Ampthill Mountain Bikers: Sunday 17th August Biking

It all started at 9am outside Fletch's house with me late as usual, pretty poor considering I’m 5 ft from the start point!

Any way Chris, Neil, Justin and I set off in bright sunshine heading towards Steppingley. Chris was on a mission to ride the half stone he gained off on his weeks holiday (plying greasy fry up's every morning down his gullet), the pace was moderate to fast to my dismay. Niel was more than able to handle and even increase the pace with Chris, Justin and I taking it in turns to keep on his tail.

The nights rain had made the track fun and boggy to cut through at pace. It added a little alertness to the ride as the tyres would jut out on what seam a damp bit of ground but really turned out to be thick oozy mud.

We headed across the fields in Eversholt and down through the stream out by the cricket pitch,soaking wet from the waist down (Fletch may have a point with the guards on the bike after all). We had a brief stop to feel the water squelching in are sodden sockets before heading out of Tingrith across the public bridleways on a fast undulated course into the woods. Always a sheer joy through the woods with the most perfect flat out narrow track for testing you bike on, everyone went hell for leather up down round and through, with no fallers!

We headed back towards Ampthill up the A505 bypass with Chris leading the way up the hill at an impressive constant 17MPH, oh of course the rest of us were drafting as we're not stupid. We stopped outside the Engine and Tender Pub at a very impressive time of 11am, Chris was not impressed though as the Pub was not open for another hour!

Total riding time was 1 hour 33 minutes
Total Calories was 1677

I look forward to seeing more out on Wednesday at 7pm for a fun ride, beer and food after in the Engine and Tender!