Group Ride Sherwood Pines Sun 30th Sep'18
Comments
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I have just heard from Sniper68 that him and his lad have been volunteered into a running race that day.
Now we are down to 4 definite riders plus 2 possibles! That means even fewer chances of losing anyone!
Me + 2, + 1 possible
Zagora
Aaron1979 possible
What a shame, it's going to be a great day out. Anyone else want to join in?0 -
Steve, im still on for the ride next weekend although ill have to get away by 2pm.
It's a shame some have dropped out, as you say the conditions should be perfect as its dry and warm all next week.
I'll try and muster up a few friends who ride occasionally 0 -
Zagora wrote: Steve, im still on for the ride next weekend although ill have to get away by 2pm.
It's a shame some have dropped out, as you say the conditions should be perfect as its dry and warm all next week.
I'll try and muster up a few friends who ride occasionally
That's great.
All are welcome, but be careful who you invite. The group will proceed at the pace of the slowest (on average), but if they are too slow we all end up waiting and cooling down and it starts to take the fun out of the day. I reckon my fit 11-year old grandson could keep up (he's good), but we once had a guy bring his wife along. She turned up on a shopper bike complete with basket. She could not go any faster than "saunter". They wisely volunteered to do their own thing after a mile, very sensible.
I'll be there today with a mate. We are meeting ready to ride at the cafe veranda at 10:30. Anyone who reads this in time can come along. 0 -
Zagora wrote: Steve, im still on for the ride next weekend although ill have to get away by 2pm.
It's a shame some have dropped out, as you say the conditions should be perfect as its dry and warm all next week.
I'll try and muster up a few friends who ride occasionally
I really would liked to have made it, I enjoyed the last one very much, I was at the Pines yesterday and the trails felt great even with all the recent rain, very few puddles and quite solid under tyre still.
I did see a nasty accident in the bike park, middle aged gent who got it wrong on the camel back jumps and face planted, he did come around and was taken away by ambulance - if you come on here, hope you are feeling well soon.Bossnut V2
Levo FSR Comp0 -
I was passing just after the ambulance arrived. We must have been close by to each other at the time.
I was rehearsing the planned ride with a mate who will be coming along. He knows Pines but I wanted him to know in advance where the new stuff is. And I wanted his opinion too. All good!
On the planned-to-be new section of Blue trail, there was a newly fallen tree across the trail (from the recent storm). I nearly always carry a folding saw, so it only took us 10 mins to saw off enough bits for us to drag it off the trail.
The few puddles and damp bits we came across will all be gone by Sunday. 0 -
Yes,unfortunately my lad,nephew and FIL had(unbeknown to me) entered me in the Robin Hood Mini-Marathon :roll:
I knew they were doing it as they did it last year but as I've recently taken to running a couple of times a week they entered me too
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I was out on Tuesday and again today. Not the whole route, just bits of it and other sections that we won't be doing this time, but maybe next time.
The trails are mostly very slightly damp, which means they are grippy!
The forecast for Sunday is no rain, cloudy and 14 degC, so nice and comfy for a ride!
Anyone can take part, there is no need to have told me in advance.
Final reminder:
Sunday 30th Sep, meet at 10:00, ready to ride, by the veranda at the front of the cafe.
The new parking system is now working, so it scans your reg number when you enter. No need to get a ticket or do anything until you are ready to leave. The pay station asks for your reg number, you pay what it asks, then you leave. The barrier scans your reg and lifts out of the way.0 -
steve_sordy wrote:I was out on Tuesday and again today. Not the whole route, just bits of it and other sections that we won't be doing this time, but maybe next time.
The trails are mostly very slightly damp, which means they are grippy!
The forecast for Sunday is no rain, cloudy and 14 degC, so nice and comfy for a ride!
Anyone can take part, there is no need to have told me in advance.
Final reminder:
Sunday 30th Sep, meet at 10:00, ready to ride, by the veranda at the front of the cafe.
