Chances to ride some of our choice trails are numbered as they inevitably get mothballed for the winter, China Pig being the most striking example of how a trail can morph from being the best dry weather trail in the area to the worst wet weather trail.

The initial route plan involved heading from Norbury to Juniper Hill and over to Chainbreaker, then back up High Ashurst to the start of Bat’. However, a very lengthy puncture stop for Paul called for a simplified route, Lee suggesting either Happy Valley or up the front of Col de Box. Keith’s expression said it all and the direct option was chosen, such is his loathing of Happy Valley going up.

I’m no longer so much as impressed when I see Adam and Co disappear, dispatching the climb in under six minutes, as depressed! I’ve love to know where the climbers get that surge of speed from, it’s a mystery to me as I deploy the winch and get my head down!

Next stop was Bat’ which I have to say was better in the dark and immense fun for everyone. The run to the side of the steps has now been blocked so, with my new found confidence after the Cwm Carn downhill day, I just rode the steps instead, with others following suite.

Near the bottom, we had a good feret around in what seems to be a carefully thought out and sculpted enduro track, with a mass of roll-ins, drops and singletrack to play on. Very chalky so potentially lethal in the winter, but looks really promising and I expect we’ll be back over there very soon to perform a Moles site survey!

After all good descents follows a climb and sure enough we needed to head back up the hill to the Smith & Western in order to pick up China Pig. Adam paid the price for trying to get a jump on everyone, making a wrong turn and demoting himself down the order, much to Darren’s amusement. However Darren was most def not laughing later on when he made a right balls up of the log jump and despite staying on board, he crushed his nuts on the seat in the process, all just in front of me and very off-putting.

After such fun, nobody wanted to go home when offered a) the direct route back over Norbury or b) the alternative up Juniper and down Alsatian so all bar MattP7, we took the longer route back, which suited me just fine as its on the way home.

A fast and fun ride tonight. 19 miles for me and a feeling of satisfaction having capitalised on near-perfect riding conditions and we know there won’t be too many of them for the foreseeable!

Riders: Lee, Tony, Trevor, MattP7, Adam, Darren, Paul, PaulM, Daniel, MarkyMark, Keith, Ray and Colin and one other who I really can’t recall at the moment

The lastest news from Eurobike shows some amazing e-MTBs. A 3 speed Ghost E-Ndure Electric that will let you climb up alpine passes or ride at 18mph on the flat. The only (major!) downside is the weight…26kg. Err, Catch 22. You need an electric motor for that!

There's even a completely insane e-bike built by Nicolai for Grace Bikes with a frame completely filled with batteries that's good for 40mph! (Mark, your bike is soooo yesterday).

Of course non of these e-MTBs are legal for the top speeds mentioned but – nudge, nudge – they can be derestricted for special circumstances. The Grace is actually nearer an electric moped than an MTB but definitions merge at this extreme end of e-MTB.

Of course, do I want an e-MTB? Well no way can I see myself riding one (well not until I'm decrepit) and I'm not looking forward to seeing them on the trials but I'm sure they will appear eventually. Maybe even for downhillers that have bikes that you can't pedal back uphill they might appeal or for people who want to get out into the hills but that can't just make it up the hills.

Surely though the beauty of bikes (MTB and road) is their lack of weight, simplicity, elegance (have you seen a good looking e-MTB yet?), all of which is lacking for e-MTBs…at the moment. However with mass production and an increasing market driving e-bike R&D the bikes will improve.

I'm afraid I can't explain things more than I'm simply ideologically opposed to e-MTB and I'm not looking forward to the moment when I'm passed on a hill by a smiling e-MTB'er.

On top of that, if you're riding a lot you also have to accept that there will be times when you're riding on your own. This is not something I enjoy, although it is good preparation for Dusk til Dawn. Being able to get into your zone for an hour at a time without the entertainment from chatting to a companion is great for that. But mentally it's a lonely road to ride and you have to be quite strong to deal with that; it's not just the pain of riding flat out for an hour, it's the pain of boredom and isolation.

What I'm saying is that sometimes you need a break. Mountain biking as a sport can wear you out physically – most obviously when broken bones are involved. More often than not though the things that stop people riding are far less tangible of which I think boredom and lack of motivation are the key things. We aren't designed for repetitive work, as our experience in the workplace shows.

Some people try to jump start things with challenging themselves further, faster, scarier. Learning to properly jump or corner a bike are skills that can save you time and again. The downside is if you get it wrong it hurts, a lot.

