7th. Working on the theory Chris has had two rides since his return to off-road biking, it was about time he tackled a bit of steepness albeit in the short, sharp shock form. With this in mind we found ourselves panting up the hill to the top of Carlton Bank, Chris’s usual pushing mode temporarily suspended by the presence of some female hikers. A short descent brought us to the little known valley of Thackdale and some brief cave exploration by the more intrepid members of our party. A ride through the damp woods brought us to Heathwaite Green before the arduous ascent through Clain Woods up Limekiln Bank, a dearth of winsome women walking inevitably resulted in Chris doing likewise, the Cannondale Push living up to it’s nickname. We made our way across Whorlton Moor, up the aptly named ‘Bob’s Sweary Bank’, to join Arnesgill Ridge and a straightforward blast back to the cafe via barker’s Ridge and Carlton Bank.

15th^. Hard to believe but it is 5 years to the day since the inaugural Terra Trailblazers ride, when me, Simon and the aforementioned Sweary Bob put legs over crossbars for a ride around Silton Woods and The Hambleton Drove Road. By way of a celebration we thought it would be nice to do a North York Moors classic, The Rosedale Round followed by food and beer in The Lion Inn. We even managed a reasonable turnout for a change, me, Simon, Chris, Tony, Dave and Dave’s son Sean, it must have been the prospect of a two cafe ride. A brisk pace ensued for the first 7 miles, along the old rail track to Bank Top, then south from Ana Cross to Lastingham, it must be said, more to do with the 800 foot height loss than any sudden gains in fitness. After Lastingham the route turns uphill, past High Askew Farm and then technical singletrack all the way to Rosedale Abbey. Some of the boggy patches which previously marred this bit of track seem to have been bridged which is just as well seeing as this is the wettest summer since the previous last wettest summer. Our youngest member beginning to embarrass some of the regulars by hanging on the back wheel of super-fit triathlete Tony as we gradually dropped behind. Welcome but somewhat expensive refreshment in Rosedale Abbey came and went, follwed by a tarmac mile or two, passing Bell End and Low Bell End, two names straight out of the Carry On films surely? Disaster struck for Dave between the two Bell Ends when his dangly bit was ripped off - rear derailleur that is. A split in his chain jammed in the cage and snapped the mech hanger, numerous attempts were made to bodge it into a single speed but the chain refused to stay where it was put. Other members of our party amused themselves by daring each other to grab an adjacent electric fence, perhaps hoping for some heart boosting defibrillation effect perhaps? We made our way to the cottages at Swine Stye Hill where Dave was pointed at the shortcut back to the car park, through the two Dale Head farms and up the moor, then summarily abandoned by the rest of us, even his own son, as we continued on the old rail track right around the head of the valley in a spectacular and scenic U turn.

22nd. To be honest, the photographs accompanying this months update belie the horrendous weather we’ve had this summer, it just seemed that we found the only dry day every week to go riding. Decided to give Dave and Sean a look at Tripsdale today, always a North Yorkshire treat for any cyclist. As we rode along the front of the three hills from Lordstones, Simon’s drinking tube decided to part company from his bladder, drenching his back and rendering him drinkless, all within a mile. Luckily a spring beneath the Ravens Scar crags was used for a refill. Young Sean was King Of The Mountains today, as well as stage leader, wheely champion and downhill demon. A bit embarrassing for those of us who’ve been mountain biking more years than he’s had birthdays. The carry up the steps to Carr Ridge calmed him down a bit, then he was away again over Urra Moor, followed by the rest of us. The descent into Tripsdale, enjoyable as ever, came and went all too soon, the gruesome ascent out of the other side came and went - on and on and on; Sean’s ascent, while pedalled all the way, did involve more than the odd dab of the foot and couldn’t be counted as flawless - a flawless ascent would have earned him a fiver from his dad. The descent beside Medd Crag was pretty damp and boggy but mainly rideable and before long we were back on tarmac, passing through Chop Gate en-route to Lordstones on the Raisdale Road. At Beak Hills, Simon, yes Simon, suggested an extra loop to revisit the track in front of the three hills which we began the ride on, Chris, against his better judgement, agreed and we plodded up the valley, tormented by some rain squalls. The ride along the fronts not without incident, an ill tempered dog walker, who evidently believes she is entitled to wander the whole North York Moors without let or hindrance, took a pretty dim view of some middle-aged mountain bikers breathing the same air as her and her partner. Karma struck as she turned to berate Simon for apologizing as he rode past at walking pace, when she lost her footing and fell in the bracken, which did nothing to improve her mood by the time it was Tail End Chris’s turn to pass her.

29^th. Singletrack delights today, showing Dave and Sean some of the lesser known tracks around Guisborough Woods and Great Ayton. The route is not too detailed because some of the tracks are already beginning to suffer from the effects of this year’s deluges and overuse is not going to do them any favours. We made our way to Cliff Rigg quarry via Roseberry Common, into the Elephant’s Hole and painfully down the gorse and bramble lined track to the bottom of the quarry and its assortment of jumps, berms and annoyingly competent prepubescent boys. Completely outclassed by a bunch of kids on cheap hardtails, we left the quarry, tails firmly between legs for a tarmac run through Great Ayton to Gribdale Gate , followed by an ascent of the fire road to Captain Cooks Monument. Chris again showed the grit and determination of a true athlete by riding the majority of the way, only pushing when the lady walkers were out of sight. A quick breather at the monument while we watched some paraglide chappies doing their thing , a nice bit of singletrack, some fire road and we were at Glebe Cottage, refuelling with caffeine and carbohydrates. The recently resurfaced New Row track turned into a push for everyone before we remounted for a pedal over Percy Cross Rigg and back into Guisborough Woods at the Unsuitables Gate. More nice singletrack brought us to Hutton Village, where Chris suddenly remembered the next bit is uphill, a quick glance round revealed a definite lack of female spectators, so Chris bailed and took the direct route back to the car park. Dave, Sean and myself being made of sterner stuff made our way to The Chute, a fitting finale to the day.

Lots of photo's this month. Keep scrolling down...