Bring on 2014

So after 351 Hours of riding in 2013 and over 7,638.2 kilometers traversed, I cant wait for 2014 so I can see how longer and faster I can go. Nice first few rides in 2014, all on the MTB (skinny wheels are hanging up in the garage for a while).

 

It was a great pleasure in having my mate from work Pierre (one of the guys who got me to start cycling all those years ago) to come from Northcliff and come ride with us. I organized a group ride from the BP and we did a similar route to the one I took the group on the previous weekend. I know that this route was pretty flat and slow compared to what Pierre is used to (given that he lives on top of Northcliff  hill and has completed numerous multistage races like the ABSA Cape Epic, JHB2C, Cape Pioneer Trek etc...) but it was great to ride with him all the same. Here are my Strava route and stats of the ride...

Pierre

Nadine, Pierre and Adam

Bevan and Ashley

Adam, Nadine and Jeff

Mark, Jess and Dee opted for a shorter ride and turned off before the brickwork's (haven't heard from Mark since, hope the ladies didn't leave him for dead on the Cell Tower Hill).

I had my first fall for 2014 when I  hit (T-Boned) a big rock and went flying off my bike, the impact was so hard, my front tyre dislodged and unbeaded from the rim. I subsequently had to replace this tyre with a new one, as there was a permanent wobble on the tyre (after taking the wheel to the bike shop to check that the spokes were still true and aligned). A few more scars to the elbow and my pride dented a bit, here's hoping 2014 will be an upright year.  
Feel like your crashing game is stuck in a rut, same old, same old? Need a little inspiration? Here are 75 new ways to crash your mountain bike, you're sure to find one or two things you can try on your next ride in this link! (courtesy of a tweet by Tony Huglin @tonyhuglin)