[Closed] Nice one Hannah

You don't have to be alone to just stop..

We have plenty of group stops ..has been known just to lie back for 30 mins or so while taking in the heat of the sun .

I agree with the sentiment ..when our group goes out it most definitely is for the day..taking in the scenery as well as the riding ..its definitely not a case of rushing around as quickly as possible

has been known just to lie back for 30 mins or so while taking in the heat of the sun .

Which country you cycling in you lucky bastard. We dont tend to stop for a mud bath

😁

Why this one of course ..I distinctly remember one day on Skye last June and a Bolts Law ride in August ..

I didn't say it happened too often !

Taken on a ride last Sunday in Aberdeenshire. It didn’t last long, but while it did I enjoyed soaking up a bit of sun and listening to Spring trying to rouse itself.

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It can be anywhere to stop... Over the winter, I was night riding at Swinley, and usually stopped at least once per ride to look at the stars and have a sip of coffee

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and around once in a while, you could miss it.

Hmm one thing I dislike more than anything is stopping during a ride.

Personally I've seen all the views I want to and soaked in as much atmosphere as I want to and get more enjoyment from the actual riding. I just love The Flow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

Good for you mate ..

I tend to stop when it feels like my lungs are falling out my backside.  The less I stop during a ride, the better I feel about it.  Of course I do sometimes stop for chips and beer depending on the ride I'm doing that day 😀

Back in the day I used to stop for fag breaks. Had one pre rolled in my tool kit in case if breakdown or crashes.  Havent smoked in years, maybe I should have a few virtual fag breaks...

For me most of my MTBing is about getting out into the countryside - its not really mountainbiking - its more wanderroundthescenerybiking 😉  Stops are a big part of it.  Listen to the waves on the beach, look at the views, watch the birds  have a picnic

I agree with TJ again. Or tjagain again if you prefer.

MTBing for me is basically two-wheeled rambling, it's more about where I'm riding than what.

For me most of my MTBing is about getting out into the countryside – its not really mountainbiking – its more wanderroundthescenerybiking   Stops are a big part of it.  Listen to the waves on the beach, look at the views, watch the birds  have a picnic

This.  For me mountain biking is like going for a walk only faster and further.  It's not a sport or a competition.  But I'm very happy for those who do see it as that.

Edit.  WTF is with the massive smiley? This forum is pathetic...

Some rides are about stopping, some rides are about not stopping. I just did the same ride, a 40k loop twice. Yesterday I did it with my brother in law head down bum up cos he is all about strava. Today I did it in 3x the time with my 13 year old daughter watching the wildlife (wild boar and owls plus deer and a massive toad!) Both fantastic rides.

I'll happily stop, so long as it's not on a Strava section.

That'd be bad.

I really think there is a huge division in MTBers.  the best way I can put it is some like me their bike is like a landrover - a tool to get to places.  For others its like a rally car - its about the speed over the ground and the thrill of the ride.

Of course I enjoy a nice flowy piece of singletrack and the thrill of the speed but thats rarely my main aim.

for me a ride needs 3 things - good scenery, good trails and good company.  that good company can be my own company if thats what i want and the proportions of the 3 can vary widely but a ride without the opportunity to look at the view is never great.  One reason why I get bored of Glentress easily

Don't necessarily need to stop to look at the scenery, but sometimes it's just the right thing to do.

Even on a local loop I've probably ridden hundreds of times in various combinations it's cool to look out for new stuff, or to observe the changes the seasons bring, or whatever. I have a self-imposed rule of 'a photo a ride' - for the last 5 years or so it's forced me to keep my eyes open for what's around even if I'm head down blatting round the local woods.

tjagain nails it and perfectly sums up what makes a great mountain bike ride for me too..

When I 1st started riding 'back in the day' I often went to Northumberland (Hodgy will know the area) on my own, this coincided with the fact I was busy getting divorced & needed some peace & proper quiet. I remember a couple of rides from Alwinton & heading back down Clennel St not only stopping to admire the view but finding a bit of 'off piste' in Kidland Forest & actually having a nap next to a babbling stream. This would be summer 1991.

Wouldn't try that behind the Nationwide in Swindon though.

Some rides are about stopping, some rides are about not stopping.

Yeah. Both have their advantages and appeal at different times.

I have  a local loop which fits nicely into a lunch time normally including changing and a shower. Longest I have taken for it though was about 2 hours after stopping to watch some crows annoying a red kite and then buzzards displaying.

That Clennel Street has a lot to answer for ..Ive done some solo riding up there for similar reasons borne out of the frustration of being denied access to see my daughter ( purely out of spite ) when I split up from her mam..thats going back nearly 20 years !

Edit.  WTF is with the massive smiley? This forum is pathetic…

I actually really like the massive smileys! Although the fact that it's taken me about 100 hundred goes to write that sentence has taken the edge off any good will tht may have been generated errg

Some rides are about stopping, some rides are about not stopping.

sums it up for me also.

