This weekend was a weekend I have been looking forward to for a while, in fact pretty much ever since I didn't manage to do my first weekend back in a boat because my butt had other ideas! This was supposed to be my first big weekend back on my bike … once again my butt had different plans! As I am still recovering from surgery in November the big ride around Nidderdale was out of the question as was the night ride around Nidderdale that was to follow but I did manage to get out on my bike for 3 short rides and the weather was nice so all in all a nice weekend away.
Both my bike and I are a little rusty. The Rift Zone hasn't been used in quite a while (since I got the Quake!) but it is my tool of choice for big, or in this case small, XC rides … I certainly wouldn't want to be hauling the Quake to the top of the hills around Nidderdale! The forks are pretty much shot, air coming out as quickly as the shock pump can put it is is never a good sign, and the rear shock isn't a lot better! On the up side replacing the Hope Mini's with a set of Hayes 9's is a big improvement for my fingers. A little bit of fettling and she'll be as good as new(ish).
Where the bike can be fixed with a can of GT85, some oil and a little bit of hard earned cash I will take a little longer. My legs didn't understand the concept of riding up a hill, my respiritory system wasn't sure why I was insisting on making it do some work for the first time since November, my reactions are somewhat slower than they were and after the short rides I did my body felt like it had been shaken to pieces! It was however all worth it for the views from the top and getting to ride back with Sarah.
It isn't often I get the chance to ride with Sarah as she is sooooo much fitter than me and consequently a lot faster, uphill anyway downhill is another story. Saturday was different for 2 reasons … firstly Sarah is still getting back to full fitness after having Caitlin and secondly (and much more importantly) she had already ridden a good few miles around Nidderdale rather than the 2 I had ridden!
So Saturday I rode from the bunkhouse to over the resevoir then back again and then from the bunkhouse to middlesmoore then back again (including a cheeky pint and ham sandwich at the Crown and then on Sunday, whilst Sarah, Roy and Amy ran I rode from the bunkhouse to lofthouse via middlesmoor not a huge distance and nothing too hard but it was brilliant to get out on my bike even though it make me ache. Hoping to do more soon when the doctors say it is all good!
Saturday night most people went out for a night ride around Nidderdale but Amy and I abstained and went in search of a good photo of them blasting down the hill in the dark. The darkness didn't really come quick enough, but at around 9 ish in almost dark they came thundering down the hill roughly were the farmer said they would. Unfortunately just as they were about to come into the viewfinder they all turned right down a track that wasn't where the farmer said they would be and wasn't close enough for me to move and set up again quick enough … so no photos for me, they probably wouldn't have come out anyway!!
A brilliant weekend, thanks to Mr Jones for organising, everyone else for turning up and Sarah's parents for looking after Caitlin! Top quality riding on our doorsteps, I reckon we'll be back!
