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Is it too early for a WRPT?
No, I didn't think so either ...
Met a mate pre work/pre jobs for a quick local ride on the SS HTs. Decided to try wrestling them up 6 local techy climbs that I've never attempted before on the SS (although he has, with mixed success)
Techy climbs 6 : SS Wrestling O.
Trails in decent shape around Leeds, some still a bit frozen from the frost we had Weds night/yesterday, and not too muddy elsewhere.
Can't wait for a gruelling trudge through the sludge. I'm anticipating level 5 sludgeageddon.
Shockingly, here in Belfast, we’ve had a couple of dry days. And even saw the sun. Just typical then that back pain has stopped me doing hardly any riding!
No riding here for a few weeks. On crutches following an off on ice.
It's never too early for a WRPT.
Mrsstu's day off so headed over to Golfie.
Was actually pretty dry for January.
Though rather dark in the trees on the upper trails.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54271707330/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54270398202/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54271526703/in/photostream/
Sludge what sludge ? Quantocks trails are absolutely mint , best they've been all Winter.
Gravel for lunch. Sun came out a bit
Prime conditions in Aberdeenshire. Rode at Craig of Dalfro, close to Banchory, and the trails were bone dry.
Made the rookie error of pausing my Garmin at the top of the hill and forgetting to start it again for the descent. An extra 500ft of climbing, to repeat the descent, never hurts ?
Can't wait to go out tomorrow.
Tried to ride, but my back pain meant I had to retreat home via the fire road. Bummer. But it’s a beautiful day, so I took the dog for a walk and did some trail maintenance.
Hmmm. My photos suddenly stopped uploading, and it’s telling me they’re too large. But I haven’t done anything different than any other time.
Hoping to go tomorrow, my necks siezed after work today in a low basement. Fingers crossed!
Been a reasonably dry week here. Decided to revisit some tracks from my new years day ride. Lots of motorbike and 4x4 stuff.
Still lots of bog around and unfortunately I got in a group of moto enduro riders through one section and caught a proper face full of mud. Smelt terrible and cleared some space around me at the cafe.
Still a bit of snow in places up Darwen tower. Good ride but the wind was biting.
Had to cancel on my group ride today as the lurgy I thought had gone has returned.
Felt slightly better when the cold and flu tablets kicked in so did a quick 30KM back lanes spin round with Mrsstu.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54273228993/in/dateposted/
Not much slop in Chopwell. For a change.
Looking for help - I’ve tried uploading my photos, but can’t. I’ve changed nothing in my phone settings (Samsung phone). But where my photos were previously around 5MB, but apparently they’re now 15-17MB and too large to upload on here. My photos go from my phone to Google photos, then down to my iPad and then onto here.
What could have changed? I don’t see anywhere on the phone or on Google Photos to change the size of the photos before I download them to iPad.
Not quite the sludgefest I anticipated, only 3/5 on the sludgeometer. Snow and ice all gone but bitterly cold. A relief to get home and restore feeling in my toes.
Seem, fingers crossed, to be recovering from a lengthy chesty bug that floored me for the first half of December and the first 10 days of January, so two rides in two days. Road ride yesterday to test the legs and then hardtail today. Pretty cold and bleak calderdale winter weather really, but no rain!
No sludge on Exmoor trails are mint.
No sludge here in this bit of West Yorks.
Verging on summer trail conditions:-)
Way less sludge than i had feared. Actually really good trails here in Dunblane.
not been riding much for the last few weeks between illness, knee pain and weather. Got the Kids out for a wee 14 mile loop with a stop off at Greggs. Best thing about taking the two of them out is the sibling rivalry.
Managed to meet up with TJ on his NZ adventure to ride some of the Waikato river trails . First time I'd managed to actually get the gravel bike off road and I loved it .keen for some more now . 
Don't care about sludge - just joy that this is the first time since August that I've been able to contribute to one of these threads. Only 15km of easy surfaces but it's a start. Still only about 50% grip strength in the right hand so anything bumpy is a challenge, especially if braking is required at the same time! Absolutely no fitness, but that will come back with time. Just great to be out on the bike again.
Excellent conditions in the Wye Valley for a friends birthday ride. Apart from a couple of fetid, boggy streams we found just to remind ourselves it was winter! Blooming chilly tho. Photo my mate Trusty's phone. Expression on my face based on the excitement of the previous 2 minutes on this trail!
Spent the morning chasing the boy at Glentress, I think this will be how it is from now on.
@stevenmenmuir that's how I ended up doing myself an injury, trying to keep up with my teenager on the bike, I keep telling him there's 40 years between us so I am bound to be a bit slower! :-/
Urban coast to coast here: Kelpie's in Falkirk to Glasgow via the canal. 3*c, grey, and urban. But hey a nice wee spin and we can say we've done it...
First proper leg stretcher of the year... From the door, trail mainly with some Enduro bits thrown in.
Very grey and Januaryish but that also kept the punters at home - so it was very quiet even in the cheekiest spots that I wouldn't normally ride on a Sunday.
...And.... first proper bonk for ages!
Didn't eat enough and also I've not done a proper long ride since maybe September. Turns out I didn't hallucinate the pink life size gravy loving dinosaur after all.
Trails were in way, way better condition than they have any right to be. Top ride!
Ive eaten 2 fish finger butties, 1 pbj butty, a banana, and some protein shake. Lying on the sofa feeling a bit weird now, trying to work out if I have the physical capacity to wash my bike
He was trying to talk me into doing a drop that I have a strange aversion to doing.
Nice ride Friday
Todays ride i hit a couple soft bridleways and ground to a holt at one point. But that’s the price of trying new trails in winter. But i made it down to Barton and had a snack on the bench.
A day for giving back today , joined other Sustrans volunteers clearing part of our local NCN route .
Verrrrry silly route today, planned on the basis of picking off as much singletrack as I could find in a small radius around Larbert.
Turned out to be some absolute gold out there, and ably spurred on by didn'thurt right on my back wheel or showing me how in front at all times we had a proper thrash on the CX bikes, with only one minor tree interaction to show for it 🙄
Some glorious trails though, especially in Plean country park, shame GoPro was being a dick and didn't get any photos of the good bits, just the little bit of riverside trail that had been taunting me for years from the train window on my commute!
Also: I assume everyone else uses family walks to sneakily recce new trails? 😆
The only photo I took on today's ride....blackberry and orange cake
Cold day at the Golfie but good trail conditions and views.
Borderline hero dirt at Ross today so the trails were mint.
Steeper than it looks, honest...
