Weekend photograph taking. Bikes too if you want.

Wedding anniversary weekend for me so Mrs Hoppy and I went to the peaks with Hoppy Jr. Saturday was lovely and sunny so we went down a cave.

Sunday was windy and raining so we rode across the moors from Hathersage to Lady Cannings and back.

Fortunately we did get an evening ride in on Saturday so didn’t miss the entirety of the good weather.

Some boss pics this week.

Hearts for eyes emoji.

Managed to get out on Saturday to Wharns with the boy. Only did the Noddy stuff as I’m a mincer, but managed not to die, which was nice.

Sunday morning a spin round Curbar, got caught by the rain at the end.

My last ride with the Austin Ridge Riders here in Texas before going back to the UK. The Sunday meet with perhaps 50 riders or more turning up, splitting off into smaller groups of similar ability. Great bunch of people, I will miss riding with them. It was a tad warm at 34c though.

No biking for me, but a half hearted attempt at getting dunk in a storm off the coast of Croatia

@macgyver – looks good! I need to pick your brains – I am in Austin in November for work, and was looking at bike hire and MTB loops local to downtown (if that is even possible) – can you give me some pointers when you have a chance? Had been thinking of posting an Austin Q similar to  the one for NY this weekend gone, but as you’re a local……

Cheers
Simon

Susepic,

I’d be happy to pass on some local knowledge.  Bear with me I’ll put something in writing, I’m in the midst of packing and shipping. There is a big riding scene here from road to mountain biking, something for everyone.

Magyver

No, I was in the drivers seat – it appears my instincts worked OK and diving for the passenger footwell was the right call. Driving home from work and the tractor just nosed out of the hedgerow to join the road. It doesn’t really bear thinking about as my driver’s headrest is bent back

Time to buy a lottery ticket and hug those close to you. Scary stuff. And dine off that story and picture for years to come!

Sorry for the happy thread detail.

As promised some information about Austin.

Austin biking is extensive and varied.  I’ve ridden road and mountain bikes here with two road groups and a mountain bike club.  As for MTB There’s lots of stuff within city limits from known trails to unsanctioned stuff. Getting around by bike is pretty easy as there are lots of cycle lanes and within the city drivers seem to accept bikes on the road.

Within close range of the city centre, I suppose the best bits probably are Walnut creek (site of the ridge riders Sunday ride) and SATN (South Austin Trail Network). If you go to Walnut Creek,  warm up on Point 6, then work your way to inner log loop, outer log loop. Lots of stuff in-between. Finish up on Windy and BMX.

There’s some cool stuff in SATN including “Boneyard” and “stroller roller” jammed between the east and westbound carriageways of I45.  Some stuff closer to the city centre like Barton Creek, but I never managed to get a good loop out of that.  To the north there is Brushy Creek including “Bob Ross” and 1/4 notch and Suburban Ninja. Probably a bit far to ride if you don’t have transport.  Peddlars Bike shop has a branch nearby and a weekly ride.

If you have wheels, there are several state parks worth a look, about 1 to 2 hours drive away.  There’s even an uplift on a ex ski resort chair at Spider Mountain ( ex ski resort as in its come from a ski resort, there ain’t much skiing around Austin ?)

Some looney steep tech stuff at Cat Mountain within city limits but I think you need be membership to ride there ( I never did go despite it being less than a mile from where I was living)

Not far from the city is Emma Long City Park which you can ride but is more MX based so not my preferred location. The ride out there is good and lunch at Ski Shores is great place to stop.

Less trail based there is a great pump track on the edge of the old Mueller Airport site that is being redeveloped and closer to down town, off Shoal Creek is a bike skate park and a dirt jump site.

For resource I’d check out:

Austin Ridge Riders mountain bike club for rides and trail conditions.

Trailforks website for trail location and tech ratings.

Mellow Johnnys (bike shop rides for road and gravel)

Violet Crown Cycling club (road and gravel)

The Bagel Ride (a road ride – I had my legs torn off !!)

Bike Austin (more leisurely road rides, some in and around the city)

On rental bikes, I’m not that knowledgeable, once I realised I was going to be here for a bit I splashed out on a Rocky Mountain Instinct.

Just remember they don’t ride in the wet.  Two reasons for that, one is that the topsoil layer is fairly thin and you trash the trails quite quickly.  The other is that it’s not long till it’s dry and sunny again so there really is no need to ride when it’s moist.  I’ve brought my bike back to the UK, after 3 years of dust it’s in for a shock when it gets muddy!!

Hope that offers some insight and inspiration.  I was there through rather difficult times and the riding and the people I met helped me through it.

Macgyver

Along the river Nar this afternoon.

Timble woods in North Yorkshire

Friday evening in the Test Valley. Saw some mud and some amazing sunset colours. Need to attend to the gears a bit – some skipping at the end of the ride.

Practice day Bolly Skyline enduro, great day on the trails though its now pissing it down so tomorrow will be fun!

Fantastic day riding at Glenlivet – with the bonus of watching this beautiful Red Kite eyeing up the Invercauld pheasants on our way home

Thanks @macgyver – that is great info. I’ll have a deep dive and work out the bike hire situ. Won’t have transport so restricted to the Austin immediate area, but sounds like there is plenty to do.

Hope the return to the UK goes smoothly and the mud isn’t too much of a shock.

SouthDowns were great yesterday, tho the chalk was a bit slipslidy after the morning showers – I’m sure we’re due claggy mud here before too long.

Park lap with 40km each way there and back. Missed all the rain too!

A lazy morning watching the SMX finals, MotoGP and WSBK, followed by a quick lap of a local trail.

Friend took this of us up at Dyfi.

Proud of this one today, he’s not a natural brave or wild one so he works hard at this stuff. 11k round Sutton Bank including some laps of the pump track. Absolutely stacked it flying OTB at high speed too, but a little cry and hug and we carried on. I have to remember to put these things into context, and those ‘lumps’ on the pump track for his little wheels are more like me riding up a 10 foot ramp!

This thing is making all the difference, brilliant purchase and opens up so much more riding for us – Zefal bike tow rope, reccomended. Only took about 5 minutes to get it dialled in, quick connect and quick disconnects.

Gravelling with the little brother.

Absolutely stacked it flying OTB at high speed too, but a little cry and hug and we carried on

Poor you. And how was the little boy? ;-)

Might start another post just to share routes, but mucho exploring in the Cairngorms at the weekend, I could well imagine those might be the best conditions I’ll ever ride in Scotland!

Burma Road followed by a section alongside the Findhorn and back via Dava Moor

And just a couple from the longer loop the next day picking off some old military roads between Kingussie and Newtonmore, back to Tromie Bridge then over to Glen Feshie

Motorbike for me on Saturday. Out to the Yorkshire Dales, Settle, Hawes, Sedbergh and home. Got home just before the thunderstorms arrived.

The MT in the Dales by Colin[/url], on Flickr

Spectating at the NDH TT at Eastgate Weardale at the weekend