September 2014: Slipstreamers Go Mountain Biking in the Chilterns

By Seth Kanaris: “This past Sunday, there was a XC ride through the Chilterns, organised by Summit MTB Club, as those of you that actually read the newsletter may know!  There were several distances: the very short one (10 miles), the short one (15 miles), the medium one (45 miles), and the big 65 mile one. I rode the short family one with my family because, well… I was with my family! Not long after we set off, Mum decided that she ‘physically couldn’t do it’, and so Dad and I spent ages psyching her up (you see, she psychologically couldn’t do it – physically, she was fine!). Oh, and we also established that she loves mountain biking, however she doesn’t like descents, climbs, rocky flat sections, anything bumpy, anything narrow, and anything potentially hazardous. And she hates riding on the road, too. Well, each to their own!

Anyway, back to the ride… About 20 minutes in, we got caught up by MTB Coach Mark Devlin, his wife Angie, Esme and Orla; and our other MTB Coach, Zoe Allsop and daughter Lucy.

This was good news for me because I rode ahead with them and meant I didn’t have to stop every time I came out of a trail! Mum and Dad left us to do a much much shorter route, the ‘Summit 5’, as I call it; while the rest of us took on the 15 miles. The trails weren’t exactly as technical and fast as I was hoping for the Chilterns, but then it was the short family ride, after all… They were still pretty fun though, with the occasional jump and rocky sections and all, and of course some amazing views!!! The most memorable bit for me was almost killing myself riding up a VERY steep hill, and then, after everyone else had pushed their bikes up, riding back down! It was so fun! The going down, that is… I then managed to ride up again!! If I do say so myself, that was quite an achievement!

All in all, it was a great ride with (almost) everyone having a fantastic time, followed by the much welcomed tea and cake waiting for us when we signed back in! Oh, and I bought myself an awesome mountain biking manual with tips from all the big names, including my biking hero Peaty, Gee Atherton, Sam Hill, Josh Bryceland, Danny MacAskill, Tracy Mosely, and Cam McCaul, to name just a few! If those names mean nothing to you, I am strongly offended and insist you go get the book (Mountain Biking – The Manual), and then spend a day watching DH, free-ride, and big mountain riding videos. NOW!! I challenge you to not want to grab a mountain bike and give it a go after that!

Anyway, aside from being in the epic Chilterns and the awesome ride, what made it fun was being in a group – hopefully, we’ll have more Slipstreamers giving MTB a chance, and more group/ team rides just like this. Which reminds me, if you’re keen to try out MTB, there’s a Lookout ride this Sunday – why not start there? Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

Thank you Seth – sounds like you all had a great time!