• Terry K
• Richy
• Ian A
• Ian B
• Tim
• Steven Wa
• Chris D
• Alex
• Stewart
• Keith
• Jeff
• Alan
• Chris K
• Pail
• Justin
• Mick
• Ainis
• Matt
• Stephen G
• Jay
• Ian M

Time for matt to take the helm as he blasted down through the trees aside Battle Hill with Golly on his tail. Way to close to his tail, as it happens, as the old codger didn't notice Matt suddenly duck as we rushed in full attack mode through the mudbath beneath the overhanging trees. Result - a horizontal branch straight into the right eye and bridge of the nose, producing a spurt of Gollum's Royal blood as he tried to recover from the shock. Less than ten minutes out and already carrying a casualty - that's not supposed to happen until we're almost home!

Anyway, we continued down to the back of B&Q then across to Silverlink and down to the Stephenson Museum Line at the Coast Road. After a great deal of confusion caused by Golly trying to ride up the A19 to Morpeth (eh?), Tim led us down the Coast Road to the underpass for the Burn. Then it was the Gollum's turn out front to lead the prickly ash through the nettle fields, regroup and scoot back up to the Ambulance Station.

We bombed down all the way to the floor of the Burn before carrying the bikes up that massive set of steps we normally descend, before attacking the little trail along the Burn Side to the bottom of Rosehill Bank. I think it was Matt or Alex up front from here risking life and limb squeezing between the fenceposts and trees as we made our way along to the metal bridge, then up onto Hadrian Road for a short breather.

Rearrange these letters to make a sensible word : t-u-b-e-l-e-s-s

Answer : Bust Else, or maybe Be Tussle. Whatever, it caused us a minor setback when poor Justin's lovely Trek Fuel EX9 suffered from a two inch nail on Walker Riverside. with a hole in the tread and a split in the sidewall, his latex stood little chance of success, although it tried plenty hard. A couple of loaned tubes later we were underway again trying to catch the lead troupe at St Peter's Marina, but they'd long since departed.

That left the rest of us on a catch-up mission - here's Ian A to finish the story (and restart it!):

When we left the cave I could have sworn there were nineteen riders, but by the time we reached the Swallows the numbers had swollen to 21. The tracks and trails were still bone dry and rapid progress was made to the Coast Road. Regrouping at the A19 roundabout the followers of the Gollum were following no longer as he disappeared of up the verge running parallel to the A19 against the oncoming traffic. Why?
Back on course within minutes heading down the Coast Road to Wallsend Dene for a terrific fast flowing bramble strewn single-track towards Rosehill.

Once we reached the coast to coast route running up the Tyne the group spread out only to regroup at the bottom of a steep rutted descent which has seen many a faller and tonight was no exception, there's definitely more pressure for the back markers who have to perform to an ever larger and expectant audience.

The even steeper descent to the river to date has had no fallers and more and more riders are now descending without hesitation. It still gets a bit twitchy having only less than two metres run off before either hitting a substantial metal railing or taking a dive over the top and into the river.

Moving off from here a shout of "puncture" rings out from the back, so there are two groups now 50 metres apart out of each others sight, one repairing and one waiting - and waiting - and waiting - . After waiting a lot longer the front group moved off to prevent frost bite setting in, once the puncture was sorted catch up was on the cards instigating a trip through the Byker wall maze before eventually regrouping in Jesmond Vale.

Jesmond Dene, South Gosforth Roundabout and Bluebell Woods was the preferred route before getting home around the ten o clock mark.

Lessons learnt tonight - don’t mention tubeless, it only offends.

Ta for your company.