+1 for improving your core strength.
Go see a physio. As you age flexibility falls too
You’ll find core strength improves your riding loads too

hammering in an allen key worked for me

Top find :-)

+1 for Convert
but I would make the point we just had 13 years of a ‘the state will provide for you’ government and I’m not sure the winter transport situation was any better

I’m not convinced the general public understand that sometimes we can’t always get what we want…
These are pretty exceptional conditions

I did. Few years later she did it again. Learnt my lesson that time
Some people don’t have the ‘think of others before yourself’ gene

Last year a guy I worked with (a know shyster) claimed he couldn’t get in because the trains from his stop weren’t running
Unaware another guy who got the same train was working happily at his desk…

1. Posting here means you’re aware you need to deal with it. Which is key. Don’t mean to be patronising but I’ve seen more than a few people not deal with their issues simply because they couldn’t see they had any
2. Totting up that list of stressful situations you’re in/have had there’s plenty of people would’ve likely broken by now – you’re only human. It’s a pretty heavy load for anyone to cope with, let alone someone who seems quite driven (from what you’ve said)
3. I recommend finding an alternative physical outlet for those days when you can’t get out on the bike. I find core strength work on a fitball helps a lot – easily done in the house and pays dividends on the bike in improving power
4. About 3 years ago I read a research report suggesting that levels of stress and poor mental health would increase as the recession developed as so many of us a) had lived beyond our means and would struggle to adjust and b) had limited experience of living through economic hard times. I think its easy to forget that the whole system we live in and we plan the future around nearly broke a few years ago, and it’s still not clear how it’ll look in the future which is a pretty significant cause of stress for us all, collectively. Which simply adds an extra layer to anyone who’s already leading a stressful life and probably enough to make things intolerable
5. As been said here, if you’ve got so far as to post on here asking for help I’d go and speak to the doc, he/she’ll have seen far more of this kind of thing than you’ve had hot dinners. When I let work get on top of me a few years ago the doc pointed out very calmly and obviously that ‘it’s only a job’. Which I kind of needed him to say… although to him it was bleedin’ obvious

Good luck

Hard times bring out the truth in people I guess…

Buff in balaclava mode

i always take pics before i post. not once has anyone shown interest without asking for photos. easily anticipated imo

that ibiza driver ain’t too bright!

Exerting yourself in conditions like that will always hurt when you’re recovering from a cold IMO. Often you can feel fine sitting inside but when you push yourself you realise you’re not fully recovered

Johnny Marr now lives in a massive country house in Cheshire…
Down the road from Dunham Massey apparently

I have a spare mech hangar. Used it twice. Once a couple of weeks ago which saved a very long walk home over a Lakeland fell in the cold.
I also take a spare brake lever after a stack once left mine so twisted I couldn’t use it. Both of these take up v little space and weight but can save a long walk home. As do spare brake pads.
Always worth considering I think, what happens if your mate’s taken a stack and you’re riding to get help and stack yourself… best to be self sufficient and prepare for the less obvious/likely but critical eventualities

Road ride on my new winter bike round Cheshire lines, dodging icy camber.
Was a beautiful day. Great to have the excuse to get out in it :-)

Still there but faded
I know they look weird for other people but I loving having them. Reminds me of long, dusty sweaty days.
Mind you was ace being out in the freezing cold today :-)

I also have a Five and a Soul. Used to ride Surrey Hills and the Five stopped getting a looking after I bought the Soul but overall I think they partner well as they both handle so well.
The Soul is ace for Surrey Hills singletrack – you realise why FS is overkill for a lot of stuff round there – it’s much quicker round the sharp corners e.g. Summer Lightning
I recommend riding both regularly and your riding will improve massively

I have a problem colleague at work. Not in the same league but he’s not really done his job well enough, can’t see it and is expressing his frustration with everyone else’s lack of delivery, incl talking about me behind my back.
I’ve raised this with his boss and my boss, stayed positive and made it clear I’d like to find a resolution ie: be positive, professional. I recommend not making it personal and making it clear your agenda is to be open and honest and do what’s right for the business. Any decent employer will spot a cheat and liar for themselves. They generally have previous. Good luck

FS would be better coming down Snowdon, hardtail better going up when you have to carry it :-)

