Recently I seem to find myself stood at the top of very sharp, steep drops thinking to myself ‘stamp collecting… now that’s something I could get into’ before launching myself over the edge, encouraged by the assembled crowd.

It’s great when it comes off, but I still find myself shaking with a feeling on the edge of fear and exhilaration. I’ve never had a huge amount of balance or coordination, it’s something I have to consciously work at, and hence it makes the success all the better. Failure can hurt though and I’ve also take a few tumbles recently that have slowed me down and set me back.

Riding is all about balance, the balance of the success and the failure, the balance of keeping the bike upright, the balance of not encouraging a mate to do something he doesn’t want to and the balance of other pursuits that clamour for your time.

I like riding the open bridleways as much as the more technical trails we have around us in central Surrey, for me it’s enough to get out with a few mates and just ride.

Having good gear is important to me but I’m also impressed at how little it really means when you see a good rider on basic equipment.

Added 19/12/05

A new site warrants a few new words. This year has been much tamer than previous ones. One man down may not seem like much but it has had an effect on our riding. That and “sick note” Matt has turned into a bit of a lightweight! Might need to update my bikes section as the Inbred has changed and the East Peak has been replaced by a Mount Vision. In fact I’m coinstantly amazed how I switch from bike to bike and think how great the one I’m riding is. Here’s to 2006 and a long hot summer!

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About the author

Dave's been riding seriously since about 1997 and is one of the founding Molefathers — along with Matt and Mark — that came up with the idea of a MTB website for Mole Valley riders.

He's had several different bikes but it's now mainly 29ers in Dave's stable, apart from an Orange 5.

Current Bikes: Orange 5, Salsa Spearfish and Kona Big Unit