Monday Morning Debrief 60

Well, we’ve held off as long as we possibly could. We did everything in our powers to stay strong, to maintain our solid resolve, to focus on the discipline we have mastered over our lifetime of mountain biking. But as united as we have been in this mutual challenge, unfortunately it is time to admit defeat and accept the sad truth that’s hitting us square in the face.

It’s bloody freakin’ cold.

Yes, we said it. We admitted it. And now is the time to accept it and to begin digging through the closet to pull out all of the fuzzy and crunchy winter gear in preparation for the next season of mountain biking. Indeed a few of us took advantage of the weekend to get our tyres rolling on the local trails, and rather than being greeted with the caring warmth of the autumn sunshine lapping against our cheeks, we were instead bombarded with icy winds, persistent drizzle and mud spray from our tyres. Yep, time for that winter gear we reckon.

Oh hey ho. But we are British after all, and we don’t dwell on the weather right? RIGHT?!
To stop you (and us) from dwelling on such things, we’re taking a brief look back at the weekend and beyond to see what the Singletrack crew got up to. Or in some cases, where they got up to…

Hannah took the long way round home. Well worth it. #mtb #commutebybike #calderdale #mountainbike

A photo posted by Singletrack Magazine (@singletrackmag) on Nov 1, 2016 at 8:13am PDT

Before the wrath of the weekend’s icy blast kicked in, Hannah managed to skive off work early for a mid-week trail ride where she took the looooong way home. And to rub it in a little further, Hannah then jumped on a big ol’ plane over the weekend and is now jet-setting her way to Sedona in the US for a Giant/Liv product launch. Prepare yourself for gloating to filter through this week via Facebook and Instagram…

Back to school this week. This'll be my classroom… With @downlandcycles in Kent. pic.twitter.com/lzwMYDli72

— Chipps (@Chipps) November 5, 2016

While Hannah is off riding bikes in the sunshine, Chipps is hard at it down in Kent on a framebuilding course. Despite meeting and interviewing basically every framebuilder in the world, Chipps has yet to pick up a welding torch and make his own. Until now that is;

Gettin’ some silver melting practice in. #framebuildingcourse

A photo posted by Chipps (@chippschippendale) on Nov 6, 2016 at 3:45pm PST

The question remains; what sort of bike do you think Chipps will make? A fixie 29er? A fat bike tourer? A hybrid jump bike? We shall just have to wait and see, but if you can guess what sort of bike Chipps will be creating this week down in Kent, tell us in the comments section below!

And while Chipps and Hannah are away from Singletrack Towers for the week, things have been getting a little weird(er) around the office. We may have even imagined a double rainbow through the office window late last week, which then led to about an hour of watching this video that we highly recommend you start your working week off with. We are all professionals after all.

OK, so maybe the weather hasn’t been all that bad. Wil eased himself into the crisp Autumn conditions on Saturday with a ride around the Calderdale Valley in some glorious sunshine, before the really crummy weather hit on Sunday. As per Wil’s words however, “Don’t let the blue sky fool you, it’s still as f***ing cold as a ***** *** here“. How eloquent.

There will certainly be opportunity for much humour at Wil’s expense over the coming weeks and months, as our Aussie companion experiences the true depths of his first Northern England winter. To assist with this, we just received some Bontrager winter riding boots that Wil and Mark took a look at during the Fresh Goods Friday Live video that you can watch below. As you’ll see by Wil’s expression, he has absolutely no idea why anyone would possibly need such a think. You shall learn little one, you shall learn.

Happy Monday everyone!