[Closed] Best Ride of the Year? + Pictures

MTB. One of my favorites was actually a local loop when I was in Essex. It wasn't a hard or particularly long cycle, but it made me smile and everything clicked.
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July, Cadir Idris & Snowdon in a day, it was an amazing. Considering the soaking we got the days before and after at Llandegla and the Marin trail the weather was brilliant.

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/20164994876_7cd915c99b_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/20164994876_7cd915c99b_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/wHUSrs ]Top of Snowdon[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/91843706@N08/ ]Sam Dexter[/url], on Flickr

Last day in the Alps in September with The Whiteroom. 9 mile descent. 9 miles! Then picked up in the van and driven to the next descent. Another 4.5 miles. Then smashed two pints down a very happy chap. Best days riding I've done. It just kept going!

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Can't compete with that ^^^ looks awesome.

Got shown round Surrey Hills on my birthday and it has seriously expanded my riding.
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The worst. The one when my knee cap became 9 pieces.

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start of the fred looked a little ominous...

Woah, Coogan & Homer, nice photos and quality rides.

Any/all of the week in the Alps with the White Room. Just Epic.

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cokie....what was loop was that?...always looking for good rides in Essex seeing as that's where i live 🙂

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Les Arcs
Why do I not live here yet?

That's too hard. Sorry can't do pics.
Road: a nice hilly trip around some of the climbs in Mallorca.
Mountain: BC Bike race all the bits when I wasn't suffering like a dog. Had a couple of nice rides near San Remo too. My year has been ace.

I think watching the weather forecast in early September and seeing it looking well resulted in a spontaneous trip to Torridon which was ace. I really enjoyed the Tour de Ben Nevis this year too.

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i nearly forgot. spend 10 days in Iceland too.

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2 spring to mind.

Manchester to London in 16 hours, a truly horrible ride for large parts of it but looking back, I did enjoy it. Here's a pic of my Lycra clad arse leaving Carsington Water at the start of the 2nd stage:
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And the recover drink.
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The second was the first spring road ride of the year with my wife. We only did 30 or so miles, but the roads were quiet, the sun was warm and we had cake at half way. Most importantly though, she absolutely loved it.
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I have no pics 🙁 But, day one of practice at tweedlove EWS. Great day out, good weather, fantastic trails, and riding waterworld with fabien barel. Nice. The whole 5 days was brilliant but that was the day. (day 2 following wym masters and a bunch of his mates down broon troot was class too, I'll never ride that fast again)

Easy this year - the Whole Enchilada, Moab - from Burro Pass back to town
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Some inspiring photos. Sadly I'm not the "taking photos on rides" kind of guy.

Mate and I were chewing this over a week or two back, best ride of the year. Probably a shortish road ride we did in October from Lake Bala to Lake Vrynwy under clear blue skies. Glorious day in big hills.

Honourable mentions to the descent of the blue at Glentrool, and riding the blue at Kirroughtree with more my 12 year old lad showing more confidence than his lack of experience, fitness and a budget Decathlon bike should have allowed. Probably his biggest ride so far, and he wants to try more.

Most important ride was end of May, when I stopped feeling rubbish after 4-5 months of feeling shit on a bike and being spat out the back every time the incline reached 2%.

Cingles Du Mont Ventoux. Amazing conditions, 23C at the start at 8am to 37C on the second climb (Bedoin), thunderstorms just as we got to the tops for the third time although thankfully they were more around us than on us. A tiny bit of rain on the final descent before the heavens opened just as we got back to Malaucene.

Pictures were at the top of the first climb. I like how there is some bloke looking almost dead behind me.

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EDIT - Recovery ice cream.

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Verbier

It's funny. My whole year was good, but I don't have a single picture.

I'm just grateful that I was able to return to the road, ride my mountain bike more, and not miss a day of commuting due to laziness.

All in all, a very good year, capped by others' good photographs. Keep 'em coming! 8)

Alps for me too - great week, sunny every day.

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4 Passes ride in October.

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4 Passes ride in October.

Simultaneously the best and worst ride (ever) of the year 🙂

Got to be Col De Mille Verbier for me.
Van uplift then straight into a 1000M climb/hikeabike/climb/hikeabike to the caban.
Then a huge descent all the way back to the chalet. 😀

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/19125787726_a8c6111e58_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3913/19125787726_a8c6111e58_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/v95EmN ]IMGP0427[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/460/18964253840_0b9275dbf7_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/460/18964253840_0b9275dbf7_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/uTNKXN ]IMGP0434[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/537/19151811615_fb7130b4ac_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/537/19151811615_fb7130b4ac_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/vbo3mx ]Worth every one of the 1000 metres of the climb.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3847/18964789470_844811ba40_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3847/18964789470_844811ba40_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/uTRvbN ]IMGP0442[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

3 for me.