Other riders like to push themselves to ride what I would frankly describe as scary stuff. It's a great personal achievement that I would like to have for myself but the downside is if you get it wrong it hurts, a lot.

For me, I find I push myself to go faster uphills, especially if I'm on my own. The downside is this hurts, a lot; but at least you can't fall off going uphill!

Still other riders like to buy newer, shinier, blingier, niche-ier kit in what I often suspect is a similar attempt at staving off the ennui that is forever hovering out there waiting to pounce. The grass may not be greener but it certainly looks more interesting, which is why I have three bikes for a start!

The truth is as riders we're all a mixture of these things, and the emphasis shifts to one end of the scale or another depending on the individual. I'm not getting at anyone, I'm just suggesting we're all trying to solve the same basic issue.

Boredom.

It's a terrible thing to acknowledge when we live in such a great mountain biking area isn't it? But I reckon there's no shame in it.

There's one solution that seems counter-intuitive and that is to rest. By which I mean step back, try and forget about bikes, try and forget about constant exercise, perhaps do something that has nothing to do with bikes at all like solving a pressing work issue or starting a personal project that's been nagging you for ages. Whatever it takes really, just step away from the bike.

I've recently tailed my riding off, due to a family holiday and various other commitments that have got in the way and I think the rest has done me good. My August mileage has definitely been lower than recent months and I've missed a few weekend rides as well and may well miss the odd one over the next month or so.

I'm hoping the rest will pay off in a renewed interest in riding. The signs so far are patchy; yesterday's ride with Jem, Colin, Lee and Keith was spot on for me, a relaxed canter with good company. Today's ride to work not so much – a painful, mental challenge although incidentally the morning sunrise was stunning.

I'm also due to start trying my hand at riding the Dark Side in the next few weeks which will turn things on their head again. That goes back to the new kit/novelty approach to re-energising I think; will it also spawn a new cycling wardrobe?!

To sum up, my tips for combatting the dreaded riding fatigue are:

1. Recognise there's a problem
2. Try and work out what's causing it – physical, mental or both?
3. Don't be afraid to stop – it helps you physically, allows you to break bad habits and takes the pressure away, as well as providing some perspective
4. Re-start when you're ready and try to break away from whatever was causing the problem before

And if all else fails, get the credit card out!!

3 regular femoles planned to ride this evening and then this afternoon D'Andy said his daughter would like to join us and Paul901 said he would like to come too.
It's always wonderful to see new faces and meet new people especially people like Paul who has invested comments to the femole's posts so it was great to meet and put faces to names and socialise.

Well firstly D'Andy, your daughter is fantastic have you been throwing her down hills since she got rid of her stabilizers ;-) amazing young lady, I bet you love cycling with her she is great!

Paul having been riding with the moles since May this year had loads of tips he took time to share with us, his experience of riding with Astounding Adventures sounds really beneficial and it was very lovely to have such a considerate male with us who also has years of road riding experience.

We headed off from Bockett's farm up to Polesden Lacey and took the left before Polesden house, a slow climb which leads into a swerving descent and then a loose downhill before climbing up to and past Tanners Hatch, jeez I haven't taken that muddy section for a while, is it worse than the boring brick road, I am not sure but neither are pleasant.

Out onto Ranmore we turned left towards Denbies where we descended down into the centre of the Vineyard met by 2 very small dogs one of which was very noisy and didn't like my bike very much. Quite miffed that I didn't get above 22mph down there and had to keep stopping so as not to squish the "cute little animal" ;-)

Here we split into 2 groups and one group went up to Box Hill and climbed the chalkey climb to Stane Street to come out with a down hill down Alsation, and the other group carried along the A24 up into Bockett's via the bridleway, up to Norbury Park, down the flinty track, up to the saw mill, down the gravel and we all met back at the Bell.

The first time this year I have needed lights and I am hoping to have sufficient lighting to continue riding through the Autumn and Winter months in the evenings.

A real treat of a ride so early in the week and meeting with new faces and not so new faces!

When I got home with a muddy bike I was reminded of a discussion about what to use when cleaning your bike and I thought "well what to eat while cleaning your bike" because I was starving, I enjoyed a nice bowl of crisps which I took into the garden with me while I hosed my bike, keeping one hand for hosing and brushing and one hand for crisps, (I didn't want to contaminate my crisps with what I may have picked up on my bike during the ride)

A thoroughly enjoyable Tuesday night ride and I am reminded about how much information we share with each other about all sorts of things but certainly a high level of enthusiasm about what we have learned in the riding, how to aproach different terrain, how to combat hills, how to look ahead downhill but only look at your front tyre when going up. We all have so many experiences and learning curves to share all with the same goal to help each other from our own experiences.

