The Maystybaiters - Sheffield 2018

"Sheffield in May" isn't a poem by Wordsworth.  And when we arrived on the Friday it was easy to see why.  Steel City was looking rusty, but David had found a couple of stainless parts for us.  Not much distance in either of them, but they gave us an appreciation for the following 2 days terrain & had all bar 1 of us blowing hard - the 1 with a secret weapon, the electric bike.  Then we took the blind man knife throwing in thick fog.  This was more like a surfers weekend away.

Saturday turned up bright and beautiful.   After a lungbuster to warm us up we had the first of a weekend full of incredible views and then fun downhills.  We ended up at Lady Cannings for a trail session, and then off for lunch with the Alpacas.  Enough uphills to make us all a bit envious of the electric bike.  Home in time for Alan 'I worked in the army for 80 years' to get us to Kelham Island, Sheffield's answer to Shoreditch.  Great meal, then West Street via a dodgy Irish pub and The Frog And Parrot to play pool until 1 am.  Alan 'ID all over the world' got us home safe.

Sunday was even warmer.  We had a large loop around Ladybower and Derwent resevoirs which took most of the day, ending in a 15 minute climb for some of us.  Home in time for Alan '£60 fine for THAT' to take us to the Eccy road for a curry, gins, beer and finally a dance for Al.   Alan 'Bloody lunatic IT'S A 20 LIMIT' got us home safely.

A fantastic weekend - some new-found appreciation for Sheffield for some of us, and the Peaks really showed themselves up in all their glory.  Exceptional organisation, met up with 3 'outsiders' and no tin-tin-ducks.

More photos here

Harry's Stag Day and Night

Late trains, litres of gin in backpacks, Pokemon movie gatecrashing,  air-guitar solo straddling a pedibus, pub fights, £80 poppadoms, the day had them all and more.

Sleepy-time

Flight-club

Morzine Ten

Was much the same as the previous nine years? Fun, exhilarating (as much as you want it to be), bit damp on one day, full on sunshine for the next four, beautifully carved trails through spectacular Alpine scenery, letting gravity and then the peaceful lifts do all the work. Relaxing in a chalet that you could not afford during the summer, replacing every single calorie that you used with Reblochon cheese and local beer whilst enjoying the mountain fresh air and the view from the deck. So this was much the same awesome week as before except Clark came along, so we enjoyed just that little bit more, laughed a bit more, drunk Aperol Spritzers of course, and the word on the street is that despite his moment of invincibility (which meant we got a live-in chalet host/cook) he will be there in 2018, stronger and faster than before. Living up to and building on the previous years the 10^th anniversary was faultlessly choreographed by DP and feels like the only thing I want to do. Downhill is the answer, whatever the question. Roll on 2018. Images by Maysty and all the riding ones are of the rainy day as we were too busy riding on the dry ones.

2017 Calamity Cup

Much like his namesake, CS flew through the air to gain this.