Training update #1 - Glorious glentress

I'm pretty much a diehard road cyclist but this weekend I was up in the bonnie Borders visiting my folks (and to watch the rugby - the less said about that the better) so I thought it would be quite frankly rude not to make the most of the amazing mountain biking that the "Best area in the Scotland"* has to offer.

*according to me.

So, I donned my ninja black lycra as standard, borrowed by Dad's mountain bike (a 60th present from the Pinder siblings) and headed up to Glentress. Glentress is part of the 7stanes network of mountain biking routes in the south of Scotland and is pretty much one of the best mountain biking ranges in the UK, nay the whole of Europe. You should go! And pop in for an icecream in Innerliethen when you're done.

Anyway, Scottish Borders tourism speel over...

I decided to take the slightly less hardcore blue route for my first foray "off road." Basically you cycle up hill for a good hour or so and the prospect of flinging yourself back down with joyful abandon is pretty much the only thing that keeps you going. Imagine my horror when I got pretty much close to the top to find:

1. ice
2. Snow
3. fog

All at the same time! Mountain bikes are not so much fun when you have to get off and push believe me, and cycling downhill with your legs stretched out like very rubbish and ineffectual skis is not a good look. Thankully, despite a very full carpark, there weren't many other cyclists near me so I managed to traverse the snowy slopes with some dignity. And about half way down the snow dispersed so a good amount of "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" was enjoyed. Still a bit of a chicken with the banked corners but managed a few jumps and didn't fall on my face once. BONUS!


Here is a picture of the spooky fog at Glentress. I was told that the views were amazing. I didn't see any. No photies of the snow either as my phone ran out of batteries! Which is slightly alarming when your front tyre decides to explode in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully my bike repair skills are better than I thought and it turns out a Skoda key is a splendid replacement for tyre levers. (don't tell my dad that though...)


One cheese and ham toastie and a splendid cup of tea greeted me at the end of the ride along with some great eavesdropping of some phenomenally geeky mountain bike chat. I think if I didn't live in Londons, not renowned for its mountain biking, and if I actually had a mountain bike, I'd be hooked... but thankfully the road has not lost this cyclist yet! Lucky road.

Back onto the road this weekend with Dulwich Paragon Cycling Club...more of them later!

Coming up soon....some rambling from my brother Frank!

And just to remind you, I'm doing all this cycling malarky for a very good cause - Book Aid International.

You can sponsor me and my brother to cycle from London to Paris here:

www.justgiving.com/pedallingpinders

All of the money raised will be helping to send books to libraries in some of the poorest countries in the world. One of the libraries we support is in Mathare Slum in Nairobi. You can watch a wee film about this amazing library and its members here:

Mathare North Community Library from Book Aid International on Vimeo.