That added with encouragement and support and as always a welcome for new faces and faces we haven't seen for some time.

Our next "outing" looks like will be Saturday morning I am expecting the Femole Sunshine to be out.

We set of along the Admirals Trackway over to Polesdon Lacy and up Yew Trees to Ranmore. Unfortunately the other unnamed member of our group bailed out here finding the pace a bit too quick. It's not always like that, come and try it again.

As usual the group split up riding up to Ranmore. Unfortunately I was feeling the – rev limiter – effects of the big bowl of Crunchy Nut Clusters I'd had just before coming out and had to moderate my efforts. JohnR and DaveW showed us a clean pair of heels/wheels. DaveC was routemaster for this ride and the plan was Landrover and up to Leith hill.

I was riding my Clockwork Orange HT and enjoying every minute of it. As I rode down Landrover behind DaveC I made a point of watching his lines. He rode a particularly smooth line over the drop off just above the Landrover chassis. I copied and found out what I had been missing for years, super smooth. Surprisingly having to pick HT lines rather than letting the FS ride over stuff was proving lots of fun.

A group of us headed down from Landrover and crossed over the railway line to wait for the rest. It was one of those times when you wait and wait. After a few minutes you wonder if the people following have had a mechanical, then you wait and you start thinking about crashes. It's a sort of a pit of the stomach feeling. Fortunately Andrews spill wasn't too bad and we re-grouped.

Given that there were 13 of us the pace was quite consistent, aided by the fact that none of us had a single puncture. A testament to modern puncture prevention tech?

Crossing over to the Rookery and heading up Wolverns lane was a blast. Paul901 cleared the climb to Wolverns Lane for the first time – well done. Conditions up to this point had been – almost – perfect; dry grippy hardpack but not dusty. It was only as we headed up to Summer lightening that we encountered the first mud of the day but a sure sign that the mudfest rides are only around the corner.

At Deliverance DaveW made it look easy once again, although I'm still not tempted. Then we headed up to the Tower via the winding singletrack opposite the cricket pitch (coming back this way was much better). The tower climb was in the "if you are going to do it, today is the day" conditions. Needless to say I didn't but plenty of us did. It was a moment of indecision rather than any lack of traction/fitness that caught me out. All the more frustrating.

At the Tower the breakfast overfill meant that I still wasn't in the mood for cake though the rest of the Moles made up for me.

The ride back was a reverse route, Personal Hygiene, Waggledance, Summer Lightning, Wolverns, Rookery. Notable for the minimal amount of stopping of the group. Then up the Mediterranean track – where the breakfast was finally gone and I found my legs a bit. Paul and Mark bailed out here. Then up to the Ranmore with Keith showing us the way with the D2D bit firmly between teeth.

General opinion was the best way to go was Dearly Beloved, which was a little stop start due to walkers, dog walkers and horse riders. However it must be one of my favourites due to it's long, fast and finally, technical nature, but boy do you pay for it on the other side of the valley. Especially if you don't remember the second part of the climb (Keith). A procession of weary, walking and riding Moles appeared at the top of the climb and we headed back to the start point with various moles bearing off home.

A great morning out in almost perfect conditions. Enjoy them while you can.

It is 2 thirds up Alsation I always can tell if I have had a late night or not eaten right the day before or even if I have skipped breakfast, for someone who always used to exercise on an empty stomach I certainly can't do that these days and make it up Alsation in comfort.
I was feeling the benefit of my earlyish night and a small breakfast and was reminded how important these things are to prepare for long rides and hard climbs.

At the top of Alsation we headed up towards Headley where we turned right onto "Life on Mars" a tricky piece of single track with plenty of practise for getting over logs, which I confess most of the other riders were much better at than myself and more happy to give it a go where I still have this trigger in my brain that says "stop, you can't do that" so plenty more practise required in that area.

From there we headed up onto Headley Heath where there was some play time around the bomb holes and everyone who did them looked like it was alot of fun, some dog walkers who were passing even enjoyed watching and looked like they would have loved to join in.

It was pretty muddy coming through Headley Heath but it can be very sandy in places so a bit of rain can actually be better through there especially in the sandy gravelly sections, it is a good trail for a variety of up and down and plenty of quick gear changes.

From there we headed out onto the road past the Great Western and right into the woods towards Boxhill, where we descended down Juniper bottom, I went down after Debbie but stopped at a section that is like a lay by so that I could make sure everyone went down ok it was great to see people flying past grinning from ear to ear.

