Todays ride

[pistonbroke]

By way of contrast, Spring has sprung here in Cataluña and with it a phenomenon whereby the thousands of hectares of fruit fields that the lower valley of the Ebro and Segre rivers are known for explode with colour due to the brief flowering of blossom. It's a bit like the autumn colours of trees in Vermont, spectacular but difficult to predict and only lasts a couple of weeks. A group of 4 of us decided to do a 100 mile gravel ride along the Ebro and around the fields. The route followed the GR99 and as is usual around here involved quite a bit of climbing where the topography prevented sticking to the river bank. It was quite warm from the off and I registered 29° at one point in a shadeless canyon. With lots of stop start for hike a bike sections, ferry crossing and photo opportunities, the ride took 9 hours but it was a grand day out.

[Boab]

One of those amazing mornings, as the sun burns off the mist and fog, turning everything silver and gold.


Glad I bought some lobster gloves though, quite chilly to start...


Also glad it warmed up a few degrees, so all the ice melted.


First proper up early and out before work ride since the crash last August. Starting to feel like we're making progress...

[RIP]

Reckon you should send some of your photos to the E Anglia tourist board Bob . I don't get over there very often but it has its own appeal, particularly the fens around Ely and Wisbech. Slightly eerie, massive vistas obviously.

[summittoppler]

I managed to get 5 sentences and a pic on Mondays Bikepacking.com's 'Weekend Snapshot'.....
https://bikepacking.com/news/weekend-snapshot-62/

[ledburner]

I managed to get 5 sentences and a pic on Mondays Bikepacking.com's 'Weekend Snapshot'.....
https://bikepacking.com/news/weekend-snapshot-62/

[Boab]

I managed to get 5 sentences and a pic on Mondays Bikepacking.com's 'Weekend Snapshot'.....
https://bikepacking.com/news/weekend-snapshot-62/

Nice one! I normally gloss over that post...

Popped out late yesterday afternoon for a quick spin. Wanted to go out earlier, but meetings and having to take the cat to the vets. Anyhoo, glad I went out as it was a lovely evening and it's been ages since I started in the light and finished in the dark.

[fatbikephil]

Bit of a monster today, given dry weather forecast and being back on speaking terms with my knees. That said I think I spent as much time pushing as riding.... 70k on the gravel bike yesterday took 3 hours, today it took 6 3/4!


Some extreme tussocks to get to here. In the absence of rocky trails these offer a reasonable alternative to practice my technical riding skills and provide a softer landing when it goes wrong...
Trossachs in the distance showing very little snow....


Best bit was encountering this chap - my first red kite anywhere near my house. The sky larks were singing their little hearts out too, it appears that spring has finally sprung

[redefined_cycles]

So, I'd I was gonna do at least 2 weekly rides to try and be in shape to have the confidence to press the trigger when Bearbones200 tickets come round. Sadly this week I was stuck between money and riding. You see, work had given us an incentive to earn a bonus if we picked up our minimal targets in this 2 month period.

Thankfully yesterday whilst browsing at how far I'd got, I pressed the 'cashout early' button. What an idiot! I called to which I was told it was an admin team on email only. So after emailing and getting the reply that it was against the terms & conditions, I was liberated from 'the money'. They were all dribs and drabs of crappy shifts anyway and the types that no-one likes to take in a normal month as they're so short and far away, they pay minimal!

Free from thsi work nonsense I got the bike ready and was out. 22 miles made after a little incentive to go collect my mates backpack from GoOutdoors. Naturally I made a straight line 10 miles route into a 22 miler loop. Needed to arrive by 1930 before they shut... How hard could it be.


First off after a few undulations came my proper climb. Back Lane (to the farm) which doesn't look like much on paper but them 256 feet over 0.51miles really do the old breathing pipes in. I reached this far and my belly-button hernia was hurting! I told myself that I'll not be entering the BB200 if I'm not doing these consistently without a 'dab' by the time tickets come up.

In case anyone wonders, the wall was broken by a tree about 10 years ago in the storms. Massive thing it was and seems to be only recently that it's been fully cleared.