The new parking system is now working, so it scans your reg number when you enter. No need to get a ticket or do anything until you are ready to leave. The pay station asks for your reg number, you pay what it asks, then you leave. The barrier scans your reg and lifts out of the way.
Unless you have a Discovery Pass for Pines - you can just drive straight out (as long as your car reg is registered to your membership). If you use the machine it will tell you to pay £6."Ride, crash, replace"0 -
Hope you had a good ride guys!Boardman Pro FS 650b | Boardman Team 29er HT | Specialized Tricross Sport0
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Blokie13 wrote:Hope you had a good ride guys!
We had a great ride Blokie, perfect conditions and a lovely cool temperature.
A special thank you to Steve for organising and leading today and thanks also to Jason and Tony for their company. I know I wouldn't have attempted most of the big drop offs without you guys being there.....
I'm looking forward to the next one 0 -
Yep, it was great! The company of four got along just great but despite me saying "don't allow yourself to be jollied along into attempting an obstacle that you are not comfortable with", I ignored myself!!
As promised, we crossed over the old railway track bed (no rails anymore) and out of the Forestry Commission controlled area. When the railway cuttings are dug out well over 100 years ago, the spoil was dumped to one side. So when we got to the top of that we were looking down a 45 degree tree-covered slope from about 60' up. Add in a few holes and it looked a bit tricky. I didn't even fancy pushing back up! But when everyone else does it and makes it look easy, what's a guy going to do!
A bit further on we had a heavily rutted and very loose descent through trees towards a stone shelf. On the left of the shelf was an overhang into 6' of brambles, on the right was a wall of brambles, straight on was a 4' stone slope at about 60 degrees dropping onto a couple of feet of sloping gravel, before exiting onto the floor of the old track bed in the cutting. It looked bad enough from the bottom, but from the top it was OMG. :shock: We all did it and it felt PDG.
If you discount Tony spiking himself with his pedal when he lost his footing on a steep rutted descent, then we all escaped without injury of any kind. The consensus was that we all felt like we'd had a bloody good ride out.
Half way round I drank one of those 60ml caffeine laced "energy" drinks. My late apologies to my riding companions for talking like a loon for the rest of the ride. :oops: I didn't get to sleep until after 01:00 the next day!
Tony took some pics and put them on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonyb_191 ... 117326255/0 -
Blokie13 wrote:Hope you had a good ride guys!
Great thanks! (see my post)
How is your shoulder getting on, and when will you be getting back on the bike?0 -
steve_sordy wrote:Blokie13 wrote:Hope you had a good ride guys!
Great thanks! (see my post)
How is your shoulder getting on, and when will you be getting back on the bike?
Thanks for asking Steve.
Had the 5th (!!) steroid injection, this time directly into the outside joint of the shoulder under guided ultrasound 2 weeks ago and see the Consultant again tomorrow.
It's marginally better post the latest injection, but not to the level I was hoping for, and certainly not improved to the point I can get back on the bike yet :-(
I think he's going to say just give it more time unfortunately, so can't see me getting on a bike this year so will have been out for at least a year :-(Boardman Pro FS 650b | Boardman Team 29er HT | Specialized Tricross Sport0 -
That is so unlucky.
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This look like a good laugh. I'm only 50 mins South of SP so will look to join you guys if it happens again this year.0
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Steve needs to pull his finger out and sort one
Maybe we'll see the e-bike in all its glory...."Ride, crash, replace"0 -
BillyCool wrote:Steve needs to pull his finger out and sort one
Maybe we'll see the e-bike in all its glory....
Hmmm, I thought I had answered yonny on this topic. It must be those electrical waves emanating from my new emtb interfering with my memory!!
