Jacks Back!!!

So after 2 loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong weeks of not riding and resting the knackered knee, it was time to get out.

Me, Jase and Weest headed up to sample the new delights of Lee Quarry. I loved the place before and from looking at the pics on Ed Oxley's sit, the new stuff looked very promising.

Weest kindly offered to drive and duly turned up with his big sexy bike carrier. Nice bit of kit, which connected onto the towbar and could carry 3 bikes whilst still letting you tow. The only problem being that my wheel poked out of the side rather alarmingly. However, I was confident in the former professional drivers ability. It was after about 100 yards that I began to panic and loose a little confidence in him as he constantly commented on the close shaves.

Got to Futures and the place was packed, never seen so many cars. There was a Leisure lakes Demo day in the quarry though so that was probably attracting a load of bikers.

The first climb up was ok and nice and steady. I was quite concerned as to whether the knee would ache but up the 1st hill with no problems.

The new trail headed off to the far left of the quarry and climbed steadily over some big pitched rocks then up to the ridge line. Lovely swoopy singletrack followed, Weester out front, me in the middle and Jase at the back. I knew the drop was around here somewhere but elected to keep quiet and let Weest find it himself. find it he did and promptly threw himself down without so much as a pause, no bottling it for me then so I went straight for it too. Steeper than it looks, probably about the same as Gisburn but longer, with a big thump at the bottom, but it was a great buz. Jase also flew down with no qualms.



The singletrack just flowed on over some sweeping drops and berms and spat us out at the top of the old Red climb. We bleted along to the big berm, down the 3 step black and up the long slog, which I elected to push for a change. Still mindful of hurting the knee, which was still giving me no trouble at all. Along through the berms to the kills area and a LOAD of new trails that they have put in. Basically its a climb up past the old "unofficial" stuff that Graham had showed us and this brought you to a trail head. Here there are 4 trail choices, one black and 3 red. We went straight down the black - Fookin ace. swooping jumping fun all the way back down to the skills area. I went first and heard weest right up my trumpet squealing like a big kid. Nearly lost it on a mini double, but he made it down. The trail then took us back up the same hill and back to the trail head. This time the 1st Red we went for... it was even better than the black!! We were just fukcing loving it, pushing each corner faster and faster, really carving into the berms. Again, it finished at the skills area and we climbed back up and took the 2nd then 3rd red. It was stunning. Each section probably only lasting 2 or so mins when battered, but what a BUZZ!!

At the bottom of the last red I tried to get some vid of the guys coming down.....


At this stage I was loving it. The knee was great, the bike felt brilliant with the new shock and the sun was shining. We set off along the last bit of the old red, and i just put the hammer down, peddling as fast as I could, everything just came together, it felt like a perfect run all the way round to the cattle grid, railing every corner and flying down the ginnel. The guys caught me up at the grid and then we headed down over the jumps, but Weest had a puncture and had to push to the gate and wait for me and Jase to climb back up the tramway.

After he sorted out his puncture, we headed into the quarry to have a shufty at the Demo bikes. turns out that you needed a form of ID to take one out. I offered to leave my mates as a deposit, but he only let me have a spin around the bowl. So I grabbed an Orange Blood, had my eye on one for a while now and was severly let down. It just felt so heavy and wallowy compared the the 5spot, but as the guy said, its a play bike not a trail bike. Anyway, shattered my illusions of it.

From there we headed over to the pump track, keen to display our combined rad skillz. Sadly there were a couple of guys already there, who, I have to admit, were a little better than us.

First one was Ricky Crompton

The next guy was Ali Clarkson, Who quite frankly was shit hot.

With these two as an audience, we had a go. Frankly it was laughable.


Proper case of Fat Northern Middle-aged Balding blokes pretending to be 13. A right laff. After marvelling at Ali's runs, we noticed his bike didnt have any brakes, and he was jumping around all over the place on it. Ever the practical mind Weester asked him "how do you get home on that, its downhill all the way to the car park"!! Pissed my sides when Ali confessed to having to push it home.

We bid farewell and headed back to the start of the New Red stuff. Down the slab again and flew round the new stuff. This run we decided to take in the Black in the Quarry bowl. I asked the lads to hold back so I could get some vid of the coming over the Qualifier. Weest came first and missed the fooking turn off!! the prize cock. He tried to redeem himself by pulling an endo, flipping the back end round. Hilariously it went tragically wrong and he reared up on the bike still clipped in and gracefully slammed into the floor. He made no attempt at putting his arm out (as he use to advise Jase to do) and his the deck like a sack of shit. I missed recording it by about 2 seconds. Gutted. Jase had a grandstand view of it and Howled with vengeful laughter, having been the butt of some ripe piss take from us, it was such a massive bonus for him to watch someone else fail so spectacularly. His mirth was short lived however, when he picked the wrong line through the qualifier and nearly crushed his bollocks.

We rode the black horrendously to be honest, dab city. It was now 4 so we headed back to the grid and flew down the last of the red at warp speed and back to the car.

After 2 weeks off, it was just the tonic I needed. I felt great on the bike, one of those rides where everything just clicks... and you feel like you could ride anything. Fastest I've ever ridden the trails in the quarry. Brilliant fun. The only problem was I couldnt sleep that night as i was buzzing so much. Oh and nob head me left my Oakley's on the crash barrer. Weest kindly turned back and they were still there. Lucky bastard.

Also Jase took a cracking pick of me on the Black. I love this shot.