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It's not so much the state of the trails that is getting to me, its the fact there's no sign of any let up. Next two weeks forecast has maybe 3 days without rain, and the others are mix of light rain, heavy rain, sleet and hail. FFS.
Was hoping to do my first commute of the year to work tomorrow but forecast suggests it's not a great idea, and I need to take a lot of extra stuff in with me as I've been off this week. Looking at the work diary, tomorrow is probably the only day it could have happened. And the weekend looks like more stormy weather as well.
Been trying to be "glass half full" about this, not like my house has actually flooded or anything, but it's really pissing me right off now. Riding is how I deal with my anxiety and depression, and it's not helping at all.
Heavy snow here in County Durham this morning. Absolute chaos on the roads.
Right well its getting serious in our household. My wife is away the whole coming weekend and I need to entertain a 2.5 and 4.5year old who have already had the best part of a month indoors (yes we do welly walks etc... but only an hour or so until they are soaked, cold and grumpy).
Somehow I need to survive another weekend of terrible weather, this time alone with them....
Having been teetering on the brink for a while, the recent weather has probably pushed me to being a roadie long-term. Dry day = dry ride.
None of my mtb mates are interested in going out and the pita of muddy kit and maintaining the mtb just means I have no enthusiasm for it.
In previous winters we’ve had spells of lovely crisp, dry trails but this winter has just been sh1t.
Try working in rope access. 2 weeks and counting of struggling to get any work done due to the wind, with jobs piling up because of the damage it’s causing to buildings.
Cant really enjoy the forced down time that much either as the weather is so awful.
Got up early on Sunday to sneak a ride in. Didn't get to the end of the drive - seized jockey wheel, probably due to it being submerged on the last ride. Hopefully mech isn't bent, luck there was a thread on where to get Eagle replacement jockey wheels.
It must be bad, nobody bothered to start a "weekend pictures" thread this week 😮
I got fed up of letting the weather dictate my ride so this week, rather than hide in the forest again, I did a loop from home and up a local hill. Winds of 20 gusting to 40 mph nearly had me in the ditch a few times, but it was sunny and I'm not dead, so all is good.
Even the dogs are rebelling, I had to drag our two around the walk this afternoon until I turned for home when they were 100ft in front.
Today's fun was patching a shed roof in the wind and rain.
I got so fed up with the wind at the weekend I made a video about it.
Having had my face ripped off by hail and wind the day before, and a forecast for sun and a light breeze on Sunday, I thought I'd finally lucked out. But then it blew a gale. And then it snowed. AAAAAAAAGH.
I've spent almost every day this month grinding into headwinds and pissing rain and it's really wearing thing. It feels like Strathpuffer training, except that's been and gone.
Another weekend, another Storm. Yet more howling wind,rain, sleet its ****ing pish,..February what **** of a month, I'm absolutely sick to the back teeth of it.
Been out a fair bit. Yesterday had all weathers on one hour. Very muddy and cold - under-dressed.
Shakedry jacket is helping but has to be wet enough to justify it.
Having to be creative with riding opportunities. Luckily I got ill early Feb so that meant some R&R.
To be honest generally the weather has been annoying but it has made me expect it so it's not been that much of a problem for me.
I only ride off-road and some tracks are better than others. You have to go for those.
Got a good cleaning routine, still takes time but that's important to your sanity.
Forests and regular tracks are the worst I ever seen them. I'm sure spring will suck things up.
It's around the corner now.
Last winter was so much more reasonable!
Pretty much been out riding every weekend since Christmas
The weather is a pain but id rather ride in crap weather than be sat indoors
Does help that i live pretty much as far south as you can get unless i jump on the Hovercraft to the I.O.W so our weather is normally no where near as bad as the rest of the UK
Rogate downhill, QECP blue trail, Longmoor army camp/Liss forest are all nearby and Surrey hills is an hour away, all are ridable all year round due to them being quite sandy or man made hard pack trails
Dont bother cleaning my kit after every ride any more, not until its really bad, the bike may get a 2 min hose off if its really bad
Even when the weather's so bad that i cant take my son to the park for a bike ride i chuck the car out of the garage and we have a play on his bike and my bmx in there or chuck the bikes in the car and head to an empty/closed under cover car park, grew up riding the bmx in these places in bad weather, great for practising wheelies, even better if its a closed multi story and there are a few of you, racing from top to bottom and back up is great fun and a good workout
Used to commute 100 miles a week, 48 weeks a year for 6 years on the road bike so have been out in all weathers so it doesn't bother me anymore
I try not to let anything get in the way of me going for a ride, only caveat is that if any family thing that comes up and there is no way to get a ride to fit around that family thing
its certainly the worst ive ever seen it. ive stopped riding most of my usual places in and around kent and the surrey hills as all the traffic is just wrecking them. its not exactly spectacular riding but Bedgebury of all places has ended up being probably the most ridable of all. just shows all the work they have put into it as 10 years ago it would have been miserable.
