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*tannoy voice* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE HAVE PEAK CONDITIONS I REPEAT WE HAVE PEAK CONDITIONS.
Sunshine. Temps in the late teens. Dusty trails. Sunset after 9. Undergrowth far from peak height. Get on it! 🚲😍😎👌
Afternoon off work yesterday saw me skirt the Macc forest boundary to ride over to the Goyt Valley and back. Riding back up to the Cat n fiddle some people were doing a sexy photo shoot. A ladies in her 40s in a red basque stood up against a jeep! I did a polite 'woohoo' as I passed, very odd but funny. I didn't get any pictures of that....



Some of these spikey bad boys were bigger than your head!
Have a good weekend all ☀️🤩👌
Currently NOT riding due to raging arse crack fungal infection.
raging arse crack fungal infection
Best punk band name ever.
Thank God you didn't follow the full instructions in the thread title, is all I can say. 🙂
I'm on child ferrying duty today, hopefully a decent length Lakes ride tomorrow, so here's a pic from a day or so ago.

The Border Ridge in The Cheviots today ..pics to follow .
Too much info MTM..although I would have to agree it's a great name for a punk band ..
Spread that caneston on thick but don't sit on any leather sofas ..you will slide straight off
will take kids out for a pedal round local park.
Sole responsibility for the small boy today so heading to Thetford to see if I can get the trailer round some singletrack without too many crashes. Should be amusing, any incidents will not be being reported to his mother
Prescription anti fungal tablets and a barrier cream marked highly flammable (with my farts, it’s a matter of when, not if)
Doing the FOD Wild Boar tomorrow with two riding buddies. Won't be hard but a day on the bike with good company in good weather and a good atmosphere is never to be turned down!
I've go the next 11 days off and the weather is forecast to be great nearly all the way to the end. I will be riding as much as I can.
Ming ...( aptly named given your current condition )
Cool ..( or not as the case may be )
Emergency services on speed dial I presume 😁
Heading from Galloway to Aviemore now for a week of biking, weather forecast looks pretty decent so all is good.
Resting on ferry after ten extraordinary days on the tandem en France, bagged Mrs db's first +1000m cols and managed about 850miles in total despite the weather being err inclement at times.
Currently hiding behind reclining seats avoiding the wedding footage.
Scottish Enduro Series at Inners. Bonkers hot and dry. Just finished practice. Time for a cold beer!
Completely lazy day today, well I did sort out the bike for next weekend's HT550. The bottom bracket had fubarred (press-fit I'm looking at you) last weekend on the JennRide so new Hope BB fitted by Stu Rider then fitted new tyres and sorted out the bags. Will need to do a couple of quick rides to make sure the tyres/sealant are OK.
Rode over Cleeve Hill this morning, Bone dry even the bits that don't normally dry out.
Still not entirely fixed after my big crash, now 4 weeks ago. Ribs still hurt in the morning after lying down all night, or when exerting myself (no, not like that..... 😉
Makes me think i might have actually done a wee bit more than bruise them?
Black Mountain trails are running the best they have ever done. Fantastic riding out there to be had. WQe did over 33 km just on our normal wednesday evening ride the other day. Snuck out for a 2 hour ride with a couple of mates this morning over Llangorse way. Almost a shame to be heading off to Spain tomorrow 🙁
Out for a fast 50 mile yesterday along lake Geneva.

Out out for a slower 50 mile spin today along the vineyards on the swiss/ French boarder.
Big storm came in over the Jura mountains so I got soaked.
check out the eagles in the sky. It’s a breeding area and there are hundreds there at the mo.

