I had plans to meet up with a fellow youtuber and ride the trails at Dollar.  Sadly little girl was vomiting so stayed at home at went to the brand new trails and pump track at Cathkin Braes.  The red trail has some nice technical features while the blue is flowy.  There is also a small (really small) area with a few features.  The new trails have already claimed two crashes,  a collar bone and face, in less than 12 hours since it was opened.

The map

Bottom of the red and blue trail with the orange jump trail in the distance

Samuel standing next to the drops in the skills area

the pump track

one of the features on the red trail – Samuel was walking down the trail

Video of the trails etc

So do you like it now, or still think it’s shit ? 😀

Second, slightly longer, shakedown ride for the bamboo road bike today.

Back on the MTB tomorrow morning hopefully.

So do you like it now, or still think it’s shit ?

I don’t think it is shit

local singlespeeding today, had an off when I hit a hidden stump think I bruised a couple of ribs as it hurts when I cough 🙁

40 odd off road miles in the sun this morning. Out along the Mersey into Marple and back along the Peak Forest and Bridgewater Canals.

Demo Forest, Santa Cruz. The Flow Trail and Braille. Pretty amazing stuf.

I had the bike booked in at Wheelbase Staveley for bearing replacement ( lifetime warranted by whyte)..so got down there for 9.00am ..saw this on the M6

20180421_080422 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

Had this in Wilfs while I was waiting

20180421_091850 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

I got the bike back by 11.00am ..so tackled the Garburn Pass route ..( that drops a bit tasty to say the least!)

20180421_124753 by Neil Hodgson – Flickr2BBcode LITE

Crackin day !

That’s good poah, glad you’ve seen the light 😀

http://poah Member pretty much anywhere is ridable in central scotland cathkin hasn’t been closed at all but it is shit lol

Comrie. Ridden poorly on my Hightower. Turns out I’m not as capable as I thought.  😄

That’s good poah, glad you’ve seen the ligh

I like the forest section and the bit from the car park to double dare. The rest of it is crap. This new stuff is decent.

Turns out I’m not as capable as I thought

I have this affliction too 🙁

Poah, we are looking for marshals for the sxc next weekend, why not come along and help ? There will be some amazing riding going on…. Let me know if you can make it and I’ll get a pack sorted for you…

Saw the same balloon as Hodgynd as I headed up the A65. 🙂

Had a lovely chilled day in Grizedale after the best week’s riding in April I can remember. Even got down the Nibthwaite descent without having to stop for the Kanku wagon train.

Rode the steep stuff behind Pitlochry on Friday and at Ballater yesterday.

What a difference a few weeks makes. Two weeks ago at Ballater the snow line was half way down the hill and at the top it was probably 3ft deep in places, yesterday it was bone dry, hot and dusty.

Hebden Bridge on Friday and Dalby on Saturday. Two great days. 🙂

About to climb up to Gorple.

Hot and dusty in Dalby.

Bluebells are out in kent!

Ace ride at Laggan for @surroundedbyhills stag do. No (appropriate) pics from me, but I’m sure some may emerge as there was a few forumites there…

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Spot the six year old… #dartmoor #wideopenspaces #howiescape #commencalbikes #lovedartmoor

A post shared by Less Bikes, More Stuff (@jim_gardiner) on Apr 22, 2018 at 9:49am PDT

Burnt to a crisp after yesterday but best day of the year yet

https://www.strava.com/activities/1524022795

No real pics but after a bit of over exertion on Friday going the long way home had a roll out hoping to beat the weather this morning

Failed….

Took the Grail across town and half a lap of Clayton Vale until I remembered I had no spare tubes with me and decided to take things a bit more sensibly

Sunny on the Chilterns and bluebells coming out 🙂

Bluebells out here too. Brilliant weather this morning round the woods, but off-piste was still totally minging on the whole…

Near Ballater

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A post shared by @roverpig on Apr 22, 2018 at 12:48pm PDT

Cracking pics!

My mate joined me at twilight round Cannock last night. 20’C, awesome. shorts n t-shirts.

It was fast as fff…, had to pinch myself it wasn’ a dream after months of base layers, beanie hats & scarves.

I spent Friday and Saturday in the lakes demo’ing a Whyte S150C-RS for free after winning a draw from Edinburgh bikes. It’s great going downhill, absolutely bonkers.