Lots more undulating, trying to beat the clock and get there in time. I had to cut the route short but still only just made it after night had fallen. This little beauty really is lovely so I took a pic. Obviously the loveliness only makes itself apparent a bit further down but nothing too hardcore for a hardtail (before you go getting all excited).


Reached the shop and cheekily walked upstairs with the bike before popping downstairs and grabbing the gear. I was worried that they might stop me with the bike hence took it to the rest of the bikes! How the heck would I carry all this I ask you say ('hear you ask' even).


Well his backpack was obviously not gonna fit in the Wildcat (ahem ) with 3 litres of fluids aboard. But he wouldn't appreciate me wearing the thing, would he! So I popped his backpack in my pop-up backpack and away we went.

Was it decent training for the BB200. Well, I slept like a drunkard (of what I assume drunkards sleep like ) and woke up feeling hung over. So, yes... It might have been short but felt like a kick in the face and worthy fo a training ride. Some sciatica feelings but nothing that didn't get relieved with a stretch or few...

[redefined_cycles]

NB. If anyone can't see the images will you report me. As I've tried watering em down by resizing, but it seems more complex than I can manage. Especially since they remain at about 5MB sometimes even after the resizing in the gallery Sorry!

[Dean]

You leant your bike against the Muc-Off stand, were you trying to tell them something?

[redefined_cycles]

You leant your bike against the Muc-Off stand, were you trying to tell them something?

I was trying to find the place of least offense as I'd been through alot of muck In fact the mud in the first few miles (and the last after the bike had self cleaned) was so horrible I purposely didn't take any pics. Hopefully try and block it out and don't get enouraged to not got here again

[redefined_cycles]

Managed another and might well be on target for 3 next week. Made a 12 mile loop and being the Pre-Juma (Friday prayers, but Juma also refers to the day) Rides, I'd decided to make a fresh loop each week. So I'm not riding the same route twice, just like Karls Thursday Night Rides.

At the end I also decided to give each loop a bit of a rating. This one gets a 7 and it had more mtb ratio than you could shake a stick at. Early on it got muddy (again) and it wad the type that would put a roadie of mtb-ing. So I've decided not to take such grimy pics as one wouldn't wanna put anyone off our 'sport'.


To start with I had to stop at the cow crossing.


Thought I was seeing things when I looked over into the field a moment ago. Surely the farmer wasn't using a motorbike - as opposed to a quad - to herd these beauties. Lots of beautiful little babies in the bunch. Well, yes he was and it probably kept the excitement of riding through muddy/slimy fields, elevated and the adrenaline rushing. It was a dirt bike to be fair.

Asked the farmer if it was ok I'd taken pics of his cows and he looked a bit confused But he said yes, hence they're shown above.


Did a spot of digiscoping, now that I know what it is and how to do it. Sadly itsreally bad for the old eyes and I felt the strain later. Must be cos you're looking through 2 lens'. Must stop!!


Being a teaning ride to try and get back into shape for the BB200, I was trying to think like that chap on one the Tour Divide Races. He trained by outting rocks in his pack apparently. I decided I'd do one better and eas gonna build a little dry stone wall in the bottom of the pack. Especially since there's no need for a water bladder for the next few weeks.

Sadly it became a bit 'bitty' so I tried to stuff that massive stone in. It didn't fit so I made do with the 4 smaller stones I'd gathered in it. No point overloading it this early (reminder to self, best weigh em and return em back to the track!).


Made it this far on Back Lane before a dab due to losing balance over the rockery. But managed to ride it all in 3 sections/stops/dabs.


Can't stop thinking about the front sus and whether I actually need it. Probably more of a comfort thing for the mind but the heart tells me its more faff than I can be bothered. Rode over this massive drop and just about cleared it


Then I got home, showered and off to Juma. Feeling shattered just now and thankfully I hydrated properly overnight, or else it could've been curtains.

[redefined_cycles]

Oh... The main problem I envisaged with using rocks as a little dry stone wall in the bag. Is that I wouldn't be able to utilise the space effectively. Especially that tiny tight triangle where you normally have to put squishy items.

