You Call That a Recovery Ride?

Mountain Bike Ride

The Trainee

22nd March route.

Following yesterday’s mini-epic, a recovery ride probably should not have two thirds of the previous day’s climbing in a third of the distance but then again, when it comes to cycling I’m never going to win any prizes for common sense. The Trainee managed to break the Velcro-like adhesion between mattress and jimmy-jams and actually get himself to the start of a ride; he was, of course, the only one. Yesterday’s ‘adventurers’ being of the opinion riding two days in a row is tantamount to hedonism and everyone else just ‘elsewhere’, which is somewhere not involving mud and bikes. We were at Pinchinthorpe ready to do battle with whatever Mother Nature could throw at us.

The usual fireroad start saw us climbing steadily until Roseberry Common was gained, the grassy col between Roseberry Topping and Newton Moor, shouldering the bikes we plodded up the steps to Newton Moor. My legs were protesting after yesterday’s efforts; The Trainee’s legs through not being used since January - kids nowadays. After the usual scrutiny of our chemical plants from the safe distance of twenty miles away, our ride continued across the moor and into the top perimeter of Guisborough Woods, where we ended up - much to The Trainee’s surprise at the top of The Unsuitables. Riding up Percy Cross Rigg and along to the gate where the tarmac starts, we dropped steeply down the rutted track through the remnants of Lonsdale Plantation, meeting a couple of trial bike riders attempting to ride up the track - both stuck in the muddy grooves at the bottom of the track.

South America has came to North Yorkshire, a few llamas were grazing in a field at Lonsdale Farm, probably wondering what they are doing in this grey, cold land.

A gruesome climb followed, up to the gate at the top leading to Coate Moor, where two gasping process operators followed the fire road towards Captain Cook’s Monument before turning off onto the rooty track below Cook’s Crag. Still a little squelchy in parts, we rode out onto Easby Moor, climbing up the track to the monument; time to have our revenge on the track from Gribdale we usually ride up. Not a pedestrian in sight, it was only polite to let the brakes off a little and give The Trainee the benefit of my impression of Danny Hart, the steps and the paved section were despatched, man and machine in perfect harmony; entering the fireroad, still pedestrian free, speeding up, water-bar, pump the forks, let the back wheel follow, repeat, repeat, big hole. Big hole? That wasn’t there last week. Swerve round it, tyres clinging to the edge of the track, curve round to another water-bar, deep, deep, water bar, deep enough to stop the front wheel, cue one process operator on the cusp of middle-age somersaulting over the bars (again) as the more sensible Trainee catches up stifling juvenile laughter at the sight of his mentor laid in the gravel.

Making our way more sensibly to Gribdale, we climbed back to Newton Moor and returned to Guisborough Woods to check out one of the many tracks through the trees made in the dead of night by the trail fairies. A little muddy but entertaining enough, this was followed by what is left of an old favourite called Stripes, which we managed in a halting fashion. Regardless of the brevity of the ride, a painful last climb up to the crossroads on The Unsuitables was not enjoyed by either of us, riding the rest of The Unsuitables was unthinkable, we did a bit of fireroad slogging to finish with the last section of Les’s, which has eroded quite nicely over the winter, a rooty groove through the trees. A bit more fireroad and we were at the highlight of the ride - the Branch Walkway Cafe.