Yes - it's back and I'm doing it. A 12-hour night race through the deepest, darkest, most dangerous woods in all of Kentshire. Please visit the link below and donate if you can - BHF are a great charity.
A few of us headed oop north this weekend for some proper mountain biking. The weather held for the most part and we had some fantastic rides (including a 7km downhill!). Was happy to get out of the Landrover though after 4.5 hours in the back with all the bags!
J and I went for a last training run today before the big race at Bedgebury next weekend. We covered around 16 miles in about 90 minutes. I feel less prepared for the endurance race this year - but still think I'll be ok. Must remember to test and charge my lights!
Brrr - went out for a ride today around the woods of Hertfordshire and boy was it cold! Managed about 11 miles of sticky, sodden ground including the largest hill in the area. Was quite surprised I didn't fall off once :)
There's a new firmware version for the SatMap and an upgrade to SatSync. They fix some small bugs and add a few new features - the best of which is the ability to recognise newly imported routes without a restart - nothing major though. Link in the title...SatMap released their newest firmware for the Active10. 1.4 includes several new features - the best of these is the 'night mode' which uses a red filter to stop the display harming your night vision. It now also allows you to reduce the screen intensity in 2% increments once below 10%. Perfect timing now the nights are drawing in.
J and I went to Ivinghoe Beacon for a bit of a discovery ride. I grew up riding in this area so was fairly familiar but could not quite remember everything. We started by riding up to the Beacon and then across the ridge, we swooped down, crossed our original path and then rode to Ashridge and back. Along the way we diverted to ride down and up one of the biggest crevasses in the area. A lot of fun - but very muddy.
We did it - 12 hours of night trace around Bedgebury's single tracks. It was exhausting. The team covered around 180miles (YES!) between the four of us. I did around 50 and stayed up the entire 12 hours to do so. Most of Sunday was pain :)
The bike was back in the shop today for one last operation before the night race tomorrow. This time it was full on open-heart surgery to replace worn shock bearings at the centre of the rear suspension setup. It took somewhat longer than expected (1 hr vs 5 mins) due to the tightness of the shock in the frame. Nevertheless, the guys at Marshalls got it all done and it feels all the better for it. Fingers crossed this is the last set of bearings I'll need to replace for the near future - in 3 weeks I've had the bottom bracket, rear hub and rear suspension go :(
Went out yesterday for a ride to get J's new Trek setup. My new maxle is working well - but there was another noise. The bike shop confirmed it is the bottom bracket bearings :( So, it is booked in getting those replaced before the weekend. Whilst they are there I've also ordered a MRP XCG Triple Bashguard. This simple, yet effective device hangs just below the large ring, keeping it safe from trees/rocks.
12 Hours - night ride - for charity :)
OK - I'm in alongside J, A and S. We've created a 4-man team called Knebworth Nights and although I'm never one that does much of the sponsored thing we created this page if you fancy throwing some cash to the BHF: http://original.justgiving.com/knebworthnights
My bike went into the shop today for its first of three safety checks - Part of Marin's 'Platinum Care' which comes with this sort of bike. Other than gear alignment I don't think it needs anything else...
Update: needed new rear gear cable.
Only managed to get out on my bike once this week due to work and other commitments. J and I headed on a new route and only got lost twice. Highlights include my headtorch running out of batteries and me packing only the wrong size spares.
Went cycling with A this morning. Had a lot of fun in the local woods. There was this one hill (pictured) that got me though. I caught a pedal at the top and although my bike stopped I carried on going. Of course A was there to capture the moment on film :)
