[Closed] Weekend rides 29th/30th

We are all dropping like flies at the moment ..

Took a call from Jaco ..who has been nursing a swollen knee ..which got worse overnight ..appointment made at quacks for Tuesday..

So just the three of us for a Kielder mash up ..but not before calling in to see Ian in the Bike Place who was fresh back from a torrid time ( weather wise ) in the Torridon region ..

The idea was to mix up most of the best bits of Lonesome Pine / Deadwater & The Osprey Trail ..which had to be cut short when I fell off the side of the trail on the " all along the watchtower "section  ...my head bringing me to a halt on a large rock ( helmet saved something much worse) ..while my hip took the worst of it ..

A few pics of Dave & Jean ..first of all on the start of Skydive ( Lonesome Pine ) and then on 3Dog Climb ( Deadwater ) ..enjoyed what we did though !

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/43177487080/ ]20180929_122831[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/43177487120/ ]20180929_122836[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/44940800752/ ]20180929_130026[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/44940800632/ ]20180929_130031[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/44078068855/ ]20180929_130038[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/ ]Neil Hodgson[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/44265097874/ ]2018-09-29_11-17-16[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]

Greenham common for a short one while waiting for my lad. Was better than I expected!

Thursday we had a days uplifting with Finale Freeride doing some of the trails further inland that we haven't done before. Just under 10,000 metres decent.

Spent yesterday riding between the stages for tomorrows race to try and find some good viewing points

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Had another 8 hours guiding today, again mostly on new trails with Finale Freeride.

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Tomorrow will be watching the riders on stages 3 and 4

Today has been a 70 mile road ride around the Cotswolds. What a glorious day for it. I was in bib shorts and a short sleeve jersey. Even the gilet had to come off.

Spent part of today finally sorting out a long standing tubeless problem with the Krampus. It holds air. Yay!

So tomorrow I've got a nice big day out round East Devon planned. Lots of singletrack and lots of hidden little byways 😎 been a nice week so should be nice a dry still.

Short purbeck loop for me, first bikeday away from the family since #2 was born (17months!) Stunning day and my mate was chased by a trail pheasent.  Brilliant.

Took some of my FLAB group for a 22 mile spin along the flat section of the High Peak Trail from Middleton Top to Parsley Haye and back - four new people out with us, nice gentle pace, glorious weather, lots of chatter and laughter, positive feedback for the ride and the group, perfect day.

Riding there and back, starting as the sun came over the horizon and the temperature was showing as 0, made it a much more entertaining 65 mile day - turns out that 34-32 is not a great bottom gear for getting me and all my ride leader kit up Sheep Pasture Incline!

Here's Mr TW enjoying perfect conditions in the Peak District.  I fell off on what, I think is the Beast descent 😭

Off to the seaside tomorrow, so my usual Sunday morning ride happened on Saturday afternoon. What a glorious sun-dappled day in the woods. Lots of freshly bloomed Daisies around.

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65km circuit round Windermere on the road bike for me today. Gummers How was an unexpected beast of a climb and I screwed up my route planning so did about 10 unnecessary km. However, otherwise a lovely few hours on the bike.

Up early for the start of the race. 52k and 1800m of climbing. Its hot already

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Watched Abigale set off and then had a pedal on the flat for coffee. Going to be a long day

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Friday night quick blat round local woods chasing the summer

Saturday night I had the idea to go cycle the Jacob's ladder loop at Twilight, god knows why.

As dark fell I hadn't quite reached the top yet and started getting a bit anxious, just a teeny bit... in the middle of  no-where at night with only a worm line on my gpx..I had parked at the bottom of Rushup Edge so I still had to get up the side of Mam Tor & then up to Rushup edge and then up a bit more before descending back down to the car. Off in the distance a wolf howled ..... 'stick to the roads lads, keep clear of the moors'

got back to the car at 10pm, loved it, it's all about the sensation & experience.

That's lovely Jekyll. Yesterday was definitely the day to be out and about, unfortunately I needed to sort out a hideous suspension squeak so had to have a drizzly blat around a local loop near Bolton Abbey today. At least the bike was lovely and silent (except for a new problem which is making my chain rattle about..)