Friday was Helvellyn/Sticks Pass loop from MBR (there must be an easier way up than going round Dollywagon Pike…)

Then on Saturday it was also to do a  loop from Staveley (missed you Hodgy!) but I went for a Nan Bield loop that I found on the flattyres-mtb website. Absolute belter, although I was a bit knackered to do the descent to Haweswater and the climb back up so cheekied over the top of Harter Fell. I wasn’t alone, about 12 others did too.

View from the top of Nan Bield descent:

Cracking weekend riding, hi to everyone I met!

No pics but went with my local club to Newport for the weekend.

Fri night – heavy drinking; ideal prep for Saturday – velodrome.

I was a bit nervous because I don’t particularly like riding with people I don’t really know / normally ride with, particularly with no brakes / fixie / on a 42 degree wooden slope.  But wow. Our 17 were split into two groups of those with track experience (including a past ladies BC masters track champion) and those without. They were thrown straight into it while we learned the ropes but in 20 minutes we were up above the blue and taking turns to drop to the black and take a lap…….. first time not a major issue, 2nd a bit harder, third I was absolutely ****

We did some other stuff taking turns of 15 mins on and 15 off with the other group – through and off’s and riding back to front with the group spaced 3 bikes apart and zig-zagging through the gaps and so on. And then a 500m rolling start time trial.  How can 500m be so hard, full on stars on the slow down lap and I’m only 15s slower than Sir Chris…… FFS!

Brilliant experience – do it.

More beers and food last night…….

and then FoD today. Some skills area faffing, laps of the Verderer’s, lunch (very impressed with the stuff on offer at the cafe) and then Freeminer’s with a bit of doubling back to ride the fun stuff a few times.

Very good weekend all in, I’m a bit broken now….

Some cracking photos nearly want to ride bikes again.

No pics, but me and a friend did some exploring in Wharncliffe Woods. We usually stick to the tracks at Grenoside, but must have been feeling adventurous! We managed to find one nice little rooty descent, then after a long slog up to what I believe to be Varsity. We didn’t ride Varsity, but stumbled across Diamond Back. What an amazing section! Flowy (well, as much as I am able), a couple of nice jumps, a bit techy in places. Conditions were fantastic, so we sessioned this a few times.Can’t wait to get out there and find more of it.

Hey I missed you too Mr.Rutter ..😁

Probably just as well as I was slower than a slow thing after my breakfast in Wilf’s..

The rest of the gang were at Hamsterley …when are you going to join us again then ?

I had a quick trip to Aston Hill mid-week but it was still a bit wet, so we thought we would probably paddle today. We were right, boats rather than bikes were the best option due to the huge thunder storm last night.

Seriously! It was huge, I’ve not experienced anything like it outside of the Alps.

Canal however, was lovely.

Prerode the #jennride 100  so hot on Saturday after leaving work at 1pm got to my destination to camp at 9pm

So a Walna Scar loop to start before the loop back late start meant tit was a 8.30pm finish brilliant route but hard going fully rigid

https://www.strava.com/activities/1525965071

Day one https://www.relive.cc/view/1523202916

Day two https://www.strava.com/activities/1525837706?%243p=e_sg&%24android_url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.strava%26hl%3Den&%24desktop_url=www.strava.com%2Factivities%2F1525837706&%24ios_url=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fstrava-running-and-cycling-gps%2Fid426826309%3Fmt%3D8&%24original_url=strava%3A%2F%2Factivities%2F1525837706&channel=email&tags=kudo%20view%20activity&_branch_match_id=390986224769334654

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26nxj33]31171563_10156452905416474_1192431595957518336_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26nxiRS]31143738_10156452905311474_6310029272538939392_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/26nxiNA]31154090_10156452905046474_7541092428581699584_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr

Rode through Sherwood Forest, Over to Pines, did a lap of the Red, then picked up some nice singletrack to make my way home. 40miles done.

Not that adventurous compared to some of you. ^

Road ride to Pitlochry on saturday, 78 miles.

Glenshee>Deeside>Cairn O’Mount on the motorbike yesterday morning. Nae photies.

Cathkin still looks a bit shit. 🙂

Despite changing from my summer to my winter riding kit just before heading off and then boiling in the bag a little, had quite a productive ~42 mile ride, in terms of putting down the power on the climbs. https://www.strava.com/activities/1525612328

Then got an unexpected camera moment, when I came across four llamas in someone’s garden, on the outskirts of Chidden!

Cracking ride on t’Moors on Saturday. Not only was it dry, dusty and quiet, the crazy bracken hasn’t had time to get big yet so the best descent on the Moors (arguably) was deliciously fun singletrack all the way down. Well, to the permabog near the bottom.

Also had a spin around town on Friday and Sunday Cyclotagging.