Parkhall Country Park, Feb 13th

This morning I went for a bike ride with Joe from Staffordshire University Cycling Club. The plan was to try and find somewhere not too far away from the University that we can ride regularly and show to other members of the club. 

The first few miles was grueling road riding and Joe even had me going up hills. I wore my Helly Hansen base layers and they did a really good job of keeping me warm. After 30 minutes of road riding we stumbled upon Parkhall Country Club. 

We headed into the woods, found a signpost for the blue trail and continued to ride it. The track was great with lots of short climbs and fun descents. We stuck to the trail as we were short on time but there looked to be options to extend the ride.  

A lot of the trail was either water logged or covered in ice. I had a slick tyre on the back so had to keep my speed down and play it safe. At the end of the trail we headed up to the information centre to get a map of all the other tracks. 

As we rode along a fire road leading to the centre I tried to turn on some ice, slipped and fell off. The ice got my base layer top wet but within a few minutes it was dry again which was a relief. 

At the centre we found a much easier route home along an old railway line which meant that I wouldn't have to ride up any more hills. In total I rode just under 12 miles, all on a 24" rear wheel with a slick tyre and no gears. 

The new saddle, with firmer padding and a slimmer profile was much more comfortable than the old one. A few wet wipes got the mud off it so it's remained white. The new grips also performed really well although unlike the saddle they didn't clean up so well. 

I didn't make it to the skate park during the week. It rained on the day that I had set aside to go there and although I plan to ride more in the wet this year I've got scars that prove street riding in the wet is not a good idea. Riding in car parks and skate parks is a great way to practise basic skills but todays ride reminded me just how much fun it is to get your tyres dirty.