Two rides this week ..

I was at Ae today Neil, good run out, it's not got huge elevation and what it does is gradual up then gradual down on the same sections, so be aware you could be hurling down then turn a corner and it's a short sharp up again, approx length is 13 miles for the xc route and if you fancy some light DH, there's an orange grade dh run called The Shredder, the xc route finishes off with the fun, jumpy, droppy Omega man, have fun, if i wasn't working i'd join you

To confirm ..
Kielder ..Wednesday 24th ..mix up of the best of Lonesome Pine , Deadwater & a smidgeon of The Osprey Trail .
Meet at The Bike Place 10.30am .
Dave, Graham & Colin + Moi..anyone else ?

Ae ...Saturday 27th ..red route .
Meet at trail centre car park .10.30 am
Dave ,Jean , Paul , Graham , Ant ( Ingrid?) , Russell , Colin ? ...me ...anyone else ?
At least four of us have never been ..should be good !

Nice vid Kev ..ya wee movie star !
Mind you all I saw was the climbing at the start as the music sent me to sleep ..I will give it a second view later .lol
( only joking !)
Looks good ..

Have fun tomorrow everyone. Only been to Ae once a few years ago in the snow when lots of it was closed for maintenance. Omega Man was good fun though (plus it's got a push up path dor repeated fun).

Would've joined you but got to take the nipper to a party.

And so on to Ae ...
Ant & Colin both out of this trip ...and so now me ..and I'm well p----d off as having never been to this venue I was so looking forward to it ...
Unfortunately as a down side ( one of them ! ) to the work I do sometimes real shit happens ..and between 10.45 and midnight last night I was on the phone to a neighbour of a tenant , the Police & a contractor regarding a disturbance at a property that I manage .
I have to meet the Police & the contractor today ..crime number / repairs after the tenant left in a car prior to " the incident " occurring ...deep joy !
Apologies to my mates ..I sent a message to Graham last night ..so if this is unseen at least he can tell you why I'm not there ...

Shit Neil, if your available w/c 7 march i could maybe make it sometime that week,im off on my hols

Of course you know you missed a good day, and it is my sorry duty to rub it in... yeah yeah, not like that, you wish

The weather was perfect, thin cloud, chilly, no wind and dry. Four of us nearly met good and early at Ae car park if two of us hadn't got the wrong car park... sorry Dave, I rememberd it was in your email, I just remembered it wrong.. So after sitting like stupid tools in the wrong box for half an hour Paul and I went looking and found them (Dave and Russell) in the cafe. Why didn't we look there, incipient dementia and cold tired brain is all I can offer as excuse (pathetic).

The rest was plain sailing really... up and up and up... then woooo hooo it got better very fast! What can I say, the trail was dry, good, flowing and fun. My saddle decided to come loose and give my undercarriage some unpleasant surprises which held me back a bit until I took the clamp apart and cleaned out a years worth of muck. Who knew about preventative maintenance?

By unanimous vote Ae is going to get a return visit as soon as everyone can make it (Neil and Ant and Colin and Jean), it is that good. The Edge, what I believe is the new bit (but all new to me), is a wild thing, and the old bit even wilder. I wish there was a good ride back to the start of that section, but we couldn't see it, if it exists.

And it ends with Omega Man and the end of the Shredder... that's fully dope man! (there's an NDH event on tomorrow so the place was full of practising 15 year olds, I overhead them using those words, no idea what they mean)

We had coffees and cake, then Russell went back up to the top to do the whole Shredder.. maybe we should have waited... hope he still lives!

Good day was had, thanks Paul, Dave and Russell.

Sadly my photo taking is no substitue for Neil's so only one photo shoot for 2 pics I'm afraid. Sorry dudes. And I've forgotten which PB link to use, but here goes


Talking Head stane, Paul, Russell and Dave


I can't say what Paul was planning as he removed his glove... but I like the mad tree out the top of the Head...

Just adding two more pics that Paul took at the same stane.



looks like Gandalf and two young hobbits !



they've spotted an Orc and are spoiling for a fight


Thanks Paul