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Is anyone missing driving out to their local riding spot and doing some laps? Lockdown feels like same old again, not much to do. Maybe I just need to sleep on it...
Not the local stuff for me, the bit I am really having an issue with is that I haven't done an uplift since last November.
didn't want to over the summer as the risk of spannering myself and ending up in hospital is tolerable in normal times but not covid.
properly miss it
Nope. It's the weather and work that's reducing my riding at the moment, lockdown just means I have to do it on my own.
Yeah, did a lot of miles last year, pretty much all local. Bit bored now. So much so I’ve been running!!
didn’t want to over the summer as the risk of spannering myself and ending up in hospital is tolerable in normal times but not covid
Last summer was a great time to end up in hospital in between the waves. 🙄
Yes. I do consider myself very lucky to have riding straight out the door, but its the same old muddy forest tracks. Struggling to motivate. Even started going running just for something different - desperation!
Oh for hills and coast, dry trails and sunshine!
I tend to ride mainly from home anyway so no.
Nah, still decided to pass. Between the waves or not didn't appeal. Plus sitting in a van with a bunch of randoms didn't appeal either
A little bit, but its more the weather and the state of the trails rather than lockdown per se ...
Yeah. It was fine in the summer as there was plenty of off piste and stuff to explore. That is all a muddy mess now and it's hardly inspiring out there. Really missing a big day out in the hills as well. Would love to be in the back and beyond of Wales or better still the Alps. Maybe this summer, but not confident
Yes. I do consider myself very lucky to have riding straight out the door, but its the same old muddy forest tracks. Struggling to motivate
A bit of this for me. But countered with a fairly constant appreciation that at least some version of what I want to do is available to me from the door, and it allows me to maintain some fitness and be outdoors, when for so many folks this isn't the case. Anyway, wherever we are now, here's hoping we'll soon be on the way to something better, even if that's not going to be fast.
There's so many trails and so much variation here that I rarely travel anywhere else to ride (I actually see this as a fault as I've become so lazy). The restrictions have maybe made me more keen to set off and do some exploring again. Even a couple of decent bikepacking trips that get more than 50km away from home would be a real treat.
It ain’t like the last lockdown, purely down to the mserable weather.. yes, the blues. Massively.
If it wasn't so horrible and muddy round home then I might but, as it is its a blessing. Had some fun while it was frozen last weekend though.
I've broken out the kettelbells, resistance bands and yoga instead, when I'm not home schooling my 10 yr old. That, and I love building trails/features and maintaining them, so this weather is a good excuse. Truthfully I just like to be out in the woods, riding, building, walking, drainage or trimming back foliage
Thinking about it, I just love being outside 🙂
Absolutely. It's properly demoralising.
Usually at this time of year I'm riding as much as I can to give me an early fitness boost, taking in all the local trail centres and the other routes that work well in the wet (thankfully I have a few) but this year I'm stuck on doing Zwift and the local, muddy trails that are churned to crap with everyone else stuck on them too. Doesn't help that I'm unemployed but have savings to keep me going for a while so in any other year I'd be out there doing a bit of a winter road trip or three. Instead it's Zwift and trying to resist snacking on crap. I live 20 mins from Cwmcarn, a place I love to ride FFS!
Think everyone is now, weather is bad, trails are trashed, local means limited, lack of riding buddies, meet ups and so on, no uplift stuff, so big days/weekends out are gone, idiots seem to be churning up local stuff as well through boredom, so some weird kids style jumps appearing here and there.
Hopefully April will bring some good news, we need it after nearly a year, personally i think the entire nations mindset has changed for the worse, not just in this type of thing, but the longer this whole pandemic goes on, the more i just see a lot of differences causing more and more friction in all walks of life.
I normally ride straight from home to the trails but the pandemic and lockdown is leaving us with two kids to home school, a toddling baby who wants to be in the middle of everything causing chaos, and a business that is needing a stupid amount of work to keep alive.
