A better nights sleep had us ready for the day ahead and once the big breakfasts had been devoured by all over yet more bike chat we headed into the coach house for the last classroom session. The day was to concentrate on shot composition initially and the rest of the afternoon daylight on whatever was suggested by the group. I was just hoping to finish the day with vaguely dry feet…
Once again Sarah took the option to drive to the start point where I had spent the previous afternoon crashing through running water. The guys had decided before departure that they fancied having a go at shooting slow technical stuff. Seb knew of a rooty point that would be ideal and having ridden past it to get to the stream the day before he was right. Sarah and I got there as the other guys rode out to us from the B & B. Approaching the section in question I knew that it was beyond my abilities, the torch would have to be carried by Mike. Whilst we waited for the others Mrs Fat Lad had me ride the other side of the stream at our backs:
The lads arrived as Sarah was still turning light to pixels of my mincing attempts at off camber. Everyone back to the roots Mike was eyeing up the roots. On his first attempt he didn’t have the speed to crash over and through and dismounted without incident. Second attempt ready he gathered speed and with dedication and gusto attacked the roots. The trails gods were not happy this day however and pitched Mike straight over the bars. Uninjured Mike remounted but before he could go for a third Seb took the executive decision to move us to another location instead.
Back down the trail Seb spotted an animal track running tight through the trees and this was to be the first spot of the day. The single track was loamy, slippery, tight and deceptively difficult to ride on. Mike and I got our heads down and cracked on regardless running the trail over and over as the guys put two days of tuition to good use. It turned out to be a classic example of an average trail coming out great in images yet the tyres told a different tale. At some point during the runs I felt my elbow twinge a bit and on deciding to not risk it any further I took a breather whilst ever the professional Mike carried on and on… For the last few runs of the morning I got back on and soon enough Seb made the call for us to move on.
A short pedal to the other side of the valley and after a quick bite to eat the guys split up into pairs to play with their new found skills. As I munched down on my chicken baguette Sarah scouted out various runs in the tight birch for me to roll down. Still chewing I was instructed up the hill to the first run. Over the next 45 minutes I pedalled and dropped in where my lovely wife told me too whilst her shutter finger worked overtime.
Seb came over to offer advice and see what Sarah was trying to achieve and as they talked I had to interrupt them both as a herd of deer bounded across the valley crest only just visible through the tree top camouflage. With the day rapidly and sadly drawing to a close Seb rounded everyone up to head back. Sarah was confident of the route back to the car and so I was to finish my weekend in the saddle with the ride back to the B & B.
Following the valley floor the climb started out gently enough. Twice in the first few hundred yards we had to dismount to limbo under or clamber over fallen trees and there was shouting to set about them with the Leatherman again. The trail kept gaining height easing us up the vertical feet until we turned right. Steepening up quickly Mike dropping to his granny ring forewarning me of it’s sudden change. I was pedalling hard and feeling goo, unlike the other guys this was my first attack on these hills. The warm air was beautiful on my skin but starting to cook me as well on the outside as my core was doing the the other way. The climb turned a hard left and coming out of the corner the dreaded but inevitable front wheel lift slow motion action began. Too late to shift any weight forward I’d lost it and was off pushing for the last few hundred yards. It turned out that the last section to the crest was unrideable anyway but that didn’t fit too well with my guilty “should have bloody made it” attitude.
We followed the ridge of the crest climbing just that little bit more and my lack of riding in the weeks previous started to tell as I lagged up the slog to the eventual summit. Reaching the top Seb shot off down the direct path whilst Mike was taking us the extended-all grins-cut to home. It started as gently as the climb up but getting steeper as we rolled on. My speed increased and even with the bike in fun mode I loosned up the pro-elbows in anticpation. The run kept rewarding me with grin after grin, twisting turning, a kicker here, a lip there on the almost Dales like surface. Wheels drifting in some of the turns I scrubbed the speed back where necessary. I splashed through the first stream corssing of the weekend and was secretly glad not to have to ride it again and again. Before long the trails ran out and the final miles of the weekend were on metalled roads back to the B & B. Showered and changed I joined the rest in the coachhouse for the last session of critique. All done we said our goodbyes and Sarah and I headed off for another week of glorious sunshien in Somerset.
So all that’s left to say is thanks.
First up to Seb for offering a great weekend and making it a great Christmas present for my wife: www.sebrogers.co.uk & http://sebrogers.typepad.com/
Next to Mike for giving the guys “Pro-Elbows” all weekend, being the Duracell bunny for the shooters and putting up with my inanity… www.bikemagic.com
To Mary for the fantastic cakes and breakfast and making us all feel very welcome indeed: clicky
and Lastly to the guys for putting up with my gurning, lack of “Pro-Elbows”, distcinctly un-cyclist phisique and for making me look a damns sight faster than I actually am:
Andy:Â http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginja_andy/ & here for his course write up: http://andy-matthews.co.uk/blog/
Guy: www.guyparry.com
Vince: www.chaney.co.uk
Malcolm: Doesn’t have anywhere online yet but I’ll update this once he does
Sarah: www.sarahshawphotography.co.uk of course…
Fat Lad
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