Christmas Eve Ride 2014

I sneaked out of the house at 8am with a Fiat full of mountain bike and a radio full of Planet Rock. Half an hour later, I met up with Deadly Dan and Craig and we headed off to the Lickey Hills. Dan was riding a 10-speed fat bike (VERY similar to the one reviewed by RocketDog here) while Craig was astride his trusty Beast (Orange 5!). Today, I was testing my first pair of mountain-bike specific cycling shorts. I've only ever worn roadie Lycra, cut-offs or running shorts on a mountain bike. I was eager to see if this new kit suited me.



Our 26s ain't dead!

Thanks to my shoulder injury and this horrible cold that everyone has, I haven't been training properly since I turned 40. As a result, I'm almost a stone heavier than I was in the summer and my fitness levels have suffered dramatically. I'm at the end of my cold now, thank goodness, and so is Deadly, but Craig was still suffering big time.

We got stuck into (literally) the muddy conditions at the Lickeys and were thankful for a dry, sunny day without much wind. The Lickeys were beautiful - sometimes deserted, silent apart from the clicking of Hope hubs, and always full of life.

"This is Nature," I thought to myself.

By the time we had skidded down 'Bono' we were sweaty happy chaps, cheerfully covered in mud and not minding our colds so much any more.

In the Waseley Hills, Dan was kind enough to let me try his fat bike. What a revelation! I only rode it for a short section (Badger) over rough but flat terrain, but my word, the difference was astounding! I felt as though I could ride over anything! It also felt as though the bike was pulling me forward, like it was desperate to keep going, over, through, on and on. As soon as I win the lottery, I'm getting one!

The café stop was most welcome. Cake, bread pudding and tea was consumed whilst chatting about the important things in life (you can guess what they might be).

We slowed things down on the way back, taking opportunities to take photos and finding the most fun way to go. Dan even spotted a baby tree that someone had decorated for Christmas.

The shorts were great. How could I tell? Because I forgot all about them for the entire ride. Comfortable and functional, I wish I had purchased mountain-bike specific stuff earlier. The shorts themselves are budget-priced Muddyfox kit from SportsDirect.

Back at Dan's house, we were treated to homemade mince pies while Dan did a great job of cleaning all our bikes!

Another great Christmas Eve ride with the AMBS/NWAlps.

Merry Christmas!