Your memorable rides of 2024.

Lots of local riding again this year – not that it’s not fun or memorable itself, but it’s rarely those rides that stick in the mind.

Standouts from further afield though…

Hamsterley Beast. Not the toughest or most tech of events, but we took a big crew the 175 miles up to this and had our own mini bike festival. Good times.

Ballater. Been wanting to test out the Heartbreak Ridge hype for a couple years now and it didn’t disappoint. Found Mastermind on the same ride which was a fun bonus. Also took in Dunkeld, Top Chief and the World Cup course on the same road trip, and they’re always fun.

The Mongrel. Not a single memorable ride as such, but the first few rides shaking down my custom Marino FS frame. Was a bit anxious that my geometry ideas would be pants, but I seem to have (by luck or judgement) come up with something that works really well for its intended use (arseing around in the woods).

And then there’s this one. Shortest ride of the year, most uncomfortable, and completely on tarmac round the village but after three months off the bikes with a hand injury it was a big moment. Still only got about 60% movement and 50% grip strength in my right hand, but getting there slowly. Hopefully back to some (pretty gentle – probably just fire roads) off-road riding next week…

First time riding in the Alps this year with a bunch of riders who have multiple trips and years of riding under their belts. The trip down in the van was a wave of excitement through nought but good weather and the promise of fantastic riding.

We wake up day 1 and despite the July date, it’s cold and wet in Morzine. On the gondola up the Pleney, I started to feel the nerves kick in. We unboard and the group shoot down a green to a chairlift. I quickly found out that an Alpine  green and blue  trails are very different to the trails I’d ridden in the UK. I spent the rest of the morning holding on for dear life whilst chasing after the pack.

The conversation of lunch comes up and we decided to get down the mountain for some scran. We drop into a trail that takes us back Morzine. The ground beneath us changes to  the consistency of smooth peanut butter and we enter what looks like a war zone. Lads on full DH rigs barrel down the trail, cross country riders splattered in mud stand at the side of a trail figuring how to pick their way down, a French woman cries on the phone – total carnage.

For me, something clicked* and it felt like riding the crest of a wave all the way down, smoothly carving my round around obstacles with the steering on near-enough full lock and a foot out here and there.

My fear and nerves fell away and i fell in love with riding in Morzine on the spot.

*I may have been, cold, hungry, half frozen and riding a wave of adrenaline and serotonin

For me it’s been a strange year. The kids joined a coaching club that ride twice a week and teaches them skills. Sadly it meant there weren’t many times we rode together. However I had some great local gravel rides with the eldest.

Then just over Christmas I’ve had the chance to ride more with them on holiday and they’re suddenly way better than they were. It was a massive buzz chasing them down tracks. The 13.5 year old is dropping me on tech and flow. The 11 year old has grown wings.

I’ve never seen a jump constructed like that before! Cool. 😀

Been a funny year. Not so much riding due to life stuff, but managed to tick off a 80+ mile, ,9000ft elevation gravel ride from the door and out around Exmoor and the Quantocks. It was a ride I’d planned previously as part of a 2 and a half day bike packing trip with mates, but always fancied trying to do it in a day. Never thought I would, but managed to get myself fit enough during spring to take it on.

Was an incredible day: https://www.strava.com/activities/11388361522

My 9 year old son starting to ask ‘can we go mountain biking at the weekend?’ has also led to some great memories. 🙂

Brought a German and French mate from Bavaria to Yorkshire for a gravel weekend. Met up with 4 English friends. Rode Thirsk to Whitby on the North side on day 1, Whitby-Staithes for lunch on day 2 (dinner in the Magpie, once we explained mushy peas aren’t a type of guacamole to my French mate and are best enjoyed mixed with scraps and Sarsons, he began to understand…….) Day 3 back to Thirsk via Egton, Rosedale Chimney and Rievaulx Abbey.

They are coming back next year.

@P20 Was your Sellaronda trip self guided or an organised one? Looks great.

For me, quite a good year in which two stand out. After a wet start to the year, I finally managed to reach the top of Wild Boar Fell in June in weather good enough to enjoy the view, and dry enough to enjoy the steep and fast descent from the top:

Then in September I finally managed to get to the top of Cross Fell in the best conditions, where there was an inversion looking East:

and the a clear view of the the Lake District looking West:

I’ve never seen a jump constructed like that before!

There’s a few parks that have been built in southern NSW with bushfire recovery funds from after the massive fires in early 2020. Locals td us how much mtb tourism is helping the local economies. My guess is that Ute was burnt out during the fires so it was fitting to incorporate it into the trails.

I have had a few nice MTB rides this year but actually the stand out rides of 2024 have both been multi day trips with my sons.

Touring in Holland with my younger son in April.  The older one was off on a school trip so we got the ferry over from Harwich to Hoek van Holland and a little hiker hut at Noordwijk.  Brilliant few days, cycling, reading books in the evening and while we had typically Dutch spring weather we had a glorious few hours sunshine at Madurodam on the last day.

Then a 3 day cycle camping trip up the Suffolk Coast with both of them.

Got my fingers crossed we might get out tomorrow but the hardtail has been in the shed since about June and I’m wondering …

2024 has been very strange for me. I’ve had a compromised hip inasmuch as it really needed replacement but NHS waiting lists etc…
Over the last few years my rides have been shorter and shorter but more intense each time, less distance but more thrills as it were. The buggered hip pretty much put a stop on our Alps riding holiday even with an eBike so this summer we thought that the Traws Eyryri would be fun if we could find some more off-road sections as well as some charging points for my bike. In the end I rode in a supporting role to MrsAmbrose because of my health issues but I had a great time nonetheless. The unofficial section down from Cwm Tiegl through the old slate quarries to Cwm Penmachno is such a blast, and the final day via the Roman Road and then the Sychnant Pass and Conwy Mountain was constant fun.
In September I had my last ride before the op. An hour or so with the family at Cwmyrhyadr plus a pub meal. The ride was nothing special, just a good bit of fun but it was my last ‘compromised’ ride before the op. https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-last-ride-for-a-very-long-time/ 
In 2024 I’ve had great rides locally in BBNP, Mid Wales, The Long Mynd, FoD, Quantocks, Dartmoor and The Lakes but the best one of the lot is yet to come. The Amman Valley Cyclepath beckons. 2025 is going to be so good, I can’t blummin’ wait.

