Monday Morning Debrief No.16

So last week saw -21 in Cervinia, and I was looking forward to something a little warmer. First clue to a change going on has been the arrival of Lapwings and Curlew back up onto the moors around home; it’s the sign I look for when winter’s starting to drag on to give me hope of better weather.

Seeing as my own bike was in the office for some studio time I took the opportunity to have a spin on one of the current test bikes; a 650b Cube Stereo. Keen to see what the fuss of 650b was all about, keen to see how the Schwalbe Hans Dampfs handled and keen to see how a week of piste bashing had affected my legs.

In my rush to leave the house I’d just grabbed my Camelbak hoping everything I needed was in it, of course having arrived in Hebden I found out I had neither my windstopper gilet or waterproof jacket. No worries, the sun was shining and the morning cold was almost bearable in a merino baselayer and bike jersey. I figured it’d warm up slightly if the sun stayed out and we planned a route out of the shadows with some climbing.

Temperature wise it all worked out fine.A top day of welcome sunshine and more importantly dry buff trails. After what seems like an unrelentless amount of bad weather everything seems to have dried out incredibly quickly giving the best riding conditions since, rem, probably this time last year (it certainly feels like a year).

So two good rides on fast and grippy trails, even the normally slippery slimefest of ‘Stanny’s’ (a local treat) offering a decent amount of grip and predictability. Finishing the ride basking in the sun with a coffee was a bonus too.

Springs finally here? Let’s hope so. Until it changes we’ll be riding at every opportunity to make the most of it.

How about you? How did your weekend go?

Tell us here: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/your-riding-weekend-report-any-pictures

Dave Anderson

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