Quite a few of us used to hone our off-road "skills" at a disused quarry at Queendown Warren, near Detling. Naturally, the TS was in it's element here, even if I wasn't.

We had our own little circuit of jumps, and hills, and stuff, and I was quite happily playing around on my own, and practising my jump technique.

Up the far side of the quarry, over the lip, round the trees, down the slope, give it a bit of gas in second, line it up for the jump, snick into third, as I want a good one. Feel the suspension compress, as I reach the bottom, then up, up, and away......whereupon I spotted a schoolfriend, who had apparently *just* arrived, on his push-bike.

The pushbike in question, quite an expensive, tenspeed racer thing, was lying on it's side. Right at the point of touchdown. I landed, with a sickening crump, lost the last semblance of control, and careered into the bushes. When I had extracted myself, I surveyed the wreckage: the Suzuki had compressed the rear shocks sufficiently to bend the piston rods, but that was nothing, compared to the carnage that had been wrought on the pushbike. The frame was buckled, and both wheels were "U" shaped. Adrian was not chuffed. I did give him a lift home, in compensation :-)