So much as I’d like to go MTBing, it’s pretty much on hold for now...
Definitely. Can’t wait until I can head out to the hills with some riding buddies have a laugh and forget the troubles of the world, if only for a few hours.
Same as others. When it was dry and the evenings light I was enjoying finding new tracks. Now they are all boggy it's not so great. Coupled with the winter bike and slippy roads that side isn't as much fun either.
Normally as this is not racing season there's people to ride with and a spring holiday to look forward too.
I've been zwifting a lot. My motivation at this time of year always comes from being fit so at the first sign of good weather I'm able to make the most of it.
I'm enjoying building locally more than riding at the moment, feels like a better use of my time than just ploughing about the muck.
Yeah, really struggling to motivate myself on the local stuff.
Warwickshire is pretty lacking in excitement at the best of times but it's been a slog of a mud hell hole seemingly for months now.
Dreadful.
I really want some rocks.
It's pretty weather dependent for me, we've been thrown enough snow this year to deliver some brilliantly different and awesome rides (and one hilarious death-ice ride). But there isn't a force in the world that can get me out in the pentlands if the weather's not decent and that's going to be a lot of the time til March or so. (not just because I don't enjoy it; though that's the main difference. Also I have a great wee loop from my door where literally half of it will be soaking wet for the next few months unless it freezes, and I don't want to tear it up)
I've found a new appreciation for local trails and riding from the door I've not really felt like adding a car journey to the experience. That is until the most recent lockdown meant I have little choice and now I wish I had gone further afield when I could...
Seems to be a lot less cyclists on and off road this lockdown so I prefer it.
Seems to be a lot less cyclists on and off road this lockdown so I prefer it.
That's certainly true here at the moment but that's mostly down to the weather, plus a lot of the locals are climbing, ski-touring, split-boarding, XC skiing etc.
I haven't driven anywhere to ride since July 2017 so not really.
Weather and trails are horrible locally. Even picking lunch routes to stay slightly cleaner. So bad I'm refurbishing a rather nice Ribble 653 I have. I stopped road riding after a bad, really bad accident just over 5 years ago on the way to work - as bad as it can be - I could move my legs but my spine was in bits... 6.5 weeks in hospital, 7 months off work at a desk job..
Anyway, 5 years later, the really expensive custom built 'vintage' road bike had been used in Wales at our caravan in September this year only, on the road..then we were chucked out. I've just finished respraying my old Ribble 653 road bike. Looks mint. It will be used on local quiet roads as I've trashed my FS's drive chain this year, meaning a whole replacement on basic training rides. Will be cheaper on chain rings on my road bike.... just got to hope not getting mashed by a car driver again.
All my crashes over the years have been commuting and stupid drivers.
Massively, although maybe not as much for myself as for my children. Although I'm still cheesed off.
I can road ride if I have to but it's no good for them really, wrong bikes, wrong location.
We have the added complication that bikes don't pedal well in the sea and we are in the over populated bit along the Hampshire coast so our range of options is 50% of that of someone 10 miles inland.
Wider, everything in amateur sport and youth activity is shut down. Regulations and guidance are driving the outdoor activity and changes of scenery that people need for their physical and mental well-being into a relatively small number of overcrowded (and often unsuitable for children) (sub)urban areas and smaller green spaces. I am fearful that this funnelling of activity is going to be counterproductive in terms of R and that the only lever that will get pulled is more restrictions instead of smarter restrictions. That's bringing me down a lot...
This time of year is usually a bit of a battle because of the weather. But add on the lack of group rides and anywhere even slightly drier meaning driving and yeah it's getting a bit tedious. Plus the hoards of people out in the middle of nowhere that would usually be doing something else if not for the lockdown.
In summer I actually prefer it locally and there's plenty of places to ride from home. Now it's a swamp. Each year it seems to get wetter. No sign of a dry period, or snow, or much frost. All of which were fairly regular a few years ago. Last year we had 6 months of rain, exactly to the day. Not quite that bad so far. One thing that has gradually improved is local bridleways getting surfaced so there's more winter route options now, albeit usually with no consideration for drainage so they don't last. Suppose it could be worse.