During the ride I contemplated many solutions - taking the farmers rock is probably not the best idea and with my fasting, it had me thinking where it's actually allowed... I'll return em next week - including sand, water etc etc. I've settled on pebbles I reckon. That way I can add em as the legs get stronger and manage to complete more and more mileage

[Moder-dye]

The main problem I'd see is them jiggling about and wearing holes in your frame bag, and fairly quickly too if they're rough or sharp. Maybe just put some old drink bottles in full of pond water (so you're not tempted to drink it!)

[redefined_cycles]

Good point and I took some parcel packing to counter that. But it rocks would probably wear through that I guess

Pond water you say but I was thinking the rocks having a higher density than water and thus weight? Just asked the missus and she's gonna lend me some of the pebbles she's nicked from various seasides over the past 10 years

[Rapideye]

Rode long way back from the office today. Nearly 30 miles, a lot of it along a pretty muddy bike path. Ended up covered. First decent ride of the year.

[Verena]

Aren't friends great?

I had my part to play to get mine into bikepacking, and he got me to get out the road bike more, and take it up a notch...

So yesterday I did my first ever Audax, and my longest ever ride, 200 and the all important 12k of it, Barry's Bristol Butt Buster
Yes, it shortens to BBBB200, which when I looked my saved routes confused the life out of me at first...

And I loved it!

The rain was only moderate and it dried up as the day went on.

For my first one certainly it was great to have company, to build my confidence, stop me worreting, (and to fair he let me draft behind him a fair bit of the way)

As promised it was a veritable cake fest from beginning to end.

It felt like a sort of mystery tour of some really nice bits of the country I hadn't really been to since the early nineties, Cotswolds, Mendips, Glastonbury...

The looking for names on benches etc. for our checkpoints was fun too, and there was even a cafe in a train station! At 188k in I probably didn't enjoy that as much as I would otherwise have, I was cold, legs were tired, and I couldn't get my food down...

But then I got a bit of a second wind, the sun came out, and we did it!

I really loved the relaxed, friendly and understated atmosphere.

Now I need coffee, and lots of it!!!

[ledburner]

[redefined_cycles]

Right, so, today was my second ride during which some benchmarks are aiming to be set (poorly grammar, sorry!). So I pre hydrated yesterday/last night and also set up a 30 miler with our local Stu for Friday. Which meant I needed to quickly get up to speed and reach the 20 mile, milestone.


Gathered some of the pebbles the missus had nabbed from various beaches and weighed em. So them two pretty things came in at just a smidgen over 1000g. The other 3 ugly rocks - third one being bottom centre - could back to the lovely farmers track. I didnt want that playing against me as a theft especially whilst fasting.


Got as far as this before I dabbed, but then I was ccarrying slightly more weight than last time during which I'd reached the next tree along. Being ready with having cleared the full track before entering Stus BB200, looked promising. For those that don't know, I've set a personal target of being able to clear this whole track without a 'dab' as a personal benchmark to allow myself to risk entering this years Oct ride.

Things were looking promising and afterall I could always come out with much less weight/bags, to fiddle the numbers and ensure a successful clearance. For reference, the last time I managed the whole thing but with 2 pauses. This time after I'd dabbed, I walked about a metre to try and find a decent launch-site. But then I managed to clear the whole track to the gate near the top.

22 miles, which is the length of route I'd drawn up looked a bit much, especially as it had taken me almost 2 hours to reach the seven mile mark. So I cut the loop short.


It was absolutely beautfiul though and by the time I reached home I'd done 21.72 miles with 2800ft (strava corrected) in about 3H and 2 mins of riding time but 4 hours of total time. That means it's a poor pace (in relation to what's neededd for a BB200 attempt) but at least I made it back in one piece Alhamdulillah!

Oh, and I did manage to get them rocks back to the rightful farmer. Threw em in the track but at the top. So over time they'll find their place on the track again

[Boab]

First ride of the newly rebuilt Scandal this morning, after setting up the suspension forks last night. Nearly shat myself on the first sticky off-road section, through a combination of crash anxiety and faster than expected steering. Had a word with myself and just concentrated on keeping the front wheel pointing forwards, while remaining upright.


