Brenhden's TET

[daveuprite]

Good thread Brehnden. Barry's cool.

[Brenhden]

Thanks all

Bob I'll be interested to see what you think of it when you unwrap the cotton wool. I still think the stand is too tall. There were some proper trials style obstacles that it bumped up with ease.

D Bob, I wish Somerset was a bit more like that. Muddy but not likely to swallow the bike like in Wales.

Dave I was sorely tempted to bring him home to keep (eat).

[garyboy]

Aww ... don't eat Barry

[The Wobbler]

Great report Brenhdan
Many Thanks

[chunky butt]

Stick barry in the pot Bren ......great ride report

[HedgeHopper]

Great write up Brehndan, I did take a look at the bit of TET round my way and it looked to be mostly Tarmac, missing out lots of the good stuff, you've inspired me to take a look at some other parts of it, Nice one.

[Brenhden]

TET Day four.

It's been a while but it was well worth waiting for. Pick up the trail where I left off in October and Gloucestershire is a completely different place, gone are muddy miles and ruts and arrived has the sun, the sweat and the dust. Over the past few months I’ve learn that less is more so I showed up with as little kit as possible, no backpack and very pleasingly no need for thermals and jumpers. Jumped on here just north of Tetbury and it was very easy terrain, punctuated by five gates in quick succession, you really notice gates when you ride solo…

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The third gate had a wonderful surprise though as just beyond there was a hare on the trail. They aren’t a common sight for me so I was super pleased to see it. It’s wildlife that really shows up the limitations of a phone but I did my best…

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Back on it I was soon past Kemble and onto the Fosse Way, its had some work done recently and there is a lot of this loose laid black stuff that I think is ground up tarmac.

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After the hard packed dirt of a summer trail it was a very different surface and a little extra caution was needed. Another issue on this day was horses, I met six riders and five of them had real problems getting their steeds past me. I don’t go fast, and I pull over and kill the engine when I see a horse but for some reason they all freaked, must have been something in the air…

[Brenhden]

Lots of us have been down the Fosse and it’s an easy ride and it has this great crossing in the middle. Last time I was here I went round as I didn’t want hyperthermia but not today guys! It was much lower than usual and made an easy crossing and cooled me down nicely.

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When you leave the Fosse there is a fair amount of road work to be done to get under the M4 and onto byways of Wiltshire. But there is also this excellent bit near Brokenborough, it's not actually on the TET but I didn’t realise at the time. It’s about a mile long and gets really bumpy in places and was a great test of the Rally’s suspension, unfortunately it didn’t really pass the test. The bike doesn’t seem to stay above the bumps like my old DR650 with Hagon shocks did so maybe I will look into an upgrade…

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A quick sandwich in Marlborough and I was back on it. Coming out of Marlborogh there is a brilliant section through a private forest call The Grand Avenue. Its perfectly straight dirt road overhung with trees. Out of there and I stopped here to get a photo of the Preshute white horse which again shows the limitation of a camera phone and set off up the grassy, rutted hill to Salisbury.

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[Brenhden]

A few minutes in and a hidden rut under the grass caught me off guard and we went down doing about 15mph, when we stopped my right leg was under the exhaust and stuck and it took a few very hot moments to get it out. Big old tough boots are worth every penny, I’ve known people end up with fractured tib and fib from this sort of thing. Lighter bikes when solo riding are also essential. I doubt I could have kicked a GS off me…

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Back up and a quick check of the bike showed me a very bent but still usable brake pedal.

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Improvise, adapt, overcome are the wise words of Bear Grylls, I rehydrated (water, not p!ss like that freak) and carried onto what felt like the plain proper. Not long until I passed this giant fancy pants horse show, given my hit rate of horse encounters that day I expect the sight of my quiet bike from 1000 metres sent them all into conniptions…

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[Brenhden]

Such hot weather has brought the wheat on early and the world is totally gorgeous as a result.

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Onto the plain proper and alas the middle of it was closed with red flags up, the signs said live firing but that looks more like a bush fire to me.

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I skirted all the way round the edge and met a couple of young lads on two Triumphs 800xc going round the tank test pit, fair play, that's a lot of bike to drop in a hole.
Time was ticking on and England were playing at 1500 so I headed back with a lot more of the TET under my belt than I started with. Dry days get you twice as far as wet days.
TET Distance 100km, 4 hours
Total distance 296km

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What I learnt this time:
I’ve reached the limit of the Rally suspension.
Riding in the dry and sun is nicer.
It doesn’t matter how careful you are around horses, sometimes they just can’t handle it…