Ride Report: Sunday 24 January – It’s muddy out there
Another ride through the mud, lovely! I did take the opportunity to snap some more footage on the Samsung U10 mini HD camcorder though.
I had been hoping the rain would have eased off, but rain during the week had left conditions muddy and wet. The actual ride though was dry and we even saw a bit of sun which sort of made up for it.
Myself, Jem, Lee, Erick and Tony made up the starting grid for the ride and the first decision of the day was what direction to head in. This was made slightly more difficult as we watched several groups of orienteers run past heading down the Admirals Track. We opted to head for Leith Hill and headed down to add in a loop round the side of the field that avoids Wiggly Wood. Here we encountered the first mud of the day and it stood us in good stead as we headed off at a steady pace.
From the video you can see our slow and steady descent down Landrover before pushing over the A25 and heading up the vandalised Rookery climb, now little more that a wide smooth climb. No longer technical it’s just steep and had my heart rate pumping as I heaved the SS to the top.
Mud up Wolverns Lane isn’t the worst once you know which bit of the track to be on and we opted to head up towards the bomb holes by the cricket pitch. At this point it dawned on me that it was the first I was going to ride past the top of Deliverance since my off back in December. My mind then wandered to the tower that day and the treacle tart.
Excellent though it was, it made me feel sick but obviously prevented any chance of a sugar dip! I was thinking a couple of bits of flapjack might be the better choice. Lee and I discussed some logos and wording for possible sticker choices that the Moles may commission and we soon found ourselves grabbing hold of the climb to the tower. Disaster struck on reaching the summit as flapjack was OFF the menu. Two Eccles cakes were hastily substituted and we had a brief chat before heading to Personal Hygiene (see video) and off towards WaggleDance before a quick blast down Summer Lightning.
After Summer Lightning we started back towards Wolverns Lane and stumbled upon Paul. Now, regular readers will know Paul is often late at the start but meeting up at 11:30 sets new standards. He was however in some distress as his chain had a very bent link in it.
Tony and I heaved a bit with two allen keys but decided Mr Powerlink was the answer and guided Paul though popping a link out and replacing the bent one with the new link. Job done, Paul joined us for some extra miles and we pushed on at a quick pace as Lee was now concerned about the ETA.
White Down got the better of me and by now Erick was also feeling the effects of a busy week. We kept going though and the good weather meant that the trails nearer Polesden Lacey were full of walkers enjoying the better weather so our pace was kept in check. Some 22 miles covered by the time I returned home and a whooping 4200 calories burnt off. I can vouch for this as I couldn’t stop eating all afternoon!
About the author
Dave's been riding seriously since about 1997 and is one of the founding Molefathers — along with Matt and Mark — that came up with the idea of a MTB website for Mole Valley riders.
He's had several different bikes but it's now mainly 29ers in Dave's stable, apart from an Orange 5.
Current Bikes: Orange 5, Salsa Spearfish and Kona Big Unit
There are 6 comments on ‘Ride Report: Sunday 24 January – It’s muddy out there’
We love to get comments from our readers - if you've spent a few moments to comment, thank-you.
If you haven't had a chance yet, jump to our comments form if you have something to say.
Leave a comment…
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Andy661 says:
Is there a problem with the website?
I checked all last week for details of the ride and it just flags the DH Rogate ride on the 7th.
Think someone else mentioned it not working too.
Hope to catch you soon.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Andrew says:
Hi Dave,
Good to see you yesterday.
I see on the video that your Leith ride took in Summer Lightning. Is the last open section still roped off? If so does anyone know why and for how long? Last time I was up there we found a route skirting the roped off area but it was much muddier (probably worse now) and not as much fun.
By the way I haven’t had any problems with the site either from work or home but Graham did mention he had been thrown out trying to read last week’s ride report.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Matt says:
Guys, sorry to hear you’ve had problems with the site – it’s been a bit creaky for a while for some technical reasons.
I’ve ‘cured’ it for now by turning off what was causing the problem but it’s a pain I’ll agree. As for ride postings and reports, thanks Dave for doing this one.
I’ve been up to my elbows in a local bike shop’s website which is now starting to bear fruit. Still stuff to do but it’s in hand now – as a result I haven’t been able to post rides and have even missed the last two weekend rides. Grrr!
I think I’d even have been happy with a Leith Hill slog yesterday!
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Dave says:
Andy661, sorry I’ve just seen teh comment you left on the previous article as well. I’ll rumage through the backend of the site and email you directly. As it happens AndyC is the only person in your neck of the woods and he wasn’t out iwth us so a lift wasn’t available. Best if you can email one of us in future but I’ll contact you first.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Paul says:
Awh, missed another video shoot too…gotta get my Sunday morning exit sorted!
Looks like you were having fun!
I took the admirals track working hard on my mud and bellringing skills before heading over to leith on my first solo ride for a long time.
It felt really strange, reminding me of how good company really makes this stuff sooo much more fun
When my nice new chain and cassette suddenly became alergic to each other I was less than impressed 🙁
I’d only just discovered the twisted link when to my delight supermoles appeared! With their assistance and clear directions, we had the problem sorted without fuss and I was rolling. Nice one guys – much appreciated
oh and very impressive features for such a small tool, oh er 🙂
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Rob says:
That area has been fenced off due to planting of new trees. The fencing keeps the rabbits out and stops them munching on the nice sweet young plants! So, it’s the rabbits fault not the landowners! The Redlands trail builders tried to persuade them not to do it but they went ahead as planned.
Add a new comment, or
Posted on January 25, 2010 at 11:23 pm