That's what happens when the working season runs well on into November with a West coast Island holiday hiatus in the middle. :). We are rapidly approaching the years end and it's been a busy time for us all.
Iain managed to lay on a fairly amazing party to celebrate MB7's 5th birthday. Yay!
Things have indeed changed since the early days when Iain the 'one man tuition king' dreamt of taking packs of mountain bikers on epic journeys across the highlands and pass on skills and technique on the weekend packages.
MB7 birthday cake - we is 5
Bigger and better (?) times lay in wait. Meetings in living rooms and big plates of mushroom risotto, laptops and paypal accounts, website reviews then have-a-go, festival madness, Riderz and taking skills and displays on tour.
2008 and 'The Clan' was born - Iain has been on tour ever since with the crew. Danny, Lynn, Fraser, Duncan, Nash and SG with an extensive crew of other riders, MC's and super helpful helpers all contributed to a stonking year of personal appearances - hard work is go! But these guys and girls can party harder than granite. Stories are only half remembered but I do seem to remember an orphaned high heel and some sangria style attempts with Stan. It was as messy as it sounds.
Meanwhile back in the Tweed Valley Andy takes over the guiding, lessons and holiday for 2008/2009. A busy couple of years with tweaks here and there to make the office part as slick as george clooneys film hair.
Andy is a tuition zealot and works hard to make sure everyone who comes on an MB7 course goes away with techniques and skills that will make them mountain bike gods - GIFTED - we might even say.
The mountain bike lessons running at Glentress have been packed all year - we've even seen people coming back to the forest for a second helping of the trails so we must be doing something right! It's all contributing to the good vibe on the trails. Long live good vibes.
Crew & mob at MB7 party (jelly not shown)
Back to the party.
A cracking display from The Clan - thanks to the riders that kept it together long enough to get up that ten foot box. I'm sure the lager was flowing soon after.
The mobile pump track courtesy of Ben and Richard of 'Bikes n Berms'
(http://bikesandberms.com/default.aspx)
was set up in the grounds of the pub so that fun and frolicks on two wheels could continue for an hour or two more - any longer and the inebriation would likely cause an injury.
A slideshow of all the nonsense of the last five years brought tears to eyes, especially the shot of Iain cuddling a newborn lamb found on one of his early expeditions. The lack of bags under his eyes in the photo reminded us of the carefree young man he was before he decided on the sometimes stressful sleeplesness of setting up and running your own company. Turns out it was a good call after all. :)
Managing Director prepares for MB7 business meeting
Seems we shouldn't have worried about the personal injuries on the pump track, it was about to get serious. Lager flavoured booze and the introduction of inflatable sumo suits all seemed like a most excellent idea at the time. And so it was, for those of us abstaining from all the silliness.
A session of full on fighting ensued - all of the petty anguishes and small bun fights over the years came out in the ring and some brutal body slams and belly bounces resulted in flailing limbs and some seriously sore looking body to body impacts.
Needless to say the following day was brimmed full of sore heads. I can vouch for confessions from attendees of a selection of sore knees, sore backs, sore everything.
It must be a sign of a good night out. Or at least it was when my age began with a 2 and not a 3.
The last five years have been a blast - here's to MB7 is ten. I wonder what's round the next five years?
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