3 hour road ride with friends – a somewhat hungover affair :)

Tired legs and not enough sleep, but it was good to be out on the bike. Here’s to a great year of riding!

Great riding everyone … and some inspiration for next year!

jam bo – that’s fantastic :) Well done you!

Looking forward to it – sorry!

Decided years ago that I didn’t enjoy the ‘standard’ NYE celebration, so now a group of us get together for a ‘bring and share’ dinner and drinks, then about 10.30ish pull on lots of warm waterproof clothes and head off up our local mountain. Get to the top for about 11.30, snuggle down in the rocks and heather, pass round the mulled wine and champagne, and watch the fireworks going off across the sea and in the valleys.

Absolutely fantastic way to see in the New Year :)

Hand signals and calls (eg moving out vehicles, hazards in the road, road clear at junctions etc)

Riding smoothly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction

Try and ride ‘mid pack’ if you’re OK with the pace

Relax, chat, and enjoy yourself … roadies are actually friendly :)

Oh and don’t try to race the fast guys – they can ride you into the ground if provoked! (Although most of the time they just offer me a helping wheel)

MWIS forecast for Snowdonia tomorrow – severe gales (50-70mph), rain plus hail and snow above 600m. Not a good day to be out in the hills, especially if you’re thinking of wet rocky ridges!

Suggestions for the Beacon, beach, or cafe sound much better :)

Feel like I’ve WTFU and paid my ‘riding in the wind and rain’ dues already by doing the local Boxing Day TT.

Can’t really find any enthusiasm today for going out in the cold and wet AGAIN! So turbo training for me, and dog walking for my fresh air fix.

Plus February cycling trip to Southern Spain now booked – time to dream about a week of warm dry riding :)

North Wales – start in Bangor, out round the isle of Anglesey, back onto the mainland, out along the north coast of the Llyn Penisula to the westernmost tip, back along the south coast, can then return to Bangor via the cycle path to Caernarfon, or through the mountains via the Nantlle valley.

Stunning coastal scenery, beautiful beaches, mountains and castles. Riding mainly on cycle paths and quiet lanes. Highly recommended :)

Space Hopper :) :)

Am so chuffed, have been bouncing round the house for the last two days …

Am looking forward to taking it into work as my new way of getting around the office!

As a (potentially) fit weirdo … (waves at Kev :) )

Race the local road club Time Trial series (aiming for a series of PB’s as the year progresses

Complete my second Wild Wales challenge (at a quicker pace than my first)

Do the 100 mile Cheshire Cat and the 103 mile Etape Eryri

List to be added to as the year progresses …

Nadolig Llawen i bawb :)

Walk on the hills with the dog in the morning, road ride in the afternoon :)

Head home when it’s dark for a long hot bath, mulled wine and Christmas dinner in the evening. I’ve never understood why everyone spends the daylight hours inside cooking and eating, when you could go out to play!

Bought my own house
Had some fantastic holidays
Met a chap :)
Rode the Wild Wales Challenge (best, and hardest, ride I’ve ever done)
Shared some great times with friends
Laughed lots

Despite the occasional work issues, and a few too many bugs, life has been good – looking forward to whatever 2013 will bring!

Apparently (according to a guy in my road cycling club) I am foolish to have a ‘women’s ride’ without having a man with us “in case we have a puncture or something” 8O

I think I was rendered temporarily speechless … a somewhat rare occurance for me :lol:

Pink and orange striped fluffy slippers :oops:

Thanks for the feedback and tips guys.

No, definately not doing it on my own, so looking for an adventure travel company to go with. Red Spokes seem to have a great looking trip:

http://www.redspokes.co.uk/cycling_holidays/cycling_holiday.php?TOUR=Chile_and_Argentina_Cycling_Holiday&ID=12

Anyone been on one of their trips? Any other recommendations?

Member of a few UK and international expert advisory groups … which I guess means that those folks who work in my field think I’m an expert.

Sometimes consider contributing to the occasional relevant thread on here … But hey, as has been said why let a bit of knowledge get in the way of STW opinion :)

Saturday – road club ride (unless its heaving it down … as I can’t get my mudguards to fit!)

