Fourth ride in a row for me today.
Local loop.
Bit warm for my liking but great not having to clean the bike.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nwDLgr]2022-07-07_01-14-28[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nwMrwE]2022-07-07_01-15-08[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

5th in a row for me last night and a lap of Portland, day off tonight with Parents Evening.

First day of riding in Samoens. Just over 3500m of descent. Did a big ride up above the lifts this morning followed by some of the regular stuff this afternoon. Finished off with a dip in the lake followed by a beer.

A few days into my Scotland trip, rode more local trails which resulted in a massive pedal strike, bent threads in the crank arm, and my face having an argument with the ground…

Day off on Monday, took a drive up to Aviemore, and ordered a new crank! 😩

Yesterday I hiked Ben Vrackie.

Today was 50km and 1200m of Perthshire gravel, sideways rain at the start then sunny at the end.

Nice commute on Tuesday. Took a singletrack I’ve not ridden for ages and reminded me how good the views of the Glasshouse Mountains are.

Shame it pissed down all the way home.

Was warm out there this morning.
Though it did rain on me twice for a couple of minutes which was rather nice.
Oldschool XC loop up onto the SUW then down the old drove road into Yarrowford, through Bowhill and along the river home.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nz6iru]SUW[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nz8MMx]Next climb in the distance.[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nz1aKU]Turn off for Drovers Road[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nz6k3a]On the edge.[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

A nice refreshing force 4-5 and 25 degrees over the Purbecks tonight.

@singlespeedstu another trip up the hill, done a light prune at the exit to the fire-road

Wish I could keep the Geometron train going, not yet…

Evening ride up Schiehallion for me today, what an utterly brilliant descent! Granted, I be walked a few bits, being up there with only one other person on the mountain and having lost my mojo a bit the last 2 weeks on the typical steep Scottish trails, but otherwise I rode most of it, and for mere mortals (or soft southerners who don’t get this sort of riding locally), it’s 100% ridable (from the first cairn). This evening’s ride is exactly what I needed, bloody brilliant!

I’ll be back to conquer it all at some point, shouldn’t take too much to ride it all.

Finishing off the trip with a day at Comrie Croft tomorrow which should be great fun.

Last day of school today, so early finish and chance to actually get out on the club midweek ride for once.

But… Stupidly rose to a WhatsApp 26er challenge this week and just grabbed my old, seldom used BFe and threw some air in the tyres. Shame I didn’t check the sealant… Ride cut short.

Limped home (3km on the rim ‘cos I was too stubborn and stupid to walk) and grabbed another bike to at least get out for a short solo spin to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

Inadvertently took (what I think is) a storming landscape in the process.

@aide.
Good job.
Give us a shout next time you’re heading out local and I’ll head on over.

Golfie rip today with Mrsstu.
Managed to coax her into giving Nae Spleens a go again after being pretty scared of it after her last attempt.
Then her first time down Hangover and she loved it.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nzpJUD]Wolf switchbacks[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nzwgHH]Wolf switchbacks 2[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nzuSr1]Nae Spleens.[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

Last day of my Scottish 2 weeks, a full, dry, dusty day at Comrie Croft – brilliant stuff.

Had planned to get up to The Peak for a scoot round Ladybower and down Cavedale today but couldn’t drag my arse out of bed soon enough, so had to settle for a shorter trip up to The Pines for a pedalfest.

Unseasonal epic wetness has returned, so back to running my favourite tracks…

Tracks turned torrents. Rivers flooding where we normally ride.
Looks like the videos don’t load…

Out testing a ticket to the moon pro hammock for ukgravelco.com

As no one else has posted anything yet this week I’d best stick these up.
Ride over Gypsy Glen with Mrsstu this morning.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nAyeEA]Gypsy Glen[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nAvJJg]Moody sky[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

Mmm. Not sure whether Monday counts as ‘midweek’, but a quick local loop on the SS BigWig from last night. Have just put some Forekasters on for something a bit faster rolling; seemed to work as got an unexpected KOM! 👑😁

Replenishing the dust I washed off at the weekend.

