The chase
It’s the middle of the night. It’s cold; I can see my breath on the air. Yet here we are, deep in the forest, cutting a swathe through the blanket of leaves. The three of us, lights burning away the...
View ArticleRéunion
The time had come. No turning back now. I was set for a front row start in a race format I had never entered before. There were 160 riders all starting at the same time on a 50-minute downhill. Andrew...
View ArticleThe return of the Prophet
A little over a month ago, I bought some replacement shock bushings for the Cannondale. I took the bike apart only to discover they were the wrong size. GAH! The following day, a replacement for the...
View ArticleVoodoo people
Let’s rewind a few weeks. My Cannondale was unridable (everything was falling off of it), my Cove was just plain unsafe (and still is) and there was no way in hell I was going to ride cross-country on...
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Tarw
Coed y Brenin rocks, quite literally. I spent the weekend up there with a bunch of friends, old and new. The trails are rockier than just about anywhere else I’ve ridden in the UK, save perhaps Fort...
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An ice-cold stream
Well that was expensive. I burned through a set of disc pads, put a hole in the side of my shoe and to top it all off, I somehow punctured my camelbak’s bladder. That’s a comfortable feeling, let me...
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Qualifier
This isn’t right. I’m getting nervous. I wasn’t expecting the nerves. It might have something to do with where I am. 2800 metres above sea level, on my bike, lined up amongst 200 other riders. We’re...
View ArticlePromo
“There was this massive log-jam in the first corner, couldn’t see what caused it.“ “Yeah, that’d be me.” It was an adventure just getting to the start. Alpe d’Huez was a dark grey that morning, with...
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Progression
You ride in and it all feels fine for the first couple of corners. You’ve got a nagging doubt though. They say Brendan Fairclough built this trail so he could practise for Champery (widely regarded as...
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Guak!
Picture the scene: It’s the evening before the Megavalanche qualifier. We’ve all returned from a day of riding and a few of use are out on the balcony, fettling bikes. One of the guys staying on the...
View ArticleTwice
I nearly always bring a bike when I come back to Guildford, but I never seem to actually ride the thing. Last time I was all set for a ride with Raoul before realising my helmet was still in...
View ArticleThings you don’t want to hear when you’re out night biking
Me: Was that rain? Or maybe snow? Brett: Neither. I blew my nose. Me: AARGHH! NOOOO!
View ArticleMagic people
I broke a gear cable on the Cannondale, so when last tuesday’s Hotsingletrack ride rolled around, Tim very kindly lent me his classic Voodoo. We met up with the others on Leckhampton Hill in the...
View ArticleKnee pads
We’re at Betws-y-coed, riding the Marin trail on a damp Monday afternoon. It’s the final leg of Alex’s stag weekend, which has involved the fantastic Penmachno trails, gorge walking, a crazy tree-top...
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