EOSTRE MONDAY

Like most fully functioning , cosmically aware adults , I like to spend my Eostre festival weekend of fertility , getting up to all kinds of grown up shenanigans at my local pagan worship site .
Imagine my horror when I got there , and that Johnny come lately bearded zombie lot had beaten me too it .
 
Anyway .....
Totally bonkers ride . I set off from my house into a snowstorm . Albeit a fairly gentle dusting , but it was pretty damn parky.
Met up with Chris on the way near his , and then we rode up to meet Stu and Andy .
This week I'm on my other Gary Fisher . The Big Sur .

Trails were superb !!!!

"Crispy" , someone once said .

We rode up the industry standard climb through the gardens . Bit slippy under the bridge . Expected .
And then we turned the corner for the last hoof to the Pigeon Tower . Insane . 3 - 4 ft  ( 0.9 - 1.2m )* high frozen rock hard drifted snow . A bit like a bordercross track . ACE . Bit uphill though , so it was sketchy . Fairly nailed it though .

Same on the top bridleway under the Rivi ' Pike . All good fun . Flat here , so more do-able .

Climbed up to the Pike . Again , a bit of snow, easily avoided on that ' Tricky Corner ' , and then up the final ramp . Easy . Except it's , like , a force 10 headwind .  Superb .
 If only I had'nt forgot my hairshirt , it could have been so much more painful .

Off the back . Bone dry . Brill . Baked Alaska .

A brief parlez vous at the bottom resulted in me being outvoted 3: 1. Unanimously , then . I was thinking we'd tick off the ' Two Lads ' , but , to be fair , it was looking brutal up there . The wind was whipping snow-bits in sideways , for the full experience .
So we ' kept it low ' and dropped through Wilderswood .
Nice little run .

Not many options from the bottom of the woods . As we've lost elevation , we either ... A) Go back up , or B) Go home . So we go back up . Unanimously . Didnt even really take any convincing .
A middlin' stiff climb ,tough though, and a few minutes later , we're back on the main bridleway .
More of the same , but now we have a bit of a tailwind as we retrace our route back past the Pike  .

Lots of fun again on the moguls . I was thinking we'd drop back through the gardens , but the guys fancy the Ice Cream Run , and democracy seems to be the order of the day.
At this juncture , I'm going to indulge myself with some digression .
Years ago , when Alan used to come out , I gave the Ice cream Run it's name . I'd say to Alan ," Shall we go through the gardens , or do you fancy the Ice Cream Run ? "
I probably only said it once or twice , but it kinda stuck . Most importantly , in my mind.
See , there was often an ice cream van at the bottom . Hence the ' Ice cream ' bit . The ' Run ' bit came about because a portion of the downhill is in a cutting, of sorts . Fairly wide , but definitely a cutting . As it twists and turns down the hill , as a young mountainbiker , on my trusty pearl white Muddyfox , with the wind in my eyes, I'd imagine it was the famous bobsleigh course , The Cresta Run .
So there it is . And 26 some years later , it now looks a bit like it too .

And here we are . Loads of fun . There's some dry bits , but lots of snow too . Either an MX bike , or a landrover has maybe had a go in places , and theres a nice channel cut in . Just about wide enough for your pedals , and just a bit slippy too , but not too slippy . Just right .

I was kinda gutted the Frederick's Ice Cream van had decided to stay at home .

So , we went to the caff .

 And then the road was closed .
I saw a pic of the road last week , but in real life , it's pretty mental . Shaded too , so I cant see the snow shifting soon . Much the same as up on top of the hills , apart from the roadies pushing their bikes up in their dancing shoes . Hmm .

I'd noticed my front tyre was a bit soft . Pinch flat , I think . So after a quick brew I swapped that out , and we headed off .
Andy and Stu back to their cars around the corner , and myself and Chris hoofing it .
Overall a superb ride out . I dropped Chris off at his , and then spun it home , and just nicely tired as I climbed the last bit to our house .

I did'nt take a single pic , so here's a short video that Stu did with his new camera . It's a bit like a Go-Pro . Lo-Pro ? It was the first outing , so he needs to fettle its position . Should be sorted for next weekend's EPIC in the Lake District . ....

* metric system

TIM