From there across the A24 and up the Bridleway, continueing up to Norbury House, down the flinty section and then across into "Druid's Grove" where we were all determined to get to the top but most thrown off by the very slippery root at the top, the ground was also really soft so it took quite alot of effort to climb again something to keep going back to until it's conquered.

Through Druid's Grove back to the saw mill where some took the main path down and some took the right hand side which leads to a chalky loose downhill which is quite fun.
Completing the ride with a race up the gravel back to Bockett's farm carpark.

A really good ride, a good few hours and the best part of the day weather wise, with discussions about who's out next weekend and during the week we said our good byes!
It's been a fun packed summer with loads of rides and new faces becoming part of a friendly network of females who enjoy the same activity and meet up to form a safe and sociable experience.

Nine riders were abroad tonight.

Not damp. Not a fine summer rain. Not a clearing shower. No, just rain plain and simple, heavy, relentless and persistent. I stood watching it from my front door briefly before stepping out and making my way to the Esso garage, by which time I was already on my way to being wet through and frankly amazed that anyone else had bothered.

That left route choice to worry about. It was worth noting also that MarkJ could see virtually nothing due to his glasses steaming up and being rained on while DaveS was on his first night ride ever. As we joked with him later, there was no chance of him suffering a baptism of fire on this ride!

I finally settled on the idea of another run toward Effingham due to it's non-technical nature. We set off through Wiggly Wood, splashing through puddles of standing water. Pretty soon we'd learned to stop mincing round them too, another indication of how wet it was. Well, once you're wet, you're wet.

Within a half mile I'd stopped to take off my safety glasses as I couldn't see a thing through them and couldn't even pick my way along a familiar trail. Even so, I couldn't help getting a certain amount of enjoyment from our perversity in being out at all. Our spouses it seemed, on chatting to the others, all thought we were nuts but it was starting to feel like fun.

Splish splash through the woods, and on toward the Polesdon Estate. Negotiating the right hand turn that we normally take off the descent to Bagden Farm showed a big hole has appeared in the ground, which will cause a crash if you don't expect it, so watch out down there. It's hard to say if it's man-made or not, I really hope not.

By the time we crossed the old Dorking Road the water was streaming down the tarmac and everywhere else too. We ducked into the woods and headed over to pick up the Tanners Climb, it was hard to follow the trail and my cornering skills had escaped me for the time being as I appeared to have donned the Fairy Cape.

The Tanners Climb was dispatched without drama, except for Mark getting cramp in his legs which we missed because he was riding rear gunner anyway! After that it was on to Badger Run and Collarbone, which as I mentioned earlier was made much harder by the heavy mist rolling in from the south. It was so thick that even with my MaXx-D on low setting on my handlebars I had difficulty picking my line, it was real ride-off-the-edge-of-the-hill stuff.

Forunately after Ranmore we turned north again and found the mist thinning but alas, no let up in the rain. The run down to the Drover's Road from the reservoir was actually enormous fun as I followed a brisk Tony in and out of the trees. Grip levels were suprisingly good (must be those cheap Specialized Storm tyres I have on the singlespeed!) and with better visibility it was easier to pick your lines.

We carried on to double back on the Drover's Road and then turned off toward Effingham, picking up the same route we'd taken last week but then taking the shorter option that DaveC and used to get home. It meant a lower mileage for the ride but was the right choice I think.

However, we still had the long run to Horsley to negotiate, I hung back to make sure everyone was clear on the route and then followed DaveS down the trail as we struggled to find the line amongst all the drooping foliage and vegetation.

Once at the A246 we crossed to Dirtham Lane and then continued on, with Colin having a huge tank slapper when he lost the front of the bike riding through what initially appeared to be an innocuous puddle. Fortunately he didn't quite stack it into the chain link fence but it was close!

We finished, as last week, with a run down Orestan Lane and on to Bookham from there. Arriving home I had 12.5 miles on the clock but at least it was an early finish. I'm going to have to get some old towels for the garage (no Colin, not what you think!) to dry myself off though after rides like this as I squelched into the house afterward…

A fun ride showing our stubborn side and proof positive that the English eccentric is alive and well and riding the Surrey Hills. Tonight we were (very) muddy Moles.

Since it's inception as a result of the 1999 Finance Act, the Cycle2Work scheme has gradually come to be seen as a great employee benefit and an important part of 'promoting healthier journeys to work and reducing environmental pollution'.

Sadly this might not be the case for much longer.

