We were meant to be 13 again, but a few girls were ill and had to cancel. I was surprised when Jean e-mailed and confirmed that she would be coming along with a friend, I am privileged that she finally joined after I have invited her so many times.
Liezl had some issues with her brakes and Adele had to get pedals changed, so we had a mechanical stop at Head for the Hills in Dorking before we started our ride. Liezl happened to bump into Louis who was wearing his kit and she roped him in to changing her brake pads for her.
Today was also the first day that a few girls were wearing their kit and even if I say so myself, we looked very smart.
Head for the Hills is a great bike shop, nice displays and a few miscellaneous items that you won't necessarily find in other shops. As I was paying for my bits, Simon arrived in his kit with Lizzie & Iain on their roadbikes. My cup was overflowing as everywhere people were wearing their kit and especially as I didn't expect to see them in their kit.
We set of and ended up doing the same route as last time, with a few diversions here and there, we cut out the climb along the White Downs and went up towards the 22 via Dog Poo Dodge , a very appropriate name for this Strava segment. Every single Dorking dog owner takes their dog there for their daily droppings.
We crossed at the Fish Farm at Abinger and climbed across to the Volunteer pub and continued past Holmbury St Mary YHA towards Yoghurt Pots.
I swapped bikes with Natalie who was riding an old mountain bike with no suspension and still shifter gears. This made me grateful for the bike that I now have. It is not all about the gear, but it does make it a lot more comfortable and enjoyable.
Saartjie, Adele & Niki were in their element on Yoghurt Pots and couldn't believe the fun they had!
We went across to Barry Knows Best where we bumped into Rochelle & Rikus. I spotted Rochell in her kit from miles away, I didn't expect to see her there and at first thought that it was Liezl who took a sneaky short cut.
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| Saartjie, Liezl, Lara, Jean, Natalie, Adele & Niki |
A well deserved tea break awaited us at Peaslake Village Store where Trudy was delighted to see her favourite South Africans. I had to go and show off our new kit to her too. I also bumped into a colleague from work, it was a beautiful day and it seems that everyone was making the most of the great weather.
Tango Cycling got so much attention today, I reached an all-time high in handing out business cards and people kept on asking if we are a club and what we are about.
It was great being a smaller group as we were able to chat whilst we were riding and waiting for each other at certain points.
I've decided that for future rides, a beginners ride will be on the Saturday and an intermediate ride will be on the Sunday and a maximum group size of 8 people.
Definitions:
Saturday Beginners Rides: For someone who is trying out mountain biking for the first time and currently not that fit and perhaps don't own their own mountain bike yet. We will wait and take breaks often and don't go further than 35km maximum.
Sunday Intermediate Rides: For those that have been riding for a while and have basic fitness and feel more confident on technical terrain with less stopping. Distance between 35km - 45km and a bit more climbing.
Next Rides:
5 October - Beginners Ride
6 October - Intermediate Ride
2-3 November - Tango Cycling Skills weekend (cost involved)
Please drop me a line if you would like to join on this weekend. Spaces still available booking early is essential. tangocycling@outlook.com
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