Team Mbn did Scotland - 18th - 21st of June 2009
?Left! LEFT! KEEP LEFT FOR F***S SAKE!!!?
^^Our first two hours in Scotland put into one line. The strange habit amongst the Brits putting things on the left side where we are used to right should put us to test more than once this weekend.
After cancellations due to various reasons there were two Norwegian and one Dutch team member gathering in Scotland 18th-22nd of June for cycling and relaxation. One more friend from the gaming community was also to meet us, as well as two English diehard gamers from Mbn. Our destination was Innerleithen (pronounced Innerliithen), one of several sites in the 7Stanes region perfectly suited for bicycling offroad. The place was found on a whim, after firstly booking our flights to Glasgow.
Cycling, day 1
Friday we leased bikes at AlpineBikes, one of two great local bikeshops in Innerleithen. Trek Remedy and Gary Fisher Roscoe was put to the test in the XC-course of 18km?s, providing some great ascends and descends.
Upon picking up our bikes we did the ?kid in the candy shop? routine, jaw dropping at the fair pricing in the shop. Fox baggies was put in the basket for all 3 of us, amongst other gadgets as well.
Our friend from Holland came to Scotland with this weird idea about ?Mountain biking?. His greatest ascend ever was doing a speedbump in his neighborhood, thus it was a shocking experience to climb 150 meters in the first 2 kilometers of cycling in Scotland, followed by a great deal of ascending the next 6-8. The trails were of the idyllic kind, thoroughly processed with small rockgardens and stones to climb every now and then. It snaked through woods and open areas, at all times the surface was very solid and gave no surprises.
Frequently, the Dutchman had to get off his bike to push, while Norwegians with growing self-esteem contributed with cheerful hints and tips.
The weather gave us at least three seasons within the day. Sun and clouds, during the end of the ascent to the summit of Minch Moor (567m) we got rain and wind trying to tear our clothes off. The planned break at the summit was immediately cancelled, both due to the weather as well as the trails ahead of us, promising fun and joy. And OMG were we right?
Singletrack baby! It was pedal to the metal, putting all our courage into the trail with its jumps and berms down the hillside. The rain flogging our faces was ignored; it was way too fun to feel any pain.
By accident, faith or pure luck ? we shaked ourselves into an area turning to be a part of the downhill park. Caddon Bank was a rollercoaster of a trail making us scream our excitement. It hurled us into gut-hugging compressions growing bigger and bigger, had jumps and drops for (look mom, I can flyyyy), and all our plans taking pictures of the descent went down the drain. It was WAY too fun to interrupt the ride for stationary activities.
Very pleased, we returned our bikes from the Trek group and were excited about the days to come.
Cycling, day 2
Slowly, the next day got rid of its hangovers ? we had friends visiting the night before, read more about it later. Ordered bikes from The Hub in the Forest turned out not to be the downhill rigs we expected, rather ordinary trail/all mountain ? at least in our opinion. A LaPierre, an Orange and a Santa Cruz Nomad, all with 160mm travel in front and air in the ass. However, such petty details were not to stop us from going downhill.
?Uplift? can be a variety of things. The Scottish version is like this: You take one bus, stuff it with dudes and dudettes covered with dust, dirt and sweat. Then drive the lot on a narrow gravel road to the top of a hill with a cattle truck following with all the bikes. Recipe for success when the area does not accommodate cable uplift.
Team Mbn had become four horsemen as Phil Gilbanks, a friend of ours from the gaming community, had joined us the previous night. Cool to finally see a online mate in the flesh, also fun to have him riding with us.
All set at the top of the course, we went for it at the first trail we could find ? The Gold Run. The next minutes were a cascade of ?F**k this? and ?I will die for sure?, I?ll rate the route as Extremely Extreme! Steep, rock hard surface with stones and roots all over the place. Both me and Rune thought it was severe, just imagine how Maurice felt? Anyways, all survived the descent, but the non-Norwegians decided to take a break.
