Biking Networking: New Year's Eve ride

Disclaimer

Cycling is a dangerous activity which can result in serious injury or death. All cyclists are responsible for their own safety and must decide for themselves if they are a competent cyclist for the event they attend, cyclists must assess the level of risk for themselves before and during any event, and must not put other people at risk. No assessment of a cyclist's competence is made by the ride leader. Individuals must be able to assess obstacles and decide whether they have the skill to safely ride them. If an individual isn't sure whether they have sufficient skill to ride any section of the ride then they should walk it to avoid injury. All cyclists must wear a helmet and take responsibility for disclosing any relevant medical conditions, allergies and emergency contact details to the ride leader before each event.

Monday, 4 January 2010

New Year's Eve ride

We battled through the road closures to attempt a 9am start from the Woodbine Café in Hope. The coal fire crackled as we waited for all to arrive, comforted by a huge bacon barm and a coffee. We plotted a route suitable for the snowy conditions and suitable for Jim, a relative novice. However, the route we had planned from Win Hill along the Roman Road was under 4 feet of snow, leaving the infamous "Beast" as the only passable descent. The Beast is a notorious technical descent with large boulders and loose rocks. After a bit of tuition and a demo from Curtis and I, Jim and Mark valiantly attempted it. Sensibly however, they kept certain sections to savour at a later date!

We then balanced and slid along side the reservoir roads to the reservoir footbridge, and then delicately back to Hope along the sheet ice of the small lanes around Aston. Arriving back at the Woodbine café in the snow capped Hope Valley, it seemed a beautiful way to bid farewell to 2009, looking forward to more of the same in 2010.