The weather has been warming to a heady 7 celcius over the last few days, thawing any remaining ice and snow. A warm front has passed over giving rain but today was dry in it's wake. Dry is not something which could be said of the ground but mud would be preferable to the ice … Continue reading A better ride.
It rained quite heavily last night, washing away the remnants of the snow at home. After the horrible trail conditions on my last ride it seemed prudent to do a road ride and not allow myself to be tempted onto the dirt. I wanted the ride to have some training value so a hilly route … Continue reading A sensible ride!
There have been few times in my entire mountain biking life when, after a ride, I've thought that it hadn't been worth getting out. After almost a fortnight with snow on the ground the temperature has now risen causing the remnants of the snow to turn to a mixture of slush and hard, compacted ice … Continue reading Not worth riding?
A mountain bike is an inanimate object, a fact which cannot be denied. I've never given a name to a mountain bike. I didn't name motor vehicles, either cars, bikes or scooters which I owned, until our son, Dylan was born. It then seemed like a good idea to name vehicles as if they had … Continue reading Oranges are not the only fruit.
I wasn't impressed on my last ride. It had snowed but the snow was melting in places and forming ice in others. It wasn't cold enough to freeze the thick mud and I didn't enjoy the unpredictable trail conditions. I was aware that what I really needed was no snow at all or more snow … Continue reading You need the right type of snow.
I'm going to avoid the currently popular cliches to describe this year, we all know what Covid 19 has done to all our lives. In terms of my mountain biking it made little difference. I'd set myself just 2 targets for the year, one of which I achieved and one I was unable to complete. … Continue reading A brief review of my year.
After 4 days without a ride I was eager to get out today. The problem was that I'd woken yesterday to a snow shower which had left a thin covering. We walked our dog, Freddie, and I think it may have been the first time in his three and a half years that he's experienced … Continue reading Is it worth riding in ice and snow?
Boxing day has always been associated with sport, which for many people means spectating. I've always preferred to participate than watch sport and today would be no exception. I'd thought on Christmas day that it would add spice to my ride to try to break the fastest time on the Birkacre Race Route circuit but … Continue reading Boxing day ride.
I like to set myself some mountain bike riding targets at this time for the coming year. This year I had 2 aims, one of which I met when I rode to the top of Great Hill and back in under 22 minutes and 19 seconds. Strava had me at exactly that time, to the … Continue reading Targets for next year.
After my last ride I wrote that too short a ride is a waste of time. This was in reference to a challenge that has been placed in my path by another user of the app. Strava. It is not just a cycling app., mapping your rides through GPS and comparing your performance on segments … Continue reading An exciting way to waste my time.
