Right to left!

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun Feb 16, 2025 10:23 am Right to left!

Good one Gecko!

I too was out gravelling today, and guess what, I got a catastrophic puncture at pretty much the furthest point away from the house. A new one for me - I was tootling along a nice bit of sandy woodland singletrack (coastal path diversion ) when a bit of broken twig with a surprisingly sharp point stabbed the tyre. About a 6mm long slash which three plugs failed to seal so in with a tube..... Added 40 mins onto a rather long ride - 9 and a quarter hours....

Critical Mass with daughter number one.


Much fun.

....was warm! and sunny! and some of the trails were almost drying!

Bivvy recce

Yesterday was the inaugural Ultimate Gospel Pass 200km audax, starting at this great place in Chepstow https://forestupcyclingproject.com/coffee-upcycle/

IMG_20250308_072348 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Almost too good to believe it could be true, a day of wall to wall warm sunshine forecast, so most came prepared to ride in shorts and short sleeves for at least part of the day - glorious!

First control was at the lovely village shop in Longtown, where I'd never been before, what a lovely valley and village! Went back there today in fact just for a wander about...
Too busy stuffing my face there to take any photos...

On we went around the flanks of the mountains, through Hay and up onto the Begwns, which, just as I remembered them, were quite climbey.... Down to the next control at the lovely Erwood Station

IMG_20250308_125443 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

After a brief flattish respite, it was time for The Big One, up to Gospel Pass the steep way - also just as steep as I remembered it, bit of HAB on the steepest bit. I don't need to tell you do I how absolutely glorious it was at the top....

IMG_20250308_142817 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20250308_145331 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20250308_145404 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Big treat then to mostly roll down the beautiful valley past Llanthony Priory and then into Abergavenny, where we had the choice of any place to get some sustenance, but it seems everyone just piled straight into the first place we saw, which was tesco. I was actually really hungry by then, don't think I'd eaten enough earlier during the day. As well as a few of us on the 200, we also bumped into a very cheerful bunch of riders on the 160 event, and we shared stories and played swapsies with our various snacks.

Next the kind organisers had decided to send us up the Tumble, which with by now quite a lot of mileage and climbeage in our legs was a bit of slog .... but again, once more rewarded with beautiful big views up at Keepers Pond, always such a lovely place, and such a treat now to get there and it was still daylight. Can't really see it there, but the place was really busy with people picknicking, and you might be able to see a few swimmers too...
IMG_20250308_173359 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Got to show off my lovely new bike again of course... now with the addition of a new saddle which has made such a big difference on long rides, not just on the saddle bits, but on my lower back as well, so very pleased with it.
IMG_20250308_173413 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

By this time I had chatted with my daughter, and decided it felt like the right thing to do was to get myself home, and I didn't really mind, as I was already really happy with my riding that day and had done all the big climbs... so instead of turning left down to Llanellen, I carried on straight down to Blaenavon and home, into a beautiful valleys sunset
IMG_20250308_181037 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

By the time I got home I had done 166km, but I was more chuffed with the 2,924m climbed - and even more chuffed that today I have been feeling really quite good, a lot less stiff and tired than after my previous long rides over the winter...
The only thing is... I have been kind of hoping for a RRtY, and I have done December, January and February, so it would have been really great to keep that running into March... I suppose it is only the 8th of the month so still plenty of time in theory ... but I would have to make some monumental effort to get that done, like maybe take a day off work, as all my weekends now are booked up...

First guiding job of the year today. As we were rolling back towards the finish (via a client request for a pub), one of the group said something along the lines of, "This is brilliant, isn't it? Being out here in this beautiful scenery. It must be a great way for dealing with the mental health crisis we're currently facing."
It's a great feeling when something like that just clicks for the folk you're guiding.

Making the most of early morning sunshine, it's just about shorts weather!

