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Monday Morning Debrief 111: Take A Little Riding Inspiration To Fend Off Blue Monday

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Good morning all, and welcome to the Monday Morning Debrief!

It’s our second Debrief for 2018, and it also coincides with a new world phenomenon referred to as ‘Blue Monday’. Apparently Blue Monday was a term dreamt up by some awful PR company in 2005. It brought the term into the public psyche during a advertising campaign for a holiday booking company, declaring that it had conducted research to determine Blue Monday as being ‘the most depressing day of the year’.

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It’s all pseudoscience bullshit, but even if it’s a made up thing, I can kinda see why the term has stuck since then. Generally Blue Monday falls on the 3rd of 4th Monday of January each year, which sits within the depths of winter (at least for the Northern Hemisphere). It’s cold, grey, and the lack of sunlight is starting to take its toll. You’re back at work, the festive season seems like a long time ago, and no one is opening their email with ‘Happy New Year’ anymore. The dreaded credit card statement has come in after a gluttonous few weeks, and if you’ve managed to brave the weather and get out for a ride, your body is probably starting to feel the toll of all those extra mince pies and pigs-in-blankets.

Oh, and it’s absolutely sheeting it down here at Singletrack Towers, so that’s certainly helping.

I wasn’t really privy to all of this before arriving in the UK. Originally, I thought this day had something to do with New Order’s classic 1983 hit. It doesn’t, but I’m going to use that as an excuse to listen to it anyway because it’s rad.

Here’s the track as slipped into Carl Cox’s Boiler Room set to set you off on the right foot for this week;

Yes it might be Blue Monday, and yes all of those above things might be bringing you down, and yes the weather might be utter shite. But how can you not feel a little bit more upbeat with Big Coxy dancing about on your screen? Look at that smile! Those moves! That energy! The short-sleeved t-shirts!

Don’t feel down. Instead, turn the volume up, feed off the enthusiasm, and get your own toes tapping! Because we’re going to flip the bird to Blue Monday and kick this week off right in the best way we know how – with the Singletrack Monday Morning Debrief!

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Today was one of those days where you’re gently reminded why mountain biking is just so damn good. It’s the friendships, the inane chat that makes the ups pass in a blur, and switching your brain off to focus purely on what’s right in front of you when you hit the downs. It’s egging each other on to have one more go at that seemingly impossible rooty climb. It’s getting to the end of a killer descent thinking the day is done, only for someone to suggest ‘one more hill’, that’s so good you say yes immediately, even though your legs are toast. Today was a good day . . . #lakesmtb #eskapee #ridemoremtb #lakedistrict #mtb #orbea #friends #goodtimes #toast #andimspent #mbr #singletrack #mbuk #pinkbike

A post shared by James Vincent (@jamesvincent) on

Mr James Vincent is telling winter who’s boss, having spent all of his weekend riding up in the Lake District aboard a few test bike’s he’ll be reviewing in the next edition of Singletrack Magazine. James used the power of the group ride to get enthused for weekend winter riding, and by all reports, he’s using his Monday morning for recovery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd5YirkDbvE/?taken-by=petescullion

Pete Scullion has also been tackling winter head-on, having gone for an epic ride up Ben Ledi in Scotland with trials master Ali Clarkson. Pete and Ali spent much of the climb hike-a-biking, but it looks like the sunset on top was worth it, even if the descent that followed was full of ice and snow bogs!

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Hmmm it feels much faster down Potato Alley on my Shan GT compared to the Shan No5…. . . @productionprivee @singletrackmag . . #ladybower #potatoalley #peakdistrictnationalpark #peaks #mtb #mountainbiking #mountainbike #steelisreal #steel #shanno5 #shann5 #productionprivee #singletrackmag #dvosuspension #dvodiamond #cycling #instamtb #yi4k #xiaomi #山地车 #山 #英国山

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Further down south, our Social Media man, Andi, has been ripping about on his personal Production Privee Shan No.5 on the rocky trails around Ladybower. Think the stabiliser on his camera is working overtime down Potato Alley in this video clip!

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The lad next door rode with us today and reminded us that all bikes are ace. It really doesn’t matter that you’re not wearing the latest bike gear when you’re grinning ear to ear. Fair play Lachlan!

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Mr Chippendale blew away all expectations by riding on BOTH Saturday and Sunday over the weekend, which makes it two weeks in a row that he’s ridden – unbelievable!

Lachlan, the teenager from a couple of doors down my street got a shiny new Orange Clockwork for Christmas to replace a far-too-small Hotrock. Like any new mountain biker, though, he didn’t really know where to ride and his mum didn’t want him heading into the moors alone, so we decided to show him some local trails, along with another new neighbour, Rob, who turns out to be a super fast XC racer. 

We went over hill and dale and young Lachlan kept up and had a fantastic time and, meanwhile, the rest of us got to remind ourselves how great the trails out the door are here” – Chipps.

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The tightest of tolerances! . . #bamboobastard

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Unlike my colleagues, I took a break from riding over the weekend, having spent the previous week riding around in circles testing out pedals for the upcoming platform pedal group test in Issue #117. Instead, I used my weekend to start a seamless build on the bamboo frame that will also be featured in the same issue. As you can probably tell, it’s already looking great.


Comments (2)

    It should be Happy Monday, because if you count December, January and February as the three winter months, we’re over halfway after today! And the official term for the day reminds everyone just how freaking awesome a tune Blue Monday is!

    @Trailrider Jim – Damn straight!

    Glass Half Full all the way, and here’s to getting closer to the warmer months mate!

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