After a long spell, group rides are back in much of the country. In celebration of the joy that is the group ride, with its giggles, its slithers, its mechanicals and its chat, we asked you to send us your photos from this week’s return to group riding.
Last year we published a column by Gary Biles, lamenting the loss of the group ride as restrictions hit. Happily he and his friends have been able to get back out and reunited on the trail. Sadly, it seems the absence of interactions has meant they forgot to consult each other on waterproof purchases, and now they don’t have the power ranger/telly tubby ensemble thing going on.
Let us move on to other group rides, in all their technicolour glory. Real life riders wearing mismatched clothes, bikes of bling and parts bin specials. After all the marketing and the lifestyle shots, this is the real world into which bikes and kit are sent to live out their lives, putting smiles on the faces of all.
I went for a walk after work on Monday and walked past a famous magazine editor, THE Chipps Chippendale!
Amanda Wishart
The faffing, the crashing and the laughing
Steve Weeks
We haven’t all ridden together for years so lockdown easing was a great excuse for a meetup at Beescraigs MTB trails.
Jimmy
The MNPR was the first ‘proper’ one, with a big group, for a long time. It was soooooooo good to get out with the gang
Binners
CalderdaleMTB has a whole photo album devoted to mechanicals, which makes it look like the worst ride (or unluckiest ride group?) ever. Here’s the latest addition. Thanks to @Andybrad.
Here’s some shots from our group ride last night in Nottinghamshire, it was one of those evenings when you wished you had a Go Pro on with the amount of spills on slippery roots!
Rob Sinclair
The girls are all from Singletrack area (Calderdale) and were in Snowdonia celebrating 2 big birthdays!
Tom Hutton
The Fresh Faced Youth on the bridge is my son who joined the “old gits” for the first time last week.
The chap dressed as a Harlequin and giving a 2 fingered salute is Chipps BTW.
Andrew McHugh
You asked for group photos – here’s ours from the top of Holmbury hill in the pouring rain, great to be back with friends!
Andrew Lewis, Redhill CC
It’s me (behind camera) and some mates all on a group ride at the Wrekin in Shropshire. The whole group of us trained into a corner, first one crashed, and so we all did. Good times.
Oli Renison
Despite a rear wheel that was threatening to spit all its bearings onto the trail, Rick Hamilton somehow got out ahead of the group to take this picture in the last of the light on London Road, Calderdale.
It’s been a far cry from the baking hot Spring of last year. Mud, puddles and slither abound. Perhaps for another week or two, the novelty of the group ride will be enough for us to not get too grumpy about it?
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