11:06am Monday 26th November 2007
By Simon Waites
Oh the joys of mountain biking, hammering along some country lane, steep pulls through boggy fields, and inevitably coming off in dramatic fashion!
I really can't explain my recent biking adventures, maybe it's cycling at night without lights (hardcore stuff,not for whimps)or double black runs in the driving rain. The problem is I always survive
the more difficult challenges and come a cropper when simply not paying attention, as with most things in life.
The other night it was clear and crisp with no wind to speak of as me and a mate began the arduous climb upto Stainburn forest. To cut a long story short my mates derailleur smashed into his rear
wheel bending the whole mechanism and rendering his bike useless. It was then down to me to cycle the twelve miles home, fetch the car and pick up my stranded buddy, simple eh?
I began the climb back up the hill I had just rocketed down heading towards roadworks in the village of Leathley. Now any biker will tell you when you are on your own, in the dark, in the middle of
nowhere you have a habit of drifting off and not paying attention. I did just this when cheekily trying to negotiate the closed road, weaving between bollards and potholes and eventually (whilst
feeling rather pleased with myself)back onto open road, or so I thought. I looked up and without having time to think and more importantly brake, ploughed straight into a four foot high pile of
aggregate. The bike lodged itself upright as i did a triple somersault onto the top of the pile, I half expected judges to be stood around marking my efforts out of ten! But to no avail, just silence
and darkness masking my embarrassment.
The moral of the story is never cycle through major roadworks, or if you do...... PAY ATTENTION.
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