Your letters and photos, including riding the length of Britain with two teenagers, a nasty crash in Switzerland and more of your best riding snaps
YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS AND RANTS
Write to: MBUK Send it! Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol, BS1 3BN Email: mbuk@bikeradar.com
Visit: www.mbuk.com
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
After investing in cheap hardtails for me (aged 55) and the kids (Ned, 15, and Billy, 14) we decided to put them to use and have a summer adventure. I found an o -road route from Land’s End to John O’Groats on the internet, reversed it and broke it into day-long 50-mile sections. We then loaded our bikes with the absolute minimum of gear for self-su ciency and set o . Twenty-four days of pedalling, pushing, lifting, crashing and cycling over every possible surface followed.
Highlights included Scotland in the sunshine and 10 days of enormous ascents and fast singletrack descents – particularly the serpentine track we followed all the way down to Loch Ness. On one vertiginous descent, Billy pulled an accidental endo halfway down, but thankfully made it to the bottom intact. In the Pennines, a di cult ascent led to the most exhilarating downhill past High Cup Nick, where a touch of the brakes would have spelled disaster.
One of the lowlights was me deciding to ‘send it’ into a stream on the banks of the Severn and flipping ungracefully over the front wheel, face first, into 2ft of river mud, before watching the bike – loaded with sat-nav, power bank and iPhone – sink beneath the water. The other came just eight miles from the end, when the sat-nav told us there was a path across the gorse-covered moorland that simply wasn’t there. We wandered in circles in the mist, finally escaping – with torn and bloody shins – to meet the small crew waiting for us at Land’s End two hours later than planned.
Overall, it was a fantastic adventure that I was lucky to have shared with my two boys. Now we’re back in Cornwall, we’re wondering what to do next – although I’m in no hurry to get back into that tiny tent with them any time soon!
Ffinlo Kilner, via email
It sounds like an amazing journey Ffinlo, and what a way to introduce your sons to bikepacking! Sadly we can’t o er you a dry bag for your electricals, but we can send you a pump and multi-tool to help you get your bikes shipshape for your next adventure! (Check out MBUK.com to read a longer report on Ffinlo, Ned and Billy’s adventure.)
TO THE RESCUE
I’m writing in to ask if you could give Swaledale Mountain Rescue a big shout out for all their ’ard work at the ’Ard Rock Enduro (see page 70) and for coming to my rescue when I popped my shoulder out on stage four. They were great, and even took a selfie for me! I want to let them know that we all appreciate what they do at events like this. What a way to finish my first ever enduro! It’s still not put me o though.
Alex Ellarby, via email
PS. I’m smiling from the morphine and gas (the pain was immense). Haha!
We’re sure you’re not the only one the team had to scrape o the ground that weekend Alex, so we’d like to echo your sentiments and say thanks too. We hope to see you back on the horse and crossing the finish line at ’Ard Rock 2019!