A bike for everything

A chance email about maybe riding over at Marple or Disley today from a group I used to nightride with got me interested. Jumbly is away so no fixie chick ride this week. It was billed as an easy social ride so I came up with a plan. I would take the cross bike and ride there, do the ride and then get a train home (my legs are sore from trying to do loads after relative inactivity). I was a little late leaving, I really need to work on this, and even working hard any hills were imposible and I was a little late. Still Anna and Jane didn't seem bothered and we set off along the canal. After that I am not sure where we went, at times I knew where I was at times I had no idea. On one lovely bit of singletrack, still feeling nervous after no recent off-road activity, I let a bump scare me, manage to unclip then tumble off the side, forward rolling with my bike. Jane heard my screams, the braken braking my fall and then me laughing. A bang to the knee which didn't really hurt was all the damage, it is looking a little grazed and bruised now though. So back on the bike and tried to remind myself I could ride. Once around Linnett Clough I recognised it and we took in a nice rocky descent, a new drop-in thanks to Jane, which felt vertical on my drops, and then lots of careful line choices meant I didn't pinch flat! Back to Marple and Anna kindly treated me to Chocolate cake.

Feeling good I decided to ride to Stockport make a decision on the train, then Manchester and oh somehow I rode all the way home. So 100km on the Garmin, longest ride of the year, first metric century. Mainly on the road, but the cross bike is ideal for rides like this, the road would have been a killer on a mountain bike.

Bike is even washed, shame I have another three that need doing!