Sunday 23rd September

An awesome day for a ride.  A posse of Dozer, Silverfox, Tinkerbell, The Cook, Sandals and Phatboy showed up to ride with me.  Phatboy on his New Snow Monster that weighs nothing and is made from a substance not of metal.  We oohed and aahed and were truly impressed. We set off down Radley and then on to the track behind Woolston by the cut, along the towpath and then stopped on the Ferrymead Bridge to get rid of excess items.  Sandals duly lifted up her top to show us what  was underneath.  What a wonderful site....the new teeshirt for the trip. Looking good. We then started the grind up St Andrews Hill. Phatboy, Tinkerbell and Dozer setting the pace, followed by Myself and Silverfox, then The Cook and Sandals.  I started to close in on Dozer but the rest stop got to him before me.  As ever it is a grind but we all climbed up better than a few weeks back.  Duly impressed. We had a small regroup before  headed up behind Longridge on the walking paths before stopping for a regroup by the  New John Britan Singletrack. (The photo shows the view befire starting the singletrack and the Snow Monster)  Thisnew track  is wonderful climbing in the dry and I led off followed by Sandals.  In short order we were at Summit Rd and headed straight into Greenwood.  Blasting the first section and stopped by the ruins for a quick regroup and a chance to water the plants.  Noticed a rider heading down towards us and started to move the bikes when we realised it was A Lone hairy Goat.  Good chance to catch up and he got to ooh and aah over the numerous new bikes that were in the group since he last rode with us.  We oohed and aahed his stead too!  Then it was down we went.  Great fast blast stopping just past gloomy gulch for a regroup.  The next steep bit got my attention when I got to close to the edge and was riding with my rear wheel sliding off the rocks, recovered in time to have to avoid slamming a rock, clenched my cheeks and carried on riding. Kept riding all the way to Evans.  Phatboy was flying.  We then headed up Godley where Tinkerbell cleared the first bit, and headed around to the next  cattlestop.  I was pushing but Phatboy  was gone.  We regrouped at  the cattlestop said goodbye to the Goat who was going on and we then chased sheep down to the road.  Down off piste and then straight into the new singletrack to Taylors Rd.  Took some new lines down here only dabbing twice and finding ways around the hairpins.  Then up the road to the top and flew down to Sumner.  Had to slow for a truck coming up then gave a kid in a car ahead some thrills as I got within a gnats whisker of his fathers car.  Coffee, Greentea, was then imbibed at Dot Com before the haul home.  Sandals stayed to do some shopping a we headed off.  Phatboy left us on the causeway.  Regrouped on the bridge, saying goodbye to 2, then along the rive, saying goodbye to 1 and then the last 3 headed home to mine..  Great Bloody ride, felt good too.