I am a lifelong mountain biker who rarely lacks motivation. I had always ridden bikes off road like most kids but in 1976 I bought a “scrambler” for 70 pence. This was a bike which was dedicated to off road use. In 1977 I added a homemade suspension fork. I used the front suspension unitsContinue reading “Why I’m writing this….”
Full steam ahead.
I’m trying to train harder since I realised that I’ve allowed my fitness to decrease since last year. Due to the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen and a rainy day yesterday I’ve had a 4 day break but got back to training today in my pedal powered dinghy. The problem with working hard inContinue reading “Full steam ahead.”
Flower of the Week, 20th September.
Michealmas is a Christian festival which falls on the 29th September. Our Michealmas Daisies have reached their peak a week in advance. They bring a splash of delightful colour when so much else in the garden is past it’s zenith. Having said that the view from the back of our house is still good.
Proper training.
I’ve identified that I’ve lost some mountain biking fitness this year and am determined to reverse this trend. I’m trying to get out more often and make sure that when I’m out I’m working harder. I think I’ve got into a habit of spinning the pedals quickly but often with insufficient torque or turning force.Continue reading “Proper training.”
A boat trip and thoughts for the future.
Since realising that I’ve allowed my fitness to fall, I now want to make sure I get some real training value from every exercise session. 2 days after a high energy mountain bike ride I took my pedal powered dinghy down to the Leeds/Liverpool canal to sail for an hour. The sun came out asContinue reading “A boat trip and thoughts for the future.”
Work rate or fitness?
A while ago I questioned whether my fitness had fallen and tested myself by applying more effort during my next ride. I looked at the app. Strava after my ride and could see a distinct improvement in my performance. I concluded that my fitness was good and only my work rate had lagged. More recentlyContinue reading “Work rate or fitness?”
Flower of the Week, 12th September.
A hot, dry summer is causing an early onset of autumn but we still have some new colour in the garden. Our sunflowers self seed from bird food but next year I will nurture some seedlings to plant where I want them. It’s strange how far from our bird feeders the sunflowers have grown.
God save the King.
And did those feet in ancient timeWalk upon England’s mountains green?And was the holy Lamb of GodOn England’s pleasant pastures seen? And did the Countenance DivineShine forth upon our clouded hills?And was Jerusalem builded hereAmong these dark Satanic mills? Bring me my bow of burning gold:Bring me my arrows of desire:Bring me my spear: OContinue reading “God save the King.”
A boat trip whilst the weather is still good.
I used my pedal powered boat as late as the 26th October last year so I may still have another 7 weeks when it’s reasonable to get out on the water. Cold water is dangerous so even though I’ve never had even a moment when I felt in danger in the boat, it doesn’t seemContinue reading “A boat trip whilst the weather is still good.”
Flower of the Week, 4th September.
Facebook reminds you of your life in previous years and a brief view informs me that autumn is coming early this year. It’s possibly due to the fairly warm and dry summer. Maybe the plants have flowered and seeded earlier than normal and are now gathering their energy back in the roots. We have veryContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 4th September.”
My first big ride for a while.
I had a target for this year which involved an almost exclusively off road ride of 40 miles with a healthy 4,583 feet of ascent. I rode the route on the 6th of June and since then have only ridden 5 rides of over 15 miles. I have realised that my fitness has suffered somewhatContinue reading “My first big ride for a while.”
Facing a big challenge.
In January I set myself 2 targets for the year and added another later. I have accomplished 2 of the targets so far in the form of a downhill sprint, where I wanted to beat the fastest ever time on the app. Strava, and an off road ride of over 40 miles with over 4,500Continue reading “Facing a big challenge.”
Third time unlucky?
They say “Third time lucky, third time unlucky”. I set myself 3 targets for my mountain biking this year and I’ve already accomplished 2 of them, but will I be unlucky with my third? I didn’t seem to be doing enough training for the first challenge, a ride of 40 off road miles with 4,500Continue reading “Third time unlucky?”
Trying to train.
In January I set myself 2 mountain bike riding targets for the year, then added another later. I’ve achieved 2 of the targets in the form of a ride with over 4,500 feet of almost exclusively off road ascent and a short, twisty, downhill sprint, where I wanted to beat the fastest time recorded byContinue reading “Trying to train.”
Boat training.
My pedal powered boat is now a good form of training as an alternative to mountain biking. It’s powered by a paddle wheel which only wants to turn around 30 times per minute at cruising speed, which is walking pace, and I have geared it down with a chain and sprockets so that the pedalsContinue reading “Boat training.”
Cramps.
The older I get, the more I seem to suffer from leg cramps. This week the problem has been in my calves but it can appear anywhere from foot to hip. I may have allowed myself to remain dehydrated after gardening in the relatively warm weather and never really got on top of my hydration.Continue reading “Cramps.”
Flower of the Week, 19th August.
Our garden moves on. As one flower fades another grabs the attention. The perennial rudbeckia, Black Eyed Susan, is finally showing her black centred, blazing yellow flowers. We originally bought 2 or 3 inexpensive plants which grew big. You can easily dig them up and split them or just dig a clump out to spreadContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 19th August.”
Any harm done?
Most of us nowadays think about our impact on the environment and wish to do no harm. Mountain biking may be a healthy outdoor pursuit but we can impact on the environs and are often blamed for erosion of the trails, usually by walkers. I get particularly annoyed by riders leaving debris such as foodContinue reading “Any harm done?”
All grown up.
Our son, Dylan decided, at around the age of 13, that he wanted to shoe horses for a living. The craft is called farriery and he has qualified this year as a farrier. It’s no easy task because Britain insists that every farrier is trained to a very high standard, which takes nearly 4 years.Continue reading “All grown up.”
What, no mountain biking?
I’ve been away on holiday for over a week and haven’t had access to a bike. This has meant no hard exercise beyond walking, often with our dog, Freddie. I took some running shoes which have only been used once in the last 6 or 7 years but have decided not to run whilst away.Continue reading “What, no mountain biking?”
Boating at last.
I built my pedal powered dinghy last year and after much development I’ve been able to use it as supplementary training instead of always riding my mountain bike. The boat never forces you to put additional effort in. It entirely lets you decide how hard you want to work and setting off with the boatContinue reading “Boating at last.”
Mountainbiker 