• Todays ride

Posted: **Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:59 pm**

Rode to a niche dog shop for some niche dog food on a niche bike

Posted: **Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:08 pm**

In as little words and max pics as possible...

My right wrists been hurting for the last few days and couldn't quite put my finger on it. Feels like its disjointed and I finally realised that Helvelyn is the culprit. Went earlier in the month - like a few days ago - as Hospice UK needs funding. Link below but ignore the other 2 charities including MacMillan as this link is only directed to Hospice UK... The other folks either got left behind by the team leader or they didn't turn up. Don't care, didn't really ask and it kept down our group numbers.

Very current-climate friendly as we didn't kiss anyone, shake hands (with any ladies), hug anyone that's related to us and tried to keep our noise down and breath little. We walked alot and between us there was about 10 methods being utilised. I only saw one person using the good-ol' cyclocross technique... twas me and it does make yer shoulder hurt hey! Used another 2 methods myself and they were all as rubbish as each other. When the boys finally started riding (DH) I continued taking my Stan for a walk (down Sticks Pass

).

Did my ablution on a waterfall on Sticks Pass and met 3 waterfalls in total (that wrre visible). Visibilty was very low so each time it cleared I quickly tried to get a shot...

Without further ado... donation link here if you gets a feq quid spare. Can assure you that the hospice places really could do with our help as they're always struggling for funds on a normal year...

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ ... b6d95fd6c0

At the summit in the thick of the fog I spotted a bird of prey... Probably a kite of aome sort so nowt too special but it was massive and so close due to the low visibility. Afterwards someone told me its the most scenic route in the UK. Not sure how true that it, but wouldn't be hard to believe. Amazing ride (well, you know, walk... ) and what a privelege to have seen it once again. Some idiot had left a lucozade bottle at the summit which I cleared up... So you could argue that I really needed to go up or else it'd have chainreactioned into a full litter-fest.

£1230 raised so far and target is £5000... If you can then please do... If you cannot then please share with someone that might be inspired by the pic and the work Hospice UK do...

Posted: **Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:23 pm**

Erm.. Did I say we did a bit of walking....

Posted: **Sun Oct 25, 2020 7:09 pm**

Was trying to get in as many KM from first light until my cut off time of 3pm today.......

The heavy rain in the morning meant I had a nice breakfast before I left an hour after planned, it was still raining and di so on and off for a couple of hours before the skies cleared.

As we can't leave our Tier 3 area and I needed to be close to home (poorly doggie who had his first epileptic fit which scared the hell out of us 2 evenings ago)

I rode as many cycle paths and off road trails as I could with minimal country lanes.

Hardly a BB200, but the wind was always against me apart from 1 cycleway (how does that always happen?). And don't forget that in the hill's you are free wheeling down half your rides

Here in the coastal lands of Merseyside we not only get the strong winds but also every mile has to be pedalled as there is nowhere to free wheel to recover

Even Panda found a bit of cover and greenery

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:03 am**

Local spin from the front day on the skinny bike. 14 days of lockdown left...

20201025_105405 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201025_115836 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201025_120046 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201025_115503 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201025_120235 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

IMG_20201025_133128_505 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 3:24 pm**

Staple mixed ride for me again today. Back roads, bridleways, byways etc. It's what most of my riding is generally. The Camino with mudguards is a good tool for the job. Stopped in a lovely bit of Beech wood in an old hill fort and the colours were just what I needed.

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:52 pm**

It happened again today, I packed the bike, went out (from the front door), 'struggled' to find a spot to tarp up, got wet, got cold and came straight home. Probably it was in the back of my mind that its going to be awful from around 5am tomorrow. When you're cold at 5pm doesn't bode well for how you're going to feel at 5am! O well, next time.
Managed to get some pics though...

20201028_140834 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201028_142746 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

IMG_20201028_150834_114 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201028_155743 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201028_165108 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201028_174050 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:00 pm**

Blimey Shaff, nowt like taking your bike for a walk

Must be 30 years since I was on Sticks pass with a bike (it ended up with me falling into a gulley and smashing my nearly new manitous....)

