Just got back from a couple hrs on the quantocks brilliant ride made all the better for the fact my bikes not covered in mud like normal
yep, a bit of a mixed bag, beautiful near Faringdon, crisp white fields, blazing sun, no mud - but the previous passing of the hunt meant that some bits were teeth chattering to say the least, interesting animal collection - a white ferret, it actually saw me, and waited for me on a track, I stopped beside it and we looked at each other and then went on our ways, biggest dog fox I've ever seen, and lots of full size deer - all brave enough to stand and assess me before legging it, then it went a bit smelly - puncture and then about 20 minutes later,about 6 miles from home the airshock collapsed ........ so a slow end to a blazing day, didn't get cold atall, well pleased, shock wanted
Quick half hour on the road bike, couldn't be arsed with any more as I was going numb, not sure if that's the fault of the saddle or the weather ๐
Yeah, but cut short after my forks suffered a full air loss (see other thread) and had to limp home hanging off the back of the saddle to counteract the comedy head angle! Hope this isn't going to be xpensive...
Sounds like I got off lightly. The only thing that played up on me was a frozen camelbak
Lovely crispy mud... Even that swampy bit was like riding through crackling! Also first ride out with new (flat) bars, and gears for the first time in 3 years.
planned to go out for a 2hr ride, returned to the car 25 mins later just plain misrable today. Just set up the Turbo hope to do a decent 1hr session
Early doors solo ride ... up to Baildon, crisp and fresh. Back home to have breakfast with my son, happy days ๐
Just got back from a couple of hours on local bridleways. Some of them were super fast - loved it. The wind picked up on the top of the hills but amazing how just a base layer, thin merino and a soft shell keep you toasty in what must have been something like -10deg or lower with the wind chill.
I must remember not to clean my bike just before going out on a morning like this next time. Fork adjusters froze solid and when we first set off my chain was frozen stiff too. When we got back the water droplets from cleaning it were still frozen in place on the frame.
Rode out to meet for a 6:15am start, for 46 road miles out of north Manchester, which regular crew of early doors riders who like to get back early for family duties. ****ing spiders it was bracing, but fabulous morning when the sun got going. My 6 quid px gloves were left wanting, but was back home by 9:30, and sorting some lovely fried brekkie.
Got to Sherwood Pines for 9am, the trails were amazing and so empty! Brand new Anthem to ride! Best ride in ages!
smell_it how do you motivate yourself for a start that early ? I keep saying I'm going to do it and never quite manage.....
Running for me this morning, the usual 5k parkrun. -9 in the woods today, proper freezing! Good run though...
lovely ride from cheltenham to sheepscoombe and back (with associated pining for cranham ๐ ).
The mud is frozen solid, so we managed a 40km loop with completely clean tyres. Loads of grip too!
Dave
7.30 start for a local offroad 50 miler it was cold but I wasn't, stuffed now though. Camel Froze up until the last hour. Theres a paradox regarding frost, great until it starts to thaw, but once it thaws it makes it muddier than it would have been as the trails here are still quite dry. All in all a great ride finished off with cake and last nights left over pizza.
I was riding about on bikes at work (plain clothes) until 3.00 this morning. Bloody freezing! ๐
Mixed feelings here of guilt and f%^k that.......the latter feeling won. ๐ณ
Running for me this morning...
This^
Run for me as well this morning. 5 beautiful miles off road. Frozen mud is great.
Gentle spin on the road bike to try to get some power in my legs..
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/146981588
Frozen mud is great.
Some of my trails had been mashed up by horses, before the freeze came. Ankle breaking territory.
Quick hours blast round a local loop for me this morning. Garmin showing an average of -3.Trails were perfect.
Just started snowing so I might have to get the fatbike out again for a play. ๐
0800- and I was feeling righteous blatting round the locals trying to establish a balance between cold lungs and having the Buff up over my nose causing my sunnies to steam up. Blissful ride it was to. Sunshine, no breeze, and fast trails. It felt like summer. Almost
yep,i went over to wenlock edge DH trail for the first time. very steep but good fun trying to hold the lines on the ice.
Just back from a run around Cwmcarn followed by a quick loop on the bike! Was a great morning, started snowing while I was up there but was stunning! Trail riding really quickly bar a few icey sections!
All good prep for the duathlon at LLandegla next week!
iainc - I'd love to deliver some great wisdom, or something highly motivational, but in truth I'm no great sleeper; I've never needed much sleep and once I'm awake I'm up! It helps that I'm meeting some other guys to ride with but can still do it if I'm solo. I do have to overide that voice in my head saying 'go on, just stay in bed, it's warm and lovely here!' but I know that within a few minutes of being on the bike I'm going to be having fun. Oh yeah, limiting the booze intake the night before is also crucial! I think though once you have done it a few times you realise what a bonus it is to have pretty much the whole day ahead and the miles are done.
