We headed straight to the bike park, where Andy showed us his BMX skills.
Andy riding the Glentress bike park
After we'd all had a play, we headed up into the mist and tackled the Spooky Wood climb. Suffice to say, we were all pretty relieved to reach the top!
Simon, Andy and Ash near the top of the Spooky Wood climb
Ash taking in the warning signs at the top of the Spooky Wood descent
It was all going so well, when Andy parted company with his bike after a jump and landed heavily. At first, we thought he'd popped his knee, but unfortunately it was much worse. Luckily, a GP was not far behind us, and he diagnosed a broken femur.
We called the emergency services, and after a long wait for the ambulance to climb the fire roads, the paramedics reached Andy and were able to give him some much needed pain relief.
Disaster strikes on the Spooky Wood descent
At this point, we should say a special thank you to everyone that stopped to help us out with advice, equipment, traffic control and strecher carrying duties!
Eventually, Andy was safely in the ambulance and we decided to carry on with the ride back down to the hub.
Nev riding Hit-Squad Hill
I think everyone found this really difficult. We wanted to make the most of our trip, but everyone's thoughts were with Andy, just hoping his leg wasn't as bad as it looked.
We reached the hub and got some lunch before packing up and heading back to the apartment.
When we got back, Nev was able to call the hospital and speak to Andy - this helped us all, he sounded well all things considered. During this time, Helen also arrived to join us for our afternoon (early evening) ride on the Innerleithen red (XC) route.
After some more faffing, we were away and tackling the painful climb up to Minch Moor. As always, the short downhill section at about a third of the way up provided a much needed rest!
Helen on the short downhill section prior to the quarry
And the quarry section provided some much needed playtime!
Hedd on the small ladder drop; Inners XC from Hedd Roberts on Vimeo.
We were soon away and climbing again, first up a long fireroad section, and then back onto the singletrack through the trees.
Ash takes some much needed time out on the Minch Moor climb
At last we emerged out of the trees and the views opened up around us - not much further now!
Helen near the Minch Moor summit in the evening sunshine
Simon nears the Minch Moor summit
We rode to the summit together, and headed straight for the shelter for some provisions. We needed the rest, but we needed to get moving - Nev wanted to make sure he'd be able to get to Edinburgh with Andy's gear.
We headed off, and the top two sections were as good as always!
Nev rides the top section of the Minch Moor descent
This was all over in no time, and we were on our way to Plora Craig with the stunning views opening up around us.
The top of the Plora Craig section at Innerleithen
It wasn't too late for shenanigans though, as Nev's saddle bolt snapped on the Oh Deer! section, leaving him standing on his pedals all the way home. At least it was downhill, and what a downhill - Caddon Bank did not disappoint, although a quick look at the end of the downhill course soon put us in our place!
We headed back to the apartment, Nev and Ash headed off to Edinburgh to see if they could catch up with Andy, and Hedd, Helen and Simon headed to the pub for a chinese takeaway!?!?
Nev and Ash eventually returned. Fortunately, they'd caught up with Andy and he was doing well. We could all head to the pub/chinese takeaway for a beer and to get to know a few of the flatulent locals - the perfect end to a very long day!
