Something dry.

With the winter we’ve just had and now coronavirus, I’ll not have had a dry, ‘proper’ MTB ride since the end of September. End of April would make that 7 months. Fuuuuuuuuuu…

It will be eastern Cairngorms for me. I have a week booked in June and had been making plans for various routes which are unlikely to happen. So as soon as I can it will be Braemsr or Ballater, can’t waste the research.

Drummore (actually Mull of Galloway) to Dunnet Head. The southernmost point of the Scottish mainland to the most northerly.

Was intending to do it May/June.

Never thought I’d say it but I’m really looking forward to being able to do the Thursday night ride in Lordswood again. I’ll not moan about the wet, muddy crap or the 45-60 min sat in traffic on the M27 to get there, just be ace to get out on the bike and then sit and have a shandy and a chat with the guys afterwards.
Im also really looking forward to getting out on the South Downs, feeling the sun on my face drying out the sweat from another chalky climb as I roll over the brow into a flinty, chalky descent that cuts a ribbon of white through the green of the grassy downlands.
Also getting out on the road with the Mrs, the hum of the tyres on warm tarmac, the feeling of getting out of the saddle to chase her up a climb, the satisfaction of sitting in the garden of our local having a cheeky pint and a bag of crisps on the way home.

As I was supposed to be in Belgium next weekend for the Tour Of Flanders sportive I’m looking forward to the rescheduled event later in the year. It’s a shame as I’m actually feeling pretty good fitness wise. It would have been a decent day out.

I’m booked onto an enduro tour (moto) in Bulgaria in July, not looking hopeful but fingers crossed.
Then over to Leogang for the summer in theory.
I reckon both won’t happen.

There’s a brilliant ride in the hills about Granada that Freeride Spain does, that’s arguably my favourite route ever for all sorts of not entirely rational reasons. I quite fancy going back and doing that once things are more normal plus catch up with my mates there too.

The local stuff in the Peak I can ride from my front door (in a careful, responsible, compliant sort of way, obviously)

Hey @mattbee, bad timing for me to get the bug for mtb again but I live couple miles from Lordswood and wanna do South Downs and QECP asap.

New to all this, relatively speaking, any chance you can gimme some pointers?

Ryan

I’m looking forward to a social ride again with mates,hopefully with a summery pub stop still an option.

Exactly the same as Jedi. Fast afternoon ride after work with a couple of mates on dusty, warm trails, working up a strong dehydration to be quenched with banter and cider.

The planned tour I had around Argyle and Cowal. Planning had reached the detailed stage and we were gong to go in June. that looks highly unlikely now

<fingerscrossed>Passportes du Soleil</fingerscrossed>

Same (with fingers and toes crossed).

I suppose it’s obvious really but speaking to someone in work last week who’s involved with event planning, how early an event is cancelled ahead of time is usually down to the cost/work involved in setting it up.

So Glastonbury, which was due to go ahead the same weekend as PPs costs millions to put on and thousands of people, so gets cancelled pretty much the moment they can’t reasonably guarantee the pandemic will be over by then, also rumour has it that rather than a wholesale lifting of restrictions it’ll be staged, but I can’t see any ‘stage’ along the way towards normality allowing 200k people all to be living in close proximity in tents for a weekend.

Passportes on the other hand is a far, far less involved thing. apart from the feed and first aid stations it’s pretty much business as usual in PDS so will likely be on, up to the point it seems very unlikely to be able to go ahead.

There are 12 of us due to go, we’ve got a massive Chalet booked via Air BnB and flights etc,we’ve decided that if the event is off, but the resort is open and it’s safe and practical to travel, we’ll go and just have a ‘normal’ Morzine holiday, if it’s closed or borders are still closed we’ll try to move it towards the end of the season.

I’m also glad to hear MTB Meetup is still, at the moment, going ahead at the end of July.

Still hoping for the roadtrip with GF through Tennessee, Carolina’s, Virginia later in year. Booked flights and car back in January. Fingers crossed.

We were due to take our finished selfbuild campervan up the west side of scotland over the easter weekend and finally tick the route around Arran I’ve had on my strava for about 4 years now. So I’m most looking forward to finally completing that even though the 4 days off would have been ideal!

Home (Brixham) to Lands End and back with plenty of pasties and ice cream on the way

“Over the Ridgeway to The Bell and The Four Points at Aldworth.”

Snap…we must be neighbours then as I’m Wallingford and either off-road up the fair mile or on road via Streatley/Basildon etc to The Bell is a regular trip.
After lock down I’m planning a round trip to take in The Bell and the Black Horse at Checkendon…both magic pubs

berm baby berm- Glentress 😛

A friend (and old-time STWer) has just taken over the campsite at Kilchoan so I reckon a ride over to there is in order.

Trans-Cambrian. Even though we are practicing social distancing, I quite fancy a bit of remoteness right now.

When will the first less-restricted or unrestricted ride be though? I’m holding-off changing to summer tyres at the moment, but live in hope for a late summer revival.