Bollocksed-up a Lakeland 200 attempt on Sunday, but had a good long day out regardless. I set what must be the slowest recordable (ie, sub-40 hour) time a couple of years back and wanted to do something faster, so I set off from Staveley around 4:15am with the intention of breaking the back of by sundown, but best laid plans … 

Ticking along quite nicely until Tilberthwaite when all of a sudden the breadcrumbs on my GPX just stop. In and out the settings a few times before realising I'd made a rookie error added a 'route' and not a 'track' to the device and so had limited it to just the first 250 waypoints or whatever it is. Not good, and being old-school with an eTrex 32x nothing I could do about it. I could remember the general route, but not the exact turnings, so had to stop and start repeatedly to check what came was next on my phone. I pushed on as far as Keswick, but in the dark and proper cold it became too much of a chore to carry on like this, so bailed and took the road back. I could still have winged a route just to take in the rest of the key features, but by that point I was pretty done in and I'd lost most my enthusiasm for it. Back to the van shortly after 1am. Oh well. All good training, innit?

More flat riding, building leg strength, nice sunny twenty miles
Cheers,

Keith

This weekends activities.

A group of fell running friends who I don't see much anymore, mostly because I don't really run anymore, kindly invited me a for a social weekend in the Lake District. They had booked a large cottage near Brotherswater and intended to race the Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race. I decided to cycle there.




Running gear, pub gear and other weekend essentials, all packed into panniers and loaded onto my Audax/touring bike. I set off into the wind and rain on Friday morning with a scenic route loaded on my GPS. The rain turned to patchy but heavy showers, the wind remained constant and challenging, and the route was indeed scenic. I arrived at the cottage early evening, tired, but glad to have made the effort. An enjoyable evening of eating, drinking and card games commenced with our jolly band of 10.



I'd woken earlier than the others and feeling pretty stiff, I decided to get up and do a bit of yoga stretching (YouTube style, Adrienne and Benji), then ate breakfast with the others and got ready to run my first proper fell race in about 5 years.

It was ace to see so many familiar faces and catch up with old mates at the start. Before long we were assembled with over 300 runners, ready for the charge out of the field gate, through the village and over some pretty rugged ground. I absolutely loved it every minute! All the cycling must be paying off as I felt fit and strong the whole way. Leg speed was lacking, but climbing and descending I made some good ground and enjoyed the battles with the folk around me - obviously that's not battling at the front, the top runners are a league apart, but I was happy to scrape into the top 25%...



Straight to the pub, then a shower, then another pub, then more drinking, talking rubbish, music and good times at the cottage until the beer ran out.

Up Sunday morning later than planned, but still before the others. Stiffer than I imagined possible, but I cleaned the house sorted myself out and set off for the cycle home - straight over Kirkstone Pass, then mostly following NCN routes and avoiding turning into the wind.



Overall, an absolutely ace weekend. I'm shattered today, hence being bothered to create a post whilst not really moving much

Good effort!
That has shades of Herman Buhl riding from Innsbruck to the Italian Alps after work (anything up to a 100 miles), spending the Saturday and Sunday climbing, then cycling back again, with very little sleep. Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage is worth a read for further inspiration

Been out for a ride today it did involve a motorbike and three cafes at the last one this chap and his passenger caused quite a stir
PXL_20250403_143001466 by Kevin Hawker, on Flickr

Riding by proxy this weekend, Hattie's longest yet probably 2.5km of scooting betwix some walking and carries on the return leg - perfect day for it.

Just had a great weekend of bike riding and conservation work. Took a couple of days off so I could pedal out and back again. Venue was Lochgoilhead way out west. I've technically pedaled out there before on a tour done in '21 plus on the LLTL so I knew of a few route options.


Loch Lomond by way of Callander, Aberfoyle and Balloch - gravel-tastic and with a stiff tailwind to help me along.


I was making good time so threw in the 3 Lochs Way route (also used by the LLTL) by means of Glen Fruin and up Loch Long. Looking south with some of the detritus of Faslane in the foreground and the fab West Highland Rail Line. The track used to be quite rough along here but there were works going on as part of the Scotland wide OH line renewal programme. It was a bit wet in places though - foolishly I had removed the mudguards off the Stormchaser in view of the weather...



At the crossing of the Glen Douglas road I thought 'what the hey' and carried on, rather than head down to the A814 rollercoaster. This track is pretty rough in places with a solid push up and some rather steep descents. These were taken with care given drop bars and largely tread free tyres but I got down in one piece, then promptly fell off when the front wheel slid out from under me into a wheel rut on a level bit.... Jaggy bump is The Cobbler AKA Ben Arthur.

