A 35 mile birthday epic!

The start of the route to Glentress, Marks house in Carlops and the temperature was below freezing!

The top of what was probably the toughest climb of the day up a soft grassy track, but when we stopped to recover the view over West Linton was spectacular.

1st mishap of the day! I attempted to cross a small river, but failed badly, and my camera and car keys fell in. We managed to fish them out, much to Baz and Marks amusement, me getting my feet soaked during this carry on and remember the temperature was even further below freezing at this point! Needless to say the camera will never take another picture!

Marks secret fuel, dried strawberries all the way from Majorca, they let him down badly later on in the ride!

The aforementioned strawberries magic biking properties deserted Mark as we neared the top of the black route at Glentress and he was forced to take a rest, Baz looks on in amusement! 

A  view of my backside as I fix a puncture about 200 yards from the mast at the top of the black route, only one of several mishaps.

It was my birthday on Sunday so an epic was on the cards. Baz and I met up with Mark at his house in Carlops at 8am and set off over the hills to Peebles. After about 2.5 hours we reached there and the hard cycle up Janets Brae to the cycle tracks of Glentress. We decided to keep going up the black route and I managed to catch a stone and crack my knee against the banking at one point while Mark did a spectacular over the bars when he skidded on a corner. (Baz , rather boringly had no offs). Before we reached the top of the black Mark was running on empty and literally fell over into the heather at one point! However after a short rest we got going again and eventually got back down to the cafe at the bottom where a £10 that been in the camera case when it fell into the water was still in good enough condition to buy some sustenance before we drove home in Marks landrover which he'd had the foresight to leave the night before (thank god). All in over 35 miles riding and over 4500 feet of climbing enough to ensure a goods nights sleep.