Here we are near Bottom of the Oven before the climb up to the Cat & Fiddle which we finished off on a track from the tea shop. Lots of model gliders were catching the strong updraft near the top. After Three Shire Heads we took a tough track past some motorcycle trials riders towards Flash. Down and up along some back roads to the Eagle and Child, which less young WVCC members will remember as a lunch stop in the 70s & 80s. From there a track took us over to the A54 and the cafe at Blaze Farm for a lunch of Staffordshire Oatcakes.
A short way down the main road and another track with a deceptively deep ford (wet feet) brought us out on the Wildboarclough road. A little detour over to Macc Forest before the final grind back up to the car park before we had seen more than a drop of the promised rain.
Hope I’ll be able to ride on Saturday.
A little off subject, but thanks for organising the track sessions over the last few months Nick, I bloody love going round in circles me. Perhaps we should have a TrackBlog?!
Cheers Matthew, glad you’ve enjoyed it. Thanks to all the helpers last night for the track champs. Well done Chas for winning again – I hope to work out full results soon. Next year will have to be a 3 hour session to help fit it all in.
I’m enquiring about sessions through the summer but could do with an indication of interest before I book.
Just echoing Matthew’s comments Nick: thanks for organising all the track sessions, I’ve really enjoyed them and last night was great fun but I’m a bit puzzled as to how riding for about 10 mins max in total (apart from the warm up) could be so knackering. Thanks incidentally to all the helpers, too.
I’m definitely up for more track sessions over the summer if you can get them and I’m sure Kevan would be too – I’m sure you’ll get enough support for them, people seem v. keen on the track at the moment.
Incidentally sorry about the pub arrangements – having got caught up in that diversion onto the M60 by the time we got to the Swan it was shut. There’ll always be a next time though, we could make it a regular feature of track nights!
p.s. I think a track blog is a great idea. I’m working on Richard to revive the road blog and have offered to take it on when he can’t make it.
Yep, I’d be up for the odd summer track session. Good for you Elenor offering to take over the roadie-blog, though I don’t think there’s a wage in it……
An excellent day out, thanks Nick! It was good to meet Peter and Linda, I hope they enjoyed it and that we’ll see them again. There aren’t a lot of flat bits in that part of the world, are there?! The weather was amazing considering the forecast and so were the views. I’m just sorry that Andy caught me out walking up that steep bit, I thought no-one had noticed!
Brilliant day Nick, classic trail consisting of technical ascents & technical decents tied in with fast, long muddy decents and some spirit crushing ascents. Loved the river cross and the Three Shires Bridge can only be described as a hidden gem. More of the same please. (Eleanor – i keep quite for cash)
apologies Eleanor – after all our intellectual talk about University Challenge, Countdown and Scrabble etc over lunch I can now correctly write – I keep quiet for cash!
Track Champs 5 Mar. These are the times and position/points for 1km and 500m events
Dave A 1.25.67 20th 47.14 19th
Giles 1.15.16 7th 39.21 1st
Nick 1.15.04 6th 42.17 12th
John 1.14.51 5th 40.59 5th
Rob D 1.14.04 2nd 39.5 2nd
Caroline1.33.39 23rd 49.86 24th
Connor 1.47.73 27th 56.42 27th
Dave F 1.14.47 4th 41.67 9th
Jack 1.19.85 16th 42.61 13th
Katy 1.34.31 24th 47.44 20th
Sam 1.36.31 25th 53.23 25th
Graham 1.22.08 17th 41.21 7th
Alison 1.28.92 22nd 47.97 21st
Dennis 1.23.83 18th 46.25 18th
Matt 1.15.69 9th 42.98 15th
Derek 1.18.13 12th 42.14 11th
Alan 1.18.15 13th 41.96 10th
Dave Mc 1.12.61 1st 41.18 6th
Claire 1.40.43 26th 53.55 26th
Rob P 1.18.91 14th 42.69 14th
Lewis 1.19.75 15th 44.58 17th
Chas 1.14.18 3rd 40.29 3rd
Max 1.25.26 19th 48.95 22nd
Gareth 1.15.18 8th 40.55 4th
Steve 1.16.46 10th 41.41 8th
Eleanor 1.28.71 21st 49.21 23rd
Kev 1.17.25 11th 43.47 16th
I finished the video of the track champs, it’s turned out better than expected.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRjcxadjA48
Could someone please send the link round, I don’t have a distribution list.
Brilliant video Matt! If the club have an opening for a cameraman/production department I think the job’s yours! Fancy doing some mountain biking ones too?!
Cheers again Nick for another excellent track night and all the others this year. I’d definitely be up for some more in the summer if you can book them.
Looks like I missed another good mountain bike ride on saturday too. Hopefully will be able to make the next Delamere one instead.
Great video Matthew – just wish my legs were that good!
Full results now circulated and should be on the website soon.
I did think about doing a mountain biking vid, but it would mean even more interruption to the rides, and there’s a bigger risk of me breaking Alice’s camera. It’s not designed to be particularly robust.
I might though if we have a nice sunny trip to Llandegla.