Eagles

More eagles



Tomorrow I'm heading down south for the Leisure Lakes 417 bike park demo day, never done a demo day before so should be a laugh!
Mint ride in the Cotswolds today around Snowshill. Hot and dusty.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/963/28342486108_aa6e79cc33_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/963/28342486108_aa6e79cc33_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/KbwDFA ]Snowshill Cotswolds loop. May 2018[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/831/28342492798_a540e37dbb_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/831/28342492798_a540e37dbb_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/KbwFEW ]Snowshill Cotswolds loop. May 2018[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr
It;s all very surreal, im really not used to riding this 'hot and dusty' stuff, my front wheel washed out twice and i've hurt my thumb.
AN absolutely shocking image of my mate catching his breath ,not from the climb but in awe of how dry Cutgate was
Never been seen in such a fantastic manner ,like Blackpool sea front up there today loads of riders 
Been really enjoying a few short after work rides lately, and my weekends start on Thursday eve... so here's the latest 'weekend' pic... I nearly always stop here to enjoy the view.. and tonight some hippies were enjoying a smoke... I had to move so I was no longer downwind of them
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/980/40409461570_0d512a3660_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/980/40409461570_0d512a3660_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/24yR45E ]St Martha's[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/123339003@N04/ ]LittleNose[/url]
Loving the trails at the moment !
Spin to the shops to pop the MoBike cherry then off up the canal, turns out some bits might not be for riding bike 🙂
https://www.strava.com/activities/1582427042
and tuns out flat is damm hard work
The Cheviots had their best face showing today ..hot , dry dusty .sunny ...and totally knackering ..
Great day with friends..but boy my legs are feeling it now ..more to do with not enough fluid taken on board rather than the pace of the ride which was leisurely to say the least ( two naps in the sun & a cool down plodge in crystal clear burn near the end )
This had the potential to go wrong very early in the ride ..
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/42214714391/ ]20180519_110034[/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]
Start of the climb up to the Border Ridge from Blindburn
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/41314468675/ ]20180519_114617[/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]
Russell zonked ...this is his third tough ride of the week stepping things up before his trip to the Pyrenees ..clocking up well over 100kms by the end
This is Yearning Saddle refuge hut at Lamb Hill ..step over the fence behind and you are in Scotland
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/42168696972/ ]20180519_131018[/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]
Riding along the ridge there is literally miles of these uneven flagstones airlifted in to repair the erosion on what is a long section of The Pennine Way
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/42168700192/ ]20180519_154007[/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]
One of my favourite sections of singletrack anywhere ..following the Usway Burn back down to Shillmoor where we parked the cars
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/156204930@N03/41314477215/ ]20180519_161320[/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]
A well deserved pint followed in Alwinton ..
Cheers all !
Roverpig ..yeah the FA cup final but that was later in the day ..maybe folks were getting tanked up hours before hand ..?
😉😁
Oh yes, I saw that Celtic managed to beat the mighty Motherwell and extend one party rule in Scottish football for another season. That must have been it 🙂
Yesterday loop 3 Minarour at Coed Y Brenin then over to the Tawr Du then loop 2 on Minatour.
Longest distance ride of the year and indeed for many many many months due to injury and time.
Lovely day for it 21 odd miles and it was so quiet out too .

Did a loop round Darwen Tower, Holcombe tower and Rivington Pike yesterday, lovely weather and perfectly dry trails
Jubilee Tower

Peel Tower

Rivington Pike

Just about to set off for a ride round Gorple-Hebden.
85 miler on the road bike yesterday, last training ride before the Tour of Wessex next weekend. No ****ing idea why I signed up for it. I'm sick of road riding it's dull and it hurts. Can't wait til it's done so I can get the mtb's out again!
Did a classic loop round Holmbury and Leith hills. A cracking morning!
edit: I give up trying to embed on here!
A quick loop from home picking up a few bridleways that I'd never done before including one that led me starting a thread about the nearest BW that you'd never ridden. And very nice and pleasant it was too 🙂 One of the other BWs benefited from the dry weather as it's a bit boggy otherwise. 24km and 600 metres of ascent.
A short pootle this morning which is now DRY! Yahoo!
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/976/27358592827_595c817f9c_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/976/27358592827_595c817f9c_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/HFzWuk ]2018-05-20_12-50-36[/url]
Brilliant riding week-end , and it is bank holiday tomorrow this side of the Channel .
No pics but just got back from a 2hr, 23 mile base mile training session following river the whole way then turning back, easy peasy. Going to try and fit in 2/3 of these per week with a longer one at the weekend.
Steady ride round Gorple and Widdup. Rode all the normally boggy sheep tracks which are now bone dry.


