Thursday Night Mountain Biking at Baldock Orange Tree..?

Nathaniel Rosa

Hi
I kept reading about this last year... is it still going on?

If I can find the energy to get out of my chair I think i'm going to go tonight is anyone else?

I don't have a (good enough) light.

Andrew R

Nathaniel

Yes - just roll up at the Orange Tree and they should be out - it's an informal thing but they're pretty friendly

You will need lights though

Nathaniel Rosa

Thanks Andrew
In that case I'll just hit the greenway for a couple of hours

Nathaniel Rosa

It was awesome mc, yeah really different.. bit too much stopping? :P

I'm going again tonight, everyone shows up even if it's raining yeah?

FD

I met up with a few of this group on Sunday in the Nomads Sportive...they were good fun and dropped me on the hill out of Hexton, but I caught them back up on the flat! Lots of moaning from them about being bored on the roads, which they referred to as 'The Dark Side'. Paul Bullen, owner of my local bike shop - Paul's Bikes in Hitchin - rides with them - top bloke.

Nathaniel Rosa

Hah awesome! as muchas I love mtb it's not as nice as road. Maybe if I lived in Canada or something but then road riding would be better because they have dcent climbs and cool scenery

Edit if it's the dark tonight. I don't have lights so I'll just have to turbo

Gilgamesh

All road riders are referred to as The dark Side.
The 5+ yrs I was mtn biking around that Chiltern 100 route (my home is in Bushey) at least 50% of my riding involves lights and at night.

There are some good winter race series too, for which no license is required and in the summer, the 12 and 24hr events such as Mountain Mayhem are outstanding. You will need lights!

Then there are all the dedicated trail centres to master, England, Scotland's 7 Stanes and the mtn bike Wales web site is a great resource. Not forgetting some epic riding in the Alps amongst others.

You'll use you brain and upper body far more and likewise you'll shift about far more on the mtn bike, but rides tend not to feature 2-3hrs non-stop riding as per the road and the aims and the point of riding is quite different.

The riders tend to be of a somewhat different ilk, having a road bike for a mtn biker is an option, but the off road is more of a drawer as oft' as not. The bikes tend to be more varied and the prices....!

I'd say doing both is a blessing, just do not draft a mtn biker, he / she has no concept of such things - crash!

It's more about trail handling skills, bunging it into berms, getting some air, riding and mastering off-piste and trail centres and local trails, mastering your fears of drops, descents, rock gardens, mud, sand etc than it ever about speed or distances, which is more a feature of the Dark Side.

For me, I loved the Chainreaction endurance rides (Meridas), Cannock chase, Dalby Forest in the NYM, the 24hr racing, Penmachno & Afan's Skyline in Wales, Scotland's Glentress.

That said, i am a convert to the Dark Side, make no mistake.

Who'd have thought that riding a bike could be such a different experience with different people (mostly) in such different places? A road ride up through the Black Mountains is a quite different experience to one ridden up through the woods and open moor land in the same locality.

Having now experienced both, they both have equal draw for me personally. I found I was poorer £££ whilst mountain biking though!

Nathaniel Rosa

hey mc hopefully, if i get back in time
hopefully going to make TT tomorrow
can you whisper me your email addy??