Retraced my janky group ride from Monday ony own now I know what's lurking off piste.
Met a lovely tree.
Still plenty of water around down here in Wurzel Central, I was stood in the road for the 2nd picture, a road that I've never known flood before. The irony was we binned off a trip to the Quantocks because of all the recent rain and decided a nice pootle across the moors to Jim's Cider Shack would make more sense.
The weather was glorious up in Aberdeenshire, so I went for a gentle spin in the hills above Aboyne.
A snow covered Lochnagar in the distance.
Off to the FoD in a bit. Based on the Thursday night ride, I feel this picture best represents the probable conditions 🙂 Shall report back later...
Mucky spray but trails still running fine for a quick Friday blast
Couldn't face another mockit ride so headed out for 45KM of back lanes and tracks with Mrsstu.
Was almost spring like at one point.
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Spot the odd one out.
I really don't like cleaning the HT over winter. Largely pointless and requires extensive use of the compressor and various cleaning products. But after today's ride, really couldn't leave it!
Fab ride tho. Rather than a slog, we parked up at Parkend in the FoD and rode the trails both sides of the valley. Brilliant fun, enough mud for some slidey...oooh that's gone.. no I've got it back moments, but not so much that the drivetrain begin to emit cries for help.
Boar Sausage role in the cafe to finish. Excellent winters day ride. Only 20km/750m of climbing but it was all about the smiles not the miles today 🙂
A glorious day in Shropshire 🙂 had a lovely morning playing on the trails with my daughter and doing some daddy daughter bonding, then she went to gymnastics and I went out again with a friend to hit jumps, drops and steep stuff. The top levels of loam have dried out creating some interestingly skiddy conditions in places. And despite a full day of riding, no bike cleaning needed!
Local cycle from Dunblane to Callander on the back roads here. A damp, grey 3*c ride.... And we had forgotten to charge mrs_oabs bike which led to 'a wee incident' involving me sprinting a few miles home and returning with a bike rack on the back of a car...ahem.
Mrs_oab blagging a pie from the local fishing club on opening day for the season....
I've not ridden a bike for about 2 weeks. Seems like a very long time.
Last week was taken up preparing for, then going winter camping. This week, work has been utterly mental.
Broke most of the back of it though now.
So, it was great to get out this morning up at some local loamy, sometimes very steep woods not far away
Sophie was in hospital overnight on Thursday with a virus induced wheeze so she wasn't allowed out on the bike.
nagged samuel and we had a wee 19 mile ride. My toes were frozen at the end even with two pairs of socks. route was quite hilly so he was pushed to his lazy ass limits. Tried some SIS beta fuel drink. Wasn't bad tbh
Out in the Peak for my birthday weekend. Can't believe that due to the weather it's my first ride of 2025.
Trails are wet but ridable, did most of the regular stuff. Loads out on the trails. Its always good to be on the bike.
Haven't taken any pics on the last couple of slop fest rides as it was the usual scenery, just muddier.
Just getting back into it after tailing off the back end of last year, being ill all of Christmas, putting a couple of stone on etc...
Was great to be out though, ebike for a few weeks to get things moving again, then I'll drag the gravel and HT out for some fitness building, with hopefully improving weather on the near horizon
Beeley, Chatsworth, Bakewell, Stanton sideways Saturday slop. I can't remember seeing everywhere this busy even in the height of summer
Taking advantage of the drier trails round the east side of Wendover woods and avoiding the Chilterns slop. Looks like HS2 are building a darkfest line
Nice and sunny out yesterday on Belfast Lough
Third ride back and some gentle bumpy stuff round the local this time. Didn't fall off and my dodgy hand stayed on the bars over the bumps, so all good. Soon time to try some small drops and jumps again... Got the Belvoir mash up enduro thing at the start of April, so need to get back into the swing of things.
Dartmoor was very spongy on Saturday. This was a newish loop and I really need to do it once it's bit drier. Great singletracks I didn't know existed.
Cold one this morning. Feet only just starting to thaw after a soak in the shower.
I had some lovely interactions with dog walkers, runners and other riders today 99% of people were happily saying good morning etc. Definitely makes a difference!
I also got to play the role of Top Gear Special forfeit car with a couple of guys on their ebikes. They'd leave me for dust, then I'd catch up to them when they stopped for a vape break, before they would drop my single speed puffing self on the next climb.
Omelette for lunch, bosh.
Built up a Kenesis Tripster AT to try and help the fitness, gave it its first ride around Wimbleball Lake.
First daffs of the year spotted on today's bimble.
No riding today but we done a berm
Seems I'm not the only one but I've not been out on the bike at all in 2025, due to poor weather and lack of motivation. Anyway it was a glorious day today so dragged my arse out and did the ride up and along Curbar. Great to get out. Only downside was a guy trying to split and refix his chain. Felt bad that I couldn't help as I literally took no tools or spares with me. If you're on here sorry, hope you got it sorted.
