After such a wet ride 2 days ago it’s been drier and fairly windy. The trails have dried up considerably. I had decided to ride to Birkacre where there are some fabulous corners. I particularly like a fast section where you are constantly heading downhill. It starts with a left/right combination. Then after a 30mph straight you brake for a really fast left which takes you down to a r/l/r 3 corner section. It’s all on compacted dirt but it’s slippery now but no less exciting, even though you aren’t achieving the same corner speeds. I had a great time but it was only when I got back and saved my Strava record that I found I’d been crowned “King of the Mountains” on an earlier segment.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2013507421/segments/50760286651
The segment in question is the first downhill of the ride. I hit the start at speed and as I got a bit further down I realised that it wasn’t going to be dangerously slithery. I just kept pedalling hard and trying to find the driest line. Then into the first right hander I braked enough so that I could pick my path and didn’t end up in the rut on the outside of the exit. I still expected the rest to be sticky with mud but I kept the speed up as well as I could.
I didn’t give the segment any more thought until the KOM title popped up on Strava when I got back home. I beat the previous best by 5 seconds with 1 min 27 secs. I also did it in December on a £1200 bike and I’m middle aged! Oh, happy day.
Mountainbiker 