Sounds like you’re spending a lot of time doing it, and getting some results which is good.
But ‘fit’ is relative and subjective.
I would recommend spending a couple of sessions with a personal trainer. Tell them what you want to achieve, ask them to assess whether your current program is effective and get them to suggest a good program and then you can carry on on your own until such time you want a new program. Cheaper than paying a personal trainer for every session but likely to be much more effective is improving your overall fitness.
From experience I can highly recommend a session or 2 on core strength each week. Makes a massive differnece to your feeling of feeling good, and your effectiveness on the bike
And don’t forget to enjoy feeling fit, don’t obsess over it :-)

+ 1 for the Turbo Topeak. They do a road version which is superslim and hides nicely on my seattube

2 lots of Danny MacAskill there :-)

Great photos. Will keep my eye out for the next STW Northern pootle. Be great to join you

Up early for a road ride through country lanes for tea and cake at my parents and home in time for more tea, medals and haribo.
Decision to move North for better biking looking like a damn good one so far :-)

1. Ask Cy, I did when I bought mine and he gave me good advice
2. I’m 5’11 with 33 inside leg and I have medium frame with 140mm forks and a 70mm stem and layback post. It’s very chuckable like that. With a 90mm stem I found the handling a little remote.
This set up is great for woody singletrack and open stuff like the Peaks too

I would expect a large to feel too stretched and not very nimble. It is the kind of bike you want to be in control of too :-)

cheeky bunch aren’t you!
Looks like it might be coolant. ’05 Ford Focus for those of you who want to be helpful…
Will see if I can get a more sensible answer from the local garage…
Hope she’s not pregnant, can’t afford another one

Top notch ride, cake and photos!

Thanks for organising Jules. I’m definitely up for more.

Great to be up North again :-)

Geetee: black Cotic Soul. I had the special flat tyre that came out of nowhere. I think we were in the same group, although don’t remember being particularly slow! ;-)

I’m in. Weather permitting
Geetee – I think we met on the STW Surrey Hills ride earlier this year – Peter Poddy was on it, and WCA with his boot open. Nick Njee organised it IIRC?

ask the guys wot shifted the bluestone from Pembrokeshire to Salisbury Plain.
Rolled them on logs IIRC

On a personal membership as opposed to joining thru yr employer, pre-existing conditions won't be covered. The business would go bust if they did – everyone would wait till they're ill, join, take the treatment and then leave.
But BUPA also do self-pay private treatment as well as insurance which should see you treated more quickly than NHS

Give them a call 0800 600 500 and talk to them direct…

Take food. Your feeding strategy will be key. I did it in 2 days in June and took me a couple of days to recover – and I'm not unfit! Lots of hi-energy, slow release stuff. And feed well the day before.

If you search this site there's a previous thread which had a link to a site where all the water points are marked. I then marked them on my OS maps and took them with me so I didn't miss one. If you do the distance is quite long to the next one. Dropping off the downs at any point to get food water is a major time-consumer. Go self-sufficient if you can.
Oh, and enjoy. It's a wonderful ride. If the weather's good the views are fantastic and you'll feel well pleased with yourself once you've done it :-)

washing up liquid as a lube?

Give Cav a medal. Stunning.

YHA has locked shed

I take it the irony of posting this complaint to a bunch of anonymous strangers isn't lost on the OP

The OP does realise this forum is a prime example of social media?? Content produced by and shared with the community

A loop of Snowdon will either take you up the Llanberis Pass or up from Beddgelert, both great climbs

oh and go and listen to 'Accept Yourself' by The Smiths. As usual Morrissey hit things right on the head :-)

Yes, you can.
I believe that psychologists say our basic personalities are set very early in life (years 2-5) and tend to be stable and not fundamentally change.
HOWEVER: we all have complex personalities and depending on the external environment and the company we keep, different elements of our personality will come to the fore.
While personality is set and inflexible however, our behaviour and our responses to any given situation are entirely voluntary. So you CAN change your behaviour.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy makes you more conscious of your thoughts and allows you therefore to choose your behaviour and have more control over it. Equally a change of scene can allow you to exhibit more positive behaviours.
I would be very careful tho of anyone in yr life who appears to be suggesting you need or should change any aspects of your personality, they may very well have their own agenda. People who love you accept you 100% as you are….