Being Easter Sunday and with the clocks going forward, it would have been rude not to have gone out for an early evening ride.
I turned down going on te group ride this morning, my get out being that it was raining and I'm lazy.
I guess that attitude didn't last for long, and the ride this evening must have been one of the wettest for a very long time. I hate the feeling of cold water running down the crack of the backside!
Still far better than sitting on my arse at home doing nothing though, and enjoyed 'almost' every second of it.
I came close to taking a couple of tumbles were the clay had become so slippery. The first being when the rear of the bike decided to try and over take the front of the bike on a very off camber climb.
The second being when the front Hitchinson DZO decided to momentarily let go. Totally my fault as I had upped the tyre pressures for the ride on the SD, hadn't yet lowered them.
The tyres were clogging and sliding badly when crossing grass/clay sections. A lazy mistake with the tyre pressures, that I won't be making again.
Although it looks nothing, the climb shown below is an utter bastid. It is wet, boggy, with several ditches and drops, and what you see is only one third of it's overall distance. At this time of year is very much touch and go, as to whether you can make it up it. I've come close a couple of times to failing, but somehow have always made it. I've yet to see any pedal mtb rider make it, and I have to use the sport setting.
Other than being very very wet, the remainder of the ride was pretty uneventful.
With the bike washed, cleaned and lubed back up again, I can take advantage of the bank holiday tomorrow, and go out and do it all again.
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