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Disaster struck the plans of Andy and Jason to compete in a series of races known as the King of the Holm Challenge at Newcastleton over the weekend of 22nd/23rd October just before they were due to depart. Jason was stricken with a mystery gut attack, while poor Andy's Dad was critically ill in hospital. All plans were obviously cancelled, for this year anyway.

On Saturday night Terry rang John who didn't fancy getting wet as it had rained for days and the Sunday forecast was for more. David was due to watch Newcastle beat Sunderland at St James' Park on the Sunday afternoon. That left a lonesome Gollum to ride on his own. However, Jason guessed that he might be fit enough for a light dabble by Sunday morning, and so it turned out.

Golly rode down his local trail the few miles to Jason's at 10.00am where Jason was waiting, together with diddy offspring Ross, who was about to be introduced to the wonderful world of Mountain Biking.

How would Doctor Evil treat his little man? We piled into the van and headed for Chopwell Woods, arriving about 10.45. Although the sky was full and a very dark grey, it didn't rain while we were out. It was very wet under the wheels, though, so maybe just as well we didn't intend to thrash it on this trip.

Mini-me was going to ride his dad's Coiler Dee Lux but it turned out that Terry's Barracuda was a tad smaller and easier for him to handle, so we swapped and hurtled into the woods. Or not. It was hard work for Junior climbing the fire roads to the start of the rooty singletrack, but once we got there and pointed down he did very well, managing to stay mounted for at least 50 percent of the ride! At least (most of) his get-offs were slow ones. Here's the young'un trying to hatch a dinosaur...

At the end of that section we took him to the "Yellow Brick Road", our downhill patch. He came unstuck on this a few times aswell but it was a great effort for someone so small on a bike so big.

After descending the full length of the downhill track, we climbed again (hard work riding and pushing even a shortie up the fire roads!) to let Ross have a go on the singletrack stages through the trees. Again he did pretty well to stay aboard (may have been his dad yelling at him?) and finally we spent half an hour playing on the tabletops near the car park. Here goes Ross, measuring up... then up one side ... and down the other... Close up action...

And a couple of vidz:     To the Top 2.5MB    Start Here 4.5MB    Big Tabletop 3.3MB

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