The reward for this tricky track was a pizza in Arrochar sat out in the sun looking up at the hills all around. This fueled me on the long, long climb up Glen Croe on the forest track. The descent was signed as closed but I ignored this and cruised gingerly down as the track was like marbles and I didn't want any more gravel rash. The closure wasn't so I got to our base of operations at 6.30, 9 and a half hours and 105miles from home.

Beer followed plus two stunning days of tree felling, brash cutting and piling up. No fires as everything was tinder dry.

Then home by the direct route, the catch being I didn't leave until 4pm. Back over the bump to Glen Croe then straight across from Arochar to Tarbet and down the Loch Lomond cycleway. Every parking layby and car park was chocker block and there were people everywhere. On two occasions I came across cars completely blocking the cycleway. Muppets. So I blazed through all of this and passed about 200 cars queued on the A82, finally leaving the crowds on a wee trail up to an empty backroad which led me to Kilearn via another new track.


Final look back to the hills around Loch Lomond.

Then up into the Campsies in the fading light and plummeting temps followed by a well known back road route home in the dark, finishing at 11pm, exactly 7hrs since leaving and another 86 miles done

I've been enjoying some bike bimbling around Wiltshire byways

There's this mountain that I've been looking at every day since moving here at the end of last summer, from my bed, and from my desk at home, and I've been itching to get up there on a nice day - last weekend it was such a day on Easter Sunday

IMG_20250420_124026 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

I wasn't sure what to expect, some of the lower slopes are a bit rough, litter strewn, and you can see all the off road biker tracks, so I wasn't sure what it would be like on top. Turned out to be absolutely stunning!!

Good view back over to Brynmawr - my house is about 5 doors down from the big yellow house in the middle
IMG_20250420_124839 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Some interesting and slightly unnerving geology/ mining remnants up there, these markers marked the safe route over the ridge at the top, where the half natural half man made fissures had been inspected and made safe by the coal board

IMG_20250420_131820 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20250420_133010 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr


No idea

IMG_20250420_132124 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

Pretty view over towards the Brecon Beacons, with wild ponies
20250420_210614 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

... and a random car, middle of the mountain, flipped on its side
IMG_20250420_131414 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

I kept going to the far side where there is an enduro track, all the bikers were friendly and courteous around me, then headed back the way I came, as it was just too nice up there not to.

Coo what a scorcher
20 plus degrees, dusty trails and blazing sunshine. Of course it's probably going to be horrible at the end of the month (NW Scotland currently single figures and drizzle) but what the hey.

lovely in Tollymore Forest Park this afternoon, just a couple of hours of taking in the air and the views in the sunshine
cheers,

Keith

Saturday into Sunday's ride, and my admittedly shabby excuse for missing WRT (take 2!), was that I rode Brevet Cymru 400km audax.
I don't really know what to say about it, and I didn't really take many photos, as trying to minimise stop time so I'd get round in time. It does feel really good to find out that I was able to do that, and riding on my own, and through the night, although I had lots of really friendly, and repeated, encounters with typically very lovely audax folk. And that just taking it slow and steady, now and then chucking some food and drink down the hatch, and just generally keeping on the move does work, and takes you far.
Favourite bits were, probably the arrival at Newquay; the night ride; the very audax scene of a village hall at 3am with sleepy looking volunteers serving coffee and bowls of pasta, and bodies strewn around getting a bit of sleep; finally sampling the power nap in an audax hotel aka bus shelter, leaving helmet on for a pillow; and the so typically understated finish. No medal, no celebration, no one there, just a couple of cyclists searching out the same petrol station to get a receipt, eyes sleepy but shining with shared experience, a few words exchanged and then everyone is off on their way...

Loved it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJSRFsMg3YM ... JsMGVweA==

Good one, 400k in sunshine defo puts you ahead of the game!

Possibly to early to claim the mojo is back, but positive steps in the right direction over the weekend. Went out for a decent ride on Saturday:


Then went out on Sunday evening, slept near a ditch, then rode through a load of rain on Monday:


I've even booked time off at the end of the month and a train ticket from Dalgety Bay to Aviemore...

Glad to hear it Bob

A last longish one before HT550. Riding steady over towards Hawes then looping back around and up over Cam High Road where I set up camp for the night before taking a Dales Divide-ish route back west at first light.