Wondorous Whinlatter

Wondorous Whinlatter, a photo by rOcKeTdOgUk on Flickr.

day 3 in the Lakes dawned dry and sunny, but very cold, yesterdays rain had turned to ice. this caused us some problems as the Wrynose pass was blocked because cars couldn't get up or down it, we had to turn around and take the long way up to Whinlatter forest. it turned out to be a glorious day of sunshine, blue skies and stunning views. the initial singletrack climb contours it's way up a very steep hill side with the penalty for failure quite high on one side, i found myself leaning the other way to compensate. it was difficult to concentrate on where i was going as i kept wanting to look at the view. after the water logged trails yesterday it was a treat to be riding on dry trails, there was some residual snow but nothing that hindered our progress, there were a couple of hairy moments mostly caused (in my case) by going too fast, at one point i rode over a cut off tree stump, missed the next turn and hit a log, i went over the bars but emerged unscathed and grinning as The Capt whizzed past . Ben also had an OTB moment too. on the final descent i hit a compression in the trail and suffered my first snakebite puncture for a long time, the tyre deflated immediately and i had to use a spare tube as the old one was unrepairable. this trail and the weather made today one of the best rides ever, it was really what riding and getting out there is all about, made even better by sharing it with some top guys, i really haven't laughed that hard and that long for ages, thanks to Ian (for doing all the driving too) Ben and The Capt for making it a Fab road trip, can't wait for the next one!
ride 159
6 miles
total 2981
commute 809