Last week I promised a look back at 2009. Before January goes any further I really ought to do that or else the moment will have passed!

So what were the ‘highlights’ of 2009 for me?

1. First off, my mileage. Despite hitting the ‘no enthusiasm’ point hard in December I managed 1956 miles for 2009 on my Muirwoods, Orange Five and Inbred. Quite impressive but, ultimately a disappointing 44 miles short of 2000 miles. Dang!
2. Thetford’s Dusk til Dawn. A great weekend in the middle of that long Indian Summer we enjoyed and I think we all, in some way, surprised ourselves.
3. Swinley. How on earth has it taken me so long to get to Swinley when it’s only just up the road from us? Thanks to all who took the trouble to show us round, especially Warren and Colin. We’ll be back soon…
4. Great company. We’ve had a steady stream of riders who’ve joined us out on the trails and without exception they’ve been great company. Must be something about mountain bikes! Some have become regular riders while others join us when they can. Hats off to you all.
5. Injuries. Not a highlight at all but certainly worth noting that we’ve had a few incidents this year. Worst of all was the now bionic Tony’s collarbone at Swinley (ahem), followed by Colin’s rib at Swinley (ahem) and a few other knocks along the way including Andy’s broken metacarpal that kept him out for 2 months. Dave was lucky not to break anything on his Deliverance tumble too.
6. Colin bending his seatpost on his Pitch over the jumps. I was following (with my wheels on the ground) and saw an airborne bike with an even more airborne Colin some way above it. Until gravity kicked in…
7. The Bordon Enduro – unspeakable pain for me which looking back broke my spirit for the run up to Christmas, hence my reduced miles. I still rode, but I’ve seen enough mud now. At least I managed one memorable bonk for the year…
8. Our LED night light test. An excuse for a walk in the woods with mates ended up in the pub with our most popular article of the year. Just don’t mention the Malamute.
9. Dave’s revolving bike door which has seen some interesting bikes through it last year, especially his Intense Spider. He doesn’t so much own them as curate them for others to enjoy at a later date! Kidding Dave!

Looking back on my resolutions for 2009 I see I missed most of those by a mile. In fact, most I think still stand. Well, it’s always nice to have something to aim for!

And now, some stats. During 2009 I rode 1956 miles as I’ve said. And remarkably had just 7 punctures (no, really). Five were in normal tubed tyres and just two on my UST equipped Orange. Although I did have to repair a LOT of holes prior to getting the Panaracers working again after 2008.

I appear to have logged 88 rides giving an average mileage of 22 miles which seems a bit high but doesn’t include a lot of commuter miles so it’s about right. Just five rides were below freezing, just 12 were over 20°C and 13 were in the rain (seemed like a lot more).

And on the cake front, just 25 cake stops for me seems a bit low with Leith Tower being the most popular with 8 stops and none for Rykas, thank god! I think my favourite bite was an Eccles Cake but forget, although the bacon and eggs rolls at Bordon were pretty useful!

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About the author

Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.

Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.

An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.

If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.