When I go riding it’s mainly about not stopping in too sudden or violent a fashion.

Sometimes TJ and I agree entirely on things - this is one of those occasions

I think that the “rambling with wheels” community actually makes up a huge proportion of mountain biking, that unfortunately appears to be entirely ignored by the trade and media

stopping and taking it all in is vital, if nothing else it’s how you really learn about the countryside:

Oh dear - I must have been wrong then getting all that agreement 😉

There's also a point about trail relations here too. I think taking the time to stop, appreciate and understand the same things will ultimately lead to a better relationship with other users.

Hannah writes some excellent stuff, I really enjoy her pieces.

I take the attitude that if I want to soak in the atmosphere I - shock, horror - go for a walk or a run. That doesn't mean I never stop and contemplate the world when I'm on a bike, but I just like the feeling of movement you get on two wheels.

If you've never done it, maybe try walking some of your local mountain bike trails and looking around. It's amazing, you see things that you fly past on the bike: moss on the bark of the tree that you brush past on the exit to that fast bend. The shape of the skyline that you've never been able to look up at. And the sign on the campsite descent above Hayfield telling you to slow down... Oh, and several benches just by the trail that I've never spotted while on a bike. You can even scope new lines.

I have no idea why other people ride and it's not really my business to second guess them or tell them what they should or shouldn't do. As long as you treat the places you ride and the people you meet with respect, it's all good really.

roverpig

Taken on a ride last Sunday in Aberdeenshire. It didn’t last long, but while it did I enjoyed soaking up a bit of sun and listening to Spring trying to rouse itself.

I have a hunch you stopped to take that pic 😉

I sometimes stop. Maybe for a rest, or to build a feature, or to clear a bit of trail, take in the scenery or even to take a poo.. Sometimes i don't. The idea of someone telling me how to enjoy cycling based on what they like is just daft. Or is it? I'll try...My tip to enjoy riding more is top pull a perfectly flat table over a 30 foot jump without helmet or pads 😀

I have a hunch you stopped to take that pic

No, I was so shocked by the sudden appearance of a large yellow ball in the sky that I fell off 🙂

“for me a ride needs 3 things – good scenery, good trails and good company. that good company can be my own company“

Suddenly the tandem makes perfect sense 😜

Edit.  WTF is with the massive smiley? This forum is pathetic…

I thought it made your quote into a lovely poster.  I was considering printing it off and hanging it up by my bikes.

I sometimes stop... ...to take a poo.. Sometimes i don’t.

Are you Greg Lemond?

I really think there is a huge division in MTBers.  the best way I can put it is some like me their bike is like a landrover – a tool to get to places.  For others its like a rally car – its about the speed over the ground and the thrill of the ride.

Of course I enjoy a nice flowy piece of singletrack and the thrill of the speed but thats rarely my main aim.

for me a ride needs 3 things – good scenery, good trails and good company.  that good company can be my own company if thats what i want and the proportions of the 3 can vary widely but a ride without the opportunity to look at the view is never great.

I *heart* TJ

Great piece. I find that the stopping and taking it in can help to fix the memory of the ride in your head as well. In fact there are plenty of ride stops I can remember more clearly than the ride itself.

Are you Greg Lemond?

A quick google suggests no. I'd never poop in a hat. An ashtray however...

I stopped in the middle of a race last year. OK, it was at night in Lapland in winter and I was gawping at the northern lights but I still stopped just to take it all in.

I thought trail centre riders stopped at regular intervals anyway to get their breath back and check social media for likes on the segment they've just shredded 😉

Sums me up that article.

nothing better than getting off the bike and having a sit / lie down to soak up the view and the sounds. Its good for my soul.

Got me through some properly dark times.

Uncle Jezza sums it up well.

I think that this is why, the older I get, the more I get out of riding a nice, rigid, single speed and the less I get out of my 160mm FS stuff.

Riding a SS is more like walking, often it’s best when I”m alone, I do tend to stop and look and listen, take a photo or two and then just carry on without much thought as to how slow or fast I’m going. If I go out hill walking I don’t obsess about doing it non-stop, nor my average speed/pace and nowadays I have the same attitude to riding, the only exception being that there are certain technical sections that I have to clean.

Hannah's article & TJ's posts summed up my main reasons for mountain biking.

It's nice to go to a trail centre every couple of years but I'm more into going on the bike so that I can cover more ground than if I went for a hike.It's great to get out & see the changing of the seasons on my regular route.

I like those late winter days where you find a sheltered spot, you stop and feel the weak winter sun on your face,you listen to the water burbling in the icy stream you know winter's on it's way out & it's dusty trails in a couple of months.

It's also good to ride to the beach & hardly anyone's there.You just take it all in at your own pace.