This has affected the Cycle2Work scheme by the Inland Revenue issuing guidance on how the scheme is to be administered. The fundamentals remain the same - the employer buys the bike VAT-free and leases the bike to an employee over the course of a year.

The employee pays this cost using untaxed income and at the end of the year pays a final payment which relates to what the bike is nominally worth (called 'fair market value'), then walks away with the bike. Over the course of a year the employee could save anywhere between 30%-50% or so of the bike's original value depending on their individual tax status which made it a very popular scheme.

Unfortunately, this looks like being seriously curtailed by the Revenue issuing guidance as to what the fair market value of a year old bike is. They reckon on 25% which is far higher than the 5% or so that many employers charged. In effect it means the savings are significantly less and in some cases nothing at all.

Now employers don't have to follow this guidance. They can still sell the bike to their employees at a lower cost but in that case the individual becomes liable for tax as a benefit-in-kind. Depending on circumstance the individual could be just as well off taking their cash and looking for a discount on any number of new bikes out there.

So not only do individuals stand to lose out but bike shops do too. As small businesses the Cycle2Work scheme has been great as they've not had to give as much of their profits away in the form of discounts since the savings to individuals were already huge. So this change could mark a fundamental shift in bike retailing.

As some of you know I build websites for large corporations to enable their employees to pick and choose their benefits and Cycle2Work has been a very popular choice for many for some time. However, anecdotally, within a couple of days of the Inland Revenue's guidance one of our clients (a FTSE100 company) currently selecting options for next year has has ditched their Cycle2Work offering. It makes no difference to me what options they offer, but it does suggest that Cycle2Work is under a lot of pressure.

It's funny how sometimes real life affects our enjoyment of mountain biking isn't it? And this time it's not our spouses complaining or a lack of time!! Perhaps we could expect to see a more cut-throat approach to retail pricing as a result? Is that a good thing if that means some of our local bike shops fall by the wayside?

The truth, as has been said before, is out there…

As the chat was in full flow I started by checking to see if Matt had a route; nope. Then I asked Colin; nope. On that basis I suggested as we'd been East two weeks ago, West last week then it must be South today. Initially Leith Hill came up, could anyone remember the way round the back fo Westcott? Several blank looks.

So how about we do the Leith, Holmbury, Abinger Roughs route in reverse? This seemed to meet with some approval and so we head of in that general direction with a plan to head down White Down. Present were Matt, Jem, Colin, JamesPro, Ray, D'Andini (The Great), OtherDave, MarkW, Ian, Jez, Keith, Erick, Paul901, Tony and myself.

Jem was nursing a non-working thumb after an off in the week so I was steering the route away from anything too hairy. Having said that it turned out to be a great route and I could see smiles from riders old and new as personal achievements were exceeded.

So I found myself with Jez at the front of a pack of 15 riders as we picked our way towards Polesdon Lacey and under the two wooden bridges. With a bit of moisture under the tyres there was just a small question mark over the amount fo grip we might find. As I lofted the Spider over the drainage gully I was confident and nailed the downhill making sure it was clear for those behind.

Managing to carry speed up the other side, I stayed ahead of Jem for a fair way before he and the other whippets got the better of me. At the Ranmore Road we gathered up and it was pleasing to see the pack re-group without too much delay.

I pushed forward again with the lead pack as we turned toward Scouting for Boys before turned left in formation along Badger Run and then Collarbone. With a slight gradient I was able to roll past Jem as the 29er wheels proved their trail flattening, fast rolling qualities again.

Regrouping at the top of White Down was even quicker and we quickly headed down as I watched JamesPro dance his Inbred across the trail in front of me. More grins at the bottom of White Down and we crossed over the field with the big ruts catching a few of the more Senior Moles out, causing a bit of bunching at the back.

The route through Abinger Roughs then threw down an option that the Nocturnal Moles used on the Solstice ride. This sent as a bit further towards Newlands Corner before turning left and coming into Holmbury from the West. A trail first for me and one I found excellent before picking up the back of one of the Reservoir trails and heading towards Barry Knows Best.

A quick check to see who hadn't done BKB showed a couple of hands. We quickly discussed the main things to look for and then I set off hot in pursuit of the Great D'Andini. BKB always fills me with a great sense of glee as I get reminding of the great first section before we hit the new berms at the end. Try as I might I could sometimes close on D'Andini but never fully hassle him and I contented myself with frantically trying to get my pedals right going round the berms.

As the team rolled up at the end a few of us headed back up for a second run while the rest headed to purchase delights from the Peaslake Village store. On the second run down it became apparant to me that my arms were getting tired and I failed to flow the trial as well the second time.

