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Glad you enjoyed it. I hadn't realised this was your first time off-road. I'd usually check, so I can only apologise for that and remember for the future.
Thanks for those who have offered suggestions for not losing people. It's never going to be 100% in Epping, as there are always alternate routes on even those tiny little trails and you don't always have the option to see very far ahead. I might have appeared a little grumpy after the 100th stop that day, but I was getting a bit of a kicking from dragging myself up those hills :-)
I'll learn a bit from each new ride and hopefully they'll just keep getting better. I'm mostly glad that nobody broke themselves
BareNecessities-
Certainly no need to apologise, I had a great time - was just concerned that I was slowing everyone else up. It's all good experience and I have a better idea of what to expect for next time.
I was getting a bit of a kicking from dragging myself up those hills :-)
You're not the only one, I need better gearing or better legs or something...!
Dish
Super late to post this now but thanks to @BareNecessities and everyone who was there on Saturday for such a great day. That was my first forum ride and everyone was really friendly - thanks for putting up with my lack of gears/slowness/crashing/mechanicals.
I was definitely responsible for splitting the group up a couple of times, I ended up sticking to the back of the pack cause I was struggling with some of the more rooty trails and I think people in front waited up for me which caused a sort of concertina effect where they slowed down to wait for me but lost the people in front of them.
Me and @7Üp ended up taking a different track cause I bottled going down a drop and was looking for a different route down and he waited up for me. By the time we came to the fork in the route you guys must have taken you would have been a fair distance ahead of us and we were unlucky and picked the wrong route.
So yeah, really lack of experience/confidence on my part, first time on the trails and all, but I learned a lot on Saturday and I'll be better prepared for next time.
Patrick - Black All City Nature Boy