Fantastic 103 mile road ride yesterday on fairly quiet roads, enough (just!) left in the legs for a cheeky 25 mile TT this morning, winning a share of the team prize. Have mainly been sitting down with my legs up this afternoon!
Gorrick hot one/Skedaddle/Test Valley Tour complete, no chance of embedding photos here.
I took a different kind of camera out with me today. An SJ4000 (Clone I think), and it really ddin't render the 4K settings well.
Thsi is 4 mins long if you're intrested, and is about 17 miles worth of Bedfordshire. If you do watch it, bear in mind the camera is over a metre above the ground!
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Friday, knocked off work a little early and managed to squeeze in a 36 mile road blast before my best mate arrived for a visit. No photos for that.
This morning was just shy of 20 mile MTB round the very dry Wyre Forest, followed by a pub lunch and a lovely ice cream. Fab day, may the week continue to be the same!
Had a lovely steady 30 mile road ride with the mrs and friends yesterday. Drove up to Lakes this morning and did a nice ride around Coniston which took in one of my favourites Parkamoor. The Bash tomorrow, can't wait.
martinhutch, you weren't around the Coniston today were you? Saw someone on a very similar Cotic?

martinhutch, you weren’t around the Coniston today were you? Saw someone on a very similar Cotic?
Aye, that would be me.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1584801882/
Which particular bit was I glumly pushing up when you saw me? 🙂
Cut gate today. I was worried it would be very busy but it was fine. Not much left of the bog of doom, though I still didn't dare test how deep it is.


20 miles around kinver this afternoon, then a couple of pints after =happy days
A couple of local(ish) rides , prime dusty trails 👍🏻😀
Many thanks to whoever fixed the borked Instagram linking 👍🏻
Just spent a couple of months off with a Rotator Cuff injury so now starting to take tentative rides out on the bouncy bike, glorious 30+ weather with dusty trails, pity the creepy crawlies are starting to appear in mass.




The weekend was something like this:
Pre-wedding rounders and beerio's on Friday night....

Loch Archray paddle and sunbathe (after realising the new car clashes with the boats - new boats needed, obvs)
:


Then this happened to another forumite - can you spot any more STW regulars?


Sunday of course had a fair old bit of this on a local ride.

(Summer tyres on!)