Yep yonny, I only do two organised Forum rides per year as otherwise I would outstay my welcome! I used to do them regularly on the MBR Forum until that wound up and I have only done one with Bike Radar. It is surprising how many riders won't come out if the weather looks a bit damp on the morning of the ride, even if they live 100 miles away and the sun is shining at Pines! So I normally have them in late Spring and late Summer.
In the past, my legs and knees were being worn down to bloody stumps trying to keep up with the fast guys and the Energizer bunnies that turn up. So I finally took the plunge and bought an emtb! No more excuses Sordy!
So, is there much enthusiasm for a Forum Ride then?
So far I think there is 4-8:
yonny,
898kor +2 (his sons)
Billy Cool +1 (he normally brings someone)
me + 1 (maybe more)
Sunday seems to be the better day based upon what has been preferred in the past.0 -
Sundays work best for me. I can usually manage +1.
C'mon Steve - you've not done one is AGES "Ride, crash, replace"0 -
BillyCool wrote:..............
C'mon Steve - you've not done one is AGES
It's best to keep 'em wanting more!
You wouldn't want me begging for you to turn up now would you! :shock:0 -
I've enjoyed the two forum rides i've been on Steve so i'll come along.
I've not riden for about 3 months, too much work in Nov/Dec, moving house at Christmas and a three week holiday in Thailand....I need to get some miles done!
What's happening at pines at the moment? I'm thinking of going next week if i'm not working. Are all the trails open? Is the new red/blue trail open now?0 -
Zagora wrote:.................
What's happening at pines at the moment? I'm thinking of going next week if i'm not working. Are all the trails open? Is the new red/blue trail open now?
Yes the trails are open, although the old red trail in the Bike Park was closed at least for today (for maintenance I believe). The new changes to the blue and red trails are not live yet. I have no idea when, but I believe it's a budget thing. The trails are ready to go, but they need inspecting and signing off, for which an external "expert" needs paying to carry out the work.
I was at Pines today with an emtb buddy. I will not need to clean my bike after today's outing. The weather was superb, warm, dry, sunny and with slightly damp but grippy trails. The forecast is for the same dry(ish) weather to continue for the next ten days, so get yourself out there!
For some time now, I have been thinking about developing a new trail from the highest point of the blue trail next(ish) to the bike park down to the old railway track bed. I have been looking for a slanting three level descent of about 50' across a few hundred yards. Well that was the plan. Instead we found something that has most of those features, namely the location, the three levels, and the 50' descent, but spread over only 8-10 yards. So it's a bit steep! But it has saved me from hours of bramble & shrubbery clearance, so it's a winner!
We pushed our emtbs up the trail (gosh! they are heavy), identified where the start was from the blue trail and then rode down. The entry point needs some work before you can just flow smoothly into it, but it rides well as long as you keep your sphincter tightly clenched! I actually pushed the O-ring almost completely off my shock!
In line with my guided ride principles, this feature is rollable! And if it is not rollable it is avoidable! The avoidance route is a couple of hundred yards away, but easily found.
Are you getting excited yet! :roll:
If you are up for it, I could ride with you next week. Any day Wed 20th - Fri 22nd0 -
I was hoping the new re-routed red and blue trails would be open by now but not surprised to hear they're still awaiting an 'expert' to sign them off.
I'm going to do a few laps of Grafham Water over the weekend and will go to Pines next week, i'll let you now which day Steve ☺0 -
I'm planning to take advantage of the drier weather and do Pines Sunday 24th if anyone is around. I'll be with a mate and will do the red, session a few bits (bike park) and probably try (and fail) to find some off-piste.
Expect to start at 10am'ish."Ride, crash, replace"0 -
BillyCool wrote:I'm planning to take advantage of the drier weather and do Pines Sunday 24th if anyone is around. I'll be with a mate and will do the red, session a few bits (bike park) and probably try (and fail) to find some off-piste.
Expect to start at 10am'ish.
Sorry Billy Cool, I can't go on Sunday. Have fun!
