The route is now sorted - Sunday's recce was exceptionally wet - the ground is unlikely to dry out much this week so expect mud on some bits.
Roughly the route goes over Smardale Fell, loops back to climb over High Dolphinsty into Mallerstang, up onto The High Way and back to Kirkby Stephen - 25 miles.
There is no cafe or pub on the route.
There is a big car park just off the main street [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=377320&Y=508885&A=Y&Z=120 ]HERE[/url] and the post code for the town centre is CA17 4QS. Meet at 9am for a 9.30 start
Post up if your coming so we have an idea of numbers - and then the cake bakers can get to work 😀
I do hope the weather is better than yesterday!
Yep, I'll be there, better go and dig out the Trailrakers then.
me.
anyone need picking up between leeds and kirky stephen let me know.
Yup, I'm in. Maybe with cake.
yep will be there will be others from rossy also g
The Dumfries posse could be as many as 8, I`ll mail round and see.
Without looking at the map is most of that covered by Landranger 90 or 9? Or does it go off the OL southwards?
Cheers
Sorry guys, can't do. only getting back from hols late Saturday night.
Mrs Chucky has put her foot down!!! 🙁
Me!
🙁
Me as well (one of Dumfries mob).
Trekster - Landranger 91 & 98
See ya all at 9 (ish) 😀
where is everyone then ❓
Hi sheldon 🙂
i'll be there
mart
Hi John !
Yep where is everyone? ❓
where is everyone then
Probably seen the weather forecast 🙁
it's raining it's pouring and all the softies are falling............ 😉
Ton- Looks like you are going to need the new jacket - my boots are only just dry from Sundays recce
you riding your new bike.........
Wot - get it dirty - never!
Yep I will attend (anything fer cake!)might be a couple from the Keswick possey as well. 😉
If he rides his new bike in the mud it will end up as heavy as a "normal" bike 😉
Dave, have you got the chainstay thingummies?
I'm in.
have you got the chainstay thingummies?
Not yet - but there is still time . . .
i'm in with 1 or 2 others
numbers are creeping up sslowlyy
c'mon softies get your asses out you wont shrink g
ps is the forcast that bad dj - if it rains its loweys fault I think he's rigged it with the weather gods
Tend to find on these roll call threads that not many reply but a huge number turn up!
Have a good one lads.
G - From Metcheck
we are then watching some very unsettled conditions to sweep in by Sunday with heavy rain and severe gales developing...
Mind you when I looked yesterday it was wall to wall rain - now it has it stopping about 12 - still windy though. Plenty of time for it to get worse 😉
we are then watching some very unsettled conditions to sweep in by Sunday with heavy rain and severe gales developing...
Bring on the gales and cloud as myself and Trekster got 'blown off' 😀 on his 'Blue Pig' demo day in the Peak a few weeks ago. As long as we have a 12.5 mile head wind to start follwed by a 12.5 mile tail wind we will be ok! 😆
dj checked metcheck but to be honest with british weather it could past over 24 hrs either way so best see on sun eh g
Eeeeeek
Metcheck is forecasting 54mm between 3 am and midday with 24 mph winds...
😯
To paraphrase Billy Connolly "there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" 😀
so sayeth the man^^^^^^^who was testing his wet weather gear on our ride last Sat, up`n over Queensberry 😉
Got some bright new shoes btw...................... 8)
Got a few fallers due to flue and work so looking like 5 from up here atm.
Trekster
My shoes have just finished drying out frae last week!!
Me me meee - managed to get my on-call covered for the day. The cake better be darn good 😀
Doubt I will have time to do a cake, pumpkin lanterns with grand-daughter atm:lol:
We are now down to 4
Electrogirl
scotabroad
RobAe
Moi
We will be in a big white van btw
flapjacks made.
Just spoken to GavGas. I'm in, and so is P.Dub. Shall we bring our own cake?
Chief cake baker (Junkyard) has not signed up 😥 we might be short!
johnnies not out, will tell you tomorrow dave.........
NCD rippin trails at lee tmoz 😉
Looks like about 20 of us taking on the elements tomorrow 😈
Nice one,looking forwards to it 😉
I'm sat here waiting for Graham, looking out the window and thinking Oh my gawd.........
think i am gonna put on my full latex gimp suit...........
all warm and cosy on the inside......... 😉
thr joy of rain.
looks like its be lovely summers weather for you today
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NOT! HAHAHAHA 
Sorry all - 6 am and it were howling down so pulled the plug! Gay I know...
Hope a good ride was had tho.
Trekster - any pics? See ya on the 13/14/15th Nov!
Hmmmmmmmm - that was fun!