Anyway tonight's ride was my first dark evening ride since February. Felt odd leaving the house in the dark rather than the office. So a dark, fixed gear gravel bike ride! How niche is that

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:35 pm**

htrider wrote: ↑Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:00 pm Blimey Shaff, nowt like taking your bike for a walk Must be 30 years since I was on Sticks pass with a bike (it ended up with me falling into a gulley and smashing my nearly new manitous....)

Anyway tonight's ride was my first dark evening ride since February. Felt odd leaving the house in the dark rather than the office. So a dark, fixed gear gravel bike ride! How niche is that

if only I was a bit more easy at risk taking. They all (well most of em) rode it all or almost all... I walked at least 40 % but maybe less. Scary up there

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:43 pm**

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:00 pm**

Brompton'd to town and back to do some more "Big Bike Revival" Dr Bike sessions for local bike owners. As ever, it was largely "ladies of a certain age" rolling up with their town bikes, which is great and certainly matches what I'm seeing on the ground [road], along with more blokes riding to work in the industrial estates.

Anyway, rode home in quite heavy rain. Had forgotten to take my "Covid visor" off and discovered that it's a superb rainshield - far easier to see than trying to peer through blurred glasses. Reckon I shall take it on my next Welsh ride!

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:06 pm**

3rd day in a row out in the slop on the recently re-built singlespeed. Very unfashionable - 26" wheels, 2" tyres, QR axles, 160mm rotors - but great. I forgot how nice old steel frames feel, and also how low maintenance a singlespeed setup is.

Slippery downhill through the woods and a long spin back up the hill today, road spin and then up to stanage pole yesterday. I'll try to add an atmospheric photo once I remember how to do so from Google or Strava!

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:17 pm**

PaulE wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:06 pm 3rd day in a row out in the slop on the recently re-built singlespeed. Very unfashionable - 26" wheels, 2" tyres, QR axles, 160mm rotors - but great. I forgot how nice old steel frames feel, and also how low maintenance a singlespeed setup is.

Re the spec: Still managed to ride it OK? Didn't spin off? Went up and down hills? Round a few corners? Over some bumps and things? Amazing

.

A shining beacon of sanity in this madly "fashionable" world

.

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:30 pm**

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:17 pm
PaulE wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:06 pm 3rd day in a row out in the slop on the recently re-built singlespeed. Very unfashionable - 26" wheels, 2" tyres, QR axles, 160mm rotors - but great. I forgot how nice old steel frames feel, and also how low maintenance a singlespeed setup is.
Re the spec: Still managed to ride it OK? Didn't spin off? Went up and down hills? Round a few corners? Over some bumps and things? Amazing .

A shining beacon of sanity in this madly "fashionable" world .

I could hardly believe it... I even rode down steep bits without dropping the seat...

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:00 pm**

PaulE wrote: ↑Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:06 pm I even rode down steep bits without dropping the seat

. Almost as if we hadn't had droppers etc for the past 150 years isn't it?

Posted: **Sat Oct 31, 2020 9:17 pm**

Yesterday in the rain, testing out my commuter bike ready for new job Monday (which I'll try and use once a week for the 32 mile round trip)

And

Today in the wind and rain with one other from these here parts

Posted: **Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:49 pm**

Went out to the local woods this afternoon while the pork was roasting. A nice little spin with some nasty looking weather over the mountains of Snowdonia.

IMG_20201101_164455_027 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

IMG_20201101_164455_028 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Conwy castle to the right of pic

20201101_152006 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Looking towards Puffin island and Anglesey which is covered in rain

20201101_152042 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Posted: **Tue Nov 03, 2020 10:17 pm**

After reading (again) the excellent "Doorstep Adventure" article by Dave Anderson in Singletrack 27 (April 2006

) I went for a bimble along the bridleway circling the flooded gravel quarry near Tiddenfoot. Ended up in a v.soggy ploughed field. Had a puncture, got a bit lost, found a river, found the canal, found where some of the Two Ridges Link goes.

