Hunger-creating, fitness-making, hangover-clearning, adrenaline-charging, skill-honing, mud-caking fun

A great mix of riding this weekend, pretty much encapsulating why I like to ride.

An early start on Saturday took me over the Severn Bridge to Magor - the midway point between my house and my Dad's. He rode to meet me and we caught up for half an hour over a coffee and a bacon sandwich. The shared interest we both have for riding bikes means we get to catch up like this regularly, no doubt boosting the takings of east Wales village cafes!

The route profile was pretty flat and normally I'd be flying along those roads but I struggled in the second half of the ride, perhaps suffering the after-effects of my crash. I was hungry, out of food and low on energy but I forced myself to add 5 extra miles so I could hit the 60-mile mark by the end of the journey. Then I ate myself silly later that afternoon - another perk of cycling!

Jake, Rose and Wilco came over on Saturday afternoon for the Mogwai gig that evening. So Sunday morning came with cloudy heads after a few too many beers. By the time more bacon sandwiches were quaffed we were just about feeling human enough to take the mountain bikes over to Cwmcarn, along with Bruce.

The recent rain made the technical uphill section slippery but it was still good to ride. It was steep and long though, so much so that Jake and Phil both threatened to be sick through the effort of the climb. They held it together though and we made it to the windswept start of the black trail.

The downhill starts with a sewer-pipe ride-through and some fun berms and table tops. We rode that section three times before moving on down the valley. The ribbon-thin route continued, parallel to the road for a few hundred metres, then wound up and down through the trees with some more technical sections.

The mid-section included a long, energy sapping climb before we could let rip downhill through the trees. Jake's hard tail took a battering at this point as our full sus bikes allowed Phil and I to eat up the rocks and boulders as the ground dropped away beneath us. My Kona rarely gets used to its full potential and when it does I wonder why I don't do it more often. I had to admit I was having a lot more fun than Saturday's solo road ride.

The end section wasn't long but it was fast and furious; a great, 20mph twisting and turning descent back to the car park. Time was against us so we had to leave after just the one lap. I'm not sure my mud-caked gears would have thanked me for a second lap anyway.

So next time I'm looking for some socialable, hunger-creating, fitness-making, hangover-clearning, adrenaline-charging, skill-honing, mud-caking fun, I'll try and repeat this weekend!