02/09/2016
Weekend is a mixed bag weather wise mostly, with heavy rain in parts on Saturday and sunny (but wet on the ground) on Sunday.
I’m out local tonight, just a bit of bridleway mincing and some tech, speed is the priority here. I have the mother in law over to babysit on Saturday night as I’m taking the wife out for a curry to celebrate her birthday. The upshot of this is…a rare Sunday morning granted for cycling until lunchtime. My cycling mate’s also free and we were planning on Cannock.. but with all the heavy rain it’ll likely be puddletastic on the trails. So we’re mostly considering Macc Forest now, always rain proof and always fun. Just debating which route now and how early to start…

What riding plans have you got lined up for this weekend?

Looks like I’ll be wearing my wet weather gear around Rivi tomorrow…
Being optimistic I’m hoping for a sunny Road bike ride on Sunday 😀
Can’t complain about the rain to much,last Saturday we enjoyed dusty trails at Antur Stiniog 😆

I’m off to North Wales. I’m taking my waterproofs…

First time round Comrie hopefully, shame I have a 20km pedal on the road to get there, and 20km back… Should still leave legs and time for a lap of the red and a lap of the black. Looking forward to it 8)

Was out last night doing a classic Derbyshire Dales loop over Beeley & Chatsworth – first group ride since breaking my jaw and first ride the back end of this year (for me) with lights. Loved it.

Thinking of heading up to one of the hills above Chatsworth this afternoon with the camera for the Red Arrows display over the Country Fair. Might do the same on Sunday for the return visit from a different viewpoint.

Other than that it’s local music festivals and stuff all weekend so will mostly be drunk.

Hopefully a dryish road ride tomorrow morning, some bike fettling in the afternoon and then the Welsh Gravity Enduro at Eastridge Sunday. I’ll mainly be trying not to spanner myself and not finish last 😀

I was planning a nice dry ride round cannock tomorrow, but the combination of overnight rain last night, rain this morning, and waking up feeling like crap today may have killed that idea.

Might go for a long road ride, or I might cane a bottle of wine tonight and have a lie in.

Choices choices.

60 mile road ride on Sunday apparently. A visit to gin festival on Saturday night may make this a challenge…

Have a choice of a pre-rain road ride Saturday morning, or a few laps of Hicks Lodge Sunday afternoon after 3 hours of whatever delights the FC ranger has lined up for us volunteers in the morning.

Apparently I can’t do both, as that would leave MrsMC having to deal with her parents who I have been dealing with since Tuesday….

Have a choice of a pre-rain road ride Saturday morning, or a few laps of Hicks Lodge Sunday afternoon after 3 hours of whatever delights the FC ranger has lined up for us volunteers in the morning.

Apparently I can’t do both, as that would leave MrsMC having to deal with her parents who I have been dealing with since Tuesday….

Have a choice of a pre-rain road ride Saturday morning, or a few laps of Hicks Lodge Sunday afternoon after 3 hours of whatever delights the FC ranger has lined up for us volunteers in the morning.

Apparently I can’t do both, as that would leave MrsMC having to deal with her parents who I have been dealing with since Tuesday….

Today i’ve got a nice gentle XC ride after lunch with an early finish from work due to early start.
Tomorrow i’ve got Swinley and picking up my new Kona Process 153 ! I really hop i like it ! hahahaha.
Sunday got the day off riding i think.

Manchester 100 on Sunday for me. I’m aiming to beat last year’s time of 6 hrs but just staying dry would be a bonus.

We are setting off after work for the PMBA Enduro at GNAR Bike Park. Forecast is for rain showers all weekend but we wont let it spoil the fun.

https://www.facebook.com/PMBAEnduroSeries/

Mary Townley challenge on Sunday , will aim to beat last years time of 5Hrs 45min.

GNAR bike park here too, although looking at the forecast I think I’ll just turn up Sunday for the race 🙂

Was planning my first decent length (40-50 mile) road bike ride in years but looks like I’ll need to head out early tomorrow if I’m to avoid the rain.

