Riding is bikes is too good to miss…

Monday Morning Debrief 47

How was yours? Let’s see it….

Did the Wombat 24 hour here in Victoria, Australia. First ever 24 hour race, first time in a team of two. Good track but hard yards during the cold dark night, especially getting out in damp gear. We won the pairs though. Already planning our next one.

Aboyne for the weekend. It’s the Moab of the North, you know!

Two outstanding rides in terrific weather on dry trails. The variety of what is on offer up there is amazing. Saturday was a great ride up Glen Tannar then popping over to Ballater on a mix of rocky descent and flowy riverside trails before nipping into the amazingly well stocked and friendly Cycle Highlands before returning on the Deeside Way while taking in the singletrack above Loch Kinord. Sunday was a Fungle and Firmouth loop – an old sckool classic that is worthy of the name. A blindingly good weekend. 😀

No biking 🙁
Parents visiting on Saturday, so planned to go riding on Sunday. Except repeated picking up of not-so-small children caused my back to go ping again, so I spent the day lying on the floor.

Did a nice five hour loop from home going over Bennachie then over Pitfichie and back home. Started in bright sun and came back as the moon was rising (last picture). Great fun.

Thanks for the reminder about Aboyne Sanny. I’ve been up here for 15 years, walked in that area a few times and even bought a nice set of maps of mountain bike trails over there, but I’ve never ridden my bike in that area. Must put that right soon.

Anyway, here are a few pics from yesterday’s ride, for those who like such things.

With family in the Dales this weekend, so took the road bike to test ride (some of) next year’s Tour de France.

First ride out on my Rigid 29’er, took it to The Clwyds on a group ride, excellent bit of kit it is too.

All the trees had turned into proper autumnal colours and the weather was just right.

roverpig

If you are that close, you NEED to ride there. I was really impressed by the taster I got of the trails. You can see trails going off in all directions. The weather up in the north east was great at the weekend, wasn’t it? In that small area, you have Loch Muick, Lochnagar, Loch Builg, Beinn a Bhuird and Beinn Avon, the Fungle and Firmounth, Mount Keen, all the stuff around Ballater, Glen Tanar – that’s just for starters. I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since I was last up there.

Loch Kinord is a smashing bit of trail with the Deeside Way making for a terrific return option on our Saturday loop.

Good-but-damp ride on all the classic bits between Coniston and Ambleside. Spotted a couple of other MTB groups if you’re on here?

DP!

Friday took me up Nan Bield then Sunday around my old haunt of Cannock Chase both rides hurt on the singlespeed!

1450275_10152090134751474_891110402_n by Richard Munro, on Flickr

I’ve had a few weeks off so just had a local pootle on local routes near Tandle Hill on Saturday. I headed up to Lee on Sunday, I wasn’t feeling the climbing at all but did the final descent twice which is one of my favourite bits of trail anywhere. I’ll admit I pushed up from the gate the second time though.

A weekend on cx bike for me. Saturday a three hour jaunt around the local lakes and Sunday a cx race. Need to make a mental note to go for a pee well before the start so I don’t get caught with my trousers down, so to speak, when the start gun goes off!

roverpig

If you are that close, you NEED to ride there

Thanks Sanny. You are dead right of course. About the weather, which was indeed fantastic and about those routes. I even got these lovely maps

royal-deeside-mountain-biking.htm

and often pick them up and marvel at the sheer number of routes.

My problem is that Bennachie is only a 20 minute drive (or 40 minute cycle) away and there must be half a dozen great routes just on the main mountain, plus a few more on Millstone and the option of adding in Pitfichie. With family commitments etc, it just makes it harder to justify a longer trip. But I will get over there sometime soon.

In the Peaks again on Sunday, did the Bradwell Circuit route from the V book as time was short, pic looking at Shatton Edge:

2013-11-17 by SamDexter, on Flickr

Only the shortest of night rides this weekend. But it was on a new bike, so I’m letting myself off. No pics. It was dark.

Slept during the day or vegetated in front of the PS3 and then at night I went to work.

Rock and/or roll.

Just a local 35km loop on Sunday morning, which isn’t actually a loop, but an out and back pootle along the cycle paths of Manchester before a lap around Clayton Vale.

Didn’t expect to ride into the middle of a CX race though. Was the juniors racing when I went through, is it just me or is there something slightly odd about kids in full lycra get-up?!?

A joy to just be out on the bike after a hard working week (and before another one!)

Went over to llanwtyd Wells for the Real Ale Wobble.

Had a blast.

