STW Weekender - Lee Quarry Rocks!!

Apologies. Yep, an entirely predictable pun. Having missed the first two, I decided that the third was a definite. Only ... I didn't have a bike with me. My kids and me and some Ernest Press/Bike Maps books were motoring up to join in the festival of riding; three disciplines on one bike. Excellent. STW truly embraces the spirit of why we ride; to get away from it all and push the boundaries ... that and drink beer and make huge bonfires and ...

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Ben and Aimee soon became urbanely feral, in the safe and adventurous surroundings, randomly winning an xtr tshirt!

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Nick Craig and his extraordinarily talented son Thomas out in an off road conga.

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With time penalties from the up and down disciplines of the day before, The traditional cross country race wasn't dogged by a harpsichord at the first hurdle. Riders leaving in order of time penalties meant that racers either set a pace they enjoyed or set out for three laps of a sub-hour lactic fury. Your choice. 

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Steve chose this line.

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So did Nick ...

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Craig and Kirsty Forester have been friends-of-afar for a long time, but the weekender afforded us time to get to know each other properly. Nice. 

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Dave MacDonald (in green, left of screen) of Madison standing 2nd next to Nick Craig. Me: 'The last time I rode with you, you were flying!'. Dave: 'Mumble, well, that was a long time ago and i'm sitting third and my thumb hurts and my sideburns are too long and ...'

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And Steve Webb of Singular. Although Nick Craig could have claimed the overall win, he didn't. He accepted his category win and acknowledged the stunning ride put in by Steve. This is the measure of a professional athlete who is still here for the passion. The fact that winning equaled a full XT groupset didn't sway his decision. Times like this remind me why I love riding mountain bikes and the people who do it with me or, in this instance, way, way ahead of me.

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And then we burnt lots of stuff until it was too hot to stand beside the fire and ... 

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Next year Ben & Aimee fancy their chances on the pump track.

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I almost forgot! 

Steve 'the ringer' Webb of Singular was the only rider to clean the full climb challenge. Driving him back to Sam's, we chatted and reminisced, we put the world to rights and eventually, Steve admitted to having a poster of Nick on his wall as a teenager; the enormity of what just happened seeping into a mid-30's man. 'I had his poster on my wall and he gave me the win ...'.

And finally there are the crew. If Benji and everyone else hadn't worked tooth&nail to put it on ... well. We don't have to worry about that because they have and did and it.was.good. Please do it again next year?

 

Re-Mo! Tivation

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The Inaugural Shaftesbury Cycle Revival took place on Sunday 12th June and, boy, what an event. This has been Colin's dream since moving to the bottom of Gold Hill last year and with time (a lot of it) and support from Hovis, the local Tourist Information Centre & Town Council, Stonehenge Cycles, Off Camber and Gillingham Wheelers (among many other willing helpers) a true celebration of cycling took place. Saltward timekeepers Mary and Dennis saved the day on the Shooter with pencil, not ink and a wealth of experience on how to record times in adverse weather conditions; only for modern IT (looks over shoulder ...) to make a pigs ear of it ... apologies, I.must.practice.on.attention-to-detail! (x100).

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Colin was first off up Gold Hill, riding the local bakery, Indulge, bike - a Schwinn Cruiser! 

The Shaftesbury Cycle Revival is a celebration of cycling in ... well, Shaftesbury. Perched as it is on a very high escarpment, the Urban Downhill event drops as steeply as the infamous cobbles of the Gold Hill climb. When it was my turn to pit guts and tyres against the hillclimb (I, eh, forgot my full face helmet. And dirt bike - anyway, you don't have to do both) my nerves where well and truly gangling.

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A large group of spectators, honking and cheering and Joolze snapping pictures gave me that extra surge, just as oxygene debt was starting to expect payback. I tried to chat after crossing the line but had to give up and simply gulp in air until everything stopped being woozy.

Colin has started casting his mind towards 2012, the Olympic year Shaftesbury Cycle Revival with plans for mountain bike orienteering, guided rides via his Enroute guiding business and with the same festival feel. I'll be there, for sure and will have the following day off, if an after-event party is going to be in The Salt Cellar Cafe again. 

The motivation I take from this is that Colin had a vision, let it grow into an event and then found help and, through that difficult process, created something wonderful. 

www.enroutecycling.com

Air!

Lately, I've re-found my passion. Whether I found it or it found me - I really don't care. That is not important.

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Pic: Adam @ Photo-id

Bristol Bike Festival was as I remember. A gathering of like minded souls, whose company I cherish.

Then too much beer and some racing. I loved that my last lap was a struggle to convince wrecked arms how they should work (typical rodie symptom). But they did and loved every minute of that crazy technical, challenging race route.

Never judge a book by it's cover

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Gary Tompsett, now of Rat Race adventure fame (and British Cycling, Polaris success among many other adventures) published his Kent Mountain Bike Guide in 1995.

More recently in 2007, Gary and I put on an event, Raasay Rumble and I was introduced to Gary's ability to turn Ordnance Survey coordinates into a cricle of joy. He saw ideas for fun on trails that I'd not noticed on an island that I used to live on! I've just spent the last three days riding around half of the routes for upcoming revisions to his Kent guide and ... well, yes. Of course I would say it is great, it is an Ernest Press guide after all.

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Orchards out of Plaxtol

But if you like gnarly technical descents, stiff climbing, stunning scenery and wide open spaces ... among other things; and are going to Kent with a bike, then look no further than The Ernest Press website and grab a copy.

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Trails near Ivy Hatch
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 Triffids!!!!

Some things will change, I'm sure, but in 15 years, Gary's sense of fun and knowledge of what makes a good day out on a bike was as valid then as it is now.