Hopefully a CX ride tomorrow morning and some MTB (Peak District maybe) on Sunday

Was riding this last weekend so am naturally assuming it will be the same weather here in South West Scotland this weekend…

Oh my, that looks incredible.

Work tomorrow (rugby starts and the big boss wants all the stats…)…. So a CX ride on Sunday to clear my head.

Was riding this last weekend

I’m off there in 2 weeks and hoping the weather looks like that 8)

So, ended up riding over to Chatsworth as planned on Friday and got a pretty decent spot…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LSXJbB]Red Arrows.9_tonemapped[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LKTHDv]Red Arrows.8[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LPTYY9]Red Arrows.7_tonemapped[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LPTZ1J]Red Arrows.6_tonemapped[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LHoaxY]Red Arrows.5[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LDsT9u]Red Arrows[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LnznxA]Red Arrows.4[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LG1zwD]Red Arrows.3-01[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LP4DB8]Red Arrows.1[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

Awesome pics TAFKASTR

Thanks Bregante – not as good as I was hoping for though, can’t seem to get any decent results from my 300mm lens at the moment. Went up onto the moors for their return visit and didn’t get one shot in focus 🙁

rubicon triathlon Half IM – no swim cos the river had too much water in it. Road ride was windy.
Knackered now……

went around mugdock for a bit this morning, it was like a midgy infested swamp in parts..

We had a good spin out today Borrowdale bash. loads of bikers around.

Had a family trundle around grizedale with my missus and the little dude in his trailer, cracking weather saw plenty out having a great time.

We braved the hill fog & rain at Rivi yesterday..

Macc Forest! Sunday morning. no rain was forecast but rain it did.

Well I wasn’t planning on going OTB, cutting my arm and cracking some ribs, but that’s exactly what I did 😐

At least next weekend is a weekend off the bike at Goodwood, so chance to recover a bit

Took the Ice Cream Truck out for a ride on the Glenfiddich estate. The trails are something of a slog in places, truth be told, but it’s still a great place to be.

Finally got round to riding over Dead Wife’s Hillock too, which I’d seen on the map a few times, but never got round to exploring.

Weather was a little mild, late 20’s, so went for a solo 40km loop around a bit of Lantau Island, lovely day.



Took the Liteville to a make a workout of it and have a crack at some of the DH bits.

Didn’t have a plan – as evidenced by riding around for hours in the torrential rain. Oddly entertaining it was too (especially the traditional comedy models of ‘dinosaurs’ on Teignmouth sea front).

I’d have kicked myself if I’d done nothing in the end, I was tired so only did a lap of the dog at Cannock, but I had a great time, chase is looking good now the heather is in bloom too.

Needed lights for the first time last night….could have been doing with mudguards as well. Wife was not impressed with the mud caked clothing when I got home.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/KXaJnX]Where else would I be?[/url] by Perchy Panther, on Flickr

No photos, but on Saturday did get bloody soaked and caked in muddy grit whilst having a great ride out of Macc Forest, Charity Lane, Bottom of Oven, Cat & Fiddle, Axe Edge Moor, some stuff in Hollisclough, Back of Chrome Hill, Buxton Raceway, Dove Head, Knotbury, 3 Shires, Cumberland Clough and a bit of cheeky back in Macc Forest.

Need to explore more round Hollinsclough next time

Made it to Comrie, stopped for a massive slice of gingerbread then rode half of the red and the blue. Got put off the black by how ‘janky’ the red was, but I suspect that was more me and my very skinny XC set up, bigger tyres and/or more suss and I think the red would have been great. As it is I absolutely loved the blue, a combo of lightweight 29er with almost slick skinny tyres meant the bike absolutely flew and handled the pump sections pretty well, thankfully all the kids on jump bikes were at the skills park so I didn’t get humiliated by any 12 year olds clearing doubles that I was rolling 😀

Took on my longest one-day ride yet. I’m obviously not yet up to full audax standard but still pretty pleased at doing 230 miles in less than 23 hours.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2016/09/ncn78-caledonia-way-in-day.html