Wet Leith, I'm sure I've said that before...

I had a long standing arrangement to ride with my mate James and it was one of those things that wouldn't happen unless you set a date and stick to it, so we did. What we didn't know in the summer, was what the weather would have in store for us!

I've ridden many times at Leith when it has rained all day, but this time it was a bit different. Looking up from Peaslake, even the hill tops there were stuck in cloud and that was the way it would stay until we'd nearly finished!

Excellent grip despite the rain and great to ride with some new people. Very impressed with Jame's ride and also his fitness - at 59 he's still keeping us all very honest! Hopefully we should hook up with Ben's crew again and big up his mate's new bike shop. Wet Word...


BC anyone?


Near the Tower.


Yes those are tights with holes in.


Ben gets fast and loose on his rigid singlespeed.

Chris is 30

Sneaky...

This is what I'm talking about!

Ok, so sorry to go n about how amazing one site/photographers are but, I mean, this is pretty epic! www.alpinepics.com

Chris so lazy...

I pulled this off facecock as Lawler has seriously forgotten the IBFC!!

Chris writes:

The lifts have all closed with the exception of the Champery cable car so any more riding involves a push up the Col du Coux. We’ve been away on our Honeymoon for a while so not so many riding pics so far this season.

Al got this one just at the top of the trail leading off from the top of Chavannes heading towards some of teh bootleg forest trails.


Hip hop hippopotamus tweak.

Really good.

Whilst I'm blogging, I had a look at this chap's site as he had POD recently on Pinkbike. Bloody good and his POD was at Bozen,where Jon had a trip out to recently - I'm trying to get some pics off him to post as he said it was awesome. Via bik-ratta anyone?

www.alpinepics.com

Alpspitze, part 1 from Big Col on Vimeo.

Pompey MKII

Should have bunged this up after the Friday post, but didn't. After one or two very very small 2% shandys on the Friday night, Finter and I were off to Surrey Hills to get some more sun and dry trail action. We rocked up in Peaslake with the outside hope of trying to find the trails that Stu had taken me to a few weeks before. Fat chance.

We rode some old classics and found a new (to us) steep tech run off the back hill (other side of PL to BKB) near to the one I rode with Rob and Stu with the log step down:


And, gurn.

Any way, we had a blast and felt exhausted afterwards - stopping before running BKB only to stock up on a meat pie and the NICEST bakewell style cake ever. I've said it before and I'll say it again. A T H L E T S!



This is what it looked like...


Up.


And down...



And up...


And, down.

I should say that neither of these pics show how teck the runs were. Entertaining at full tilt.

South and out.

Just re-surfaced from a week long trip with the family down to Bormes to relax and spend some time with Steffi's folks for her Birthday. Amazing weather all week, with the exception of an amazing storm on the Tuesday night. All in all, very enjoyable and Monty has grown visibly!



Steffi's brother, wife and little munchkin were out too, and I managed to fit in a few blasts on a bike - All road this year as the Marin has been repatriated by Steffi's other brother. Boo. My steed this time up was a (fiveish year old?) steel Decathalon hardtail with non existent front forks, although they looked suspiciously like they were supposed to move... Heavy as sin and shakey at speed. Anyway, its all about the riding and I put in a 45km loop up in the hills above Bormes one afternoon and saw literally no-one except some olds playing petonc at a junction - only in France...

Then on Wednesday, Peter and I headed out an did a bigger ride, clocking about 70km in three hours, with 500m of climbing and some stiff winds. I really enjoyed it and we had to play the slipstream game on some of the flat bits. Very good.

Steffi's B'day we went to L'allmanar, a world class (apparently) wind surf spot, and I would have had a go, but it was BUSY and WINDY!! Not the best conditions for learning...

Tan is already fading fast.

Dry Again, Friday, Pompey...

Friday saw a little trip down to QE near Pompey for a bit of ragging about, dusty style. I've ridden QE once before and conditions couldn't have been different. The first time was winter, it was wet, you LITERALLY couldn't see the trails for leaves and it was so slidey on my sand tyres, that I two-wheel drifted everywhere, much to the amusement of Daryl. Friday was DRY and fast although, just as drifty, it turned out!