But mostly found where it doesn't go

.

Now back home, relaxing next to the fireplace, listening to mellow jaaaazzzzzz

.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2020 10:04 pm**

It's just over seven years since we moved to Aviemore. Despite coming here often for holidays, it wasn't our first choice but we started to balance up the attractiveness of rural, west-coast living with the practicalities of access to school, jobs, shops and a social life. We've not regretted it. It took me almost three years to get used to the fact that I could ride round all these amazing places and just then be cycling home. After a while, I just stopped looking/appreciating it so much. But sometimes, it still hits me. This evening was one of those. I set off around 3pm, pedalled up to Glenmore and Ryvoan and caught the last of the daylight on the way back. The air was superb, the trails were quiet and the sky was just vaguely exciting. Any tiredness in the legs just melted away!

Posted: **Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:39 pm**

Well, yesterday’s ride actually - an off-road jaunt under glorious blue skies on some of my favourite East Lothian coastal trails, including sections of the John Muir Way. First pic shows Tantallon Castle on the left (dating back to the 14th Century and with a very colourful history). On the right is the Bass Rock, referred to by some as ‘Scotland’s Alcatraz’ where over the years various Royals, religious figures and Jacobites were banged up. Now much better known as a protected environment for many thousands of seabirds. The Fife coastline is just visible on the other side of the Firth of Forth.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

The second pic shows the tiny Seacliff harbour, carved from solid rock in 1890 and still in use. The Bass Rock is on the left and central on the horizon is the Isle of May, home to a seal colony currently featuring on the BBC’s Autumn Watch programme. Last one of the series tonight, unfortunately.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

The last pic was taken at the remains of the 16th Century Auldhame Castle where, incidentally, I had my March 2019 BAM.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:08 pm**

JimmyG wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:39 pm
The second pic shows the tiny Seacliff harbour, carved from solid rock in 1890 and still in use.

Rode out there a few times with Bruce Coastkid. Love it there.

Here's a few from last nights local jaunt from home...

20201107_082825 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Firebox time

20201106_194639 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

20201106_164758 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Plenty of history up here

Screenshot_20201106-192231_OS Maps by Jeff Price, on Flickr

I can see my house from here!

20201107_082553 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 5:59 pm**

...and some of the best singletrack up this way... (click on image for vid)

My Movie(3) by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:01 pm**

summittoppler wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:08 pm
JimmyG wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:39 pm
The second pic shows the tiny Seacliff harbour, carved from solid rock in 1890 and still in use.

Rode out there a few times with Bruce Coastkid. Love it there.

Yep, it's a pretty special place and Bruce knows East Lothian like the back of his hand! I joined him and his crew on the Forth Fat ride in May 2019 but, sadly, due to the virus the meet didn't take place this year. Fingers crossed for 2021, though!

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:39 pm**

JimmyG wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:01 pm
summittoppler wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:08 pm
JimmyG wrote: ↑Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:39 pm
The second pic shows the tiny Seacliff harbour, carved from solid rock in 1890 and still in use.

Rode out there a few times with Bruce Coastkid. Love it there.

Yep, it's a pretty special place and Bruce knows East Lothian like the back of his hand! I joined him and his crew on the Forth Fat ride in May 2019 but, sadly, due to the virus the meet didn't take place this year. Fingers crossed for 2021, though!
Yeah he's a top fella. Rode forth fat back in 15, 16 & 17. Been up a few more times times. I'm intrigued by the Goblin castle near Gifford, ace place!

Posted: **Sat Nov 07, 2020 10:22 pm**

summittoppler wrote: ↑Sat Nov 07, 2020 5:59 pm ...and some of the best singletrack up this way... (click on image for vid)
My Movie(3) by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Looks a fab trail that. Here you've left your fork bag open!

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