I am a bit of a cycling nut, strictly off-road though. I do ride on the roads every day as part of my commute to and from work. But I see this as no more than a function, a means to get to work quicker, cheaper and at the same time keep me a little bit fitter.

Every set of lights is a sprint to the next one, its noisy, dangerous, motorbikes in the cycle lanes, no trees to weave in and out of, no logs to jump, no drop-offs to negotiate… and don’t get me started on the ‘Boris Bikes’. Fantastic idea, but they need a few more gears.

When I get a spare morning to go for a ride it’s usually just me, the bike and the trails, as far as I fancy going. I soon realised though that there are a few types of rider out there.

A - The youngster! The local lads that meet up together and go out for a day in the hills.

B - The mature rider! These guys either live locally or travel in and again meet up with like-minded friends for a group day out in the hills.

C - The lone rider! Generally aged between the other two, probably have young kids at home, so getting in a quick ride with the wife’s permission!

It’s this last group that I fall into. But my aim is to bring a group of dads together and go for a ride whenever possible.

We usually ride out to Westcott, then up to Leith Hill, followed by Holmbury Hill and back again.

Rides usually take about three hours, so back in time for lunch and we cover about 25 miles but we can vary this depending on skill and fitness level.

http://mtbdork.tumblr.com/

Any questions do ask!