We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing

Sunday and more snow!! I love it.

Had a nice lie in till 12pm then got a few txt's from Toss and Weest confirming that they are riding. So at 12.30 we head over to Weesters. Its still snowing at this point and bloody cold. Weest joins us and we head up to Horrocks Fold and up to Scout Road. Coal pit was nowhere near as slippery as I thought it would be, the new snow was giving up loads of grip. At the gate, I was surprised when both lads chucked thier bikes over to take the path up. Obviously up for a bit of adventure.

The drifts accross the path were getting a bit deeper and as we got higher, the mist gradually merged with the horizon creating a white out.

It was lovely white thick snow, perfect for snowballs, so at the fence just before the road, we parked up for a snowball fight. Was a comical scene, 3 fat, northern, middleaged bald bastards playing snow balls on the moors in a white out. Great fun.

Onto the mast road I suggested we tried the shoulder for a laugh. After last week, I thought it would be a good challenge in the snow.

The problem was we were the first people, walkers or cyclists down it. Hitting the path was a lottery and all of us went over the bars at least twice as our front wheels disapeared in drifts 3'+ deep of fresh snow. It was pure fucking hillarity.

We tried the chute, but again, i went over the bars on it, and weester had an uncontrolled plummet....

 

The descent to Belmont Road was just a lottery of staying on the bike, non of us really that arsed as we knew a fall would not really be painful, such a soft landing to be had all around.

On the Road, we headed over to the Pidgeon Tower. More powder was falling now and coming right into our faces, I had to stop to put my balacalava on as my forehead was starting to sting. The MRT were out at the top of the ICR and gave Toss a dirty look for wearing 3/4's. Quite right too, the nobber had to turn back 3 weeks ago cause his legs were cold. No sense in that lads head.

Up to the Pike we decided to drop stright off the edge for a change. Weester going first and Toss then me. Both me and Toss shit ourselves on this little bit of rock, but this time we managed it, Toss doing especially well after his fall last year.

I didnt do too bad until I got to the ruts at the  bottom and had a bit of a spill....


Blast down to Hole in't wall, Weester set a blistering pace up to the road, and then Toss sprinted up the mast road!! Pair of bastards had been holding out on me.

So the finale.... San Marino. Weester blasted down, Toss went faster down it in the snow that I had ever seen him in the dry and I had a massive stack just before the spaniel, legs windmilling through the air. We were all so pumped up on adrenalin that all we did was giggle like big kids all the way down. It was just brilliant.

As Jase wasn't with us today, I obviously felt obliged to fall off as much as possible in order at least make it feel he was amongst us.

Toss was about to lift his bike over the gate at the bottom, when I sent an opportunist snowball in a high looping tragectory at him. Bingo, it fell from about 20' straight down plumb on his helmet just as he was lifting his bike up. Shit him up something ace!!

Spin back to Templecoombe and Weester once again displayed his pink credentials by not bothering with the ginnel.

Superb day out acting like big kids. Most fun on two wheels for ages!
 

Ice Ice Baby

The thaw has set in proper. However, with the sheer amount of snow we had, whilst the standing stuff was melting fine, anything that had been compacted by foot or car was turned to thick, solid ice. Good turn out with Toss, Weest, Wors and myself all up for a ride in what would be pretty testing conditions.

I elected to walk the 50 yards to Tossers house as I didn't like the look of the ice and found Weester putting a new cassette on his bike.

His problems with a skipping chain the other week, were indeed due to a worn cassette and not some other bollocks like worn jockey wheels. The blindingly obvious was clearly too easy an option for the mind of this mechanical GOD!. I didn't gloat, though had to restrain myself from doing so.

We decided to head straight down the Valley and over towards Dunscar. Our fears were confirmed after 10 yards. Slippery as hell. The Stairs into the valley were sheet ice so we slid down them on foot, only managing to get on the bike about halfway down. Riding through the valley and over to Eagley sports centre was a joke, we were all over the place.

So at Blackburn Road, we decided to just head up to Cadshaw along the A666. Its a long old climb this and on tarmac so it wasnt particularly pleasant. The only good feature I found was that my Propedal setting works brilliantly. The Turner never really moved under pedal load anyway being a 4 bar, but the extra stiffness of the propedal was really noticeable and made the climb seem a lot easier that I thought it would be.

At Cadshaw, the road up to Darwen moor looked to be a sheet, so we elected to head down to the Duck. Weester insisted on having a play in some snow drifts.


The chute down past Edge Fold was free of ice surprisingly, the ice being replaced by a roaring torrent of melt water over a rocky bed. Great fun and the first opportunity to use my front brake this year!

Past the sad building that is the Strawberry Duck. Still closed and lifeless. A real shame seeing the place like this. I think most of the inhabitants of Bolton have at one point in their lives had a sesh in this old place.

Over the Dam and up to Green Arms. We then decided on making it a real short ride and heading down the Witton Weavers. At the top, I gently rolled through a puddle, only to discover it was sold ice underneath. Bang, I'm on my arse before i know what hit me. Pissed wet through as I landed in the puddle, there were now concerned voices from my companions, just gales of laughter. I should have expected nothing less.Flying down the road, Weest and Wors were well ahead of me and Toss, until Jase found a patch of ice with his name on it. He went down pretty heavily actually, ripping his shorts and making a mess of his knee. He got words of concern and sympathy I noted. twats.

Toss took us down a new path though Higher Ridings, which although short I thought was ace. In summer it will be a right good quick blast.

Back home in short order to wash the salt off.

STW Lakes ride on Sunday. Cant wait.