One of my first will definitely go up the Trundle and involve zooming down the totally non-technical Sound of Music Hill with my two children and separately seeing the Tuesday night riding lot for the first time in months. On the flip side I’m learning to really appreciate every ride as I grab my exercise time on the dull stuff straight from the door.

i haven’t ridden my bike since november 2019 (apart from shopping trips to towm).

i have a stupid plan in mind though once the lockdown is over.

am going to attempt a 100 mile ride 30 days after i restart riding again (when the lockdown ends whenever that is?)

i haven’t ridden 100 miles for years lol.

will be on my ht mtb so no speed records (unless slowest time ever am not fit at all).

am really up for doing this i have to say 👍

Playing in the snow.

You seem to think this will be over before Xmas lol

“Over the Ridgeway to The Bell and The Four Points at Aldworth.”

Put a thread up, I’m in.

Simples…..

…..Louise…..

🙂

Staying at Mohr84 during folk music nights in Balquidder and riding the trails hungover.

Being well over 60 and in an at risk group and with a Mrs in at a very high risk group anything will do.
Had a wee trip out to my local last night, first for 3wks.
Couple of groups I ride with have various plans, just need to see where we end up.
Switchbacks in Sept being one of the highlights and a party with James Vincent/justinbieber/fanylionracing being the first post lockdown👍
Getting back out with the guys at Ae on a Tuesday night✊🏻🤝🤘🙏🏻
Heading North for a change and meeting up with Dave @ http://www.speyvalleybrewery.co.uk/beers/index.html
Gav/Swavis
Dan

I am thinking of the Goldfields track across Victoria at the moment. Either that or just packing up and heading East till I get fed up and catching a train back.
I will be happy to have the opportunity to do either.

One with my friends. I’m hoping I can meet up with Lister and our other mates sometime in the early summer, possibly in the Peaks or North Wales & just have a good time riding together.

I’m also keen to get back to Hamsterley on an evening & give the dog a good run.

im gonna ride the golfie until my legs stop working. also hope graithwaite with pmba runs too, not that hopeful though sadly.

Weekend with the lads in Coniston riding perfect trails and drinking perfect ales.

I would love to be able to do some of the many trips I had planned for this year, I should have been in Wales right now, ascending Cadair Idris.

Then I had a few days with Wildbike planned for the middle of May, in Dartmoor. And a Snowdon trip for the end of May.

There’s a small chance the end of May trip could go ahead, but I’m doubtful.

1. SW coast of Ireland on the 29er, bike-packing/camping the long slow coastal backroads and trails from Cork to stay with some old friends near Bantry Bay. Planned it loosely years ago, but life has intervened at every stage and in that respect 2020 has not disappointed!

It’s a dream, but a good one

2. The regular mixed-terrain social evening/night ride around the Wyre, with a pint and/or takeaway al fresco, Bewdley riverside before (now carb-loaded!) fast gravel-ride through Forest again, finishing midnightish. Bostin perfict ayet.

Planned it loosely three years ago p but life has intervened at every stage and in that respect 2020 has not disappointed

Sounds exactly like the tour of Norway that I planned about 6 years ago… It’s too perfect not to ride one of these days!

ta11pau1 – really glad I finally took a snap decision in summer 2018 to revisit Cader on a shoestring and camp out a couple of nights (once on the summit). Bike was £100 from STW classifieds (praise be) and tent was £30 from ebay. Memories were priceless. Snowdonia on a singlespeed was for me also great way to get some hiking in 🤣

Bonus – a great Coast-to-Breakfast in Barmouth<——->Dolgellau gravel-dash to be had on the old railway trail. (T H Roberts Dolgellau for paradisiacal sarnies, cakes and coffee)

Bit of a gallery here with my corny pseudo-Welsh and image upload skills, sorry 😉

Blimey, an old Argos Pro-Action tent, didn’t think you could still get them. My lad uses mine now.

Any longer ride in the Dales or Lakes would do for me right now.

I’m treating the lad to a flight to Nice and a hire bike from Cafe du Cycliste and we’re going to ride up some big hills. There will be coffee, cake, lazy lunching and wine in the evening. He will have earned it.

Blimey, an old Argos Pro-Action tent, didn’t think you could still get them

IKR? I sold mine to a friend in need years back, and then almost immediately began looking for another, it took about a year to find one. Remains my favourite tent for lowland short-stay solo/bike/hike trips. It has enough room to sit up and get changed if chucking it down outside, yet still easily fits in bar-harness. OK the colour is not stealthy, yet cheering on a gloomy day. I usually pitch on farm sites/owner-agreed ‘wild’ sites anyhoops.

For the money they are insanely good.

Just riding with mates, locally will be more than good enough, (I’m spoilt for choice round my way) then going to the pub for one beer too many while chatting s*&t.

In the mean time, I’m putting my Jedi training to good use by polishing my jumping skills, within reason of course, and doing all those trail building jobs I’ve had in my head. And more importantly spending some much needed time getting our 9 yr old boy properly into riding 🙂

Still got an uplift to use from before the lockdown with Adrenaline at Inners. Im not sure if im missing riding more than the laughs I get with my riding mates.
Cant help but think how good some of the wetter trails at the golfie will be just now. ‘Greig Joliffe’ springs to mind. Not long now hopefully , hopefully were all better people for whats happened.