I rode at Bedgebury Forest in Kent the other weekend, and got ridiculously muddy. It rained all night and all morning, ensuring the trails were gloopy and sloppy all the way around the 30 minute demo loop set up for the Demo Series.

Still, it didn’t deter me, and I got Bikemagic’s latest test bike, a Giant XtC 29er, stupidly muddy as I completed several laps. At first, when you see the state of the weather, it’s all too easy to talk yourself out of getting kitted up. Talk of visiting the nearest pub quickly cropped up in a conversation with a few other riders making the trip to Bedgebury, as we stood around looking up at the patchy sky.

A few nuggets of blue poking through the gloomy cloud suggested the weather might make a turn for the better. So I kitted up, dragged the bike out of the car, and made a dash for the trails. And once I’ve ploughed through athe first quick succession of puddles and mud-filled holes, I realised that it’s not all that bad. Once you’re muddy, provided it isn’t too cold, it’s really not that bad. At least that’s what I reminded myself as the blue of my jacket was steadily turned into a mucky brown shade.

So I had fun. And all the people who turned up for the Demo Series certainly didn’t let the rain and mud stop them riding. Maybe the fact they were riding someone else’s bike helped them summon up the motivation to ride? Plus the fact they didn’t have to worry about washing the demo bikes afterwards as each brand had a jet wash on full gas the entire day! Having someone to wash your bike after every ride would be a bonus. 

Spring isn’t quite here, but it’s getting closer. I’m glad it’s not quite here yet however: I’m having too much fun in the mud.