Sunday was my first weekend ride for a few weeks thanks to covid and other issues.

One of those other issues has been a dodgy neck that has been plaguing me now for over a year. It results in headaches and discomfort and lots of disrupted sleep, leaving me valuing a lie in at the weekend.

When my neck has played nice, and as I’ve slowly recovered from covid I feel I’ve been riding reasonably well. Evening rides have worked better for me as the shorter ride time helps with neck fatigue and general endurance.

The rest of the moles have still been out on Sundays, it’s just I haven’t been with them and feel I’ve missed out on some good rides too. We’ve gone from mud, to dryish trails and back this weekend to a greasy top coat over a firm base. I guess that’s our immediate future covered then!

This week though, I was determined to get out and given overnight rain we opted for a relatively XC route to Newlands Corner.

Actually, past Newlands Corner to St. Marthas and a loop round Blackheath to stop at Shere for a coffee. This was a little vague on our part since Elliot was unavailable and his Blackheath knowledge normally allows us to follow sheep-like without taking in the specifics! So, we kind of made it up as we went along and it kind of worked out.

Our ride group featured myself, Lloyd, Tony (himself recovering from spongey lungs), Richard and Tom. We actually made good time to Newlands, helped by a general downward slant from halfway along the Drovers Road.

I still have my winter mudguards on my Pace hardtail but still picked up lots of debris and mud on my bare legs. Others opted for long trousers to fend off mud and vegetation but either way the bikes got a light showering of damp mud and soil.

It was a ride where we saw few other mountain bikers, maybe they were all over at Peaslake? Even the Dabbling Duck at Shere seemed to have as many regular customers as cyclists for a change.

At Newlands we decided to take a chance on the Blackheath route, thinking we’d work something out one way or the other. After the rattly descent off St. Marthas (hampered by late spring vegetation levels and a handful of people heading up the climb), we managed to circle Albury and pick up Blackheath Lane, then across Little London to Shere.

Practically all our riding was low gnarr, XC fare but it was quite brisk at times and I felt we were getting a good workout. After bacon rolls (plus or minus egg options) at the Dabbling Duck it was time to head back up the Colekitchen climb back up to the Ranmore ridge. And then the slog home.

Overall, lots of fast paced XC miles to test legs and lungs in equal measure. I gave everyone a breather by puncturing just as Tony smacked his shin into a fallen mass of ivy that was hiding an unyielding surprise. As we got going again, I had that sinking feeling on the Specialized Ground Control rear tyre and then spent several minutes faffing to plug it. Fortunately Tony limped back to find me and help out.

A mental note – I need a better tubeless repair kit, especially as those otherwise admirable Ground Controls seem a little prone to puncturing.

At the finish, muddy bikes and pebble dashed legs from the damp riding surface and tired legs from 30 miles at a good pace. I was quite pleased with my morning’s efforts but looking forward to getting my full sus machine back out on the trails; I ‘just’ need to do a bearing swap first.

And this coming week… I may even attempt a commute to the office on the gravel bike if the rear rack I’ve ordered turns up!

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.