Most rides this year have been commuting into mamchester, the tedium relieved by the excellent old fire station bakery in Salford.

Couple of stand outs

* Colne valley MTB challenge, great atmosphere and I got to meet TJ

* Tor divide. Again great event and fabulous weather. I had a terrible ride with loads of mechanical issues, but still loved the event

* Hadrians wall cycleway with my partner. Fab to finish on the Tyne drinking beer on deckchairs in the centre of Newcastle

* A long ride home. Grabbed a lift to Grasmere and cycled home via salter fell. For me, a tough 85 mile route and the most climbing I’ve done in a day. Totally wrecked at the end, bit loved it

Most memorable was easily July the 31st. Nothing even slightly remarkable about where, it was just my most regularly ridden local loop out the door where I live in the south east. Just a few miles up and down some hills, bridleway, a couple of farm tracks and a tiny bit of woodland.

This day though, I spent most of it taking my dad to Brighton hospital for major heart surgery the next day. Apart from the waiting around at the hospital, a huge traffic accident/subsequent jam turned what should’ve been 3 hours driving into 5 hours sat in the car in barely moving traffic.

By the time I got home around 6, all I wanted to do was jump on my bike and both let off a bit of steam and distract myself from thinking about Dad’s imminent op. Best ride I had all year.

Had a fantastic day at Dunkeld, my son has been getting out a wee bit so it was good to take him there, weather was glorious and we got to watch a bit of the Olympic MTB race in the beer garden. But my most memorable ride was my first bike packing trip. Jimmy held my hand and fed me and kept me going. We rode from Dalkeith to Dunbar (approximately) and camped by the sea.

The next morning we headed over to Abbey St Bathans for a delicious second breakfast and then on to Kelso for a late lunch at my friends excellent cafe. It was then a slow uphill into a headwind slog to Tweedbank to get the train home. 100 miles over the two days and some top quality grub.

My highlight has to be planning, organising, training for and doing a one man ride offroad (as much as practically possible) from Plymouth to London to raise a pile of cash for a charity I care about. 286 miles and 22500′ in 6 days. Some fabulous scenery, memorable moments and a good ride.

Ride went well apart from two night of almost no sleep due to excessive stingers but heh ho that is what stories are made from 🙂

James

My last ride of 2024 was also memorable for both sons (usually it’s just the older one) completely ditching me on the climbs.

I’m working on getting fitter but I’m not going to catch these two easily 😀

Ride to the Sun 🙂

My first 100 miler (or at least that I can remember being bothered about) and 1st road event after 20yrs of concentrating on mtbs.

3 for me, I’d a bit of time off work so got a trip to the Alps and did longer local loops.

A great gravel loop in Wicklow:

Another new route for me, all mountain in Wicklow again:

Stage 3 of Alps Epic, this trail scared me:

A couple stick in the mind, first was one of those browsing the map, let’s see if it is possible, oh, and bring a rod types of rides. Loch Enoch in the Galloways.

Second ride (actually a series of joined up rides) was the St Cuthberts Way, Lindisfarne to Melrose. Really enjoyed passing through the cross-border landscape and history.

6th March gravel ride from Conniston out to Great Langdale.  Felt like spring had arrived and those dusty summer trails were just around the corner, well that’s what I told myself.

I rode the Pictish Trail in September. The weather was unreal. I had to buy suncream in Nairn!

Today – got Mrs dB back on the tandem for a 20 mile road ride & no discomfort after changing various bar & saddle settings, she was whooping with joy, so very much looking forward to a trip to Brittany to see some of the 2025 TdF stages.

Yer maw.

Loads of great inspiration for me going into next year like.  Managed to find that route thanks

Plenty of good rides this year, but doing the East Devon Gravel Trail (100ish miles) on my MTB in one day was a good one.

Tomorrow’s big ride 🙂

Also getting a decent tandem and taking my 11 year old daughter out on some proper (50-60km +) rides has been lovely 🙂

Relatively quiet year – majority of miles made of up from short spins on the fixed gear on country lanes and farm tracks from home .

did manage a trip to Mallorca to visit one of our riding crew who emigrated recently. Very rocky tech and some genuinely scary lines. All on e-bikes for the first time – mixed feelings…

I didn’t ride as much as I would have liked this year, but seem to be getting more time to ride each year now our kids are getting a bit older. Most memorable was probably the time I felt like I’d figured out how to jump again and regained that muscle memory.

For next year I’d like to try and ride some different places/types of riding and maybe do some more “proper” xc rides in the Peaks or something as I’ve pretty much just been at the local bikeparks for every ride.

Yer maw

OP here. Sadly my mum died 6 years ago of cancer at a rather young age, but thanks for your contribution.

Now, back to to the more positive posts, nice to read that a lot of the memories relate to the familial, social and health benefits of cycling, and not just massive days out in inspirational landscapes.

First 50 time trial since before covid, and on three wheels too! And of course yesterday’s first M25 ring also since covid. Hopefully this marks a return to some form.

And for something a little different, first commute right into the centre of London. I’m now doing it twice a week and had forgotten how much I enjoy commuting by bike. Fortunately I’m not bound by rush hour traffic.