Tuesday Average Joe's Ride

This Tuesday 'Average Joe's' ride has been going on for a few weeks now and there is a great bunch of regulars who come out. Really friendly, easy going guys and gals with pretty similar abilities which means trail choice is easy as everyone is more than capable of riding the majority of stuff we have here.  No one even complained about the hills, except possibly me, and it was very hilly this week, with the Garmins showing over 500 meters in the 6 miles we covered. 

Thus I am finally getting to ride some tougher stuff on a weekday, including various steep sections and off piste that I have always struggled with. It is really showing how poor my handling skills, speed and confidence are at the moment. Hopefully it will improve if these Tuesday rides continue in a similar vein.  In better news, I managed this bowl without worry this week. Not me in the pic, that's the interloper Steve who should have been on the fast tech group, but was late so gatecrashed our ride instead. To be honest it was great having him there, he knows all the trails, and acts as a good front runner to lead a group in.....as long as he remembers to take the easy way down!

This is another Jo and she is very inspirational. She has the best attitude to mountain biking, and it shows in her happiness on the bike. Very much of the 'try and push your limits, but know it will be there for another day' school of thought, she never seems to beat herself up about what she can and can't do, and instead, just makes quiet steady progress knowing that, one day, it will come.  And it certainly has, her riding has improved so much in the last two years, she looks comfortable and competent on the bike, and handles steep stuff with ease.

We were on the last dry evening of the week, the grey clouds never turning to rain and the trails staying loose and sketchy.

This is a very inspirational rider, Keith. He's 70 this weekend, but, like he always does, he pushed his limits, crashed, and had a go at pretty much everything we rode. I hope I am as brave when I am 32 years older.

The only break this week was a bike. Eddy's poor frame, which snapped spectacularly somewhere on a descent. Ah well, finally a proper reason for a new bike, it's not all bad......