“There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.”

Mountain Bike Ride.

The Fireman, Young Briggs

13th August route.

“There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.” Bill Bowerman, coach and Nike founder.

Or perhaps that ought to be, there’s no such thing as a bad forecast, just daft people who do not read the forecasts properly. A 20% chance of rain doesn’t mean the Lord is speaking to a latter-day Noah about rounding up a quick menagerie before the rest of humanity is entered in the world’s biggest treading water competition.

"The ground will be sodden and unrideable" Benny The Brawl.

In defiance of the forecast, three intrepid Trailblazers gathered under a glowering sky, ready to disregard the elements and ride through the rain. Drive trains wet-lubed and waterproofs at the ready, like good boy scouts, we were prepared. We left Lordstones and made our way along The Fronts, contrary to the dire predictions of Benny The Brawl ( who, of course, was nowhere to be seen) the ground was not sodden and unrideable but dry and firm, with only the occasional puddle for us to swerve round. Evidently, the forecast had dissuaded others from a day out because we had the hillsides to ourselves. This being the first time Young Briggs had been on this part of the moors, me and The Fireman treated him to The Cold Moor Descent but not, unfortunately, before The Cold Moor Ascent which is more or less a vertical carry onto the spine of Cold Moor, this sorted the men from the boys, as the saying goes and soon the youngster was trailing behind two geriatrics as we plodded ever upward. 

From the summit of Cold Moor a bridleway leads due south, a little up and down at first, then downhill all the way to Chop Gate, almost two and a half miles away. A superb track, beginning as rock strewn single track, broadening to wide gravel before turning more steeply downward, first on a dried up streambed full of technical features, drop off, ruts, loose rocks before reverting to singletrack to pass through a small swamp - today drier than a camel’s foreskin. A series of wooded gullies finish the ride, bringing us out at Chop Gate and payback time, a steady pedal back up the road to Clay Bank, not fun but the weather improved with every turn of the cranks. Continuing the upward theme, we left the road at the summit of Clay Bank and made our way up onto Urra Moor, just above Carr Ridge, where we headed for the track around the outside edge of Urra Moor, overlooking Bilsdale, we call it The Rim for want of a proper name. Again, in exemplary condition, springy turf and dry trails, every minute a pleasure, cruising along in the sunshine with only sheep for company. 

We reached Medd Crag and made our way to the top track, where we stopped for a chat with a shepherd and his mountain biker wife before I introduced my companions to the East Bank Plantation descent. Dropping down to the gate into the plantation a sign informs us that we are under CCTV surveillance, must be a well hidden camera and solar powered judging by the lack of power cables in the forest. But just in case, we styled it up for the viewers. When it is dry, the track is a sublime trip through the woods, with a few right angle turns to liven things up. Too soon it was over and we were continuing downwards on farm tracks to bring us back to Chop Gate, before the long drag back up the Raisdale Road to Lordstone’s, in the blazing heat of an august afternoon.