Coffee and sausage roll at Curbar Gap carpark whilst enjoying everyone and their dad trying to park was an amusing mid-ride distraction 🙂
Road ride today. First ride of over 3 hours since September. Felt a bit rubbish at 60km but an extra layer helped so i think i was cold. Lovely day to be out.
2nd day in the Peak for us. Quick blast before our mate had to set off back to the South Coast.
Last time we road together was back in 1990 on rigid Marins and Muddy Foxs
Sun was out and once again loads out on bikes.
Trails running well for this time of year and a bit slippy in places
It's always good to be out on the bike
We drove past you on Friday Tracey just outside Castleton (I recognised the motorhome/number plate from pics on here!)
No pictures from me, but did a 25 mile road loop. First ride in 3 weeks due to manflu and 6 days per week work. It was nice and dry on the roads, which makes a change after a couple of months of them being foul!
Bit muddy in places, and a cold wind, but otherwise lovely out.
Met up with my Daughter and did another of Jack Thurston's "lost lanes" routes around FoD, Symonds Yat and the Wye valley. A fair chunk of gravel and singletrack as well as tarmac back lanes. A really enjoyable ride and the unexpectedly good weather helped.
Chronic illness is a ****er.
My ride app tells me that my last ride was May 2024. I had some crap health last year, plus a couple of times I'd hoped to get out on the ebike, got it charged and ready, only to wake up on the day and realise I'd be lucky to leave my bed, let alone the house.
But the last few weeks looked promising, and this week i was determined. I had a puncture and sometimes even wrestling the tyre bead off and back onto the rim wipes me out, so yesterday i swallowed my pride, went to the local shop and paid someone to replace an inner tube for me. Taking no chances!
Today, MrsD opened the curtains at 10am and it was a beautiful day - i just hoped it would still be nice come 1pm when i would have finally managed to get up and dressed and ready.
And it was!
A 16 mile, heavily assisted, extra-urban pootle, taking in a pub for a Guiness Zero. Not much compared to some of the rides above, but so welcome!
I might have ruined myself for the next week now. But it was still worth it.
@doris5000 great post, glad you got out! A reminder, not that most of us need one, that we should never take going for a ride for granted. Hope you manage to get out on many more before too long.
Before and after shots. I had the misfortune to slip off a trail and fall into some rapids. Swept downstream over a load of rocks at rapid pace. Luckily hit a bit of slavk water before buying the farm. Knackered leg, srm, ribs, ankke, 7mesh waterproof, endura yhermal trousers. All knackered. Felling lucky but sorry for myself.
Bloody hell that was an eventful weekend for a few people!
I finished off by taking Reeksy1 and a mate to our local DH track for their first time. One of hi mates is a regular so he showed them the lines and me and his Dad took it in turns driving the bus. 16 runs later Reeksy1 declared it his favourite track!
I've been out a fair bit this weekend.
Flat-ish 55km SS gravel ride on Friday. Grey, chilly, Mizzly ...
Local trails on the SS HT Saturday morning.
Then just over an hour this morning (SS gravel) in the glorious sun. Chilly again, but a couple of times, there was just the hint of Spring warmth to the sun
@Fat-boy-fat- Is that why roadies shave their legs: in case of rapids-rash?
Oh bother, water bars and wet peat make bad bedfellows : (
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So happy I could ride Saturday and Sunday. Today with Mr B and glorious sun. I love this grade 2 listed fingerpost on Salisbury Plain.
I started the day by taking my forks off the full suss and packing them up for service this week. Then headed out on my Moxie, which made it about 10 metres before losing half it's brake fluid out the rear brake lever. So that just left my old Ragley, currently on summer XC tyres. It was a lovely day to be out on a bike, but the ground was pure slop and poor old Ray and Ralph didn't really thrive.
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First ride out with the new pedals and they ****ted me treat haha. Great ride out though.
Messing about at Risca bike park with the young bucks (I didn't go off it!)
Haha yep. Was a good ride tho despite getting lost multiple times and losing a rider due to a mech collapse.
Singlespeeding his ebike on lockout got him just about limping the 5 miles back along the tarmac 
Blue skies, dry trails, bit of an explore of some older trails - good day!
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Bloody hell @fat-boy-fat, that sounds horrendous.
Weekend almost over before I snuck in a short, sharp ride while the mini-a11ys were playing waterpolo (brutal sport!). Precisely the type of ride I bought the e-bike for - managed a lot more distance/elevation than I'd ordinarily manage in the short bit of time I have.
Contemplating 'stuff' and taking in the view. Then set off furiously on a slippy and muddy descent with a few twitchy arse moments. Brilliant!
Dumyat?
Yep, that is Dumyat. I can see my office from those pics, someone clearly didn't turn the lights off this weekend...tsk.
Dumyat?
Well spotted. Just a half-Yat, photo just before the steep bit at the turn off towards Witches. Few laps of uni woods, then Mine woods, then Kippenrait. Same bike as yours I think, Heckler SL? 22km, 700m elevation, 1hr20min with right mucky, draggy conditions, 49% battery used and not being shy with purple mode.