I asked for a skills course for my 40th. Wasn’t sure how much good it had done until, riding the Dyfi Enduro the next day, I smoked the bf down the World Cup run. I’d been riding a couple of years with enthusiasm rather than skill. The course was with Great Rock and was enjoyable as well as useful – nice vibe. Being in a group though did highlight that I get massively anxious about making a tit of myself in front of a group. I can’t quite decide whether practice at overcoming nerves (I did) was a good thing but I would probably go 1-1 next time.

Also went to Altitude Adventure on holiday a year later. Ian is another guide who can’t help coaching. He pointed out that being fast uphill was all very well but I could get even faster developing more downhill skills. Again, didn’t realise how much progress I’d made until I got home and local trails that I had thought of as tough seemed easy.

I love my Kona Jake the Snake… and this year’s model looks fantastic. Lucky you if you get one :-)

There was a sonic movement sensor on a fire alarm at a tudor house museum down the road from me when I was younger. It drove me nuts – still hear the odd thing that few other people hear but either the technology has changed or my hearing is now going at that higher end.

That said, I didn’t hear it as a noise, more felt it as a pain, like someone scratching a line between my ears. I also get an occasional ‘chirrup’ when there are bats around.

Yes.

There, that was easy :-)

Hey, sorry, I’m out. Not quite back to my usual self yet. Face is pretty scab free, stitches out & the scars will soon be hidden by wrinkles ;-) Arm is still sore though and test rides have yet to find anything but my inner mincer, which is well upsetting :(

Thanks Bunnyhop! Hope you’ll be back on your bike when you’re healed too :-)

Friend who works for VF says that EE is the best. Been with T-Mob (now part of EE ) for years and coverage excellent.

Not sure how long it will last as they all tend to go through cycles and at least one of the others is due a ‘let’s stop feeding the share-holders dividends and spend some money on providing the service’ renaissance.

I’ll be along if I’ve finished picking the scabs…

[/url]scabby by BeateKubitz[/url], on Flickr[/img]

F*F*F*Fireroad descents… :evil:

I don’t know… but someone wants to ‘be my friend’… that would never happen on here :D

No. I try not to eat too much meat and try and keep to free range locally farmed stuff. We’re a bit far from the coast here…

Besides that, the conservation issues and intelligence, they grow quite old. Old enough to be accumulating mercury and other nasties.

Tacky. Shame…

I’ll have words with the lambs about their acting skills. They were supposed to be playing themselves. Not goats.

Waaah waah, noone’s objected to my cameo appearance yet.

<flounce>

Yes. All rides return to the pub :-)
Chipps (for an ill Clover…)

Train from Victoria takes 28 minutes. Get off at Walsden, it’s about 15 mins at most up the hill.

Indeed…

The Shepherd’s Rest, Lumbutts Road, Todmorden OL14 6JJ

8.15pm

There’s loads of parking at the pub, and we’ll be doing a couple of loops around the pike. It’ll be some packhorse track and some singletrack, ending in a nice pint. What can possibly go wrong?

Nice video! I’ve ridden quite a few of those routes too…

I’ve had a bit part in the latest Great Rock production. IT and will be out in a couple of weeks.

Still trying to work out what was going on…

Loved it… photos and stuff here

Strava here

Enjoy!

Cracking ride! Thanks WW.

We’d make a great couple ;-)
[/url]pachacuti by BeateKubitz[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Calorific content is measured by burning and measuring the heat produced. By that measure you could get fat eating a chunk of coal.

What it doesn’t take into account is that some parts of food are indigestible to us so we can’t use the energy /turn them into fat. Also that some foods take more energy to digest.

So I reckon that when you eat processed foods you use a higher proportion of the calories that they contain compared to whole food where you have expend energy digesting them plus you won’t get the full calorific value out of fibrous / part digested parts.

I’m with your wife, Kryton.

