Biggin Hill - Not For The Squeamish

Saturday afternoon, a rider walked into the school and asked for a bandage for a cut. Looking at him I could see some blood coming out of the left short leg, although a lot of it looked dry and old. Sitting him down I peeled back the shorts to reveal a rather large gash which then dripped blood all over the floor!

A quick bandaging later and it was off to casualty for Carl Burrows. They gave up trying to get the dirt out and sent him home to wash it out in the bath using the shower attachment. Then back to the hospital for 24 stiches!

Turns out he did it quite early on in the ride, but carried on to the finish with a hole in his leg.

I will post the after photos as a link but here's the after shot to give you the idea.


Before shots -

Not for the feint hearted

He also did £1500 of damage to his Rolex.


Thanks for the Photos Carl,
Dean

Biggin Hill Rider Times

A muddy Saturday for the mountain bikers, followed by a wet and windy Sunday for the road riders made for some pretty challenging conditions riding conditions.

Rider times can be downloaded from the links below -

Saturday Off Road Rider Times

Sunday Road Sportive Rider Times

Biggin Hill GPX Files

The gpx files for this weekend are now available to download.

They're over in the right hand column, if you use a Garmin you may find running them through the app at bikeroutetoaster.com is the most reliable way of getting them onto your gps.

Biggin Hill Info

The routes are all out for the weekend. The off road tomorrow is a bit muddy (well, it has been a bit damp recently!) and the road has some big hills in it! Both have some sections that have been subject to hedge trimming, so make sure you take some tubes or a repair kit with you (I have got some extra tubes in and we'll be selling them at 4 for a tenner).

GPX files will be on the right soon. Keith has just phoned me and said there are a few small changes that I can't get put on the GPX files, so keep an eye on the signs and follow those over your GPS.

One last thing, there are 3 schools on Fairchildes Road and all are next to each other, look for the one with the banners.

Ta
Dean

Exposure Winner

Those hardy souls that went out on the night ride at Reading were put into a draw to win an Exposure Joystick.

So congratulations to Dave Woodward who has a nice shiny light winging it's way to him in the post.

For your chance to win a Joystick, either turn up and ride one of the night rides or enter the competition on the top right of the Blog.

Ta
Dean

I'm a lumberjack......

Reading has come and gone in a whirlwind of rain and gales. Thanks to every one who turned up and rode despite some pretty miserable weather. I don't think we've had so much Gore clothing borrowed and returned in a wet, muddy state! I also appreciate the care with which you drove in the field. Finding venues is easy. Finding venues that can take over a hundred cars is slightly more problematic. When I found this one with a firm surfaced field next to it, I was pretty happy. The only problem would be if it rained for a week beforehand....... Still, we managed to get everyone on and off with no dramas, with low slung sports cars and vans in the official carpark or across the road.

During Saturday there was a period of high winds that blew down a tree across the bridleway after the steps, meaning a slight detour for you all. Unfortunately this was also on the night ride and would have caused a problem for those venturing out in the dark. So as part of the night pre-check, a saw was blagged and some serious, frantic pruning ensued, leaving just one easily stepped over trunk that was highlighted with reflective signs.

Let's hope for sunnier weather next May.

Cheers
Dean

Reading Rider Times

A bit of a wet and windy Saturday for the Reading mountain bike ride but still over 200 of you braved the elements to take part. The road sportive saw much better weather on the Sunday but lots of stories of multiple punctures as the riders came through the finish (I think 7 was the record!)

Off Road Rider Times

Road Rider Times

No break next weekend as we head straight to our event at Biggin Hill on the 21st and 22nd November.