in order to maintain sanity ive invested in a Zwift setup which so far im enjoying. oh and a gravel bike is on the way as i came to the conclusion that while the trails are horrendous the fireroads are generally fine so at least ill be outside riding.
been an expensive winter, ive had to replace two sets of OEM wheels as they simply couldnt keep the mud out. 3 BB's, although to be fair they were press fit so to be expected, and a headset. oh and the Zwift and gravel bike!
It's been grim around Afan, trails were like streams yesterday, so much water coming off the hills. Wind is the killer. Shorty front and rear helps.
It’s been grim around Afan, trails were like streams yesterday,
The cycle path down by the Rhyslyn car park was knee deep in water yesterday.
Having finally risen from bed at the ridiculously late time for me of ~1015, I'm trying to work out if I'm simply SAD woolly in the head tired, or still Manflu19 tired like I've been since Weds.
Unbelievably, it's not raining in East Southampton for a recent change and actually looks quite nice outside, albeit there is a gentler breeze than the last few days making the "feels like" temp approx +4C.
Getting crazy ideas about a gentle ride outside! 😮
Short beginners club ride today, first club ride since crashing back in June, last few months weather related rather than injury related.
Blowing a hoolie, but bright sunshine, roads drying out, though still run off from the fields.
Shame we had to take the hilly option, the flat river roads are still under water
It’s been grim around Afan, trails were like streams yesterday,
The cycle path down by the Rhyslyn car park was knee deep in water yesterday.
And here I am in Lancs thinking about an old-school South Wales trail centre weekend just to get access to some firm trails.
Back to the drawing board then.
So much standing water near me, a lot of the trails just aren't worth it. But the weekend has brought a good chunk of sun alongside the snow and rain, so I'm getting by.
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I will admit that the wind is starting to get tiresome. Got sideswiped off the trail into a bog twice in 100 yards today. Lots of water on the trails, too, felt tough today.
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I went for an impromptu run near Inverness today. The trails looked lovely, all covered in snow, but it was soft and boggy under. I got very, very wet feet, trudging through ankle-deep, icy puddles. Quite enjoyable though and a lot less cleaning up than taking a bike out in it.
As I suspect many have said, rain is fine, cold is all good too, but wind, wind is a different beast altogether.
Did a 5 mile running race this morning and I've not know a variation in pace like it. a 6:04 minute mile going down hill with a tail wind was followed by a 7:15 going the other way. Equal perceived effort for both.
but wind, wind is a different beast altogether.
Get used to it - it will be a very obvious by-product of the oceans warming.
As above; rain is tolerable, and so is cold - with modern clothing it's not too much of a problem. In fact, when its cold and crisp, and blue skies, it can be genuinely a pleasure out on the bike.
However, wind is just relentless. I can put up with a breeze, and even a bit of wind, as it toughens you up. But the recent 'storms' are another matter.
It's bad enough in perfect conditions riding on the road - but in these winds, its just a 'no no'. You do see some people still riding, but getting blown all over the road isn't clever; sometimes its better to not bother.
In fact, I've taken to walking for about 45 mins a few times a week after evening to get some exercise while this garbage weather carries on.
Is it too soon to ressurect this thread????
Venting?
Don't open the window - you'll let the weather in!!!
I've just turned my calendar forward to October so I feel less disappointed about it. Knee warmers in July?!
Even the weather on Ventoux summit looks barely better than Southampton, definite autumn feel in early July FFS.
Holy thread resurrection Batman.
If only I'd seen this thread last Monday I could have vented about the stifling, 41°C heat and no breeze but that was last week and it's now a much more pleasant 25°C.
There hasn't been any rain for at least the last two weeks and the trails are getting pounded into dust though, so can you send some of your rain my way?😃
Winter tyres ready to go back on the xc bike. Probably going out on the road bike tomorrow. Or the turbo. Don't mind riding in the mud in winter bug not now.
😡