Yey! And also yey for Juliana Buhring. Keep checking on her – 5th overall. Inspiring… so fed up with seeing women’s racing being short versions of men’s but they really, really shouldn’t be. Seeing someone doing so brilliantly gives me hope that it will change. :D

Don’t recall that being a problem, but covered in liquidy sheepshit, yes. Yummy. :?

Didn’t know it was possible to love a road bike until I got my BMC Granfondo. Now a starry eyed convert to comfortable carbon and Di2. Perfect for riding the rough with the smooth…

I do keep wondering about the wheels though. Could be lighter… but then will it be as fantastic a companion on long days with skinnier, lighter ones?

[/url]BMC_GF01_one by BeateKubitz[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Great ride! Thanks Bregante for the route and also the loan of lights – home safely. Where do I apply for the 9 fish fingers? Sounds about right.

I’ll be there at 8.15 with a working bike. Happy to go with the flow.

I’m easy – we could just do last week’s ride again. That descent is blinding and I can’t think of a comparable one in the same radius.

If we want to go big with the Stoodley traverse and Penny steps, there’s a bail option and escape pod – I live 2 mins off the route and the mighty Doblo can accommodate upto 3 people and bikes. I was thinking of leaving it up near the Shepherd’s Rest on Monday just in case anyone spanners themselves on my favourite descent.

Right, off to ride the Mary T. Also need to work out how to fix my tyre otherwise I’ll be on the CX bike on Monday 8O

So, we tested the route. Well, Sarah did. I got a hole in my tyre half way up the climb to the Whitehouse and discovered what utter bollocks ‘if you get a proper hole in a tubeless tyre, just whip it off and put a tube in’ is.

She took about 2hrs 30 mins (she did her best to mimic stw ‘pace’ group inertia). If we have to race back for last orders we can trim that by high tailing it down the road.

For those that care, running 10km with your mountain bike hurts in all sorts of unbelievable ways.

I’m going to test the ‘yeah we can get to the back of Stoodley Pike and back in two hours’ pub talk with Sarah tomorrow… do folk mind bimbling the last couple of miles on the tow path?

I prefer Todmorden to Hebden but it’s nearly a full hour on the train to Leeds.

Sowerby Bridge has the edge for time-to-Leeds and loads more eateries, big supermarkets (and I think still a pool). Plus close enough to Hebden for an afternoon’s mooching around if that takes your fancy.

And the riding is good and extensive (i.e. right the way from Norland moor to Blackstone Edge above Littleborough including the Hebden / Tod trails… and over towards Oxenhope and right the way to Trawden north west – just a massive area to explore).

PS I am not Hora!

That was a blinder! Thanks Binners for the route and everyone for a fine night out, oh and the sunshine (but not the midges).

Moving to Tod? Say hi (if I make it on Monday). Happy to point to trails.

The recovery hasn’t happened where I live. In the grim North.

I run a business that does all the things a good business should – quality, unique designs, bespoke services – but we rely on people having enough spending power to be able to go for the good stuff. We’re just not seeing it.

We export to the south via the internets and have visitors who are a different story. But basically this is a completely different economy up here.

Westmalle and little cubes of aged Gouda in a bowl.

Can you install a few cobbles outside too?

:D

Thanks for coming over and sharing our very special weather.

I’ve just washed a lot of Calderdale down the plug hole. You from L*ncashire have got export licences haven’t you?

We’ve thunked… new Tod route starting from:

The Masons’ Arms Pub, Bacup Rd, Todmorden OL14 7PN

(where we met in January) 8.15 ok?

Route includes Rough Hill and views over Rochdale and the swoopy bends back to the Masons.

172cm here – Ibis Ripley. Stylish & light :-)

Loved that, never done a solo before but the descent was well worth the little cry half way up on the fourth lap… cake at the top and I managed a few more :-)

Brilliantly organised and fun. Will be back.

Wot Iolo said. Old Skool will look after you :-)

Old Skool – perfect accommodation and food. Sian and Dafydd are excellent hosts, and mountain bikers and make sure you have a great time. Try not to let Dafydd pull your legs off if he offers to show you the trails.

Old Skool[/url]