday....

I just hope the rain hasn't created too much of that horrible mud again!!

See you Sunday - John

evo3ben

Thats great John cheers Went out for a ride today around pirton, offley etc and trails are still bone dry 8) any idea what route you are doing?

johnhighfield

Hi evo3ben

Some of the others, Mark in particilar, know the tracks far better tham me & we normally decide on the morming where we are going. Its all in his head & we tend to do variations on variations - so the exact same route is rarely done twice.

We normally ride in the area Ickleford - Pirton - Offley - Preston - Whitwell - Langley (towards Stevenage) - Gravely - Weston. Altough I have the odd route that takes us up towards Arlsey - Stortfold - Radwell - Bygrave.

We do a 2.5hr ride & cover about 20mi when the going is good - starting at Pine Hills Hospital at 8.30am & normally peel off at the end & go their seperate ways as we dont all live in Hitchin.

See you Sunday - John