Commencing on the Blue trail, it's quite twisty though not particularly technical, and we were happy when we reached the start of the Red trail. Just as we were about to launch into it, Jim suffered the first of his multiple mechanical failures when his jockey wheels exploded out of the derailleur cage, rendering his bike unridable. Not to be undone, however, Jim carefully retrieved all the bits and was able to reassemble his cage.

Early into the Red route came the raised boardwalks, extending for several hundred yards, where holding your line is crucial to avoid a long fall onto the floor. The Red trail is gnarlier, twistier and has some fast descents and stiff climbs to contend with. Its a good opportunity to see just how fast you can go whilst still maintaining grip.

Having thrashed around the Red route we picked up the remainder of the Blue to head back to the start. Another stop was needed to re-assemble Jim’s deraillier cage, having amazingly located and retrieved all the components discarded along the trail for a 2nd time (wouldn't have happened with Shimano!).

Many thanks to Steve, Jim, Michael and John, who was on his first club ride, for attending.

Written by Martin Jeffrey