mtbmaff – Member

Highs
riding through this weather and my fitness increasing
going on one of jedi's skills courses and being amazed how much confidence it gave me

thanks man.

High – realising I'd just sailed through a section at Innerleithen in September that I'd 5H@t myself over back in March (the 'skids are for kids' bit). Improvement defined.
Low – crashing heavily near the end of Innerleithen, in September (same ride, in fact). The irony wasn't lost on me, as nausea laid its icy hand…

Highs
Riding some of the famous Cols in the Pyrenees in June;
One particularly good 10mile time-trial which I was lucky enough to catch on a float day;
A group night-ride. Local woods, great company, enormous fun;
The day the ToB started in my little town and I rode in a commissaire's car for the duration of the stage. Awesome.

Lows
Missing out on valuable league points at two 'Cross races thanks to mechanicals;
Forcing myself to go out 'training' in the dark/wet/cold after work all last winter and all this autumn;
Not winning the Cobble Wobble. But at least I was the fastest bloke on an MTB;
Notching-up 8324 road miles so far this year.

Highs
24-12 at Newnham
the occasional time where i feel like im 'on it'

Lows
not riding enough
feeling tired too much when i ride.

High's 2 weeks in the alps 😆
Low's smashing my shoulder into the floor knackering it right up 😥

Low point – 12 rides, good as the 12 were not nearly enough
High point – getting back on an HT after 3 years of FS

A new bike should see 2010 kick off with a high……..

12 rides, you sure? dont think it was that much.
I've ridden your new bike ( before you). You wont like it :wink:( i aint really, he wouldn't allow me, you know, our personal mechanic because we're shite at doing anything resembling bike mechanics)

Highs – tough one, kielder 100 was deffo one of them, and prob alot of our summer rides. Being out in the summer on the bike is such a good high
Torridon STW ride was amazing, if the weather was sunny n hot it would rate as one of my best ever. Still, great descents, great riding, great company

Lows – not being able to buy a needed new lighter faster race bike
– my current injury which although not dramatic is still ' niggly' enough to hamper my riding

Grumpo, hurry up and get fit, think next year will be a good one for us

Grumpo is fit, he is just in the closet fit.

Highs for me were seeing GS on those rare occasions and all the new mental skilz Radoggair has taught me.

Lows – none, I may fall off on a regular basis and be sh1t to the power crap but its always fun no matter how wet cold or muddy the shizzle.

Highs – epic ride in the Peaks with some ace people
– biking being my job

Lows – short winter days!

Lows: Work and children massively limiting when I could ride this year.

Highs: A couple of days riding round Long Mynd for the first time
Finding new bits of the Dark and White Peak
Learning to drive – new riding possibilities x1000s
One of my photos used on the new Dialled websites; dead proud 🙂

Highs
Getting back into biking after almost 10 years away
Completing 103km mountain bike race, (all be in a very unmountainousness Denmark)
A surprised revival in UK "made" steel frames

Lows
Realizing that both disk brakes and suspension have come on loads since I was last riding and consequently I need to get me some, now
Pricing up semi bling builds and falling over the final cost

Highs,
Riding some top notch stuff in the Lakes
Seeing my son step up to the level where he can come and ride with the lads.
Riding some great stuff in Switzerland.
Superb dry winter and spring and early autumn

Lows,
Late Autumn weather
Being completely dominated by vertigo for lots of my time in Verbier.

highs.
Getting on a mountain bike after 8years.
Stoke tour ride
Conquering most of the hills i've tried
Marshalling the weekender, good vibe and fun to watch
Working saturdays in a bike shop

Lows.
Dnf at the dragon ride through knee pain
Not conquering langbar
Fear stopping me too much on the two occassions i went on a mtb, must get confidence and balls
The geared bike spending far too much of the last 3 months in the cellar

Lows
Damaging back and out of riding from 21st Dec 2008 until Good Friday, then tearing my intercostal on the first day back.
So no riding until June.

Highs
Training in France with some ex GB riders, very 'one foot in the grave'esqe'
Getting on my bike just in time for the 2009 cross.

Highs:
Getting my first full suss and loving it.
My fitness improving.
My abilities (or lack of) improving.
The effect of the above on my riding confidence.
Going for a ride on my HT when it snowed last Feb.

Lows:
My flatmate/riding buddy constantly breaking his bike and having no cash for repairs.
Living for a year without a car.
Erm, it's cold isn't it?

Highs:
Brighton Big Dog
realising my fitness is back to normal level, and my slipped disc of 08 has resolved by itself.

Lows:
can't think of any

Highs:
3 great trips to the Quantocks including the STW gathering
Getting a road bike
Completing the Dragon Ride
1st trip to Dalby Forest

Lows:
Chronic nerve problem in shoulder and arm which has kept me off the bike for 5 months (thankfully now sorted after loads of osteopathy, physio and sports massages).

Low: fracturing pelvis and snapping collar bone at the end of March
High: riding from Chamonix to Zermatt with my son, guided by Jamie of Ride the Alps

Several Highs –

1) Commuting into work on the mountain bike the day the council failed to grit the roads before 4 inches of snow fell – 8 miles of riding through the snow past stuck cars and lorries, grinning like an idiot at the sheer fun of it all!

2) Doing a road ride with a mate who swore blind he'd never buy a road bike, on the first decent spring day that made us go home the extra long way back – he reckons it was his best ride of the year

3) Riding my first sportif on my 40th birthday

4) An hour long quickie play on the local routes when I managed to ride all the right lines for the first and only time in my life – with no one there to see it!

5) Watching my (then) 5 year old finally get going on two wheels, and seeing the realisation of the opportunities it would bring him in the future.

6) Meeting up with an old mate for a catch up ride where we spent longer chatting in the cafe than we did riding

7) Meeting up with one or two people on here to ride new places and make me test my self belief – one to work on next year

8 Finally starting to do a few simple fettling jobs myself.

Lows –

1) Putting my back out and losing all of July and August, and having to pull out of the Tour of Britain sportive

2) Failing – again – to get down to 12 stone

3) Spending too much time on long solo road rides and not enough time on an MTB with the regular group

On the whole, a good year for me though