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My weekend starts Friday ... No riding Saturday or Sunday as Mrs HTO is working and I've got the kids ...
60km snow (ish) ride on the gravel bike ... Ace stuff.
Prime piste conditions this afternoon. Just enough snow to be proper, but not hard work. Despite only getting out at 1 still laid the first tracks of the day.
Mine started well in the snow but went downhill fast once it started to thaw and turned it into a mudfest
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Making the most of the snow
As much snow as we could muster on a quick Friday night bash in the East Midlands...
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Amazingly the snow's still here
Went for a ride up from Hetton, over Boss and Threshfield Moors, on to Mastiles Lane then back via Weets Top. Very few people out - apart from dog walkers on the lane out of Hetton the only person I met was the farmer from Lee Gate Farm as I was turning off Mastiles. There were three other MTBers a few minutes behind me who I saw in the distance but they didn't catch up (actually they did a shortcut to Weets so were then in the distance in front of me)
Lovely ride round Bestwood Country Park this morning
Just a quick loop over Barden. The snow and temperatures actually made the toughest climb easier!
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4845/46045148515_9dc768f1d6_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4845/46045148515_9dc768f1d6_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2d9RqsX ]IMG_20190202_135652[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/155851253@N05/ ]Martin Hutchinson[/url], on Flickr
@martinhutch - I take it you rode up from Rylstone? The sun probably hadn't got to work on that side by then - the lane above Hetton was fine at 0900 but by the time I returned at 1130 it was getting stripped of snow and a bit damp.
Yes, lovely hard-packed snow all the way with all the loose stuff still frozen into place. Helped that a few riders had clearly been up it before I got there.
Last nights bivi back out tonight đŸ™‚
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4907/46046064075_3846474886_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4907/46046064075_3846474886_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2d9W7Ct ]51157277_10157166039756474_2260940466163810304_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7877/46046064265_6e62631ba3_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7877/46046064265_6e62631ba3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2d9W7FK ]51697114_10157166040366474_6878095936464093184_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
This morning in the local woods, just above 0 degrees C. I forgot how fun but hard riding on snow is!
Once again out on the Gravel bike,I waited until the afternoon so most of the black ice on the roads should have thawed.
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I got a nice sunset on the Cheshire Lines trail
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Now it's time to hit the turbo trainer...
Seems to be snow everywhere else but here in the Midlands.
Beautiful frozen sunny Warwickshire blast today.. Conditions were amazing. So fast on the frozen ground and very little mud.
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4871/46960780111_65a341ec56_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4871/46960780111_65a341ec56_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2exLgQB ]Hay wood[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr
The ride was made even better because my ebiking mate ran out of batteries, and we all know how hilarious that is to witness...😂
Down (or is it up?) Glen Feshie (What, again? I hear you say!!!)
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4902/46046904105_5b09ccdff5_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4902/46046904105_5b09ccdff5_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2da1qkK ]P1050513[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/ ]Colin Cadden[/url], on Flickr
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[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4886/46236365234_3ddf6caa85_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4886/46236365234_3ddf6caa85_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2drKswW ]P1050535[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/ ]Colin Cadden[/url], on Flickr
Spin around Mugdock as i couldn't be arsed going further, conditions were primo!. Crunchy frozen rutty wonderland, with the only patches of ices confined to the forest paths, I don't think it was this dry during the summer.
First time i've been since the forestry work and its pretty savage mind
{EDIT: desperately need a new phone, my pictures are gash}
Definitely a good day for the fatties (and the XC skiers)
Stuck the "plus" tyres back on the Scale and went for a ride over the Gap today. First section from Talybont over to Dolygaer was great, really crisp and frozen, the south slope of the Gap was already thawing though and only the last 1/2 mile was still that real nice compact snow that makes it such a pleasure to ride. Coming down the North slope was fun though with quite deep snow and less compaction making for interesting riding conditions. All round, a great day out
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Absolutely outstanding pics lads, particularly roverpig.
Just the local loam for me, running fast, had a great ride.
Went out friday with a work buddy who's just started riding, 6 nations on saturday & the eldest one popped home for the weekend from uni, big family dinner last night & clearing the shed today. Living the rock n roll dream😜
Looking at the pics in the post has made me very jealous(no snow in East Anglia😢), so might talk to the wife about moving.....🤔
Can't get Google Photos to embed properly but cheeky night ride whilst the kids were out watching Wiz
https://ctrlq.org/google/photos/
Makes embedding Google Photos so easy, even I can do it (how Butser Hill won't look this weekend)...
what a glorious frosty morning to be out on a bike
dried up considerably in the last 5 days
next it's granddaughter time, lamb kofta in tomato sauce then walking to the pub for some beers and open mic evening later.