Hot chocolate and flapjack were duly passed to me by JamesPro and I found CliveB outside sitting astride a Santa Cruz Tall Boy. It seems as though the 29er thing might slowly be spreading to the racing crowd although rumours of this being prompted by a struggle to keep up with a Niner SIR 9 will probably be hotly denied!! ;oP

Lots of chatter gave way to the need to head back and hence we headed up the road to pick up the direct trail towards the trig point and then Yoghurt Pots. Yoghurt Pots proved to be in good nick and fast although a few of the pots produced some heavy compressions for me, forcing me to stay on my toes and keep my weight mobile. More smiles all round and Jem was sorely temped to take his SC Blur XC back over the route again. Possibly stopped by his sore thumb!

A quick debate produced a winning vote for my preferred exit off of Telegraph Road and so I headed off again. Telegraph Road has suffered muchly in the last year or so from over use and the track is getting wider and wider. Roots abound and I heard a dismayed cry from Colin behind me as he got one worng and ended a bit wide of the mark.

After taking the exit I wanted there was some chatter about the little stump that lies at the bottom of one dip and how it caught someone out even though the knew it was there.

The group filled up again and I picked my way through some recently forested trails, trying not to head butt a tree that nearly caught me on the exit of a double dip. Form there it was just a blast towards "Girls in the tree" and then a noodly, rooty little entrance to a fast steep descent. Colin classed this as Pure Classic Dave trail and I don't think I disagree with it. Big up to Paul901 for clearing this section as he confessed it would have beaten him a few weeks ago.

A short section of road work and then we ducked left behind the Volunteer pub onto what I believe is called Raikes Lane. This eventually spat us back to Abinger Roughs and we slogged it back up White Down.

Ian got a punture towards the top and as that was being fixed 6 of us split off to get back to the car park, allowing JamesPro to get some brownie poinst as well as pick up some of bike carriers from me. It was at this point Keith engaged his second engine and prompty took off like a bat out of hell causing me to raise a quizzical eyebrow as I strugged and failed to make inroads into his lead down Yew Trees.

A tiring but extremely enjoyable ride which must have been around 25 miles or so. Not sure my speedo is accurate at the moment having changed tyres recently.

Catherine asked me "what are Bomb Holes?" and I tried to explain. I then figured that a good ride for today would be a new trail over Headley Heath!

Starting from Bockett's Farm we made our way towards Alsation. As some may have read I have a personal time goal for Alsation and I set my watch as always just by the end of the fence where the shed is and hurried along trying to tail Dave and Jill as much as possible.

I was making good progress until the first lip where it steepens further and they flew off, I carried on pushing as hard as I could and reached the flatter part much sooner than I expected, I had knocked another 15 seconds off my time making my new time 5mins and 8 seconds. My new goal to do it in under 5 minutes!

It was up this climb though that my trials with nutrition told an important tale. With no breakfast—just a black coffee with 2 sugars—and the choice I made last night to skip my dinner and replace it with a small bag of crisps and half a bag of microwave popcorn, I was remembering how much better I have felt with a better meal the day before and an oaty breakfast.

Starting up the next section I started to get a bit of a headache just above my eye (I never get headaches) and I found it quite annoying and needed to start on my "naked" bar much earlier than normal.

Following on from there up towards Headley Golf course Dave showed us "Life on Mars", crikey! that's quite hard work, I really enjoyed it but did find it quite challenging, a really good piece of singletrack to practise on. I certainly think we will be in there in the future.

Up to the car park and a right along the bridleway, across the road and on towards Headley Heath, up that yucky climb that is sand and boulders, through the gate to Headley Heath, here we found the playground of Bomb Holes and lots of people "playing".

"These" I explained to Catherine "are bomb holes". Dave took some time to show some of the riding and Catherine made a really good point about the climb being more of a problem than the drop, not a way I have looked at it in the past and I found the difference in approach refreshing.

On we went to a descent that I have done many times but this time Dave described it as a bomb hole on a larger scale and I saw this descent in a different light. Down the gravelly descent and on my new bike I was much faster over the loose gravel, then straight up (I think I may start to have a little more confidence to tackle bomb holes again).

This is another trail that I really enjoy it has a really good balance of up and down, some of which is quite challenging, some you are just destroyed if you don't get in the right gear, a trail I feel makes you shift your weight around on the bike and really work with your bike.