To go straight to the trenches, follow these directions: (KGIASL = keep going in a straight line)
Head for the Blue trail and instead of turning right onto it at post 1, go straight past it.
KGIASL until you hit the 3-bar fence about 100 yards further on.
Go around the fence to the right and KGIASL on the single track through an open field.
Cross the road and head into the woods, KGIASL
You will have to detour around a fallen tree, but apart from that KGIASL.
Follow the singletrack through the woods until you come to post 15 on the red.
Cross the red trail and KGIASL.
Cross the road and into the woods. KGIASL!
First up on your right will be the entrance to the up and down trench, or you could save that for later.
Bypass the up and down trench and KGIASL until you come to the zig-zag trenches.
By now, you should remember where you are because you've done it so many times!
Once you leave the three zig-zag trenches, take the second left. It's a climb out of the trench. (This is trench central!)
KGIASL until you come to the road.
Cross the road and you are into the maze of trenches.
You are on your own now! Have fun and don't get lost for too long. 0 -
Thanks Steve - I might have to write pace notes!"Ride, crash, replace"0
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BillyCool wrote:Thanks Steve - I might have to write pace notes!
You will remember it all as you do it. It should take you no more than 15 mins to get to the bit where you can decide to save the up and down trench for later.0 -
I love those trenches!"Ride, crash, replace"0
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Sundays are much better for me.
Off topic (loosely related to e-bikes)-
Went to Dalby yesterday, perfect weather, dry and 12°c with some damp on the ground in places... We did the red route - about 21miles. As I was the only e-bike, out of fairness I turned off the battery for the long fire road climbs (if you've been, you know which ones I mean) and I kept it turned off for one trail also.
E-bikes are really heavy then - the weight of the bike and the extra drag of the 2.8" Tyres made those climbs leg screamers.
Pleased I did it though - finished with the last 10% of battery flashing. A woman on a Giant was getting range anxiety with 6 miles to go - battery reporting 4 miles.Bossnut V2
Levo FSR Comp0 -
steve_sordy wrote:[...........
For some time now, I have been thinking about developing a new trail from the highest point of the blue trail next(ish) to the bike park down to the old railway track bed. I have been looking for a slanting three level descent of about 50' across a few hundred yards. Well that was the plan. Instead we found something that has most of those features, namely the location, the three levels, and the 50' descent, but spread over only 8-10 yards. So it's a bit steep! But it has saved me from hours of bramble & shrubbery clearance, so it's a winner!
................
Ref the above, I took my 11-year old grandson there today to have a go on his 26" HT. He is definitely good enough to do it, he just needed the confidence to attempt it. If you break down the descent into its components, he has collectively done far harder stuff. He has done steeper and rougher stuff, with bigger steps. But the height of the descent is intimidating. He walked down it to see what was there and discovered two tree stumps near the bottom that I hadn't noticed. Neither of us had noticed the overhanging rock shelf to the other side of "the tree". Hmmm. :roll:
After much humming and hawing and a few false starts, he was off! The rock shelf is about 9-10 feet in height from the bottom and it has a layer of soft soil on top. He hit that with his brakes full on and built up a raft of soil under each tyre, lost his steering and went the wrong side of "the tree". The side that has a 3 feet drop off the rock shelf into 6 feet or so of brambles. His front wheel dropped, his chain ring hit the edge and he went OTB big style. A lot of yelling and screaming resulted and I shot down to the bottom to find him flat on his back wrapped up in brambles with his bike on top of his head. He was lucky not to get a disc burn to his face. Apart from hurt pride and a quite a few bramble thorns to remove, it was mostly shock that bothered him. He had been properly winded when he fell, but after 10 mins or so recovery time, he was ready for another go. But I said to wait until next time. (His internal organs were probably still quivering)! I got him to practice cadence braking on soft wet turf on the way back! I had shown him before but he'd forgotten. I doubt he'll forget again!
He told his Mum and Dad that he'd had a fantastic time! (phew).0
