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Well not really as I did a ride with him earlier in the year-But Today-"Tiger" Tim and I did a charity ride for Cancer Research. Not really offroad but along Rough gravel tracks that in the main took in old railway lines but with a few diversions. It was a One way trip and we opted to start at the Southern end as that is closer. This ride is getting popular and transport is provided by Coach and bus for the Riders and trucks for the Bikes up to the start. Took one look at the First coach and I opted not to travel on this one- We have it in our workshops often enough for repairs and I know it is Old- Noisy and unreliable. This meant a late start but we had all day. Took a pic of the other lads we were supposed to be riding with and I took one look at their bikes and told them not to stay with the Tandem- It was going to be too fast. You can guess from the pics who "Tiger" Tim is- the New stoker. Got going and you can say this was a family ride. Plenty of youngsters and it was not long before we had time to pass pleasantries with a few of them. 10 minutes in and the first puncture. It was when we got restarted that Tim and I came to agreement about riding the Tandem- He did all the hard work pedalling downhills and I did the Uphill bit. That was not the ideal situation but we did come to a compromise. Then we hit the bit Tim had been dreading. In a wood- Sharp left onto it so Zero speed and a 15% for about 200 yards. We may have gone slow- We may have scared a few walkers as we were wandering all over the place and wheel spin came in most of the way up- But Tim had better climb that Hill next year as I showed him that it can be done. Admittedly on a Tandem that should have worked on it but that Slope was hard- very hard.

Few miles further on and it was Lunch time- Good Old Friendly Country Pub. Tim had the Pie-As you can see from the photo. I had been munching all the way down and I did not fancy Vegetable pie so passed on it and only had a half of Guinness. Tim paid and I was glad about that- The prices charged for the Quaintness of an "Olde Country Pub" Were a bit high. So push on and See how the ride was going. Funnily enough- We had a quiet ride. Starting so late and one Puncture already and we were playing catch up to almost everyone.

Now most of this trail is gentle slopes- but occasionally it diverts into something exciting. A bit of up and down and a bit of rough track. We were only about 10 miles from the end and I decided to let it rip on the rough stuff. Then going up a Steep slope again and the Rear wheel punctured again. It is that rough sharp gravel that did it. No give whatsoever and although the tyres were new- the tubes were New- we still got an escape of air on two occasions- That is more than I can remember on any ride, except for the South downs- In Summer- after a long dry spell. Just like today in fact.

Couple of miles from the end and we stopped to make a couple of Adjustments. The "AIR" horn came out for the final bit- This is loud. Just ask the poor bloke that inadvertently blocked our way going through a narrow track. One blast of the horn and he disappeared- Think I saw him going off sideways into the Bushes but He must have thought a Truck was behind him.

So one ride with a new Stoker- Not too hard but a bit harder than I thought it was going to be and that Trail is definitely not for a road bike. Knobblies are required all the way and Thanks to the number of gates and roads to get over- Still requires you keep the brain in gear.

Couple of Extra pics- The Pub Garden needs no intro- But we have a case of Foot and Mouth disease in cattle over here. One Farmer decided he did not want people passing over his land. Thoughtfully he had provided a Disinfectant Wash for tyres and feet so the bike got a wash and Smelt a bit better afterwards. Pity the riders didn’t as it was a rather warm day.
The final one of Tims “T” is an idea for sponsorship- if you need one. He has gone round his friends and Relations and any one else he can con into it. For £10- He will put the name of your Loved one on his “T” so they can be remembered. It does not cost a lot for a white T and the printing is very cheap. All the profits go to Cancer Research.