Sun was out.


Jez hits a line in the trees.



In the dry, the chalk turns into little balls and gives you the pine cone effect that we get up here - ie unpredictable berms! All good though, except for how unfit I was feeling. Slow on the ups but managed to keep up with Daryl and hit everything on spec on the downs. Almost had an interesting stack on a step down that I overcooked, but got away with it! Daryl and Jez took me over to the 'Farm', a ghetto little valley of felled trees and sketchy gravel/mud surface. It was good and had some interesting lines in it but we couldn't session as time was against us. Flat out and fast as you like back to the car - I LOVE that final run there.



Farm bermmm. Ghetto.


This is the bigger step down after the berm above, not sure how you go about connecting it to the landing as its sooo tight.


Jez taking in the farm...


Farm stepdown

LIFE CYCLES

Its here! A teaser!! OK I know I might sound a bit excited, but that is because I am. These boys are doing it properly and much better than Follow Me if the taser is anything to go by...

wow...

Deep summer contender by Adrian Marcoux. Amazing.

Deep Summer Slide show from Dirt Tales on Vimeo.

Watch it full screen.

Oh, yes.... Bikes!

Having waved goodbye to Steffi and Monty (they've gone to France ahead of me), I have a bit more time. We've all been pretty slack on the posting, but I for one have been doing a shed load of riding and have various project bikes in the proecess...

Anyway, less baby, more bike! That doesn't mean I like Monty any less, Steffi.



New blue work stand thingumy...



And, look what we found in the woods...

HA!

Found this in an old folder, forgot i'd sceengrabbed it from Mark's facecock account. Mark is on the left, but how good is thatr Freddy on the right?!!

Mike Tour 2010

Mike. Uncle Mikey. Mikemandingo. He was back briefly and caused a trail of hangover destruction at several venues in the UK. See him here trying to brain wash my son, then cut a Cuban cigar in half with a bread knife before lighting it on a candle. Must be that Aussi culture...







Never mind.

Lots of riding has happened my end, just not got round to taking pics or posting. boo. Will do a post on some riding soon as new things have been shaping up. Local news is that Woburn isn't going to be flattened as some people thought, rather the people who manage the site and the lease holders are thrashing it out with the Duke of Bedford who owns the land. All good.

Woburn secrets

New trails, bit of filming. Not too good as this was stuffed into a four hour trail ride, but it was fun, so had to be filmed...


MPORA Action Sports >>

F1 Silverstone

A few weeks late, but what the hey!


Come on Jenson!

Gav and I drank beer in the sun and had fun getting into stands we shouldn't have been in. Cracking weather and a good qualifying Saturday!!


Lewis and a Force India.






Vettel, Rubens (?) and a Torro Rosso.


Mobile BEER!


What?


Down and out...

Wedding Raft.

This was hungover apres wedding rafting, Morzine style...

Thats Baby Wang!!

It is my great pleasure to announce to internet land, the arrival of Steffi and my Son, Montgomery Huw Branfield!! The little tyke was born at 21:08 on the 27th, the hottest day this year so far (!), and weighed in at 8lbs 4. Beefcaaaaake.



Steffi did an amazing job and he was out in just six hours. Both are doing well and we are all tired!

I P H O N E V I D E O

Iphonetasticness of some good and bad riding displays...


More Mountain Biking Videos >>

EPIC Peaslake.

Stu had been banging on at me to come down and ride as he'd found some new trails up the back hill away from BKB straigh outta P'lake. Weather, Rob and permission from Steffi meant it was on.

Stu has been guiding round here a bit and riding with the shop crew on Mondays, so has his eye in on the trails round these parts much better than we do - and he came up trumps. Some epic trails and flat out fast. Some bits quite steep and tech, too. All good. Nice on to Chris and Kate for last week's wedding (pics to come) and well done to Daryl for his off in France, requiring 9 stitches...














This track was proper steep in the top section, then opened up into a step down and a kicker. Niiiiiiiice.










Chiiiillll Winstaaan.