So where you all been?
Up in the NE for a weekend to see the football on Sunday afternoon so managed to get the gravel bike out up here

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End of the road…

A post shared by Michael Smith (@smithmichaelw) on Dec 8, 2018 at 7:28am PST

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Exploring again

A post shared by Michael Smith (@smithmichaelw) on Dec 8, 2018 at 5:31am PST

https://www.strava.com/activities/2006550755

Tough head wind out there today!! Bloody freezing but good to get out there

Rode a couple of bridleways between WaldenDale and Coverdale that I’d not done before. Pretty decent moorland tracks, the first had a nice techy finish and the second was just a big (300 metres) drop. Despite the south Dales being rained on for most of the day I seemed to be in a rain shadow and had just a few spots. It was bloomin’ windy though.

A very puddley Cannock on Friday morning.

Just bimbling around Bennachie

A waterlogged West Lancs road ride yesterday,should be out again today.glad of the mudguards!

Was planning on getting out, but high winds and heavy rain here in mid-Wales means a weekend of finishing all those little day jobs 😭

I’m still waiting to get the all clear on my foot operation. Thought I would have been out this weekend but an infection in it has put me back a bit. If I get the ok in the week should be out next weekend.

Local trails above Ross on Wye for a Friday PM skive ride, and a tour of the FoD on Saturday. It’s muddy, but it’s fun slide-y muddy not joy-sucking rim deep mud. That’s what Jan to March is for 😉

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2c3EwFz]Slippy FoD Fun[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ckn6cQ]Slippy FoD Fun[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2c3DSvr]Slippy FoD Fun[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ckmxem]Slippy FoD Fun[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2ckmSQf]Slippy FoD Fun[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

I enjoyed it so much, I wrote a thing: http://pickled-hedgehog.com/?p=4248

How are we posting Instagram pics, please?

great pics from Alex edit and others cheers

boring but out on mostly tarmac and some gravel after a couple of weeks of no no must not ride – trapped nerves/locked spine type thing – great to be on road to recovery and get out 🙂

and something to think about at the coffee stop

Dales was looking pretty this morning.

Pretty wet, too…

Can’t do pics on here, but yesterday took my FLAB group for a lovely 20 mile trip to a fantastic local café on top of the kind of hill most of them don’t ride too often – rode to and from to give myself a workout and just made it home before the heavens opened.

Helped sweep on the club short social ride this morning – one guy ripped his rear mech off within a mile, though helpfully 200 yards from his house. We were joined by a guy back over here from Holland visiting friends. He had an excellent choice of rebuttal to dickhead drivers, but after a flat run through the Trent floodplain he started to suffer on the first hill. When I say hill, I mean “bridge over a motorway”. Fair play, he kept it going for another 10 miles before peeling off with his mate to find their own way back.

And we had 3 generations of the same family out on the ride as well, from 11 to 60 years old. Spot on!

Nice steady 70 miles over the two days, 4000 feet of climbing with a couple of sneaky efforts on hills as I’ve done bugger all training for the Boxing Day hill climb!

@Martinhutch – is that Sulber Nick?

Did a quick loop round Sedbergh and Dent on the fat bikes. It were a bit damp!

Managed to clean this climb for the first time 👍

Down in Dentdale things were a tad wet …

Big climb out of the dale back to Sedbergh

Followed by a long and occasionally descent back to town.

Nothing from me. Aftermath of a virus and dodgy ankle flare up means I’ve been a sofa jockey all weekend…

is that Sulber Nick?

Thieves Moss, but that’s close enough. 🙂 Just a standard train out, ride back for me today. I take it yours is the Frostrow BWs. Was considering one of them for an overnight bivvy on a longer ride (next year..) Your pics make them look promising for that.

I found my ride lasted twice as long as the gap in the rain.

Yes, the BW from Millthrop then the one back to Frostrow. There’s a pair of small sheep pens about 2/3rds the way up the climb, at the end of the walled lane, that I thought would make a sheltered spot for a bivy. A bit damp thereafter.

Started a big Black Mountains loop from Crickhowell but it was so cold and windy by the time I got to the top of Waun Fach I just turned around and headed back down. Glorious downhill from there though!

Van camp in the ODG followed by Styhead and Stakes Pass on my fat front T130 it was awesome most of the time I felt invincible on it, I never learn 🙂
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PGDoDz]47573534_10157035920861474_8577240975070461952_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PGDokD]48364717_10161141701825331_8548770122196582400_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PGDooe]48168581_10161141701920331_2594826563715334144_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PGDoNn]48374184_10157035922276474_5363164016573153280_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
I lived to drink another pint 🙂
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PGDovD]48339970_10161141702065331_7134259060286685184_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

Today – frosty 5k run at dawn, meandered around Sherrifmuir with mrs_oab then a tired lap of Comrie with eldest_oab to try the new sloppy Joe’s out…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrLYzKMF7uS/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=vz82tb9lk0zp

Friday night was a local 27miles battling strong winds – at one point my Garmin was showing just 8mph while pedalling out of the saddle on flat ground (singlespeed and headwinds don’t mix well)

Today was 40miles of muddy trails in North Notts and brief foray over the border into Derbyshire, again singlespeed. My knees are feeling it a bit now…

Did a great loop in the Forest of Dean today. After 24 hours of non-stop rain which continued on the drive there, prospects didn’t look good. However, the sun shone for the whole ride and the trails were all well drained and (reasonably) grippy. Did some pretty steep and gnarr routes but had an all round great day out with a fantastic cafe stop at the end down in Parkend. A short video of one of our group nailing a drop. It was considerably more intimidating to look at when there than it is in the video!

First ride for a while to find most of my local patch has been churned up beyond recognition by green lane motorbikes. Pretty gutted. Seriously churned up and now deep ruts, meaning line choices are pretty much zero: in their ruts or above on a massive slope.

Xmas ride

Struggled through some racing; but it was a good to ride this weekend.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2aGo8FG]2018-12-09_09-58-29[/url]