Phew! Some of you may have noticed it’s been slightly erratic round here in terms of site postings. My fault entirely I’m afraid, largely due to an unusually large and relentless workload back in the real world. A short trip to York recently hasn’t helped.

So, what’s been going on then? Well, all sorts really. First off it’s worth mentioning that Colin has recently strayed from home and into the arms of BrightonMTB for a days’ riding round the South Downs/Brighton area. He’s done a little write up for them over on their blog so be sure to check it out. I love the fact he’s now called Whiteboy, you couldn’t make it up could you? (I still fancy some of those Shimano shoes myself).

We’ve had a bit of a toe-dip into the world of MTB racing too with our Bordon adventure back at the beginning of the month followed by Tony and Jem entering the Gorrick at Crowthorne Wood soon after. This weekend there’s the Brass Monkey Enduro too with Tony and Jem again representing us. I’ve chickened out despite the lure of extended pain and suffering but think I may have a stab at another Enduro in the New Year.

We’ve also been lucky enough to have been contacted by various bike and component suppliers which has been an interesting development. Hopefully we’ll have a few reviews coming as a result which will show how various products perform in ‘real-world’ Surrey Hills riding. You know, as opposed to what the Riding Gods in the magazines do to them – not that there’s anything wrong with that but some on the ground feedback could be helpful too.

One product for example that we’re hoping to get in soon is the 1200 lumen Four4th (fourth) LED light. Del recently joined us on a night ride and the unit his company has developed looks very impressive so he’s keen for us to try out the lights. We’re big fans of the DealExtreme (DX) lamp but there’s plenty of room in the market for well-designed and UK produced lamps once you’ve got the night riding bug.

Talking of which, I’ve not ridden for over a week, since my last Sunday ride on the 22nd. Initially I was feeling like I was missing out but the last few days have brought wet weather and for me personally a lot of work, with the result that in actual fact I’ve been glad of the break. You just can’t keep the hammer down all the time and I’ve been riding three times a week since well before the Marin D2D in October. To be honest I feel a bit worn down – even so, I’ll be out tonight having carefully cleaned and fettled my braking system last night on the Orange. It’s a good chance to continue trying out that Bender Fender…

I wonder what the longest ‘uninterupted’ period of riding others have managed this year? I’ve around 1800 miles on the clock this year and am keen to crack 2000 this year but feel now I’m in the home straight I don’t want to blow it by grinding myself into the ground.

About the author

Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.

Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.

An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.

If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.