Badgers in heat - Epping Forest Summer rides

Here comes the boring bit....

Starting and finishing point for all rides will be at Chingford Station. There's lots of room for people to wait around with bikes and plenty of shops nearby for last minute stocking up of food/drink/fags/booze etc.. For anybody driving there, I can give you directions for free parking nearby.

The duration of the rides isn't set in stone, so they can be cut shorter or extended depending on what people want to do.

It's worth bringing along food & drink, but there's various places to stop throughout the rides. The tea hut is guaranteed at least one visit and there's plenty of pubs about in the area too.

I don't ask much, but these are some guidelines that I'd like to set out:

Please try to sort your bike out before the ride. Don't decide that your brakes need bleeding while we're all standing about in the car park. Fettling is fine ( pumping up of tyres/forks/shocks ), but do your best to have a fully functioning bike when you arrive.

Try to carry the basics – Something to drink, some food, at least one spare inner tube & some patches. I will have a pump and basic tools with me, so those things are optional. I'd recommend wearing gloves, but helmet use is entirely up to you. I won't lead you into doing anything silly or dangerous, but you are responsible for your own well being out there.

Epping Forest is not a racetrack. If you want to race, go and enter a race. Obviously some element of competitiveness will rear it's head. This is fine, but please limit it to racing uphill, where you've less chance of hurting yourself or anybody else.

Please don't scare horses, run over dogs or generally endanger anyone else using the trail. It's not Whistler bike park. The trails are open and shared and sometimes busy, so don't act like a twat towards people out enjoying themselves for the day. LFGSS forum members are well known for their polite and deferential manner, so I know this won't be an issue.

There will be a mixed range of abilities on the rides. Several back markers or 'sweepers' will be required. This won't be a day long job, as nobody likes to be stuck at the back, so people can take it in turns. As long as I know who's going to be the last rider through at each point, as I really don't want to have to go looking for anyone. We'll stop to regroup at the top of any climbs, the bottom of descents and at any road crossings ( some of which can be a bit dodgy ).

If you're uncertain of your ability to ride an obstacle please tell me. There are no razor sharp rocks, or deep ravines to go crashing into, but even flying off into a small bombhole the wrong way could land you in hospital*. It's advisable to give some vocal warning to the rider behind you, if anything dodgy is up ahead.

Please do take lots of photos.

*I have had one hospital visit and would prefer not to do it again

tldr - GO BACK AND READ THE WHOLE DAMNED THING!