Well, its very claggy on the South Downs and we can't escape it so easy to lose motivation.
On the other hand I'm feeling rather grateful to have such a fulfilling hobby (/obsession), to own a nice bike and be able to have fun in the woods despite the clag. And there's always a bit of armchair riding.
I find its always fun once you're actually out on the bike, very, very rarely does one regret going out.
Each to their own, but I can't bear the idea of pedalling in the garage / front room whilst there's still some outdoors there. I know you Zwifters will be fitter, for sure, but I thrive on fun.
As long as we get a smile in, eh?
Very much missing big days out in the Lakes/Dales or long road rides around the North York Moors from my sister's house.
Local riding is generally good - it'd be pretty selfish to moan too much about it given that it could easily be far far worse but it's getting dull now.
The weather is not helping at all, it's truly miserable at the moment. First 10 days of the year was tiny bits of nice snow interspersed with lots of slush and ice. Now it's all just a quagmire.
We moved int he summer from somewhere with virtually no local riding to an area with absolutely loads, so no - not an issue in that respect.
I am missing the dry & riding with friends though.
I have ridden from home for my whole life and have live where I do now for 20 years so getting bored of routes is not an issue for me. Lockdown has been great for me as working from home means I can go out for a quick ride during the week rather than just every Saturday and Sunday so more days riding in 2020 than any year before.
The first lockdown was even better because there were no cars around but that is not the same now due to all the people driving around.
What’s making it worse for me is that nearly everyone I know is continuing to drive to the forest and ride in groups, both of which are against Welsh rules.
Warwickshire is pretty lacking in excitement at the best of times but it’s been a slog of a mud hell hole
It also seems to me that the mud is made worse by the massively increased footfall since the pandemic began. I've ridden the local bridleways for more than 30 years, and I don't think they've ever been like this. Trails that used to be a metre wide with a few tyre tracks are now 3 metres wide and the tyre tracks are obliterated by the footprints. Routes where I might have expected to meet a handful of people on a sunny Bank Holiday I now meet 30 or 40 people when it's freezing fog and -2. It's great that more people are getting out there, but it's not without consequences.
Echo most of the comments. Yup, its starting to get a bit frustrating now. Biggest thing i miss is riding with buddies. Doesnt matter how wild or tame the location, if its with my riding pals, its always a good time.
The weather isnt helping. Zwift and road riding is helping keep me sane, but its definitely not what i long for. (plus i just broke my mtb, so limited options at present)
Hold tight tho folks, lets hope it will all be over soon enough (wishful thinking i know!)
My local trails also seem wider and muddier. What's frustrating me is not being able to drive 30 minutes for a nightride at Glentress. Went out last night but it was pretty attritional, snow melt and rain meant the better surfaced paths were like rivers. Cold, slushy rivers.
It's the cleaning that's driving me mad. Because my local loops are so claggy , even a modest tenmiler requires a major wash. It is really demotivating, I don't feel I have had sufficient fun to justify the work and I have bought two chains in the last two months due to lazily putting bike away without cleaning.
I have lost all motivation and interest in riding off road. I have some half decent stuff on the doorstep but I just can't be arsed with the clag and cleanups.
I started running a few months back and I've lost the motivation for that as well.
Just finishing building a nice road bike and more likely to be wacking it on the turbo with this shit weather. Which i'm not too concerned about as just need to get the legs spinning and fitness up 1st.
I miss riding with mates but also have so much more time to ride and much more flexibility with he times i can ride. Though with the rain at the moment i'll be going back on the turbo.
I think I'm going to start riding up and down hills for some proper XC training with the motivation of being as fit as possible for big days in the Surrey Hills. I also have a few mtb related items in the post so looking forward to those. Might just have to accept that no serious riding is going to happen until march.