A lovely 25-miles in Nidderdale. The sun even came out at Scar House, which is unprecedented in my experience.

rode from Worksop to Sherwood Pines and met up with a few others, did a lap of the red route, and then made my way back exploring a few new woodland sections, and then did a bit more of Clumber Park on the way back.
Found a few ace woodsy singletrack paths which were good fun on my singlespeed – did 43 miles by the time I had finished

Spent the weekend in the Lakes.
Saturday we rode from a 38km loop from Torver, finishing with Walna Scar – only just made it back before sunset!
Stayed at the yha in Hawkshead on Saturday night.
Set off from there on Sunday morning and did another 38km loop taking in Grizedale Forest and Parkamoor, got absolutely soaked but still had a fantastic day’s riding.
All in all a brilliant weekend of riding, now very tired!

Went to the lakes rode classic trails between Ambleside and coniston then skiddaw and ullock pike. Got a quick whizz around whinlatter on Friday too.

Friday: Grizedale Forest bridleways. Ale. Bad curry. Santa Cruz Bike Night at Kendal Mountain Fest with His Peatiest, and Ed ‘Le Shred’ Oxley in one of the weirdest and most wonderful videos I’ve seen this year. Ale. Bed. Saturday: Kentmere Valley taking in unseasonably dry Garburn, Green 1/4, HP Plantation, and 2 Rivers, with lots of similarly hungover mates. Ale, Snowboarding and steep skiing videos back at the festival. Ale. Belgian Beers. Bed. Sunday: Farleton Knott sessioning some mini free-ridey sections and the two DH descents in the Cumbrian murk, with much 90’s style shred video soundtracks, and even mucher grins y’all. Mates depart, quick tidy up to secure brownie points before my dearest wife gets home. Can’t wait ’til next year!

3 Full Days on my CX hacking around Hampshire.
Sore butt and aching shoulders…
……makes me feel like I’ve been riding with Hora 😆

Pics to prove most awesome weekend mentioned in previous post, seen above. Including *tongue firmly in cheek* Sir Peaty, Epic Craig, Rad Adam, and Gnarly Me!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30843343@N03/10931789874/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30843343@N03/10931731016/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30843343@N03/10931934125/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30843343@N03/10932210743/in/photostream/

Rad.

bad one, twisted my forks and its all a bit lose around the headset… and it’s an integrated one so I suspect the frame is **** too.

Only bike riding this weekend for me was two quick demo loops on Saturday Morning at Roman Laks for the North West MTB Centre demo day.

Rode a five back to back with the 29 version. Think I’m sold on the Five now at least so just need to get around to ordering it so I can get back on the trails in earnest!

Towpath from Brighouse to Tod. Pennine Bridelway to Gorple and then back into Hebden. Jumped off the road before Blue Pig on what may have been some cheeky trails (dumped me out at the back of the allotments by a barbed wire fence, had to carry the bike the last 10m or so).

Quick coffee in HB, thanks to what I believe were some of the Singletrack clan for watching my bike as I ordered.

And then home.

Just under 50 miles for the day. Have been on the road bike for over a month. Quite good to get away and come back, you realise just how great MTBs are!

Disappointed at missing Wednesday night’s ride and then while at work Richard’s Nan Bield ride popped its cheery face up at me going nah nah na na nah I actually managed to get out in daylight…

Early start Sunday for solo mission to do Kentmere Sadgill Gatesgarth and Nan Bield saw me in Wilfs for breakfast at 10:40am…

Following the theme of the bit you don’t expect to bite you biting you I put some maximum effort in to tackling a tricky rocky step up but in doing so put my front wheel of the side of the track and ate dirt before even arriving at the challenge…

And on a more positive note my post robbery no bikey problems are behind me fully with the cheap replacement Pitch now equipped with Lyrik dual positions

Tom might pop some more pics on today just about to go out 🙂

Me too Rich :o)

Quick coffee in HB, thanks to what I believe were some of the Singletrack clan for watching my bike as I ordered.

yeah, that was us, glad we could help out

Saturday = exploring Kinnoull Hill in Perth (ace woody singletrack and bike park) with eldest OAB – camera battery ran out, so no pics. 🙁

Sunday = eldest oab and mate on a nice 20+km wander in the mud around Dunblane. Great fun, especially watching eldest_oab having the bottle to head for a narrow gap in the tree’s on a steep slippery bank:

Dunblane mountain bike ride by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

1st post for me.
Saturday 23 mile ride here in flat Essex,jealous of you lot up North.

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