Sunday – mountain biking up exploring the Denbighshire moors with the girls :)

In between, eating, wine drinking, film watching and curling up on the sofa with my dog.

I love weekends!!!

Thanks all. Looks like a bit of a rethink might be in order.

Maybe aim to do two longish (2-4 hrs) zone 2 rides? (Will need to stop trying to race folks on the club run!)

Plus 2 turbo sessions to focus on harder resistance to build muscle strength?

The swimming keeps me sane during the working week as I go in my lunchtime, and the hiking / climbing is a base fitness and social thing as many of my friends are mountaineers.

Will check out the Joe Friel stuff – any other online or book recommendations?

DGOAB – will drop you a line later if that’s OK?

Find the small ‘hooks’ in your life which will keep you going, and ultimately help pull you forward.

For me, it was just being on the beach with my dog, and seeing her happy and running around. I was so unbelievably down, but at that point in my life it was just enough to keep me hanging on in there.

For you, it sounds like your wife and your daughter – who obviously love you.

Rabbit away on here if it helps, and accept the helping hand from others (Singletrackmind is one of the most genuinely good people I have never met ‘in person’)

And it will get better, it has for me and countless other people. Have hope and hang on in there.

Horrific, stunning, awe-inspiring, beautiful, and utterly tragic, all at the same time.

Tazzy – can you be my girl alter ego? :)

(You might have to watch trash tv as well and tell me what’s going on so I have something to discuss in the office on Monday …)

As you’re getting an adult rescue dog (good for you!), it will probably depend on the dog and how it reacts. One of my rescue dogs was happy with any situation, but the other panicked completely in confined spaces. When we tried her in a crate she went frantic trying to escape and injured herself in the process. So I’d suggest playing it by ear, and seeing how your adopted dog reacts, rather than having a predetermined plan.

Above all, have fun – dogs are ACE :)

How about giving something to help others – either volunteering or financially (or both). There’s many, many projects in need of support – for example my disabled brother is helped by volunteer tandem ‘pilots’ and they have a complete laugh whilst doing it.

It means you can give as much or as little time or money as you want, but most of all you’ll make a real difference to someone’s life :)

“no buzz, no elation … just grind away”?!?

I think you need to come to Snowdonia for some proper road riding :)

(And I know you secretly loved it … you just can’t face the shaved legs and Lycra!)

saxabar – have fun on the Marin and wave if you see a wee lass riding past on the road with a group from the Rhos club :) Am hoping that the Carneddi mtn’s will have dried up enough for a ride on Sunday!

Teetosugars – congratulations!

Sympathies to those who are working / DiYing etc, and happy smiles to all of you who get a chance to get out for a ride :)

Binners – isn’t it weird to be getting summer bikes / kit out in October!!!

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately they’re either fully booked or very expensive!

Any other suggestions?

(Wo)man cave: entire ground floor of house :) Secure storage for all bikes, tools, climbing kit etc, with central heating and an adjoining shower room and laundry room for wet and muddy kit, people, and dogs …

(No flowers, sorry!)

Am also 5″ and have been trying various small rucksacks for the last 30 years! The best fit I’ve found to date is the OMM rucksacks – I have both the tiny 10l (http://www.theomm.com/products/packs?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=27&category_id=1) and the larger 25l. Both are a great fit re back length and narrow width shoulder straps. Plus they’re so lightweight it minimises the total load us smaller people are trying to carry.

Just upgraded from a 3GS to a 5. Why? Well, it hasn’t actually cost me anything to upgrade – my monthly tariff has stayed the same and the resale value of my 3GS covered the price that I paid for the 5 (as my original 3gs is in good working order it will be reused not binned, so no additional waste).

Was it worth upgrading? On balance, yes. Much faster, excellent camera (which is important to me as it’s the one I use most for taking photos as it’s always with me), very light and easy to hold, feels robust, siri is excellent, slightly larger screen makes a noticable difference, and the option to use 4G in the future might be very useful and potentially free me from the cost of landline-based broadband wi-fi. Only con is the loss of google map’s streetview which I used a lot.