Saturday I did a 175km road ride with 2800m of ascent, a bit tiring in the "gentle breeze".

The Forest of Bowland is somewhat lacking in bridleways, there's Salter Road across the northern part and a small smattering or lines near to Dunsop Bridge. The latter have a bit of a reputation for being boggy so I thought I'd see if the effects of the dry summer had managed to last until now. Time for the fat bike :-bd I'd fitted some Jones Riser Loop bars so needed to check they were OK.

From Dunsop Bridge there's a tarmac estate/farm track leading in to a couple of hidden valleys each with a farm. A quick detour into the right hand valley to pick up a VV Explorer square then up the left hand valley to the first of the big climbs. It begins steeply up a rough farm track which eases as height is gained. Just because the angle is easier doesn't mean the riding is any easier, the track ends and it's a case of crossing a boggy field, just really draggy. Once through a gate there's a flattish area of rushes - the fat bike made this bit somewhat easier, all rideable. The descent is steep and drops straight to the farm in the previously mentioned RH valley.

On the first climb at the top of the track and before the boggy stuff started.

No time to rest as the next climb begins in a couple of hundred metres, it's unrelenting though I have to stop to let a couple of quad bikes through. I don't think I've spent so long in bottom gear 😯 The upper part of the climb is across the moor and mostly a push.

At the top of the big climb there was a small Christmas tree to lean my bike against 😕 The previous climb came over by the light green fields in the centre distance of the shot.

Everything is a bit vague on the tops but apart from the occasional ditch it's all rideable. At one point I thought I'd lost the bridleway as the marker posts all mentioned "footpath". It wasn't until I got to a gateway and this sign that I knew I'd been right.

The descent dropped down the right hand skyline via what I assume is an old turbary road, very fast but with some deep and hidden erosion slots so you needed to take care. Apart from a couple of short bogs it's pretty dry and unlikely to get boggy, it just needs a more weather proof means of getting to it.

Then it was just back along the road to the start. I got a few odd looks at the fat bike from the masses of road cyclists heading the other way on a charity ride 😀

First time on the bike and it didn't hurt since I skillz failed while thinking I could learn to manual.... nothing crazy, but loved getting out there.

Love seeing these posts each week.

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Gravel out in the Peak, running a bit late and the weather was closing in so didn't get the run up the broken road and down to Edale in. Just warming up on the train back now!

After a week off with plenty of local rides in, this weekend has only seen the commute to and from last nights night shift, with tonight's to come 😕 however it was the maiden voyage for my new commuter, and a very pleasant one it was too. The tubless 28mm Hutchinson's which gave me some grief getting sorted are fine and super comfy. This year's Claris seems outrageously good for such lowend kit, and my £20 Chinese carbon seatpost didn't kill me to death 😁 bring on the wet months!!

Very cool to see everyone. Tracy after my trip in May i am very jealous of Finale. Paradise. Hope the new trails were good?

My local bike park in åre has had a fair few cms of snow, so we drove 3 hours south to Järvsö, a grand little park in  mid sweden. 12c and sun with tacky dirt. Spot the rider that went a little 'vilse'

Bivi out on Derwen****er after an early evening loop around Borrowdale . Today consisted of taking my bike fro walk up Greenup Edge

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[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1912/44106398365_4189e6624d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1912/44106398365_4189e6624d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2acwPAe ]42868662_10156864214336474_8145722505579986944_o[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

I asked the boy what he wanted to do this weekend and he answered, as quick as a flash, with one word: "hills"

We'd agreed that this weekend would be road rather than MTB or gravel, so our route went into the dales - starting at Grassington, heading North to Buckden, fork right over Kidstones to Aysgarth, backtrack to Askrigg and then head North over Oxnop. A bite to eat and then over Buttertubs to Hawes and finish the day with Fleet Moss and the long descent down upper Wharfdale back to the car.

5 hours, 60 miles, 6000ft, four big climbs, two more knocked off from the top 100 list and a general air of satisfaction in a quality day's ride out in the dales. And yes, we were both pretty exhausted by the end!