Welcome everybody! Welcome to the final day of July for 2017, and to the 212th day of the year (yikes!). Another milestone, which my Facebook account has alerted me to, is that we’ve also just passed the one year mark since I first moved over the UK and joined the Singletrack crew. My oh my, how time flies! Speaking of time flying, we’re also just over one about the halfway mark for the summer season – where the heck did that go??
Though let it be clear; when I say ‘Summer’, I use that term somewhat loosely;
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXK4U1ph_33/?taken-by=singletrackmag
Over the weekend, we made our way down to cover the Pivot TwentyFour12 event, which was held in Newnham Park in Plymouth – basically as far down in the UK as you can go, and approximately a nine-hour drive for us along the country’s most spectacular motorways on a Friday afternoon. Anywho, the important thing was that we got there in time for the weekend’s festivities. We also got there in time for the rain. All of the rain. And mud. All of the mud…
I’m thinking it’s gunna take me another 12 months to wrap my head around the concept of this British ‘Summer‘.
Anywho, enough of whinging about the weather, even if I am doing my best to try and integrate. Lets shake off the fat summer rain droplets and get a groove on with a nice little disco edit of Chaka Khan’s classic Ain’t Nobody to get you all on the right foot for the start of the week.
Got that playing? Alrighty then. It’s now time for the Monday Morning Debrief!
Of course it wasn’t all mud and pouring rain over the weekend here at Singletrack Towers however, as there was plenty of deep-Summer riding action to keep us all entertained.
“Meanwhile I got out on some local riding, dodging some showers and missing others. It was time to see if the local ‘Tour o’t’Valley’ was in good shape and, with a couple of super keen cross country compatriots, we got a big loop of Calderdale done – and in the sunshine too. Sunday was a similar mission, but this time taking in some of the more technical descents. I managed several personal records (Which was easy – I realised that I normally stop on every descent as I’m usually showing visitors round…) and I managed a big wipeout on a slightly greasy rock which pitched me unceremoniously on to the ground… And then it started raining. But it wasn’t all bad as the Blue Pig Working Men’s Club had a beer festival on, so getting some liquid anaesthetic in was easy enough to numb us for the wet ride home…” – Chipps.
Our office newshound, David, was out riding with Chipps when a surprise sniper rock jumped out and ate his front wheel; “Testing that Kali Interceptor… this was a silly crash and happened on one of the flattest bits of the ride.”
It’s always the sniper rocks David! Quite like eye-guard look with the helmet visor though. That could catch on I think.
“A family bike ride. They moaned on the ups, the emergency kit Kat was deployed, and then they whooped down the descents and slithered through the mud. Fun was had by all, though a few fewer trail cows wouldn’t go amiss next time. Cows are very big” – Hannah.
No riding photos from Crayons, but a pre-ride carpark shot with #alltheboys before hitting the trails at the Stainburn trail centre just north of Leeds.
Also in the ‘hood near Singletrack Towers, Danny Wilson was out papping shots of riders at Havok Bike Park, as part of the summer session that was held all weekend-long. Just to clarify, the rider shown isn’t Chipps – we had to double check too!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXDUatlDWf2/?taken-by=ridingbikesrocks
As many of you would know, this weekend is the ‘Ard Rock Enduro, and plenty of riders will be heading up to the moors of Yorkshire for one of the best events on the calendar. One of those riders is Tom Nash, who’s getting prepped with some local rocky riding around his hood. Good luck Tom!
James Vincent will also be rocking out at the ‘Ard Rock Enduro, so if you see that million dollar smile, make sure you schlap him a high-5 from us. Pictured here is one of Jimbo’s #certifiedbangers from some riding back over his way in the Lake District. Looks like a horrible place to ride really.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXEIxS3DL5l/?taken-by=petescullion
On the note of epic rides, Pete Scullion sent it up Ben Lawers – the highest peak in the Southern Highlands of Scotland. Good thing it was nice and clear at the top for a team selfie!
It wasn’t just Pete who was floating in the clouds, with Ben Gerrish spending some trail time on a moody hillside; “Gorillas in the mist yesterday afternoon to clear the head!“.
Doing his best to help out, Dean sent us through a photo to inform us that it wasn’t wet and muddy everywhere. Specifically the French Alps, where Dean has been on holiday riding his bike for the last fortnight. We’ll provide you his direct email address for hate mail if you like…
Back down south (not too far south though), and Grit.cx extraordinaire, Tom Hill, has been out on some gravelly roads aboard the 2018 Specialized Diverge. Pictured here is the rather unusual riser-dropbar setup on the front of the Diverge. Combined with wider tyres and hydraulic disc brakes, it would appear that road bikes are merely turning into lightweight hardtails??
More drop-bar action, this time from Rachel Sokal, who’s on tour in Poland for Grit.cx to check out some new #dirtydropbargoodness. Owned by NS Bikes, the Rondo brand is coming to market with some rather aggressive MTB-inspired geometry for its dropbar gravel bikes in a variety of different frame materials. If you’re interested in such machines, get your peepers over to Grit.cx to check out Rachel’s first impressions of the new bikes.
And that about wraps things up for this week’s Debrief from Singletrack HQ. For those who want to stay a little longer and see some of the slippery, muddy action from the weekend’s Pivot TwentyFour12 event, check out our video below, which we shot live trackside on Saturday – it’s an absolute hoot!
ST Out.
