everyone – you’re responsible for the 800th post in this thread – worthy of purchasing a round of drinks! 😀

Should be out tonight chaps.

I’m also a poor broke student!

Hello, I will be out tonight. See you all later

Think I’ll be there.

I hope someone sees this in time…there’s a chance I might get caught up in work!
If I’m more than 5 mins late go without me…cheers

Don’t wait for me either lads, it doesn’t look like my missus will be back in time for me to play out 🙁

Hi Gents, Who is going to Ladybower with Danny Saturday? I’ll be going, I have room in my car for two bikes so can give a lift if required.
How did it go Wednesday?

Well, obviously i am going to Ladybower tomorrow am!

The meet is still Trowell Services M1 north at 8-30am. Still intent on doing Cut Gate as the recent rain shouldn’t have made much of a difference.

Deffo seeing asbrooks there, if anyone else is interested then please post up here as I’d like tomorrow’s journey up to go as slickly as possible to minimise car time in favour of bike time.

Cheers.

Just had a look at the forecast, anyone who is coming will probably want to bring some waterproofs!

UK riding at its best.

Can’t make tomorrow unfortunately,

Ride a was great on Wednesday, flowed really nicely until the punctures arrived in quick succession. Pissed it down for large periods but it felt bloody great being out in it to be honest.

Have a cracker tomorrow and see you on Wednesday in Woodhouse.

Today Andy and I did a very scenic and quite tough ride in the Peaks. In decent weather despite the murk we drove up in.

We started by doing a little bit near Ladybower, climbing up Hagg Side before dropping back down through Lockerbrook. A sort of ‘live firing’ warm up exercise. We made it up and down in one piece, although I was kicking myself at the bottom for riding it as defensively as I have in a long time. It was going to take some time to get back into the swing of Peak District pounding.

Next we roaded it up to the start of the main event, namely Cut Gate. A frankly impossible climb was followed by the open section, the up to the cairns at the top. The views were spectacular. Having seen the descent we would be finishing with, Andy mentioned that it is good luck to add a stone to a cairn. We both added a stone.

Next we moved onto the riverbed section with some interesting sections of alternating trials type rocky bit, loose bits and wheel swallowing bogs, we made it mostly unscathed to the armoured stream crossing where the stream and valley drop away to the left. Rocky singletrack now took over and we had a great run to the reservoir down the left hand track. Many kilometres with the occasional techy bit to negotiate. A brilliant descent, and one that really ekes out the height loss. Some worrying speeds were touched just before the final rocky corners. We had to retrace the last few hundred yards, but it was worth it to wring as much descent as possible out of it. We now took the trail over to the North America ruins and had some lunch before riding back up the peaty track to the junction with the main Cut Gate path. This section was boggy and not much fun, but at least it confirmed I was right to take the left hand option in descent.

On arrival back at the main track I discovered my obligatory random mechanical for the day. I noticed my chain had derailed over the cassette into the spokes. A bit of head scratching ensued until I realised my top jockey wheel was split right through the plastic. No more lowest gear for me. We now began the slog back up to the top, but I now remember why I love this section. Amazingly, this climb never actually seems that bad. One or two offs into peat bogs near the top notwithstanding, we made it back to the cairn for a quick five minute rest before the final proper descent of the day.

Line choices from earlier in the day were miraculously remembered, and I managed to descend the first section of this as well as I think I ever have. Andy also made a good go of this and I now realised that despite him saying a lot of time that he wasn’t over-confident, he never seemed to be too far behind!

The last section represented a guiding fail on my part. Despite all my talk of not dropping off to the right too early I did. We didn’t go so early as to end up on the walking track, but we ended up on some pretty intimidating steps. Apart from the very biggest one, I was well chuffed to make it down all of them. Before bottling a simple stream crossing to avoid wet feet. Go figure.

We finished the ride with admittedly soul destroying hack back to the cars, but a great day was had. I even managed to drop in at Eighteen in Hope to get some new jockey wheels, one of which is now fitted. No downtime here.

Big thanks to Andy for being a great ride companion, and a big shout to the ice age for creating such an awesome area to ride in!

Might see you Wednesday if work pans out ok.

Sounds like you had another classic ride again. Surprised only 2 of you went. Shame i couldn’t make it.

Yes, a pretty good ride all round. Best scenery in the Peaks in my opinion.

Many thanks Danny for yesterday, it was one the best times I’ve had on my bike! A thoroughly enjoyable ride. The scenery is great, just a shame it’s a car journey away!
To say I was apprehensive was an understatement, and when I saw the climbs and potential descents I thought shit how am I going to get through this. Sometimes you just have go with the flow and get on with it.
The downhill gods must have been smiling yesterday 😀 .

All this and I still managed to stay awake to go out for dinner with Mrs asbrooks!
I’m not sure if I can get out Wednesday yet, the car is going in to have a minor electrical fault sorted.. These things take for ever to find..

Good luck with the car – and thanks for not letting me drive off yesterday leaving my wheels in a layby!

Hope your cup and cone hub is not too mashed – I dread to think what you might find if that lovely Dark Peak grinding paste has made it in there 🙁

As I mentioned I managed to eke another six months out of a shimano hub that had been ‘ladybowered’ with a replacement set of bearings, autosol and a lot of elbow grease on the hub bearing surface(!)