I'll let the boys fill you in when they are home ;-D
Thanks to Dee Jay for organising it,Its an exellent route,with some great singletrack, and a shame things diddent quite go to plan,"Pulls out another thorn!"
We will meet up again soon 😀
..forgot to take my underwater camera 🙄Trekster - any pics?
..yeah and all the water from Congleton fell on Kirkby Stephen 👿Sorry all - 6 am and it were howling down so pulled the plug!
Yup.See ya on the 13/14/15th Nov!
A Dalbeattie & Mabie weekend if anyone is interested, with pub crawl on Sat night 😛
Cheers DeJay & co for organising, will hope to make some others if not working etc. Weather is not a problem usually 😐
For anyone who needs to know I was the wee guy on the smaller of the 2 black Blue pigs, Ton was on the other one without stickers.
Wet was it?
was it wet, was it ****ing wet........................
just a tad.. 😉
The rain was of biblical proportions - the wind was of hurricane strength at times - the combination was HORRENDOUS - and then there were the thorns!!!
To the 20 who turned up - I salute you 🙂
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[img] http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4065025868_98203ffe6d.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/4065025868_98203ffe6d.jp g"/> [/img]
These are the only photographs I managed to take - they were taken just after the first deluge at the car park before it settled into a steady downpour!
The two pints of Black Sheep made it all worthwhile.
By 'eck that were wet and wild! 🙂
Bl**dy wind, blew me into the big patch of heather, then the heather ripped off my rear mech (bit of an extreme way to bail from the ride I know especially as everyone else was already halfway down the road back to Kirby Stephen).
Finally got the remains of the mech hanger off with a vice and molegrips but it looks like part of the mech got bent along with one of the KCNC jockey wheels 👿
The good news is CRC have a sale on (anyone noticed that?) which means a new mech will be what I expected to pay, £70 rather than a rather ridiculous £ 125. At least I didn't get a puncture, was I the only one?
Anyone know of a way of keeping your feet dry? Felt quite smug at the start with my Gortex boots and waterproof socks, not so smug half way around when they had filled up to the ankles.
home and dry again now, heating on full blast... punctured bike in shed, still, at least it's nice and clean 🙂
Cheers DeeJay for sorting out the route, shame we didn't get to ride it all. There's always next time.
Anyone else surprised nobody got a puncture on their way home?
What, you mean your cut the ride short ??
Dear god, turn my back for one second and look what happens.
I;ve sat in a leisure centre in Preston all day listening to the rain hammering down on the roof. Must have been tough for you lot. Character building.
I blame lowey 😉 There i've said it.
First of all i nearly didn't get there, then when i do it's pissing down.
We all set of and within about a mile half of us have got puncture's, get them sorted, carry on and within about another mile, it's round two of who's got a puncture, that just about set's the precident for the day. Stumpyjon end's up with a knacked rear mech, were all soaked so we bail to the pub, have a drink and go are separate way's, then to top it all of my ****ing car breaks down and i have to spend an hour and a half waiting for a mechanic to come and have a look at it and another hour waiting for a recovery wagon to come and take me home. Bastard. 👿
Jesus, what a nightmare.
How come Junkyard didn't go ?
How come Junkyard didn't go ?
sensible, thats why 😉
cos bombadildo was gonna clip his lug for him......... 😉
Characters well and truly built 😀
Characters well and truly built
do you mean "embittered" ??
thanks for organising what would have been a good ride dj,except for the weather which no one can control .I'm not one to start rumours but I swear i saw lowey doing the navajoe rain dance in bolton town square .
mart
I would be lying if I said a wry smile of relief didn't cross my face whilst listening to the mounting tempest.
"do you mean "embittered" ??"
I think Clares well educated SFB,but not [/i]That[i]well educated! 🙄
GaVgAs
nice to meet you and clare mate....
will deffo be up keswick for a ride before the new year....
Applaud you fine folks who rode in that on Sunday.
Deejay, on sunday morning after putting sand bags in front of our bike wash I was thinking about the Kirby Stephen ride. Sometimes the mountain bike gods go against you and by god you folks got it on Sunday in an almighty fashion.
Good effort - Hard Core!!!
Stu
I think Clares well educated SFB,but not [b]That[/b] well educated!
er, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand "bitter", and anyway, she's no slouch - she could tell I was huggable :o)
Stu @ Dales
If it hadnt been for the punctures caused by a farmer cutting/shredding the hedge on the first 2 bw s then I reckon we would have been out a bit longer. The weather was nt too bad, it did brighten up.
I kinda liked it in perverse sorta way..have a bit of a rep for doing daft rides in daft weather 🙄
all punctuation marks removed to stop daft things `appening to post!!!
