Pentlands Mudbath – 16/12/2006

The rain stopped on Thursday. I have wanted to cycle in the Pentlands since I got here. Also, I wanted a good test run with Neil’s Chameleon before having to return it. The three conspired together to get me to forsake a canoe trip for a mountain bike trip. Jason met me at mine. He declined an offer of a “modern” mountain bike (my 10+ year old Coyote) and chose to stick to his trusty, suspensionless touring bicycle. After much faff, all mine unfortunately, we met Jim along the canal near the mean swans.

We cycled along the canal and then the Water of Leith Walkway toward the Pentlands. Recent rains made the Water of Leith look very, very runnable. I nearly hit a few pedestrians and a dog with my rubbernecking. We took a short break at one bridge to discuss fantasy lines before continuing toward Balerno. The path was very muddy, so I felt like I had been mountain biking before really mountain biking.

We reached Balerno in what felt like less than an hour and the evil hill Kate warned me about waited for us. Jim started up. I was right behind him. Jason fell in behind me. I motored past Jim and worked my way down to Granny Gear. By about half way, I felt like I could have run the hill faster than I cycled it.

First to the top, I took advantage of the chance to cycle around in a few lazy circles to work the lactic acid out. Jim wasn’t far behind me. I took a few bites of lunch as Jason rejoined us. Our original choice of roads in had what seemed a convoy working its way out, so we opted for trail entrance #2. We followed the road around, turned left at a wee sign and found a car park and visitor centre. Turns out, Heather and Robin ran past us at the visitor centre. I thought I recognised Heather.

Jim led us around the loch trails, through splotchy mud and tangled trees. I fell twice still clipped to the bike and had other hardware problems, putting me happily in the rear of the group. I met up with the boys again at the cobbly bit. We followed some farm trails and worked our way along the loch. One wee trail off the main walking path was reasonably clear and not too slippery to bound along at a decent clip. Soon we were back on a bigger road and another big climb awaited. Again, I worked my way down to Granny Gear and occasionally needed to swerve on the climb as the bonk fairy told me it was definitely lunch time. At the top of the hill, I rode around again working out complaining legs until the boys caught up about a minute later. I wasn’t the only one thinking lunch, so we stopped for a quick break.

After one more wee climb and a gate, we transitioned from wooded to open trail. The wind kicked up a little and the break meant we were cold. I faffed in motion while Jim dug out a jacket. We continued. A few ups and downs later, I decided that needed gloves if I hoped to use my brakes, so I stopped for a moment, too. The trail was wide open ups and downs, making for a quick, fun ride. Sharing the trail meant occasionally quick had to be sacrificed for politeness. We caught up with Jim at the next gate, which led to a steep walk-only uphill for the next section of trail. I slipped and slid my way up hill with bike. With the others behind me. In retrospect, it would have been more polite for me to let them go first, as both of them were much better prepared for walking. Cycling shoes are not meant for loose rocks and gravel!

The next section of trail was a bit technical, lots of loose and not loose rocks to navigate through. For the first part, a wall and barbed wire fence adorned the left, suggesting some caution. Then the trail opened up and at one point became marshy. Eventually, I found myself in the rear again and I fell twice more. I had trouble keeping the back wheel under me. I felt like I could have used an extra 10kg in the caboose to help weigh it down!

I chickened out of one last rocky downhill, even though suspensionless Jason went cruising down with no problems. We worked our way long the loch as the wind kicked up and spat a little more than mist at us. As we cycled toward the treeline, I realised that I had left the suspension fork locked out for nearly the entire cycle. Oops! The rocks felt plenty squishy with it locked out. I experimented with it in the next bit of trail, bopping over tree roots like they weren’t even there. I want one!

We took a second, smaller trail around a smaller loch. Getting away from the boring, wide walking trail put us onto a much smaller, twistier trail of dubious merit. Erosion made some wee bumps into head-over-handlebars ruts so after two tries, we went back to wide and boring trail. Instead of dodging rocks, we dodged people and dogs. The trail quickly brought us back to the visitor centre, where we took a quick break. Robin and Heather ran past again, this time all of us recognising each other. We said brief hellos and discussed the upcoming evening. They ran for home as we prepared to cycle for ours.

The predicted 3pm rain arrived at 2pm. Cold and rain made for bitter cold downhills into Balerno and onto the cycle paths. I squinted and looked a little bit to the right in valiant but useless effort to reduce the amount of pelting I took to the face. My nose was numb by the time I was on the Water of Leith trail.

My legs ached a good ache on the cycle home. My backside and shoulders ached a whiny and complaining ache as well, but I did my best to ignore them. We found sun by the time we reached the canal and it stayed with us for the rest of the way home. Jason and I bid farewell to Jim at the mean swans and I bid farewell to Jason not far from my flat. Neil’s green machine was in desperate need of a bath, but I felt more in need of one myself. It took me nearly an hour to wash the mud off me and enough off my clothes to toss them in for a proper wash. I finished the day even more convinced it was time to upgrade my mountain bike to a girly bike that fits.