Back out towards Box Hill with a comfortable ride down Juniper Bottom, the ground wet enough to have the top section not too loose and not so wet that it is "slidey, slidey" ;-)

Across the A24, up the bridleway, up to Norbury park and up to the saw mill where I managed to really race myself to catch up with Dave hoping to surprise him that I was on his heel! From the sawmill, hugging the trees, down the gravelly section and back up to Bockett's farm which Dave and I raced up, I am sure he probably let me beat him but I was pushing out whatever energy I had left to race up the hill.

A really fantastic ride today, another step of experience, another fun morning!

A lesson learned about fuel for the ride!

As we approach the Autumn and my hardtail starts peeking out of the garage I know new seasons are going to bring new fun too!

It was nice to be greeted by a few familiar faces then when I arrived at the garage.

We headed off up Crabtree Lane and then along Admiral's Track toward Polesdon, turning off shortly to pick up the bridlepath to Tanners Hatch under the stone bridge.

Our progress along there was made more interesting passing a local running club who seemed bemused by the fact that us MTB'ers hunt in packs too as we wove round them en masse. Alas we were to see them again all too soon.

The stone bridge descent is always an early opportunity for hoonage but Andy661 managed to cut his tyre with a flint on the way down, resulting in an unpatchable tube. Jez and myself, running near the back of the pack stopped to help (well, chat anyway and say hello to the runners passing us!). After a while Lee reappeared too, having been forced to repair a puncture on his own bike.

Eventually we got ready to set off, wondering if the others had understandably decided to press on ahead when it became clear that Andy's rear tyre was also flat! Our recent puncture repair practice helped and we managed to get things back to a rideable status but not before nearly 25 minutes had elapsed from our initial stop!!

So we pressed on at a cracking pace, picking up AndyC at the hostel as he was riding back down to see where we were. By the time we reached the Ranmore Road we'd definitely warmed up as I didn't hang around on the climb, despite struggling on the singlespeed. Must be getting soft from riding the Orange!

Everyone else was still waiting patiently for us and were definitely feeling the first, whispering chill of early autumn in the air. Without much ado we carried on to Badger Run and then Collarbone, again at a brisk enough pace.

On reaching White Down it was a little sad to see the failing light dictated us needing to run with our own lights on as we headed round the fallen tree and through the singletrack toward he reservoir. Lee very impressively rode straight over the huge log, something that I'm unlikely to attempt despite having tried to think my way over it many times.

At the reservoir we continued on the North Downs Way to eventually pick up the Drovers Road. This is a stretch of trail I really enjoy since it has so many possible routes along and off to the side despite not being at all technical. I guess I just like the fact the gradient is just slightly in your favour and you can carry good speed along it.

Turning back on ourselves at the Drovers Road, we cantered along the easy green lane for a half mile or so before the pack turned down toward Effingham. My—albeit internally stated—plan had been to run down to the sawmill but DaveC turned us to the more direct route back to civilisation before I realised. No problem though as after a short discussion and teeth sucking at the possible return time from a few of us (remember we'd lost a lot of time to punctures) the pack split with DaveC and a lightless Dan heading off while the rest of us took our chances with my dubious navigation skills.

For a short stretch of tarmac I was a bit concerned as my flock followed me on a search for Tony's singletrack down to Honeysuckle Lane. I couldn't see it anywhere and was just starting to worry when it appeared tucked out of the way on the left. I dived in with relief and had a hugely enjoyable time romping down the obscure trail, even if my singlespeed status might have been holding up others. It's agem of a run.

At the bottom we turned up to the sawmill, passing the Fat Controller's house before reaching the Impossible Climb *. I normally avoid stuff where we're likely to have to walk but for this I make an exception. After some valiant efforts and some plodding though we were ready for the descent to Sheepleas.

This is another jewel of a trail, a bit on the short side but fast, unpeopled and with plenty to challenge inluding some big-ish drops into deep gulleys. For some reason I was having a great hardtail experience tonight and my progress at the front could almost be described as 'ragging it' as we raced downhill. I just felt great and could feel the back end of the bike drifting beautifully through the turns!

We soon crossed the Sheepleas road and climbed up a shortish climb that's just enough of an effort to remind you you're earning your descents. The reward was the mazy Sheepleas trails that took us down to the A246 near Horsley Towers. On the way down I nearly suffered a Badger Nadger attack similar to Colin as one ran out right in front of me on the tunnel-like singletrack. I was within inches of running it under my front wheel and nearly lost it into the trees but the badger was keen to escape rather than fight thank God!

So with the fun behind us and time against us we were left to spin at speed along back to Bookham, via Lynx Hill, Orestan Lane and the Lower Road, regrettably having to sacrifice a longer loop across Effingham and Bookham Common. We lost nothing in terms of entertainment as it's all non-technical and fast rolling so I wasn't too bothered but it's always nice to rack up some extra miles.

