What made you glad you went out?

Foggy and cold most of the journey there. Brilliant sunshine up in the hills. Foggy and cold most of the way back.

And I didn’t fall off.

The sun and….

I slip streamed my son the first time ever, i think

Oh and this was our second attempt at a road ride together. On the first we both fell off on the same patch of ice. So staying upright was an improvement

didn’t feel well as i have red tonsils but when my best mate text thursday and i had promised to ride today i was reluctantly dragged from my death pit this morning and thrown out into the cold air,

Cracking ride and good chats. you can’t beat good company when you feel crap.

Making the effort to ride for 3hrs+ when it was -4 & freezing fog to start with..

Lots! Stunning early morning ride in the frost. Some fun jumps. Gratitude that I had a slime tube on!
Early morning coffee by a bonfire before I headed off. A great start to the day!

The hard work on the roller coaster singletrack, and the view –

Surviving unscathed. Sunny but with loads of ice everywhere on the trails. Was lethal in parts. Great fun though

An awkward little climb on my local loop. It rears up at the top and coming as it does towards the end of the loop I usually CBA to put too much effort in and usually loose traction/overbalance/give up

Cleaned it today though. Go me

Chilled ride around the woods surrounding Pennyhill Park. Chilling with the lads after a successful friday night 8)

Cracking weather.

I got to ride my new bike with some good mates. Then I had brownies; they were very tasty.

I’m making bolognese for tea. Today is a good day.

I went to Cwmcarn for the first time in about 6 years on my new(ish) Hardtail. It was a hoot!

MrsLex came too, lunch at the pub was excellent, and when we got back, she said that she’d really enjoyed the riding.
No d1cks in cars spoiling the road sections.
I can now spend for two…

Raced a kid on a motorised scooter who was wearing a mohawk crash helmet. Beat him to bits

After weeks of rides where I just felt knackered, I actually felt quite strong today.

PR on a regular hill despite stopping for a horse to pass.

Staying alive after a totally stupid pass/emergency stop by a dozy driver.

Keeping it rubber side down. It was pretty out there and any ride beats no riding, but most of the time it was just a case of trying to ride along an icy landrover wheel track and as soon as you slid off you were into mashed potato and stopped dead.

Today’s ride was dry and dusty and I saw 9 mates riding and enjoying my brand new trail, total result!

out with the roadie crew and coaxed a newcomer to 17 miles.
his best to date had been 3 !!!!!

Been fighting off a cold all week, felt slightly better today, so I got out for a run, it was cold but lovely and sunny. I wasn’t expecting much, but I managed a half marathon, my first one in 7 years!

Yes I know not a ride, but I am chuffed, and with London creeping up I am having to get the miles in running.

Managed to catch a front end slide on a muddy/icy downhill switchback and kept a good line round it. Normally I’d either be a) on my back before the turn or b) teetering on the edge first before a) happening anyway. The only downside was the guy I was with was coping with his own rear wheel trying to catch up his front that he didn’t see my moment of glory

Met a badger coming down the road toward me out of the fog this morning – I stopped and he was about 3 feet from my front wheel before he noticed me – cue a great scrabbling of badger-claws as he stopped and did a swift 180 before legging it back the way he came. That was pretty cool – I only normally see badgers that have lost arguments with cars 🙁

Innerleithen fun. Found a new trail. Only crashed on it three times, but it was a hoot. Finally feel like the old mojo is showing it’s face again. I like this. Very much. Hope it stays around.

Took the dog out on some local singletrack and she loved it, and my first time back on the geared hardtail in several months and it’s riding really well.

Fun and games.

got up a steep climb that has been defeating me since going 1×9. and the sun 🙂

Nothing exciting – just a couple of bikes serviced but I wanted to say -what a nice thread topic so well done CapJ

For me it was making myself try a steep trail with gullied switch backs that I’ve not cleaned before and not ridden since the summer and getting down it without a dab and wondering what I’d been worried about. Also managing to get past the 20 mile mark as most rides have been more like 15 since winter kicked in.

My only ride today was between stations in London. So my victories were not getting knocked off and actually finding some empty roads in very central London at 11am on a Sunday morning. I enjoyed it so much that the 10 minute ride turned into an hour. It was bloody awesome.

Actually getting out was a victory.

I decided to change the cassette and chain on the road bike, I’d picked the parts up earlier in the week so expected a quick fix.

Never think that…….

The chain splitter broke taking the old chain off so had to nip out and get another, then the gears where playing up so I changed the inners ( first time I’d done that on a road bike so took some sussing ) so only managed a quick 8 mile ride to check everything was working.

Getting out on my singlespeed and, towards the end of the ride, trying out some new sections of trail that I’d spent a bit of time prepping earlier in the week and finding that they rode really well – and, for a change, so did I.

Today was too icy to ride up here.
It wasn’t to paddle. The pics say it all.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/qPhSDj]Loch Achray Canoe[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/qPi1yh]Loch Achray Canoe[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/qPhfKW]Loch Achray Canoe[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/r6QZaR]Loch Achray Canoe[/url] by matt_outandabout, on Flickr

My parents had our boy overnight so my wife came out to enjoy the frozen trails too 🙂

Absolutely smashing the steep rooty berm chute on the Blade at Afan. I love riding bikes.

Forest of Dean the trails under the trees were dry in places amazing best I have seen it down there since September last year.Most of the mud was on the fire roads.Plus loads of sunshine warmest day for ages.Trails at Shutcastle were drier than last august great.

Was out at Afan too (W2 and Penhydd). Turned out to be a gloriously sunny day with clear skies and no wind. Around 8 degrees too so pleasant too!

Loads of little victories in catching slides on ice and thawed mud, cleared White’s climb in one too 8)

Sounds like a lot of fun was had out there today.

I particularly enjoyed dropping the wheel sucker who stayed on my wheel up a mile long climb. I pulled away on the flat with the sun on my back, a smile on my face and this came on my iPod:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIPJ7pokw00[/video]

It was a perfect moment.

Always nice dropping wheel suckers 8)

Out for a post hangover ride this afternoon and hopped a small bomb hole that I’ve never managed before.

It felt like spring today out there so I’m glad I made the effort. Best thing was having no cold symptoms whilst riding after several days of coughing and sniffles. Their back with vengeance now though.

Yesterday I bodged a temporary fix for a chain device issue.

I was about a quarter of my way into the ride and really enjoying myself. The chain must have jumped up and into the back of the chain device, when I pedaled it dragged the device round, along with the bb cup. I took the actual guide bit of the device off, but the metal mount was flapping around. I ‘borrowed’ some rope that I found to tie the flappy bit to the down tube. I should have had zip ties, but had neglected to put them back in after giving my pack a very rare wash.

I’m really glad I managed to carry on, as the ground was still mostly frozen and it was the best I have ridden for at least a month.

Put a heron up. Riding along by a bourne, and all of a sudden, up it popped in front of me. Flew ahead of me for hundred yards or so before banking off back to the bourne.

Stunning.