I have a conundrum. Tomorrow I was planning on the riding the Quantocks, as usual. However I’ve just noticed on facebook that the Quantock Quake is on.

I’m taking a friend that started riding with me about once a month earlier in the year, and an old mutual friend of ours for his very first ride. He has switched from road bikes after being knocked off recently, and doesn’t want to killed by a driver.

I have a nice loop planned, however a good chunk of my planned route matches the Quantock Quake one. Fortunately my route and the QQ route go in the same direction. (specifically part goes up holford edge, up ladies edge and down stert/somerton). It can’t be avoided as they’re using the two routes back ‘up’ from the classic northern 5 combes.

They’re a bit secretive about their routes and times, which is weird because theres no point whatsoever in doing that?! So i have no idea if they start later/earlier than when I plan to go up.

Their main route: https://www.strava.com/activities/692242165
Their long route: https://www.strava.com/activities/692060084

My route: https://www.strava.com/routes/6368155

I don’t want to get in the way, but I also don’t think it should stop me riding where I ride every weekend.

What do I do?

Ride some other stuff.

Or go to exmoor.

I’ve been planning on exploring exmoor, but not ridden there yet.

There is Haldon I guess.. at least 2 of us have been there, and the red can be a bit interesting if you push it.

Their not doing weacombe, smiths, frog Combe, bin combe.

Plenty of options left for a good route.

hmm. bincombe was already on the plan.. could go down frogs then up horizon.. on the way back.. and still do the higher hare knap/rocky horror thing..

my revised route: https://www.strava.com/routes/6389856
bit shorter.. might be better as i don’t know how fit this new guy is and other guy conks out after a while.. 😉

hodders -> up holford edge (wide enough to cope with the volume of riders) -> down bin combe -> up to black hill area -> down northern frog -> up horizon, up to cairn stones, down to ‘rocky horror’ and back to car (also wide enough to cope with volume).

they’re gonna have fun down willoughby cleeve. it was fast n dry two weeks ago, weekend just gone it was starting to chop up and get slippery/soggy and its going to rain a fair bit today 😀 could even stop to spectate on the way back to the car

might enter next year if i’m feeling fit enough and can find someone to enter too..

Woodbury? Plenty to explore, if you want I can send you a gps with some good bits on.

that’d be awesome. 🙂

share it via http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/ ?

Just need to fire up the desktop, and I’ll get on it 😉

no probs 🙂 i’ve got a PC left on in my man cave, just nipping out here now n then. gotta spend some time with the mrs though or i’ll be in trouble!

i’ve just had a look at woodbury routes online, it’d be awesome to get some key pointers to build a future route from.

tbh i’m trying not to f-up the first ride with the new guy so he comes out more, i think he’s more up for most weekends than the other guy (who is a bit wet.. but a shame as he’s got some BMX past, and not to shabby skill wise).. and hopefully it will get them both out more. however, i will ride woodbury sometime regardless.

i’m thinkin haldon, although tame is a safer bet, and a known entity. do the longer blue, then the red. think the black is still closed though 🙁

There’s plenty of nice off piste stuff at Haldon if you keep your eyes peeled. Most likely looking trails off the red and blue lead somewhere.

Here’s a couple of Woodbury routes…

First is a bit of a play on some nice bits of singletrack –
Fun in the sun

Second is a bit more of a roam around the common, bridleways, some singletrack, all fun!
Woodbury roaming

I wouldn’t worry too much I’ve been up there in the past while the Quake is on and didn’t bump into anyone apart from the start at Great Wood.
They’re quite restricted on the number of entries as far as I know.

Edit: £32.50 to ride where I ride for free most days. 😯

Thanks Dibbs. I think they stagger starts too, so even if you do come across people it’ll only be the odd person or small group?

nice thing about the quantocks is that we can play it by conditions easy enough. i think i’ll take the calculated risk. going up from hodders car park won’t be too bad even with other riders around, and after that can stay clear if does seem busy out there now i know their route.

Edit: £32.50 to ride where I ride for free most days.

yup! and since the whole route is a strava segment.. it can be ridden forever more.. 😀

There’s plenty of nice off piste stuff at Haldon if you keep your eyes peeled. Most likely looking trails off the red and blue lead somewhere.

done a little by accident before 🙂

off the blue where the short blue/long blue split.

re:quantocks

mate who couldn’t make tomorrow rode today and said there were loads of people on cyclocross bikes up there! looking more haldony!

Just driven in to work, the warning signs for tomorrows event are already up at the top of Crowcombe and Dead Womans Ditch.

Took this risk figuring could avoid it if need be. Had no probs at all. aside from tyre tracks in a few places.. of the two riders we spoke to, neither were doing the QQ.

and watching a few riders from up on higher hare knap descents wise did bincombe / high hare knap into ‘rocky horror’, weacombe and stert/somerton.

ex-roadie mate loved it (his first ever mtb ride! on a new bike) and both of em were whooping coming down bin combe 🙂