1000%. I need to drive at least 12 miles to get to the edge of the Peak District. Mid December was my last MTB ride. I hope the motivation returns at some point. I'm not holding out much hope.
I have even found some more local trails due to lockdown riding
I got the OS Maps app and paid the £18 for an annual subscription (£5 off online via their website, app store didn't have the offer).
That's helped me find some new-to-me local routes and the planning can easily kill an hour or two as well too.
The CX bike has been a blessing, anything can be fun on skinny tyres if you just pedal hard enough. Lots of local muddy field edges and quad bike tracks in forests (I think to access pheasant feeders) have become my playground.
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Am properly missing a bit of adventure though, even relatively un-exciting destinations are starting to seem tantalisingly remote, I've never yearned so much for a visit to the dripping conifer plantations of the Ardgartan Peninsula...
Meantime at least the road bike offers some relief, can legitimately feel like I've had a big day out whilst staying within guidelines and not doing anything naughty, just a shame even the takeaway coffee joints will probably be closing their doors now 🙁
It's actually got me exploring local 'tame' loops more to keep a modicum of fitness. The recent weather has also allowed rides on old mining/forest tracks that are usually a no go due to mud.
But, and I know this is a complete first-world problem, I really missed the annual 3 week 'road-trip' - was supposed to be exploring riding spots through Tennessee, Carolinas, Virginia with the GF - and I don't see it happening this year either so likely turning into a 60th birthday jaunt.
Warwickshire is pretty lacking in excitement at the best of times but it’s been a slog of a mud hell hole
It also seems to me that the mud is made worse by the massively increased footfall since the pandemic began. I’ve ridden the local bridleways for more than 30 years, and I don’t think they’ve ever been like this. Trails that used to be a metre wide with a few tyre tracks are now 3 metres wide and the tyre tracks are obliterated by the footprints. Routes where I might have expected to meet a handful of people on a sunny Bank Holiday I now meet 30 or 40 people when it’s freezing fog and -2. It’s great that more people are getting out there, but it’s not without consequences.
See also Leicestershire.
I rode quite a lot during Lockdown 1.0, all local and generally first thing in the morning to avoid the literal crowds heading out in the sunshine.
The trails (mostly cheeky/not on the map/etc) round my way are now a quagmire and still busy. I have come to the conclusion it's just not worth hassle and clean up.
I might bust the drop bar bike out in a month or so when it's not 3C and grim.
Not so much the lockdown blues but the "everything around me has turned to gloop blues". Add in the dark and wet and its just meh.
I havent ridden properly since October last year. I had an operation and havent yet recovered enough. Add into that infections post op, a son with Covid so I have had to isolate and then last night the wife tested positive so have to isolate again. Actually thought about selling the bikes due to lack of use and not being able to ride in the foreseeable future.
I actually find that being able to do a road/gravel ride to get out of the house and some head space actually motivates me to get outside in this weather where in previous years I might not have bothered. If I only did MTB it would be pretty grim.
Yep, can't be arsed at the moment, as much as I want and need to ride. Last January I rode a lot, lost weight, got a lot fitter, even in the slop, but I've moved so don't have anything worth riding on my full sus (only MTB) from the door, and I can't face the hassle of taking the bike in the car when it's so muddy. I have a few places within what I think are a reasonable distance to drive for a ride, but until the weather improves and days get longer I shan't.
I have a gravel bike and a few decent off road options for that locally though, so really need to get my arse in gear and ride that. I know I'll be really keen after a couple of rides and it'll do my mood no end of good. Lockdown, feeling fat, and a promising looking relationship not panning out are not overly motivating it turns out...
Yeah definitely. My local wood has turned into a slop fest due to the increased amount of people using it during the lockdowns. Before last year me and my trail building mates wouldn't see a sole in there but now everybody in town is up there.
I feel so much better after reading this thread. I thought it was just me quietly going mad.
