Easter Riding.

The long weekend provided plenty of opportunity for cycling. The pros were in action on the road in Flanders where Geraint Thomas failed to win a race that was marred both by crashes and by accidents involving cars including this nasty one caused by the Shimano neutral service car:

No idea what the car was doing there at all.

Let’s talk mountain biking as well. The British Downhill Series kicked off with wins for Gee Atherton and Manon Carpenter. This year will be fascinating in on the world scene for both the men and women as competition will be fierce, not least between Carpenter and Rachel Atherton. Josh Bryceland was also in action, back from his injury at the end of last year.

You might have also seen an incredible picture of MacAskill at the eclipse, which some people have suggested was faked. Have a look at this to confirm that it wasn’t and is just the latest awesome image from the trials rider.

The progressively better weather of the weekend allowed some of my own riding. Saturday seemed like the perfect time for a bit of exploration and an epic to work out the stresses of the winter. The plan was to combine two rides into a solid 50KM loop up and along the Ridgeway, looping back over some new areas and building on the database of good trails in my head. It was muddy. Really muddy, to the extent that the ride became something of a slog, with flat land feeling like a constnt climb. The upshot was well over four and a half hours ploughing round, two navigation errors, dropped ride directions requiring a back-track and a certain amount of frustration.

Strangely even as I swore and dragged myself and the bike through the gloop by the time I made it back to the car I was more chilled out and happier, although the bike would need some work to discover the frame under the liberal covering of clay.

50k in the Chiltern mud. Tired and the roof of my car is now also muddy. pic.twitter.com/FtOtyWrwW1

— Andrew Cross (@andy_c_11) April 4, 2015

Having suffered in the mud more than anyone should have to I was up for some unadulterated, well drained fun on Sunday. Swinley was just the ticket for this with sandy soil and maintained trails that are always begging for a good hard thrashing. There are sections hidden in the woods that are amongst my all time favourite trail centre bits as they twist between the trees, climbing and descending as fast as you dare. Even better, I discovered the right way to ride the bits that I managed to miss around the forestry work, even if it meant double back to eventually find it.

Monday dawned as one of those perfect Spring days for riding, cool, but dry and sunny and frankly everything that can be great about the UK. Fighting that feeling of not being bothered I dragged myself out of bed and onto the bike again, and as ever I was so very glad I did. Two pedal strokes in and it was a ride that fell together under my wheels, flowing away, with climbs that I beat the odds to clear and revelled in the weather that hold so much promise for the Summer.

This last ride of the weekend took me to as near as needs be to what I’m claiming as a solid 100KM of riding which is strangely satisfying and lets me head into the week almost ready for anything, albeit with tired legs.

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