Chasing Trails (How I gave up stats and began to enjoy the ride).

There are two things I really enjoy about going out on the bike - specifically the mountain bike. The first is taking pictures of where I am - mostly trees it would seem.

Afan panoramarama

Cuckoo Wood Maidstone

Cannock Chase plus snow!

Sometimes I even take arty shots of the bike!

Ooooooh arty!

The second is a well publicized obsession with data. How far, how fast and how high. I think for mountain biking it is seeing how much I have pushed my body that day that I really liked. The 'oh look 40,000 ft elevation and 2000 km ridden at 6 mph average speed' kind of thing (although that would be a long painful ride). 

Most of this data though is useless, because unlike road, the terrain and weather play a massive role in the ride when it comes to mountain biking. However I have detailed before my growing displeasure at the way in which the 'values' of rides in terms of statistics have begun to replace the true value of a ride - the ride itself.

Which brings me to Saturdays ride. This time instead of going out with a GPS unit and going over old routes I went out with an OS map, Geoff and an idea of some trails based upon areas we used to run when we were trail marathon training. The rest was all down to exploring.

Good old OS maps!

A Geoff is not a requirement but I am sure he would not mind!

We are lucky in Maidstone in that the North Downs runs just outside of town. This is a stunning set of chalk hills that runs from Surrey to Dover. 

Naturally they are pretty fun to ride over, however often we end up riding the same routes - which are awesome - but for variety we headed out to pastures new. We did however stick to existing trails so we didn't get too lost and also so we couldn't be accused of trashing the environment.

The best part of all this is the finding of new trails, well ones that we haven't ridden before. 

Seriously it is surprising how much fun it is to go off and try to find something new. There is a sense of adventure and exploration tempered with the fact that unlike Scott, Shackleton and Feinnes the worst that could happen is binning your machine and maybe some bruising to pride and skin. Plus providing you don't go too 'off-piste' it is easy to turn around and go back the way you came from.

There was also the opportunity for some good old photography and enjoyment of the environment without having to worry/or worrying about lap times or segments. 

Trails? Trails?

There you are!

First Bluebell of the year! Oh and Geoff's full sus.

It is also worth noting that this exploration does not stop up and around the Downs, having bobbed about Cuckoo Wood a lot lately I have started finding extra trails and routes. This I think is the same for everyone, no matter where you are. There are trails in your local woods, areas where perhaps you over look because you might be focusing on the same segments and areas and not just 'exploring' the outdoor spaces near you.

That said the view is always amazing from the top of Bluebell Hill.

Now a few admissions. 

Firstly we knew the areas pretty well - although the exact area we explored was new to us we knew the surroundings pretty well. I wouldn't recommend exploring a totally new area without fully researching it first - you never know what sudden drops etc you might encounter (danger! danger!).

Secondly this area is well known and bridleways are all over it - which means we were in no danger of trespassing - something to consider when riding anywhere let alone areas you don't know about.

Thirdly we made sure that we gave walkers and runners a wide berth - specifically avoiding areas we knew to be popular with them. Common courtesy etc.  

Finally even though this was only timed in the sense that we knew when we left and arrived home I still had to look up the length of the route - sick I know - but I haven't worked out speeds or elevation (I am getting better). 

For those who wondered we cycled for 18 miles in total over 2 and a half hours. 

However as a ride it was much more. 

So yeah, all that aside I would recommend digging out an old map, looking at routes and going on an explore. You may not find loads of singletrack, you may not find some gnar downhill, however what you may find might surprise you and you are still out on your bike. 

Which surely is what it is all about?