It was also the first time I've managed to actually try the Velo Orange Crazy Bars that In Reverse leant me. Had to do a bit of adjusting mid-ride, as the front end seems much higher with this bouncy fork on. Not sure I totally sold on these bars, but a single two and a half hour ride isn't enough to make any sort of decision.


I also took the opportunity to checkout a potential bivvy spot, and get out of the ever increasing downpour. I've been meaning to clamber over the broken barrier across the entrance for a while and check it out. Lots of evidence of bird keech and what not, plus...


... NOX canisters. I might pass.


Then it was off up Rivey, I can't remember the last time. Nice to see they're at least attempting to sort the issue of the water tower overflow ruining the bridleway, but [insert favoured diety here] what a mess!

[ledburner]

Gathered some of the pebbles the missus had nabbed from various beaches and ....

Got as far as this before I dabbed, but

.......Threw em in the track but at the top. So over time they'll find their place on the track again

I thought you were paving the track to make it easier to pedal up

[Boab]

Went out for ride before work. It rained last night, so the bad bits were bad, but the rest surprisingly dry (ish):


After much humming and hawing, I decided to go passed where I crashed last August. Glad I didn't crash today, as the drainage ditch is full of water:


Came across this cheery selection of daffodils in the fens. Lovely:


Then it was off down a byway, which has been flattened since I was last down it last summer. It also has a couple of areas where work was going on with diggers and what not, but I managed to get passed after waiting for them to stop. I guess there's no point going down that one during the day for the foreseeable.


The Hans Dampf on the front wheel is really hard work, it might very well be quite good in loose slop, but I felt a bit like Sisyphus. It got worse after the turn for home, as the wind had got up and I heading straight into it. I was at 150bpm on a pan flat road at one point. So I'm not sold on it, and might have to invest in a Nobby Nic or something, especially as when I hit the claggy poor show on the last byway, it just gummed up instantly and I was off walking as I couldn't keep the bike upright with the rear wheel spinning.


So a two and a bit hour ride, turned into a three hour slog fest. I had to pressure wash bits of myself and the bike when I eventually made it home. Then it was into the shower fully clothes to get the worst of the muck off the clothing before bundling it all into the washing machine. Might go for a road ride next...

[Lazarus]

[quoteNot sure I totally sold on these bars, but a single two and a half hour ride isn't enough to make any sort of decision.][/quote]
Dont know those bars but I dont like my Jones when I have suspension forks on so when i change from rigid I change to "normal" bars
YMMV

[whitestone]

A bit of a belated update to this post - viewtopic.php?p=222020#p222020.

A couple of posts later I mentioned that I'd check out the graveyard to see if I could find the poor chap's actual last resting place. About a month later I did that but an hour's wandering around failed to discover anything.

Anyway last night Cath and I were out for a ride and as we were passing said church there was a small group walking away from the gate to the church back to their cars. As we passed I noticed that the gentleman had a dog collar so I stopped and had a chat.

Most graveyards have a "map" of some kind so that loved ones can find graves, I was hoping for one of these. However the vicar said that although they had a map of the more recent burials that of the older graves had gone missing some time ago. I'd thought that, given the population was considerably more religious then, that they wouldn't have buried him in unconsecrated ground, plus the memorial stone states "Here was found.." not "Here lies...". Apparently some people were buried in unconsecrated ground including those who were excommunicated, and those who had committed suicide. He did say that there was a rectangular patch at the back of the church where those who'd died during the Napoleonic wars were buried but there were no headstones or records of who lay where.

So the mystery continues. There's the possibility that he wasn't a member of that church (it was a predominantly Catholic area at that time), maybe he was a Methodist or similar non-conformist. Unlikely that he was a Quaker given their long standing opposition to war.

[Boab]

I'm on-call at the moment, only secondary though, which means I need to be able to respond within an hour. So staying less than an hour away from the house, I headed out yesterday afternoon for a long (ish) ride. The wind was quite chilly, but when you got to a nice sheltered spot, it was really quite warm. Took in a few byways and bridleways, I think I'll give a few of them a miss for another month or so, absolutely saturated and chopped up by the horses...


Couldn't have been more different this morning -1°C evidently, so full winter kit. I stayed on the tarmac and was starting to get a bit too warm when I got near the end of the ride.