bit foggy on’t tops

Posted on April 18, 2008 by Jase

50 miles on the road last night. Didn’t set off until 8:30 again so it was getting very late by the time I got back. Pretty good route though, over to Bury, then Rochdale, Milnrow, Newhey, over the hill to Denshaw then across the foggy, wet and windy moors to Ripponden. A climb up to Blackstone Edge then a drop down to Littleborough. That descent was awesome last night. All the high level roads were shrouded in thick cloud, as soon as I started to ride downhill though the mist cleared and I had a great view of the lights of Rochdale whilst taking the fastest lines through all the bends in the road.

Disaster struck late in the ride where my rear light packed in. I thought it was a battery problem but inspection this morning has revealed it’s full of water! WTF?? Anyway, that made the final 15 miles or so interesting to say the least. What kind of mong goes for a 50 mile bike ride, on the road, in the dark, with no backup light? All I could think about were severe spinal injuries, that dead cyclist in Moss Side and The Darwin Awards.

Almost 3 hours dead for the whole ride, which wasn’t too bad.

no chickens

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Jase

I had a ride around the HTN course last night, mainly to see if there’s an existing “chicken run” around the bombhole section for those of a nervous disposition.

There isn’t one. All the other trails through that wood are steep, rutted and rooty and have an equal chance of scaring the bejeesus out of someone as the bombhole itself.

It’s looking like a shovel job.

Last night was the first weekday ride I’ve done this year where I set off in (almost) daylight. I enjoyed only 10 minutes of light before the lights had to come on but it was very encouraging all the same.

Peaks road ride (again)

Posted on April 13, 2008 by Jase

45 miles (road)

I rode the usual Macc-Pott Shrigley-Hayfield-Glossop-home route in reverse today. It seems to be easier that way around, certainly faster anyway. Still pretty hilly but I reckon all the shallower gradients are South to North. Not too windy, some sunshine, averaged about 20mph, didn’t get lost and didn’t crash.

‘Andsome.

Hit the North preview 2

Posted on April 12, 2008 by Jase

We had to give some potential new bits of the course a coat of looking at today. There’s a long tarmac bit that’s hopefully now uneccesary as it will be (subject to the nice man from the council saying “aye”) replaced by a longish singletrack climb with some wooden bits (!) and plenty of roots. Andy, me and Warren were joined by a group of riders who had either entered or were thinking of doing so – one guy had travelled down from Penrith, almost a 200 mile round trip, to see the course. I didn’t count, but I reckon there was 12 or 15 riders altogether.

I shot a brief vid of the bombhole being ridden..

Despite the wet weather and the inevitable mud and slipperyness, there was a universal thumbs up for the course that’s got us all optimistic and chuffed. Everyone seemed really enthusiastic in fact.

Dress the North

Posted on April 10, 2008 by Jase

I went for a run earlier in the rain. It was ok, a pleasant change in fact, apart from a weird pain in my thigh…perhaps caused by a brief cartoon character episode when I almost found myself on my arse in a pool of deep mud.

Warren’s done a great design for the HTN t shirts. We’re kind of taking sort of preorders over on the main site now. Buy buy buy! They look bloody gorgeous.