Morning all

Just a heads up for your diaries. Its the Rake Hillclimb on October 8th, organised by the boys and girls at Lancs Road Club. Its a great event. If you’ve ever ride up the Rake, you’ll know it and hate it. Its brutal! If you don’t know it, you’re lucky! Anyway,pop it in your diaries

So carrying on whats become an annual tradition I’ve done the framed artwork for the winners.

In what is also becoming an annual tradition, we’ll also be in The Shoulder of Mutton car park for the awards ceremony for the winners. Like last year we’ll be raffling off a print. this ‘Chain Gang’ design has just gone to print.

Its a nice big 50 x 70cm in a nice chunky black frame. All proceeds will be going to Macmillan Cancer care. Put it in your diary, come and see us, and see if you can win yourself a big print

I’m also trying to organise a ride for the morning. Can’t lead it myself, obviously, but I’ll rope someone in. It’ll be a couple of hours over our great local trails to get back in time for the start of the hillclimb. Come and see masochistic roadies beast themselves up a 25% radiant. The mad sods!

#jennride

Very nice prints. That’s a great idea for a prize instead of the usual trophy shop shields. I rode the National on the Rake quite a few years ago, and it was a great day out.

Very nice prints. That’s a great idea for a prize instead of the usual trophy shop shields.

^^^^ this ^^^^
I’ll try & get over there for this event.

I will try and make this one, I really enjoyed the JennRide a couple of years ago.

Cheers guys! These went to print the other day. There are only 3 of these will ever be printed. For the mens, women and junior winners

Simmy – The Jennride was great. I’m thinking similar morning route this year. All local to finish for the event

This sums up the Rake. We were dishing out Haribo at the top, and this is how most people finish

There were quite a few people threw up over the wall when they stopped

To be a pedant, it’s Rawson’s Rake, The Rake is another street 100m away 😉

To most of us, having ridden up it it’s simply ‘the ****ing Rake!” 😀

Its about time I broke my duck with a local singletrack ride.

Just realised its the BHF Manchester – Blackpool night ride on the Saturday night, I’m not riding but I will be up supporting a few riders who I know so may not make the morning ride but I can be at the pub for the hillclimb.

Bumpity bump as its coming up this Sunday. Worth a trip out

Another bumpily bump as its in 2 days, and I’ve just picked up the winners prints from the printers. I should frame them I suppose, but the suns out so I’m going to head out on the bike instead. First thing I’ll encounter will be the Rake. Oh joy! I’ll much prefer seeing some other daft sods riding up it on Sunday 🙂

I’ve mountain biked it many times on my way from Summerseat up to the tower but never plucked up the courage to ride over and try it on the roadie. My neighbour was runner up on that climb in about 1977 but he is about 5′ tall and built like a scrawny chicken.

The guy who won it last year is back to defend it. He did it in 2 min17 seconds: which is just insanely fast! 😯

Who was that then, a Welshie?

Bollocks I’m going to miss it again

His name’s Joseph Clarke, and he’s bloody quick. The record is 2 minutes 14 seconds which is bonkers. You genuinely would struggle to get a car up it in that time.

I’ve just ridden back down it, which is infinitely more enjoyable than going up it 😀

As is traditional, the bitter, miserable old local giffers have briefly stopped moaning about wheely-bin collections and foreigners to be up-in-arms about being asked to move their cars for an hour or two on Sunday. Huge inconvenience that that is.

A certain Mr Evans has been in good form recently, if he’s entered, I’d be shocked if he isn’t on top step of the podium.

Final bumpity bump for those who are wondering what to do with your day. Hopefully I’ll see a few of you up there.

It’s not raining 🙂

Oh….. framed the big print up yesterday. It looks really good in a nice black frame! It’d look great on your wall! Come along and help us raise some cash for Macmillan 🙂