I might make it out on Wednesday in Woodhouse Eaves, but I already know work is going to be a beast this next fortnight, so we’ll just have to see……….

Who else is planning on making it?

I should be there. The powers that be at work have actually given us a worthwhile extension to my deadlines for the bank holiday and other things, so here’s hoping.

Ill be over then Danny

I will be there tomorrow, see you then.

Ditto me…the slowest one 😉

Ditto me…the slowest one 😉

Don’t count on it Rascal, Im feeling particularly slow today 😀

Also I have a gear issue, cable is going slack under shifting and not moving the mech so unless I can get that sorted when I get home it will have to be the rigid ss that I managed to slightly buckle the front wheel of on Monday evening in the woods after a pathetic otb.

I can play tonight. I will be chomping on the bit to ride at 7pm as need to be up early tomorrow.

My other half blew the engine up on her car and needs mine on Thursday for work leaving me to cycle the 40km to work.

So it would be good if we can depart at 7pm?

I thought it was always 7 unless it’s changed in the last few weeks??
Can someone clarify pretty please? It’s Woodhouse Eaves too right? Cheers

I’ll try to make it, with beer money this time. 7pm Woodhouse Eaves village hall carpark innit?

Yes – its 7pm at woodhouse eaves.

@Rascal – It is normally 7pm.

But 7pm means different things to different people. To me it means 7pm ready to ride but to others it means turn up at 7pm and ride when everyone is ready 🙂

On balance I think 7pm should mean ready to ride at 7pm, but I’m not sure our happy little Wednesday ride needs to get too hung up on this(!)

Whatever – I will be there, ready to ride, at 7pm. 🙂

Just had the OK from the gaffer so I’ll be there at 7 all ready to ride 🙂

Still stuck in Blackheath, London. Spiffing.

Sorry to hear that Jez!

I’m going to rub it in a bit as well. Dry and either beautifully grippy or a bit dusty trails were ridden tonight in pretty balmy weather. One of the best Wednesday rides I’ve been on to be honest.

Random mechanicals were in evidence again as well, just to keep traditions alive. This time Matt (G) emerged at the top of a climby bit in the woods with his pedal and crank arm dangling forlornly from his shoe. One bolt had done a disappearing act. This rendered his bike unrideable so we were down to five. I managed the obligatory pinch flat despite having 40 PSI plus in my rear tyre as well.

All rounded off with a pint in the Curzon, very generously bought my Mr Belowski – who is now in credit to the tune of four pints!

See you next week if possible. 7pm Man Within Compass car park Whitwick.

A1 conditions by the sound of it. Down here for another 3 weeks so not long now. Never seen so many bikes down here in London. You really need your wits about you driving around.

Smashing evening’s riding, thoroughly enjoyed it, thanks gents.

On the way back home from t’pub I managed to run over a badger in the woods near my house. Daft thing shot out the bushes right in front of me. Tough little buggers – sent me flying, ripping my tights and filling the skin on my knee with gravel. He just ran off like nowt had happened. Grrr

I thought it was more or less legal to just plough straight through them Jez?

Yep, perfect conditions tonight, really enjoyed the ride. Just a shame that mrbelowski had to lower the tone with the constant sexual innuendos 😆

Danny, I must say I’m a bit upset that me being struck square in the face by bat whilst attempting to slalom a series of huge bulls was not mentioned in the post ride write-up.

My legs are like 2 lumps of lead this morning.
Was it a little more fast paced last night or am I just useless?
Certainly seemed to be a lot more up/downs than usual – cracking ride 😀

I’m gutted, looks like I missed another great ride last night. Although I have now swapped out the the bearings and cones in my rear wheel ready for next week.
Is there anyone out this weekend?

Andrew – me and a mate are heading up Ambergate/Black Rocks (near Matlock) way on Mon…you’re welcome to join us.

Scandal – you didn’t make a firm identification of the culprit. Avian or mammalian? Anyway, if it was a bat its echo location squeaks were presumably overcome by Bob’s high pitched jamming signal?

Mr belowski – bad luck on the badger interaction – but I think you were probably at least partly to blame – these things are never as black and white as you think 😆

Seriously, though, hope you are OK.

Rascal – I don’t know about fast-paced, but we only managed two mechanicals which meant we were actually riding for longer. I think there was some quite enthusiastic sprinting on the flat or slightly downhill stuff – that seemed to take a bit out of me as well.

That pint of Adnams didn’t touch the sides, either – had a Guinness as well on arrival home – just to make sure I started rehydration as quickly as possible.

Enough with the puns and the double entendre already.

I’m OK, only minor damage to my knee a hole in my precious tights – a bit of MTFU and sewing (are they compatible?) will sort it.

I got the kids on Monday so there’ll be no Peaks adventures for me 🙁

a bit of MTFU and sewing (are they compatible?)

Depends – if you’re on about stitching your own knee up Rambo-style, then that’s definitely manly.

Sewing clothes back together (as I have done with gloves and jerseys in the past) counts as thrift and is, therefore, also an admirably manful trait – albeit less so than self administered first aid.

Happy to clarify.