Is that a kilted Slush?
maybe....
Kilted floss not shown...
Top marks, got to love wedding dancing!
MY weekend consisted of 60km or so on Saturday with plenty of messing about in the woods and getting slightly lost over Goring/Mapledurham way. Couple of PRs on strava which is always nice.
Sunday i persuaded Mrs Weeksy to ride for the first time in 3 years ! She managed a hilly 15km and did brilliantly ! Really impressed she got up a couple of hills.
In the afternoon i installed Strava on my boys Android phone and he set about putting some times down... Crazy fella that's for sure 🙂 We did a nice 15km again, but this time it had a pub stop.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/827/41527358224_40797a9fce_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/827/41527358224_40797a9fce_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/26gCyNU ]2018-05-21_08-12-25[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
Holy Moly Martin H... thats a beast of a day out. fair play.
Quick local blast for me last night after recovering from a Jolly Boys day out in York on Saturday.
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/953/40441373200_e499259746_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/953/40441373200_e499259746_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/24BEBib ]20180520_202805[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave-lowe/ ]Dave Lowe[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/826/27378151817_9527605107_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/826/27378151817_9527605107_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/HHjbGi ]20180520_201652[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave-lowe/ ]Dave Lowe[/url], on Flickr
Holy Moly Martin H… thats a beast of a day out. fair play.
Cheers..but not really when you look at some of the Jennride numbers!
It's pretty much the same route with some significant bits knocked off. Mainly the two big up and overs. 🙂
I'm in awe of anyone who managed this year's full route as a one-er. I was pretty toasted at the end of that.
The words "unmitigated disaster" get thrown around with gay abandon these days... but still, my weekend was in all tangible respected an unmitigated disaster.
My Mate has been talking about riding Snowdon for years, every winter he reminds me of the embargo, we talk over the logistics, we watch Youtube videos, I sort of agree, but it never happens - brilliant.
This year was different, I vowed that during the Summer I wouldn't visit Afan, BPW or Cwmcarn to ride the 'normal stuff' - they're our usual stomping ground, we go every weekend, it's not boring, but it's the norm so I came up with a list of other stuff to do, and he tagged on Snowdon drat.
So we drove for 4 hours, shoved up the mountain for 3 hours, missed the cafe by 10 mins, and came down the Ranger trail - all fun yeah?
Nope, firstly, chatting to one of the dozens of people we talked to, they mention that the rangers trail doesn't end Llanberis (where we parked), but miles down the road, no ideal, BUT we were in luck, if we rode some of it, turned right we'd ride the Telegraph trail that did!
We set off, because it was beyond dry I'm told the trail was looser than ever and it's pretty bloody loose the rest of the time, frankly I was out of my depth, stones the side of golf balls, cats, dogs, fridges and cars, some move, some don't. The bike is doing 0-40mph in about a bike length so I'm dragging brake and they're complaining, body and bike getting a bettering and blind drops, some a few inches, some, about 5ft. I'm not sure if you could learn it given how long it takes to get up and how long it is, but blind I was riding about 100m at best, and either tripoding or walking because it was all getting a bit much.
Just as the rocks end we see a right turn, which sort of looks like the point the chap said, we push up, there's a stile! We cross it, there's a trail! it's about 10cm wide, hanging on the side of a big drop, and it's covered in rocks, fun times, we ride it just long enough to make going back impractical, but far enough to find the peat bog.
Mate sees a 'puddle' "be careful, it's a bit wet" I laugh, it's 25c and bone dry, front wheel finds the puddle, I laugh as the state of him, the 'puddle' swallows the front of my bike whole, OTB, cracked helmet visor.
Yeah, we've gone the wrong way, we've followed a sheep track into a valley floor that's basically a peat bog, jobs ****ed, best get out of trouble. Se we agreed to try to head towards a local farmhouse 'as the crow flies' as we saw it on the way up and there's a road. got stuck a few more times, tore my shorts on a barbed wire fence, crossed a steam, climbing a dry stone wall (without damaging it) found some farmers back garden, waved at the chap stood there, who walked away (to get the double barrel we assumed) found the road, rode it, rode the last few KMs of the Llanberis Path, the tarmac bit, had a beer, changed, got in the van drove home, arrived at 1am not 10pm as promised woke the wife.
But, despite all that, I really enjoyed it. Shit ride, good day.
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lol Pjay, great story. Why didn't you take the garmin? or don't you have one?
lol @p-jay - that's exactly the same thing I did first time I rode Snowdon. Including the bog!
Best way is to start at bottom of rangers, go up to telegraph, down into planners, up to summit and back all the way down rangers.
Back before 10am at this time of year, of course...
Thanks @P-Jay - I've had so many rides like that, pushing up a mountain just to push back down because I'm too much of a wimp to ride it, then beating myself up about it. Glad you managed to extract some fun and a good story from the day at least.
Best way is to start at bottom of rangers, go up to telegraph, down into planners, up to summit and back all the way down rangers.
Back before 10am at this time of year, of course…
To prevent a super early start, wonder if there's another shortish loop you can do out of Llanberis to pass the time before 3pm or so before you start pushing back up?
You could just sit in Pete's for a few hours, but that might make the push a bit more challenging.
lol Pjay, great story. Why didn’t you take the garmin? or don’t you have one?
Dont have one, the downside of living in the middle of endless TC choice is I rarely need to navigate. Tried to use Strava and Google Maps on my phone, great signal at the top strangely, but Strava didn’t show sections bar the top of Rangers and Llanberis.
If I go again I’ll stay overnight, ride Coed one day and Snowdon the other in the morning rather than evening.
For ride for me in aaaaaaages as life has been getting in the way.
Took mt eldest up tot Sherwood Pines for a ride and as an added bonus there was PedalFest there this weekend, with music, trials shows etc.
Trails were DUSTY.




Desperately wanted to get out on the bike over the weekend, but real life got in the way. So headed out early this morning, as far as I'm concerned, it's still the weekend till I pitch up at the office...

What a stunner of a morning, Red Kits, Barn Owls, the works. Then the rear tyre deflated...

Couldn't for the life of me find the puncture, no sealant evident, so pumped up and tried to continue.

I finally found a cut in the sidewall, it wouldn't seal, so a messy 15 minutes ensued as I tried to get an inner tube in and get it inflated. That sealant sure is slippery and a Topeak Race Rocket pump sure is tiny... 🤬

Couldn't enjoy the rest of the ride as much as I wanted, as I had to be hone to wave daughter off on her week long school residential trip. 🤦♂️
It's Cambridge Beer Festival this week, so I doubt I'll be out on the bike till next week now. If anyone on here is going, drop by the Foreign and Bottled Beer Bar and say hello...