I did loads of riding in 2020... a few century rides in the Peak and some gems in the Lakes, 'gorms and Torridon.
I tried to keep riding through autumn into December, and even splashed a fortune on my dream bike (Occam). Did some pretty bad rides in November and then some utterly shit ones in December culminating in some godawful slopfest round Whinhill and The Beast at night on my own. In the end I gave up and stopped after the first 11km loop.
Not been out since and have no real intention to go out. Couldn't work out what it was and even regretted buying the new bike.
But what y'all are saying really suggests that the problem really is the nightmare trail conditions at present. Unprecedented. Despite MTBing for over thirty years I can't really recall being bothered by mud in the past, but that was presumably because I would have done a bit of climbing, skiing, kayaking etc or gone to a trail centre.
None if that it possible now. It's slopfest or nowt.
So much want to cycle in the Lake District.
very much so here too.
I can't go to my usual riding places as they all require a drive. Local off road stuff can be accessed within my own Local Authority here in Scotland but its very limited, couple of country parks and a windfarm, all of which are rammed full of people. Local roads are great to ride but not in the winter mank, ice and snow.
Haven't ridden since early December 🙁
Same as many above - not so much the lockdown as I have local spots, more the weather and/or darkness that is causing the bikelessness.
Normally I quite like winter (well, if it's properly cold and snowy, not so much the regular boring Manchester winter) or at least can tolerate it easily. This year I find myself really longing for the sun to come back... give me some light and nice weather, enough of this constant coldish sog!
Thinking about it properly now for the first time I realise it's on my mind more than I realised and is actually getting me down quite a lot this year. 🙁
I NEED TO GET OUT! Whether it's biking or just sitting on a mountaintop in the Lakes or somewhere I don't care, just need to get out and away in the middle of nowhere!
Yes,
Frist lockdown was pretty good from a riding point of view, the weather was mostly great and whilst I missed my favourite trail centre rides, it was a mix of longer XC style riders and some cheeky local stuff on dry, warm days. I took a couple of night rides and it was a really welcome break from the stress and worry about Covid and all that went with it.
Things are very different now, I went out last night, it's freezing, I got soaked and spent an hour sliding around in mud that's the usual suburban mix of rubbish and dog shit.
What makes it worse I've got an operation in 2 weeks or so, I've got to isolate before and it'll be at least 6 weeks post op before I can ride, so after this weekend it'll be mid-march before I can ride again.
Work (and Covid lockdowns) mean I've ridden less than ever..... It sucks. Now getting the motivation to go out is seriously hard, on my own, unfit, in the rain etc....
After 30+ yrs of mtbing I bought an e-bike for my 73rd birthday just before lockdown 1. It's been an absolute winner during the last 9 months. I set myself a radius of 10 miles from home and have covered almost 2000 miles and never exceeded that limit. I can do so many variants on a ride I wouldn't bother with on my normal bike. Had a good ride in the snow this morning without killing myself trying to climb in 4" of snow.
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I managed loads of riding last year. During the first "no-travel" lockdown I did all my local rides. Then between waves got in a few uplifts and trips up north including an absolutely incredible run at Torridon. But, now we're being told not to leave LA area, I'm pretty stuffed as there is sweet FA near me. So definitely feeling it now. Trying to work on skills, do corner drills, learn to ride clips, whatever else I can think of to mitigate against the crap trails and weather.
How did I not know that getting an ebike was the answer to lockdown and shit weather. 🙄
How did I not know that getting an ebike was the answer to lockdown and shit weather.
I reckon I'll be on one well before I'm 73!
I reckon I’ll be on one well before I’m 73!
Long time back sufferer so had to wait for the Levo SL else I would have too 🙂
Honestly no.
Missed the CX season - the social side, the training focus and sheer fun of it, but this WFH all the time/mandated local exercise business is suiting me just fine. My work is currently big on encouraging a proper lunch break, so no meetings between 12.30 and 2.30 without a pretty good reason which is ensuring I'm getting out for a decent ride in daylight every day of the week. I don't mind riding at night, but daytime is so much better.