All in all a great fun ride which saw us return with around 16 miles on the clock at about 10:00 after all. I thoroughly enjoyed the Inbred once again and feel bound to say that if ever a bike suited a rider my 2003-spec Inbred classic is one. It's a pleasure every time I'm out. So much so that, in conversation with AndyC, I could even contemplate ditching the Orange and replacing it with a long forked hardtail with gears.

I won't of course. But a Reba equiped singlespeed like the Inbred would be a great contrast to a Kawasaki green, Revelation forked and X0 specced Pipedream Sirius 853 wouldn't it?

* Adam is the only person I know who's cleared the Impossible Climb. He actually had to use his granny ring.

Right, time to dismantle it all again!

There were a few changes I wanted to make. I was going to make it 1x9 specific so the seat tube cable stop could come off and the top tube mounted guides needed to go underneath. Several hours and several mini grinding wheels later I had a smooth(ish) frame. The guides on the seat stay were cut "open" to allow for full outer cable routing.

Then came the Nitromors stripper. Either they've improved this over the last 20 years, or the paint really liked it as it virtually fell off the frame. This left a nice clean frame ready for the new cable guides. After some debate I opted to use an epoxy glue to bond the aluminium pipe (from B&Q) to the base of the top tube. Once dry I was able to sand this reasonably smooth which had the bonus to telling me they were also fixed strongly enough.

Now on the home straight I made a spraying enclosure in the garage using polythene dust sheets and proceeded to prime the frame. Spraying isn't exactly a difficult job but It's a bit of an art to get it smooth and I'm not exactly the most patient of people. This was followed with a few top coats and finally some clear coat. Even with the dust sheets the garage will take many months if not year to recover!

The final job was how to make it redder than red. Careful component choices looking at all factors including availability, durability, cost and weight in order to get the ultimate performance were all considered. Then I went and bought the cheapest I could find!

A red Woodman headset, red Clarks gear cables and hoses, some neat red jockey wheels from HK (with free valve caps), a red bottle cage, KCNC chainring bolts and a few MuddyMoles stickers.

You can see the full photo set of my Project Red Pipedream Sirius on Flickr. There's also details of the updated R853 Pipedream Sirius for 2010 on the Pipedream website.

First stop was Ranmore, via Wiggly Wood where we experienced a few brown-trouser moments thanks to a large hole dug in the centre of the trail on a bend. I can only hope this was a badger’s work and not that of a disgruntled rambler upset at us using their footpath (did I say that?).

Up to Ranmore and then I fancied the fast and lumpy descent to the Chapel ruins at Westhumble which really is much easier if you lay off the brakes and hit it fast. A little road work followed up Crabtree Lane to head over to Druids Grove and I was already hatching a plan to take everyone down the steps from the viewpoint rather than the alternative start from Centenary Copse.

HaHa! I’m not sure anyone had tried them before and it was quite funny standing at the bottom step watching the various close shaves on the way down these tricky steps and switchbacks. A great test of balance and skill though. In hindsight, I should have warned everyone to allow plenty of room as bunching up really doesn’t help on this sort of stuff.

Druids was greasy as usual and as ever, the off-camber sections try to lure you down the slope for an appointment with A&E! Then came Box Hill, with Adam wondering if he could beat his ridiculously already fast time. By the time we hit the bottom, I had cooked my goose well and truly by trying to lead the ride at a fast pace to keep the whippets happy. I was under no illusions, I would not be breaking any records and by the time I reached the top, Amanda had donned her jacket as she was cooling down too much.

Such pain was worth it however with China Pig next on the list, where Adam pushed me all the way while poor old Chris suffered a bizarre technical fault, losing his rear wheel ! I chuckled as everyone could be seen checking their qr’s at the bottom when he eventually arrived.

That left a climb up Juniper in the direction of Alsatian, where I had the most amazing riding experience, following a Barn Owl for a good few seconds at 30mph down the trail as it swooped and soared in front of me – fantastic !

Time for me to peel off for the last climb home, feeling like we had well and truly earned some rest – 20 miles, 1000m of climbing with lots of fast descending.

Special mention to D’AndyC who showed his ironman like qualities by riding tonight after a night on the beers and a few hours kip on the sofa the night before. Maybe we should all adopt his unique d2d training regime?

Riders: D’AndyC, Jez, Lee, Trevor, Amanda, Darren, Adam_Ski, Chris, Colin