First off, this is one of my favourite ever riding selfies.

But… It comes from a ride where I think I’ve broken my toe. With ‘Ard Rock at the weekend I planned a nice easy Wednesday club ride – no risk taking, just get out and spin the pedals for a bit. Left the group to ride home solo and rode past the start of an old segment that isn’t ridden much. Knowing it would be riding hard and quick, I thought ‘what the hell?’ and decided to have a blast. Half way down, leant into a fast right hander and flat out crushed my toes between the pedal and a hidden stump. A few hours later and I’m icing my suspected broken toe…

Toes are meant to be purple and swollen, and have stuff ‘clicking’ inside them when you flex them right?

Hopefully it wont get worse and I can splint it in the morning and carry with preparations for the weekends riding…

Posted in the rail strike thread

But yesterday did a 145km round trip from my parents into London

National Cycle network from Luton via harpenden, st Alban’s, was actually quite pleasant

Return I cycled Whitechapel to Watford via the A5 , then along the canal to berkhampstead up over to Ashridge, then down from Ivinghoe beacon, & over Dunstable downs

Went on the hardtail with tyres pumped up to ridiculously hard – had to stop on the canal towpath and let air out as I was getting rattled all over the place & aching feet

It’s very brown out there at the moment!
But did get some delicious giant BlackBerries at points

Time off work corresponding with school hols means a ride with Jnr in Epping forest today:

Followed by a pub dinner (no, the Peroni isn’t his):

…and off to Swinley tomorrow.

This was his first time clipped in, and he did extremely well falling in a bush only once in 2 hours of singletrack

Dunkeld Thursday for us.

https://flic.kr/p/2nAXm5x

Just squeezing one last one in before the weekend… Jnr on Swinley’s North shore 😀

My hardtail is in for a bit of TLC so took the big bike out for an XC loop in the evening heat. Good to get out, but it was a bit of a slog!

A couple from Saalbach yesterday.

Broke my Trek Rail so I dig the old Capra out of retirement.

Decent Drop that @colp!!

On a roll at the moment.
Seven rides in seven days.

So dry and hot in the woods today it smelt like riding in Spain.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2nDqmJf]Smells like Spain.[/url] by StuartBrettle, on Flickr

FoD is bonkers dusty. Just managed to finish a great ride without needing the lights. We did need a cold beer tho!

@colp – impressively large 🙂

Morph 27.5 up Dollar Glen. Loving the Argotal Endurance in the dry loose stuff.

Holy dustbowl batman!

Ride into Corrour for lunch. Low morning cloud burnt off leaving a dry, sunny day

Too hot for backpacks and kneepads. Digger is brilliant for exploring/getting lost/riding cheeky footpaths/etc. Turned GPS off and just rode until I was tired. Had a lovely sit by the river as well 🙂

It was blooming hot tho. Ice in water bottles didn’t last long!

A very dusty Puddletown last night, then a very hot and brown 100Km on the Geometron today.

Humid one last night, Local spin out/play in the woods/beer garden pintage.

Night ride yesterday was hot

Very dusty and crunchy under the wheel

Nearly got taken out by a badger and someone was having a mini rave in the car park when I finished about 11

Hardtail from home. Nice air temps and ground conditions tonight, the rain seems to have super charged the nettles and gorse though.

We did a route from Lost Lanes Wales around Bishop’s Castle on Tuesday. It was short steep but beautiful in many places and the drizzle was very welcome after the hot weekend

The Kerry Ridgeway bit was great on the gravel/hybrid bikes.

The Lost Lanes books are great.

Route:

No.25 Blue Remembered Hills

Thought we’d best ride some of the ‘they don’t go for me after the rain’ trails in the Yat last night. Brilliant ride, perfect conditions and not a bad place to have a pint afterwards 🙂