Me and Rune were shuttled back to the top, and struck gold immediately. ?Make or Brake? succeeded by ?Caddon Bank? gave us constant action and flow, with tabletops, berms and compressions all the way. At the pitstop we were smiling 360, and we just wanted to do the same course over and over again.
?..until Rune did the worst OTB I ever saw! ?Make or Brake? has probably been named for a reason, and since Ruuney is a MAN who does not touch his brakes without overwhelming cause some shit was bound to happen! Our daredevil was orbited out of a tabletop, and the front wheel of his bike barely touched ground before his chin followed. Hospital and next of kin was all I could think of the next second as the area of his touchdown was more or less like all the trails in Innerleithen ? hard surface with rows of stone-teeth all over the place.
Amazingly Evil Knievel was on his feet like a male organ on a nudist beach, frantically jumping around waving arms and legs to see if they were all still in place. Thank God for full face helmets and protective armor, the bruises and wounds he suffered would have been far worse without.
Despite the beating, he was able to continue the ride. At least until snakebite a bit further down the slope made him walk the rest. A sign? We decided to end day 2?
Cycling, day 3
Without any arguing, we decided that the bikes handed to us were not suitable for dedicated downhill riding, and went for a encore of day one. Me and Rune switched bikes, as he was not too happy about the Orange, a stupid move of me? Initially I mentioned the crazy ways of the Brits regarding putting stuff of the opposite side of what we are used to (I shall not even mention their reluctance against the metric system). We had to struggle with brakes operating opposite of ?normal?, right hand brake worked on the front wheel. For two days that was relatively okay, but I never felt comfortable with it, and in the end it was just a question of time until it knocked me down. During a descent with a left turn I was adjusting my speed ? with wrong lever, my front wheel disappearing outside the edge of the trail and I hit the ground knee first.
For the rest of the trip (2 hours) I had plenty of breath to observe and acknowledge Maurice?s fantastic progress during the weekend. Sections where he on Friday had to walk were taken with ease on Sunday, all with a big smile on his face. A smile lasting all the way to the summit, as well as our way down to the town.
Oh, the friggin? Orange had another sting to give ? a short recess was necessary to change tube after another snakebite?
Innerleithen (& Peebles)
Such a fantastic place! One street (ok, a few minor ones as well), housing a super, some hotels and B&B?s, pubs and giftshops. Did I mention pubs? Two more Mbn?ers (non-cyclists); Nick and Guy came to visit us on Friday, together we did our best to drain the village of all its beverages. Both Friday and Saturday evening was spent in Peebles as it was a festival in town attracting a crowd. UK is for a beerlovin? Norwegian a nirvana with a place to quench ones thirst on every corner. Just gotta love it!
When going out in Peebles there are a few spots to try. ?The Keg? was crowded with partypeople, just as ?Rugby Club?. The latter might be for the younger clients, we did feel old coming in there with acid music and boys jumping around with whistles in their mouths. Other places are forgotten, undeservedly.
Back in Innerleithen we spent a lot of time at the Cornerhouse Hotel (or rather the pub), Crown Hotel and Tranquair Arms Hotel. The latter with towns best cuisine. Common denominator for all, yes in fact the whole area is the fantastic reception and service we experienced. At times I felt ashamed being a Norwegian, there is no place in this country one can see such warmth and hospitality. I wanna move to Scotland!
I?ve mentioned the level of prices, food, beverages, clothes and gadgets are way cheaper than we are used to, 50% off. The Shuttling was a bit more expensive then one can expect ? 32£ per person, but then it is a different routine than the cable uplift we are getting used to.
Finally a few words about our hosts: Andy McKenna and his wife Aneela moved from Glasgow to Innerleithen due to their passion for cycling. The ground floor of their house is for rent, and the apartment is just as warm and beautiful as its owners. Ten points out of ten for Innerhaven, I?ve got tears in my eyes just by thinking of them. We all love you!
Links:
