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Mid-morning on 2nd day of Rovaniemi 150 -a 'ride' that turned into 100km of pushing. Enjoyed it so much that I'm going back for a double-dose in 6 weeks. The simple fact that you can get out and experience nature in the raw
Not particularly outstanding - Howgills day after my 69th birthday.
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Non race ride of the year for me was the day trip to Morgins. We skipped Whistler for this year & went back to Morzine for the first time in a long time. Whilst it was great to be away on a riding holiday, we were a little let down by the quality of the riding, seems like very little has happened there in the last 10 years & the trails were wrecked.
But, we made the trek over to Morgins one day & it was an epic day out. Nice ride out there, smashed a load of runs in on trails that wern't ruined, then cruised home & road a load of off piste stuff, which was mint 🙂
This was on the way there:
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Race ride of the year was probably the first round of the Southern Enduro at Milland. I'd not ridden much over winter, as I broke my wrist badly in Autumn the year before, so felt a bit fat & unfit. Somehow though I managed to come 4th - beating a lot of people I normally have a battle with, even after some silly mistakes.
Shame the season went to pot shortly after that!
I'm loving the variety here.
More please!
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Torridon, Scotland, June. Bone dry, glorious weather, absolutely bloody brilliant. I [url= http://www.mintimperial.com/?p=1036 ]wrote it up here[/url].
It was the day after a cracking weekend at the Fort William World Cup round, too. Remembering this ride has been keeping me going for most of the rest of the year. The only bad thing was having to come home and leave the glorious weather and amazing, empty hills behind.
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That's me on trail "J" at the La Thuile bike park in Italy. I spent a day there while at Bike Village for a week in August/September. One of the other guests, Steve, took the picture.
Riding wise I'd been only just hanging on for the last few years, lacking confidence and motivation. I decided to get a new bike this year and spent quite a lot of time in the first few months of 2016 demoing a few bikes. This resulted in me getting a Nukeproof Mega 290 and also kickstarted a bit more motivation to ride and to try and push my technical abilities more than I have in a long time.
At the end of August I went to Bike Village for a week. I went on my own but the other guest were a great bunch of people and I had a great time. I also felt more confident and happier on my bike than I ever have in the Alps before.
That feeling was typified on our day trip to La Thuile. I'm pretty sure that overall J is the most technically demanding thing I've ever tried to ride. I managed to get down almost everything (I missed just one little bit, on a guide's advice, and I reckon looking back I should have tried it again), albeit spending a lot of time saying "f*ck me, I managed to ride that!" and sitting on the rear tyre.
Overall the ride was good but not great, but my feeling of achievement at the end of J and the knowledge it would have probably left me in tears or at least hating my bike a year or two ago, is what makes it my ride of the year.
A pretty good year, had a couple of days in les arcs whilst on holiday with the family which was awesome. However, however I think my favourite was bikepacking the Peddars Way with my dad over a couple of days.
We were blessed with some great weather, and spent the evening drinking whisky, watching the stars and talking shite. My first bivvy and definitely something I'd like to do more of next year:
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My trip to Moab in September. The best ride was Portal Rim as it was the last one of the week and jetlag was all gone by then.
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Great day at BPW with my son. Family rides rule.
Cheesy selfie
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28 May - finally summoned the guts to enter my first DH race 😛 (Aberystwyth Conquer the Cliff) after wimping out 4 years in a row, lining up behind a certain Ms Atherton - no pressure 😆
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I guess 2016 wasn't so bad after all.
and how good it is to see you mama d. missed you on here.
Hey I'm always lurking Ton - guess I don't have so much to say any more now I've curbed my spending 😆 Happy New Year!
Reduced riding to relocating to Yorkshire and changing jobs. It has be to Torridon for me. I fell in love with the place despite limited opportunities due to weather (we had snow!)
Yay Mama - always stylish [you and your bikes!] 8)
Ha ha, best remember to hold my stomach in for the next pic though 😆
I was thinking about the Ride of the Year today. Lots of good ones but the standout was a ride up and down the Winsor trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The climb was long and had many river crossings, the last of which almost reduced my wife to tears from the icy cold mel****er, and we were close to giving up. Lucky for us there were no more and we completed the climb and had our lunch at 3100m elevation.
The ride back down was absolutely glorious; starting with some technical rocky steepness which gave way to a beautiful ribbon of fast singletrack leading back down through alpine meadows, pine forests and back to the desert. We even found a detour to bypass the river crossings.
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Much good riding this year, but the best by a long way was Haleakala in Maui on my 60th birthday with daughter who was in Ironman training. Nice steady climb all the way to 10,000 feet, followed by a bit of a hoon downhill !
Like a few people I was wondering what's been the best bike ride this year & for me it was Halloween weekend.We did Coed Y brenin on the Saturday & the Marin on the Sunday.
For the end of October the weather was great,the company excellent & it was good to revisit the old trail centres.
They took their toll on the tyres...
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Just a excellent weekend away.
Fatbiking has been a complete revelation this year, opening up loads of areas for riding. I'll pick this day in Kandersteig, as pretty much the perfect one. Early enough to have crisp snow in the sunshine with the surprise of a bar, music and grilled food on a frozen lake. Just perfect
[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1692/26310623105_b51a4f8dc5_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1692/26310623105_b51a4f8dc5_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/G5YPAR ]P1210590[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/musselburghbikers/ ]Andrea[/url], on Flickr
I rode from Appin to Oban then ferry to Mull. A ride down to the wee ferry and a pit stop for scallops and black pudding then over to Iona.
Short but sweet.
Late in the year Leffeboy came over from Belgium to join our rag tag peloton of pals for a three day hosteling tour of the Cairngorms. It rained, it was windy, there was sleet, sometimes sunshine but always smiles. Can't wait to do it all again soon.
EDIT Can't seem to be able to post the pic. Here's a link to the blog http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/tourdecairngorms
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[url= https://flic.kr/p/Nyw2uu ]#tbt to the #tourdivide and good times on the trail with @tjmax173 ? ? ? #Bikepacking #bicycling #bicycletouringpro #bicycletouring #biketravel #adventurecycling #biketour #touring #outdoors #ridewithpurpose #adventure #ride #neverstopexploring #tourdivi[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimbosussexmtb/ ]Jim Barrow[/url], on Flickr
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[url= https://flic.kr/p/LuPnPt ]Just watched @inspiredtoride again, now I've got a bad case of #tourdivide longing again! Despite the fact @tjmax173 and I suffered like never before it was an amazing experience. There were many highs and lows, often on the same day, often on the sam[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimbosussexmtb/ ]Jim Barrow[/url], on Flickr
I rode the tour divide route with my son from Banff to Butte, it was way harder than either of us could have possibly imagined, but I got to spend a month camping and riding with Tom and we went and rode the slickrock after as well. Raised over £2K for cancer research in Jenn's memory too.
Has to be our 3-week 1000-mile epic from St.Malo to Nice in August. Half of my yearly mileage in three weeks, and nothing to do but ride, eat and sleep.
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Mr gozarch wrote a blog, too: https://gozarchstmalo.wordpress.com
Today's;
Need to upload a few pics...
Appreciate my story is dull compared to many on here! And I can't post pictures as I'm inept.
Illness, work and another baby meant less miles than I hoped for but still an improvement on the previous year.
Did my first century exploring close to home (prev best was 80 miles).
Went to BPW which was a great experience in terms of change to the normal riding I do.
I love every ride I do though to be fair.
Cycling around the Dordogne with my cousin on a family vacation this year whilst my wife and kids lounged around the pool. Lots of lycra, avert your eyes from my package above the Defy!
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An hour grabbed during a family beach holiday, in Norfolk. Living about as far from the sea as it's possible to get in the UK, it was a totally new experience & one which I can't wait to repeat.
Been a few good days at Bike Park Wales this year, but that hour spent rolling along the empty beach was just priceless.
[url= https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8040/28966286586_289f55c947_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8040/28966286586_289f55c947_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/L8DMQf ]Cromer[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/takisawa2/ ]pten2106[/url], on Flickr
Had a weekend in the Lakes with the local guys and had an awesome day up Helvellyn.
[url= https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7363/27655390790_5c82d25e2d_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7363/27655390790_5c82d25e2d_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/J8P7bA ]Bob Off Raise[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/91843706@N08/ ]Sam Dexter[/url], on Flickr
Fremington edge loop from Reeth for my birthday bike ride. Hadn't been on many away days, and the sun even shone a bit.
Cracking day out
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No pictures but a couple of days riding in the summer near where I grew up, QECP and some of the sandy areas east of Petersfield. Nostalgia overload 🙂
There were some great ones in 2016. BOTB was great fun - I only enter one or two things a year). Showing friends the trails and the countryside round our newish house discovering some new ones.
But ride of the year has to be my first one back after shoulder surgery. I spangled it on 4th June and missed the summer. Luckily the autumn riding was brilliant!
4th October, 20 local miles on the cross type bike. Loved every second of it, grinning just for the sheer joy of turning the pedals, feeling the legs working, picking a line, lofting the front over a root or a rut. smashing downhill, smashing uphill, getting tired. 😀
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The descent from Gaddings Dam to the Shepherds Rest Inn near Mankingholes as I wasnt expecting it
Great thread.
~65km ramble through the Teign Valley / Eastern Dartmoor / Wray Valley in mid-November 2016. This was about the most prefect day for riding a bike in the countryside as it would ever be possible to wish for.
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ned - bridleway from Pierrepont farm to Bourne Woods ?
Mt Cartier, Revelstoke - first ever trip to BC, first ever helibiking...
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An August week in Morzine with my son and 4 friends was a fantastic experience. Add this to your bucket-list peeps. All topped off with a STW group ride 1000 miles from home. Stoner, our guide, has already posted a pic of Weeksy and Ambrose. Excellent singletrack was found mixed up with very fast switchback descents, coffee, cold beer and excellent grub. A big thanks to you again Stoner for helping to make my week.
Some more pics...
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Not at all tymbian. A grand day out it was.
I had lots of great rides, there have been some really good ones on here.
For me it has to be my longest. It was a damp June weekend and a plan forged back in winter came together as none of us wanted to be the first to back out.
We got the train to Edinburgh, stayed overnight and just before sunrise headed south. 32 hours later we had ridden 440miles in 32 hours without sleep and arrived at Kingscross to get the train home!
It was not my most enjoyable ride, but it certainly was the one I'm most proud of and I'll not forget it anytime soon.
https://www.strava.com/activities/607043907
beautiful pic, OCB!
allthepies - Yup, I think so - from Frensham Brewery? Is that at Pierrepont Farm?
