Hannah has found a new friend to ride with.I have a new ride buddy. I’ve known him all his life and when he was younger he rode quite a lot, but somehow life got in the way and he’s only quite recently got into mountain biking. From time to time we’ve ridden together, but usually it’s more of a case of me driving us to a bike park and us being in the same place at the same time rather than really riding together. It’s only recently that the dynamic has changed. Now we ride up together, with occasional squeaks as we get our line choices wrong. I go in front, towing him up and keeping the momentum going. Together we ride along, noting the clunks that emanate from our bikes and signal that perhaps we need to give them some TLC. We chat about the merits of dropper posts, sticky shoes, and waterproof socks. Sometimes we rue our choices, and stop to help each other adjust hoods and buffs as rain or hailassaults exposed patches of flesh. At the top of a climb, if the weather allows, we’ll stop for a snack and take in the view. I tell him the names of plants and birds; he tells me the science behind the cloud formation, or the history of some local landmark. He’s still learning the trails, but sometimes he’ll recognise a path where he’s been before while out walking or running. Sometimes it’s a trail we’ve done before....
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