Hey all

I was back in Cambridge for the weekend and Jane and I stopped in the Longbow (or as it is now known, the Three Horseshoes). Tarted up a bit, but still recognisably the Longbow. Just minus the druggies and with a fine selection of proper bitters, any or all of which Pete would be happy to drink

No doubt some of you already know the pub has reopened after its unfortunate brush with the law. Chatting to the landlord though, he said that he hadn't seen any mountain bikers of an evening, so I thought it was worth flagging up here just in case. You'd be very welcome, just keep off the carpeted areas if covered in mud!

Cheers

Paul

Ok you've had enough cold shoulder treatment now.....

There lies the problem Paul.... They were really nice to us, gave us a bit of gear and then just when were completely hooked let the Rozzers pull the rug out.
Most of us struggled badly with only Bowes (something about scrotes) not ending up in the garden of the Jenny Wren.
Anyway.... another pub in Stapleford that'll keep em happy !!

We haven't seen you for a while and so I've had to store up my 'Ask Diggers' questions so here are couple to be getting on with....

1. Since you've been up there a year does it mean that you are now licenced to wear a kilt at a wedding or any other social event that Scottish/american types believe that they need to be different to everyone else?
2. Do kilts have 'Tackle sheaths'?
3. Does Jackie Stewart always wear one of those tartan caps in bed?
4. Is that bloke in the kilt always playing bag pipes as you cross the road border ?
5. Did they get to the bottom of the self gratification issues in the library toilets?
6. How many times did you fall off last year and was there a particularly juicy one?
7. Are the people in the Edinberg bike coop always miserable or is it just when they see me ?
8. What type of terrier have you got ?
9. After how many years of living there would you expect to start to tilt your head to one side, peer through half closed eyes and say 'IIIIIIIIiiiiiee'?
10. Are you going to be darkening our doors again soon ??
We won't mind if you come out on 'The Turd'....honest!

Hello Diggers! Was just wondering how you were doing the other day.

How are things? when are you coming back long enough to go out for a ride?
And when are we coming to Scotland to ride with you (more importantly)?
Are you doing a lot of riding up there?

Claire

What she said!

Hey guys/gals

Things are good up here but I'm not doing so much riding these days. I did a fair bit of exploring on the mountain bike when I was living in the Borders but since moving closer in (and hitting winter), it's barely been touched. As spring nears, that'll hopefully change (it's snowing like a bastard outside right now though).

My current ride into work is 7 miles each way with one big climb - unavoidable on the way in, but bypassable on the way back by doing a few miles offroad on an old railway line. When it's not icy or pissing with rain (about 5 months of the year...) it's a lovely ride with lots of choices of route that can turn about half of it into offroad and most of it pretty much traffic-free even on the tarmac. And Scottish minor roads come pretty close to counting as off road anyway unless they've been resurfaced within a year or two. My old Ribble road bike that was the Cambridge commuter is a bit too roady for this sort of thing, so I bought a Whyte cyclocross bike as a compromise steed and that's what I spend the most time on these days.

Not sure when I'm next going to be down south long enough to ride with CamMTB, or more importantly, be fit enough to do it! The beer can Trek is in Cambridge right now but is in a right old state after doing a winter in Cambridge followed by a summer up here and has got to the point where I'm not sure whether it's worth spending any more money on it (yes, yes Duncan, I know... it was never worth it), so it'll have to wait until I'm driving down and can sling the carbon bike in the car!

I miss you lot! Even Duncan, FFS...