Sunday 11 April 2010

Darlington - Hamsterley Group Ride - Darlington

Rode the Inbred out to Hamsterley to join the monthly Trailblazers group ride. I seem to be able to manage 20kmph fairly consistently on the 50" gear (even riding home into a pig of a head wind with big, draggy tyres), which bodes well for 'races' like the Kielder 100 and Hit The North.



The club ride was really good. Great group of people of all abilities, some nice long climbs and some technical stuff too. Got a good pounding from the rocks and roots now that I'm getting a bit faster, and actually had a hand cramping on the ride home. Group rides are always stop-start, but they give me a chance to ride stuff that's much more technical than I'd ride alone, and are good fun so well worth going on. We rode up to the top of Black Hill, then down Dangerous Descent before following the Red route backwards for a while before riding a really steep descent that almost had me over the bars and then heading to the end of the Black from the DH huts.

Had a couple of mystery punctures. Think they were caused by running 'normal' size tubes in 2.4" tyres, at low pressure while braking hard.

Distance: 106km (maps: home to Hamsterley, group ride, Hamsterley to Woodland, Woodland to home (phone crashed, so two tracks))
Time: out of the house for 9 hours, riding for just over 8 (2:11 out, 3:45 (very stop-start) for club ride, 2:15 home)
Surface: road - off-road - road
Weather: Sunny, warm
Bike: SS Inbred (32:17, with 2.4" tyres)

Saturday 3 April 2010

Darlington - Dales Bike Centre - Barnard Castle - Darlington

Rode the Solitude out to Dales Bike Centre, then home via (almost) Tan Hill and Barnard Castle. My original plan was to go via Hamsterley too, to get to 100 miles, but I couldn't feel my feet at Barnard Castle after the hail-filled puddles on the track to Bowes.

Sheltering from the hail

Once I'd warmed up at home, I felt fine. Sure I could manage the Hamsterley bit too.

Distance: 115km (maps: 44km from home to Dales Bike Centre, 39km from DBC to Barnard Castle and 32km from Barnard Castle to Home)
Time: 7:50 (2:36 out, 50 mins for coffee, 2:40 to B'd Castle, 1:40 home)
Surface: Mainly road, with bits of easy off-road
Weather: Sunny, wet, hail...
Bike: SS Solitude monstercross (34:18, with 1.6″ tyres)