For once my weekend off coincided with beautiful crisp weather. Morning ride up Stoodley Pike..
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Days like these make the heart sing!
We went up on Cutgate from the Langsett end. Was great to cheer all the fell runners on as they came past on the way back. Had quite a few comments from them as we let them past regarding an idiot rider who apparently had forced some of them of the trail as he pushed passed them on the way down.
Trails were hard and fun. Had a couple of spills which were laughable and probably unavoidable.
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A quick loop around Malham Tarn with my wife before the rain arrived.
don't know if I can post a pic direct from FB
deepest Surrey - and this was about the best bit......
Snow was about 2-3 inches and where it had thawed and then refrozen / crusted over, it was hard work keeping the wheels moving anywhere there wasn't a track to follow. Added to which I was on the SS and so crusty snow on any inclines, made it like a big legs day in the gym. I was in tatters after 30km.
DH was still good though, even if steering was a bit point and hope in places.
@theotherjonv - riding in snow is all about tyre pressure (whether you are on a fat bike or not). We spent twenty or thirty minutes at the end of our ride messing around next to the car park on what is essentially flat ground letting more and more air out of our tyres to find the sweet spot.
Too much pressure in the front and the steering in snow becomes twitchy and prone to catching on whatever lies beneath. Too much pressure in the back and as soon as you come to a drift or softer snow you just dig yourself in - you can feel the back tyre acting as a sort of rasp as it buries itself.
Crusted snow is hard work/frustrating though, took me years to master skiing off-piste in it, whenever I've come across it on the fat bike I've treated it like I'm riding over egg shells.
Snowy Northumbria.
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Meanwhile in Wiltshire
ta- yep, I had an odd mix of pressures, about 20-25F vs 40 rear..... I'm not a gracious rider particularly on the SS where you have to whack over roots a bit keeping momentum and I have been prone to pinches in the past (I'm still on tubes, after all)
But even with low in the front, once the tyre was through the crust it was hard persuading it to change direction again!
Fun, but not in the normal way.
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Beautiful ride in County Durham this morning!
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7809/40008349303_887211bdb2_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7809/40008349303_887211bdb2_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/23XpfnV ]IMG_20190202_111243833_HDR[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
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[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7843/46248754314_e0b6d18494_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7843/46248754314_e0b6d18494_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2dsQXnL ]IMG_20190202_131214127[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
A day above the snow line, sun came out too!!
Friday night ride on my singlespeed
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Saturday - found crack in my singlespeed frame
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Sunday - 45miles on hard frozen dry trails, until last few miles when it had started to thaw. Mud clogged like mad has stripped some paint where its rubbed on chain stays. Pissed off.
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Sunday afternoon exploration of some new trails that one of our local builders has been scratching in. Ground a frustrating mix of frozen, fast and hard, and thawed, soggy and slippy.
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Well well, there is no snow down here, but me and the boy drive 20 mins north to Rogate and it’s like a winter wonderland! Very surprised.
Riding was good, except when we got stuck on a sandy/snowy steep bit and my feet went from under me actually kicking my bike straight into dezbjr!
Only pic taken
Weekends like this. Ace.
Local walk on Ochils Saturday.
Steep gnar at Thornylee, Tweed Valley, trying to keep up with some rather skilled teens on Sunday.
2nd Bivi/camp of the weekend unlike Friday night there was no wind which was bliss, brekkie in Coniston and did 35 miles in winter conditions and driving rain at the end
[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4913/46921121412_bdbaf84991_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4913/46921121412_bdbaf84991_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2eug1FW ]51596314_10218568461543246_5034487052926713856_n[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
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Caught this cheeky little monkey trailside today searching for grubs, didnt seem that bothered by me.
Last round of the NWCCA CX League for me and the boys.
Eldest had a blinder after crashing into his little brother, got back on and came 2nd to secure 3rd overall in the U8 league, top top it off Dame Sarah Storey presented him with his medal and spent a load of time talking to my 3 boys. Crash bandicoot had his usual wander round a Northern Urban Park.
I had a pretty good race in Vets too, which was a nice way to end the season
a wee spin up lundie craigs on saturday