The key for me is mixing it up. Today I was out on the winter roadie for the standard crap-weather hour and a bit loop, roads were fine and I was well wrapped up so it was ace, despite the constant sleet. Other days this week I've been out on the CX and the SS MTB as well, on hilly, less tech, gravelly stuff. The recent snow's been brilliant to ride in.
Got three local techy spots all in the LA area, all about a 15 min ride away, which has been a lifesaver in All This and I've discovered loads of wee extra bits at them, and done a bit of digging and repairing too. There's a few more spots a stone's throw into the neighbouring LA areas as well.
In the Before Times I didn't feel like I got much leisure riding time that was just for me, between commuting/coaching/racing/general getting-about, so I'm still very much enjoying what feels like way more time on my bike, but which is probably about the same amount (if that makes sense).
Definitely feel faster, but the absence of racing to disabuse me of that notion might have something to do with that!
I preferred the last lockdown as I live on the edge of Cannock Chase and the carparks were shut and therefore the trails were totally empty. It was a bit like 28 Days Later sitting on a picnic bench with a flask of tea in an empty carpark that would normally be mobbed: lovely. The trails are definitely quieter now but still busy in parts and folk are still driving to get there.
However, the crap weather is not helping!
Dogsby
I live only 20 minutes in car from Dalby Forest - but that's a no-no.
Not actually many local trails and those few are mud-fests. Just road riding at the moment.
I'm finding mixing it up is just about keeping stuff fresh - road, gravel, little mtb, big mtb. I'm un(der)employed at the mo, so riding is something to fill empty days with, whilst keeping me some loose form of sanity.
There's been the odd deathmarch ride, but I've been surprised quite how many, even when the weather is against me, bring out something unexpected and wonderful. Even some horrible windy, wet, frankly miserable road rides have had the odd glimmer of joy. Living on the edge of the Peak District helps, plus being a little elastic with the definition of "local"
Then there's the snow rides, which over the last fortnight have been simply wonderful...
<<edit - so how are you supposed to insert Insta images these days?>>
i'm struggling - but mainly as working from home with the kids home schooling means i cant sneak out for the odd hour 'commuting' (my office is 5 mins from the trails) or at lunch, or on my day off. i'm stuck with night riding which is OK but not the same... that and the local trails are a total bogfest has even brought me to teh point of considering the road bike * only considering though - i'm not that bad just yet!
Yeah, really bashing me atm. Can't go far but all the local trails are a ice death trap, as are the roads so no enthusiasm for getting the bikes out or go running. Too cold to tinker in the garage so seem to spend all my time working/cooking/cleaning/entertaining without much 'out' for me. Not the end of the world but feeling a bit ground down this week tbh.
I dun a lunchtime roadie on my Tripster today!
Nipples were like bullets, but it was lovely to get out in the sunshine. I can smile now 😬
onewheelgood
Full MemberIt also seems to me that the mud is made worse by the massively increased footfall since the pandemic began
No doubt at all. I'm sure some places will be doing better than usual- honeypots that don't have floods of tourists- but where the people are, everything's getting hammered, and naturally that's where most of us are too.
But it was also a proper shitty wet late autumn and winter. And I think not much in the way of wind this winter which usually helps dry stuff out
Aye me. Living in the middle of a city, I have to cycle quite far to even get off-road and what there is is not exactly exciting.
Having been off work since March 2020, I am sick to death of my local area. Did get a couple of nice long bikepacking trips in in summer though - really want to get back on that again!
Loads on the doorstep but its all slop (chance it'll be frozen ice/snow this weekend though) So local solo's are pretty boring at the moment. Still, Keeps the legs spinning!
it's the fish nor fowl weather endless wet/damp between 1 and 5 degrees getting me down had a few days of semi frost last week, nothing on the horizon slightly warmer but rain forecast every day for 2 weeks.