WRPT. The Everything Is Frozen But It's Still Muddy Edition.

Decided I’d done enough for the week, so early finish and a ride in the daylight.

Went for an explore after work. It was tough going but will.be nice when the ground firms up. I got a bit lost and had to go through a farm  running the gauntlet of  dogs in pens barking at me and the unearthly shrieks of pigs in a barn - it all felt a bit like a horror film. 

Squeezed for time after work today, but a short lap of the woods and a few spins round the pump track cleared my head enough. Any ride is better than no ride...

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Injured, not riding, taking the opportunity to check out some sections on foot to include in bigger gravel routes.

This was the perfect mud, slippy, slidey but with a firm base, perfect CX mud! 😎

... although 8 continuous kilometres of it could get wearying... 😬

Next week's expedition to trace some sheep tracks between the end of a good gravel track and some excellent singletrack, rather than the boggy trudge that is currently the route...

Too many people on the trails but managed to find some quiet place.

Lovely morning for a blast round Cannings/Blacka on the HT

Not ridden outside since the beginning of December. Just a wee 20 mile round trip to Glasgow Uni.

Far enough north that it’s frozen and not muddy. Just a spin round my usual local loop while the rest of the family were still in there PJs.

Started at -12c but windstill at Schluchsee then warmed up to -4 at the top. Again, perfectly still.

Sore today after a big high speed tumble. Didn't stop us getting 1000m of climbing in.
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More exploration on foot. This trail *might* connect with a fairly rowdy looking farm track descent from further up. The connector looks like an amazing section of bench singletrack on a steep bluebell slope but I couldn't follow it all the way up.

Problem is, whilst I don't like to sound like a self-hating cyclist, I don't think this trail has ever seen tyre tracks, I think any regular use might spoil it...

Oooh, now I've got to work out where that is... 😉

Haha, I'll save the inaugural ride for a select few on a late summer's evening 😎

Testing out some pogies yesterday afternoon. Look daft, work great.

Sore today after a big high speed tumble. Didn’t stop us getting 1000m of climbing in.

you don't get to brag about climbing 1000m when you ride an ebike lol

Blast out on the ebike, mix of riding and messing about in the woods. Ace

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Didn’t get a bike pic today so here’s a pic of a very happy doggo instead.

A snowy ride at Drumtochty. Everything was nice and grippy except the odd root hidden under the snow. Rebound needed tweaking as it was running a little slow in the cold.

Out with @crust today, stunningly sunny day, bit chilly to start but not terrible, trails running lovely.

Greggs for sausage rolls and hot chocolate

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Tired legs yesterday after four rides during the week so went for a walk instead.
A ride would have been less tiring on my legs.🤔

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Today was a round of Golfie with Mrsstu and @Mark88 + his mate.
Managed to bully them into 1000 meters of climbing*.😉
Frozen, sunny turning to mud.

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*They know the rules. It doesn't count as a ride unless there's more than 1000 meters.

Gorgeous day to be out. Mostly an XC ride with some wood-sy bits thrown in too

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another road ride today. Inlaws for a coffee and a cake with a close pass for good measure.

Messed around on the local off piste stuff with the good lady yesterday. Riding well considering the time of year.

Did most of the Eastern Moors loop. Was generally ok, although cycling uphill across a muddy field to get there was more sideways action then going forward, really need to fit that new rear tyre.

Set off later than planned as I had to walk the hound, so started off sunny but was grey/overcast by the time I got up to the hills.

Curbar was crazy busy so bit slow along there.

Chatsworth is down there somewhere.

Nothing frozen on the south coast today, mud though...

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Mud free 21 miles with 2,800ft of elevation on the south coast.

yesterday: proper facepalm moment, what an idiot!

today, tried to keep up with two mtbers on this

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North York Moors - Rudland Rigg

@poah.
People who don't ride outdoors for the whole of December have no place criticising others lol.
This is supposed to be a thread showing pictures of how different folks enjoy riding different bikes.
If you're just going to bitch and snipe please **** off and do it somewhere else.
Thanks.

Well I've been doing lots of riding around and around and up and down and up and down in woods recently.

So I fancied a bit of a train-assisted leg stretcher.

Set off from home, went to the train station. Thought about going in Greggs but didn't. Got on the train.
Turned up in Bingley

Up the 5 rise

Up the moor and over to the wharfe side

Did some cheeky bits. Lunch stop (one of the top 10 lunch stops in the UK apparently!?)

Along some more cheeky bits to Menston then through Otley Chevin (the hard way)

Trails all running great considering time of year. Some areas a bit boggy still where the water doesn't run off.

Back on local ground. Feeling a bit tired at this point...

About 60Km all told 1400m climbing/descending

Feel done in now - Decent!

@ singlespeedstu

the reason I didn’t ride in December was because I was suffering from severe depression and was contemplating how I could end it all. 

I'm sorry to hear that but it hasn't changed my view.

No real idea what that's all about, but can we get back to riding and pics?

Not frozen here and VERY muddy in places but managed to avoid most of it this morning. Stuck to the old surfaced trails and some select bits of off-piste I knew would be OK.

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@singlespeedstu you clearly can't take a joke.

I tried to leave the house before 7am to make the most of a free start to the day but got ambushed by the 7 year old demanding breakfast, TV and a cwtch; managed to get out at 0730 instead and clocked up a chilly but not-too-damp 40km along the Severn estuary towards Berkeley on the gravel bike.

(And before anyone says anything, I’m aware the front crud catcher is upside down; I find it’s better at catching front wheel spray like that).

Head north out the door for a change, some urban gravel following a bit of tinkering on Komoot.

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First (non commuting) ride of the year, thanks to a couple of pretty savage colds over Xmas and NY.

Racing the Hamsterley TT in March, so getting some early practice in.

Need to try harder on the commutes if I’m going to have any semblance of fitness…

I still like that red Ra.

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Did the STW Classic ride in the Clwydian range (121 if you're interested). It was a series of brutal climbs with a couple of grassy descents, total mud-fest for good portions, ohh, and it was hovering around zero with occasional rain - my feet have only just un-frozen I reckon it's probably a really nice late spring/summer ride, in the bleak mid-winter; less so. Moody shots when I could be arsed to stop and get the phone out to take some pictures.

Saturday: local trails on the gravel bike enroute to watch the National CX Champs (literally on my doorstep so I took a very roundabout route to get there).

Sunday: more Glentress fun with the mini-a11ys.

Thornielee on Saturday, haven't been for a couple of years - great to go back and will be back sooner. Does a lot for my hardtail live these days, great fun.

Ran round the Pentlands yesterday. Also quite magical in the evening sun.

We popped to Drumlanrig for a my NBD shakedown ride