Cut Gate in the snow back in February. Not the greatest "ride" ever, as I spent far too long carrying, but just an AWESOME day to be out in the middle of nowhere, and what riding I did was hilarious.

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I then had 2 days in the Lakes at the end of July. It was dry, it was clear, both of which are a first for me in the Lakes and I did some excellent riding. Langdale, up Rossett Gyhll, Esk Hause, Sty Head and then back over Stake Pass.
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The next day started from Wythburn, up Helvellyn, down Lower Man, Sticks, Seldom Seen, back up Keppel Cove to the top again and down Wythburn. Rode all of the descent which I was pretty chuffed about (a couple of dabs involved, but it all went second go)
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Possibly the best 2 days mountain riding I've done in the UK.

Snowdon twice in a day gets a worthy mention for epicness, but the weather was shite.

Roadent wise, not too much to report - just cracking out the miles locally!

Probably the #jennride organised in the Cotswolds http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/jennride-cotswolds-11th-october/page/3

Not the most epic, but the one that jumps out at me is from late October in that marvellous Indian summer we had - the last ever ride on my Patriot.
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Just on my favourite local trails, dusty but grippy enough to finally yield a Strava top ten spot I'd been chasing for ages.

Or maybe this one the week before also at Rivington...
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Definitely my little tour of Marin County on a hired road bike, roads, scenery, conditions and coffee stops to die for, all finished off with a beer on the ferry back into San Francisco.

Not my picture as I didn't want to stop in the middle of any of the descents, but imagine this for many many miles, all at a perfect gradient that allowed a respectable speed on the climbs and the perfect balance of barely having to pedal but barely having to brake on the descents. Bliss.

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Either Whiteless Pike

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Or the Old Man of Coniston

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AGAIN

Same as most years, San Juan trail in S. California (not hard, the only competition this year was the New Forest).
I don't really take pics on rides, so this'll have to do - first half or so of it.

[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5127/5243568855_b2af999817.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5127/5243568855_b2af999817.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/8ZmEkz ]sanjuan satellite[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/23823661@N05/ ]scaredypants[/url], on Flickr

Oh, here we go, from a while ago though - dusty sandy hot

EVERY ****ING DAY !!

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A trip to the highest bit of Dartmoor was a highlight

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and also messing about on small bikes again:

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A trip to the highest bit of Dartmoor was a highlight

Is it worth the effort? I live down the road and have never been.

No pics of the ride but I've got a photo somewhere of me looking broken on the next part of the day...

Outlaw triathlon. I wasn't ready for it but I took it on anyway. 112 miles on the bike, learning the hard way after riding nothing but hills that flat = relentless. Biblical weather, crippling knee pain for the last 20 miles and being overtaken by a BMX when ready to pack it all in. Proper Type 2 fun, but looking back it was my ride of the year without a doubt.

Jam bo, in terms of great mountain biking probably not. But for the novelty factor yes. Plus I'd tried it earlier in the year and had to turn back because of awful weather so it was unfinished business for me. The day I went I pretty much had it entirely to myself which was cool.

got lost in the FoD and was helped out by these lovely girls on a hen do
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First bike ride with my boy . Exploded with pride 🙂

howsyourdad wins!

howsyourdad wins!

I didn't get much riding in this year due to injury but my favourite outing of the year was the LVIS Audax in biblical weather.
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howsyourdad 🙂

Rode far less this year than I would have liked. Rides of the year would be;

Chamonix Huges Way and Pipeline

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Verbier, strictly best ride was Red Enduro 7, but Chute du Bisses and Bike Park red Whoay where excellent. Enduro Black 10 / Jackass was a carry down and truley humbling 😳

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I could eat dinner with this view every day of the year

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400 miles bikepacking in 7 days, based on the Highland Trail race route.

Loads more pics and a write up [url= http://minipips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/highland-trail-2015-overview.html ]here[/url]

Was tough to pick a fav. There's been a few good ins this year.
Usually would opt for a day out in the lakes. But the top spot for great riding with a real good bunch was a trip to glentress. A local mate marked up a map with EWS stages and we found and rode them all on a bone dry day. It was mega.

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Second up. Solo effort up Grizdale pike down Whitless. Managed to pick up the KOM then lost it an hour later. No mater it was a great ride I felt good the bike ride great.

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Third up if I can have 3. Had wanted to do a 100 mile road ride for a while. Wasn't sure I had it in me but one morning it was that now or never day. I loved it great feeling to roll back into town legs totally fried.

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@richpips. Read that when you posted last, respect to you and minipips.

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In a similar vein to howsyourdad this was my ride of the year when my lad finally got the hang of his balance bike.

In the space of a week he went from this.
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To this when he nicked Harrythespider's lads bike
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And he's now the proud owner of his own [img] [/img]

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/that-was-awesome