2nd December 2014 - A bit like winter.

Mountain Bike ride

Rod

2nd December 2014 route

A bit like winter.

First ride of December and it’s below 5 degrees C, a bit parky like. Only me and Rod braved it, everyone else using some pitiful excuse about being at work. Basically we made our way from Lordstones over to the Bilsdale Mast, down to Moor Gate and back to Lordstones via Arnesgill Ridge. A simple enough plan, including the odd detour for some moorland singletrack. Things went a bit awry when we thought we would approach Hill End Farm utilising a barely remembered bridleway to cut out the road hill to Low Cote Farm, some vagueness in the track department caused us to miss a footbridge and perform a Bear Grylls style river crossing to avoid the ultimate humiliation for any man - doubling back. And we still had the climb up to Hill End Farm to do. From here it was predominantly uphill and into a headwind all the way back to Lordstones. A poorly planned ride. The only saving grace being the non-attendance of our resident whingers, The Pensioner and The Ginger One, it would have been several miles of spat dummies, toys being flung out of prams and more whining than a Liberal Democrat trying to explain Proportional Representation. At least it didn't rain, although the amount of surface water ensured we were thoroughly soaked regardless.