The final words in my previous post were "I'll try not to leave it so long next time!" - OK, so 5 years was way longer than I expected. Unfortunately, as often happens, life got in the way, and boy, have we got a lot of ground to cover!
Let's get through the important points:
- Separated and divorced in 2015
- Broke my other foot in 3 places - Also on the DH rig in Hamsterley
- Married my soul mate in 2019
- We now have 5 kids between us
- Had a hiatus from mountain biking
At the Hamsterley Forest Bell Ride Free 2017 event, I was dropping in for my 2nd run of the day, still on the easier warmup DH tracks. Cranking the speed and commitment up, I pushed into the first corner and railed the muddy berm beautifully. I knew there was a tree stump on the exit and spotted it, but I was much faster than normal coming out of the corner and my foot attempted to scoop up the deeply buried stump. My foot and pedal halted instantly whilst the inertia carried the rest of me and my bike hurtling forwards with no chance of recovery.
The worst thing you can feel when you finally stand up is that woozy, numb feeling. Yes, there's no pain, per see...but you know. You know that something's happened that's too painful for your conscious mind to deal with in that instance. I dropped back to the floor and repeated the cycle (pardon the pun) several times before deciding the only way to get to the top of the hill without walking was to ride down and get the uplift.
So, I finished the run on what I now know to have been a broken metatarsal, a broken toe (big 'un again) and a chip off the metatarsal.
It was time to reflect on my life decisions and in August 2018, I sold my beloved Devinci Wilson and took some time off from cycling. My riding buddies had moved away from mountain biking anyway so it felt like a good time to focus on other priorities for a while.
In late 2020, another friend rekindled my love for cycling and started heading out to the trails on a 20 year old Giant hardtail. This, from a time when handlebar mounted gear levers were cutting edge! He quickly outgrew the hardtail and we came to a deal for him to buy my Santa Cruz Nomad. I had wanted to move to 29" wheels for some time to match my hefty 6'2" frame, and after lots of research and drooling, I've ended up with this!
Of course, I didn't just leave it there...As soon as it arrived at the Start Fitness in Newcastle, they fitted it with Hope F20 pedals, Hope e4 brakes and some matchmakers for the controls. All in orange of course. Finally, I swapped out the grips for my preferred ODI Lock-On Rogues to suit my large hands.
I upgraded the F20 axles with Superstar Titanium F20 axles which save 23g per side, but just sound cool! They're very easy to swap and didn't cost too much either.
Lockdown has prevents going too far, so I've not put it though it's paces yet, but rest assured, I'll not leave it so long next time...