In the end I treat it as a combined personal computer / mobile phone / camera – all in one, which I find easy to use and easy to carry around. It is not the answer to my every desire in life(!), but it does what a smartphone should do to a very high standard. Other alternatives are obviously available, so just choose the one that you prefer – it’s no big deal :)

I found that terrain has made the biggest difference. My solo average round where I live (Snowdonia) is about 15/16 mph, but having ventured over to the flatlands of East Anglia my average went up to 19 mph.

As mentioned above riding in a group / drafting a larger faster rider can have a big impact.

I don’t think there’s any such thing as a general average speed, but suggest looking more at improving your average over different types of routes and solo / group riding

Another self-confessed map geek here :)

Anyone else love getting a new map, opening it out over the floor, and spending the evening tracing new routes, options, and adventures? And I really enjoyed the micro-navigation part of my ML training – being able to use a map to “read” the landscape in such detail in order to find an anonymous boulder in supposedly featureless ground is great … (or maybe it’s just me that gets a buzz out of that :oops: )

I’ve always used OS maps, and they’re still my prefered form of navigation aid. I can see the advantages of GPS, especially for biking, but I will always love maps.

Nice bike CFH :)

I shall be joining the ‘red bike riding’ brigade – 60-70 mile road ride round the mountains in Snowdonia. Weather is pants on Sunday, so that will definately be a duvet day.

Not so much concerned about the wind – have you seen how hot it will be?!? 26 degrees! Us Welsh mountain folks are never exposed to such perilous cycling temperatures :) (have just attached extra water bottle cage to my bike to ward off imminent dehydration …)

Am riding the TourRide sportive of Stage 1 on the Saturday, then taking my disabled brother to watch the pro’s in action on the Sunday. Mister Wiggin’s is my brother’s new hero :)

Cheers for the advice! Ah, yes, flat terrain means no “free miles” on the descents :( Looking forward to riding somewhere very different from usual, and hoping for no headwind and finding a ‘larger than me’ person to draft :)

Then I get to watch the pro’s ride it properly the next day!

Although I’m fortunate enough to have a ‘disposable income’, I don’t really have any urge to buy things. My bikes are all several years old, and I have no desire to replace them with a ‘latest model’. I generally don’t ‘upgrade’ as the main thing that would improve my biking ability is improving my fitness / skills! Don’t buy cycle mags etc, but do have an annual membership of the CTC and my local road cycling club. I road ride (or sometimes mountain bike) from the door, so no additional transport costs.

Add to that a lack of suppostedly girlie interest in handbags / shoes etc, plus in the evening I’d rather be out on my bike or up in the mountains than down the pub, and I generally don’t have much that I need / want to spend money on. The only exceptions are travel / holidays and going out for a nice meal now and again.

As a few people have mentioned, happiness and biking does not necessarily depend on having a substantial disposable income … to use a cliche: the best things in life are free :)

Road ride with the girls today – in the sun and heading over the hills to the Chocolate House cafe stop at Pentrefoelas in North Wales :)

Taking my OH on a high speed rib boat ride round Anglesey on Sunday as a surprise for his birthday.

Oh, and have next week off to go riding bikes and hiking in the mountains – life is good!

(Slight thread highjack) Bikebouy – whereabouts in Tuscany did you go road riding? Independent trip or with a company / group?

damitamit – you rode there from Warrington, then did the WWC, then tried to ride home 8O You are either seriously fit or seriously bonkers! or both :) And yes, the cake was great … especially carrot cake at the end – yum.

bikebwoy – that’s a bummer. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it round as I had a really bad stomach most of the day, but apart from ‘running on empty’ it wasn’t too bad.

Looking forward to the next one now!

Did you guys do it in the end?

What a fantastic ride – great scenery, perfect weather, plentiful tea and cake, and a few wee hills along the way :) Really enjoyed it, it was the hardest ride I’d tried to do so chuffed that I managed it. The climbs were hard, but manageable, but I was on a cyclocross bike with an 11:34 cassette on the rear – boy was I glad of that when it came to the Bwlch!

Many thanks to the organisers and all the volunteers, and great to see such a diversity of ages / abilities / bikes all riding the same challenge.