I had a 3hr dawdle around my local hills, first time out in a month, nice hard trails most of the way, but 1 thawed patch that nearly caught me out, now to repeat tomorrow!
28km loop around the local hills.... By god it was cold when we left ๐ฏ It took at least the ride to the top to get blood moving. Amazing trails, so much grip and very, very fast. Brilliant.
๐
Aye- been out every day this week, it's been good. Frosty stuff is nice, this week's snow made a fun change.
Popped out on the CX bike this morning for a cheeky high peak 2 hour job. Proper cold. Didn't seem to bother the local farm moggie - mooched past me with a robin in his chops ๐
Got into Manchester now for some beers with my mates. Snowing quite heavily. Good job I got out. Could have happily sat and watched Saturday kitchen eating shreddies, with the heating on full whack!!
Frozen hard and sunny, been a perfect morning in the Chilterns. Fast, grippy, a bit rougher than usual, ruts making corners more fun, I wish it this was normal winter weather tbh, I love the cold weather. Been out a few times this week, make most of it while the ground's hard.
pishing down, +1C and windy here in Glasgow.......maybe tomorrow....
3hrs around woburn, in brillant sunshine.A bit nippy but soon warmed up.
Hope to be playing in the snow sunday.
Quick blast round the BWs here in the Dales from the door. Tracks all very frozen, very dry, very grippy and very fast. Fantastic. Looks like we have a very light dusting of snow now,
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/jc_RMXGVZlk
C
Parkrun 5k followed by 50mile road ride. If I hadn't got a new set of shoes I wanted to try out I would have just stayed in bed, glad I didn't though.
Iain
iainc - same in Linlithgow...shocking weather.
The wood burner's been on for five hours now. Toasty.
-8 getting dressed in the carpark only to discover my gloves were still damp from a mid week ride.....fingertips are still hurting.
3 hours of super hard, fast singletrack though and gave a random biker a go on the half fat (another convert to the chubby cause)
weather warmed to a positively tropical -1 by the time I finished
Met up with mates @ 7.30, van was reading -7!
Good 3hr ride on Ridgeway, Barbury Castle and about, Camelbak frozen for the whole ride, most of us had shifting issues ๐
Still glad I went out though ๐
yes. back in the north for the morning (currently sat at Keele in a blizzard) so rode on my old school trails. lots of forestry work going on on Longridge Fell with commensurate loss of secret trails.
On the main sections it was a case of what tyre for a thin layer of snow on sheet ice? Elsewhere the peat was mostly frozen and rideable, but when you went through you went through. Must have been a silly wet last year.
went out around Hayfield..
the frozen solid bits were great, the large sheet ice bits not so great.
And cheers to the two chaps I caught up who showed me a great descent I'd never done.
Cut ride short though.. felt like I was pushing my luck a bit!
We did a good ride today. Trails running as good as they ever have. Lots of grip.
Alas - this extra white stuff wont be helping it any though..
Went out last night and again first thing this morning, it's bloody brassic here, a couple below at least, and the trails are a bit frozen rutty was mud only a few days ago now rock. So bracing yes, fun er not really, not hitting anything hard that's for sure.
Hit The North3 on CX bike! Fun fun fun!! ๐
Got my usual hour around Wirksworth while the boys were climbing -5 on the car, and a frozen camelbak. Nice to come back with a non-muddy bike
Had a really good fun 3 hours of old fashioned cross country riding this morning (basically a fair bit of road interspersed with some nice off road stuff) above Macc with a mate.
I'd gone out on Thursday night and had a great time, but the descents we'd tried had been as much a push or carry or hang on for dear life in the old snow and ice, so today we opted for some easier trails and enjoyed rocket fast singletrack, some dusty downhill tracks and just a thoroughly nice ride.
It was very cold on the tops - a lot windier than it's been of late - but we felt we'd played Mother Nature and won... this time. It started to snow as we were about 1/4 of a mile from getting home. Top stuff. ๐
Alfabus
lovely ride from cheltenham to sheepscoombe and back (with associated pining for cranham ).
Do I take it from your post that you are still riding the tracks in Cranham Woods?? Please see the thread "GROUPS riding Cranham Woods". We as riders are having to stay away until access has been agreed with Natural England. Sorry buddy.
correctiveroger - MemberAlfabus
lovely ride from cheltenham to sheepscoombe and back (with associated pining for cranham ).
Do I take it from your post that you are still riding the tracks in Cranham Woods?? Please see the thread "GROUPS riding Cranham Woods". We as riders are having to stay away until access has been agreed with Natural England. Sorry buddy.
Nope, didn't go in... hence pining - we skirted the edge of cranham and wanted desperately to go in. Lovely crisp, dry, frozen ground; it would have been lovely, but we stayed out.
Dave
