GregMay wrote:- and also as it's cruel and you'll have repeat chances to bail :)

Those are real killers to ITT route completions! Shall watch this develop with interest Greg.

It's almost like that was part of the plan....

An overnight trip in the Dales. Set off from Ribblehead yesterday evening and headed up Cam High Road where we bivvied at the high point (actually at the same spot that I bivvied on the Yorkshire Dales 300). This morning we had a sunrise then it began to rain. It was only a couple of degrees above freezing so putting the kit away was rather chilly on the hands. Then down to Hawes for a bit of breakfast before heading up on to Lady Clifford's highway then following the Pennine Bridleway back south via the Coal Road and the traverse around Great Knoutberry Hill and back to Ribblehead. A total of 48Km and 1130 metres of climbing.

I'd bought a quilt a while ago as a means of upgrading my summer bag to a three season one. This seemed to work though I think I've found the limits of the Klymit x-frame sleeping mat Need to find myself a compact four season sleeping mat now.

24 mile off road loop out of Princetown on Dartmoor. First decent rides for many weeks. Really pleased to discover that I can still ride OK after my forced abstinence due to a trapped nerve in my back.

The sun was out and it felt a real pleasure to be out on a bike. Loads of others enjoying the outdoors too. A lovely day.

Best start getting ready for Bach to Bach in January!

Si

Staying at a holiday park in Talybont, Barmouth at the moment. Headed to Pont Scethin but had to turn back after a few miles as the wind is ridiculous today. One of those solo rides where you get "that" feeling of today not being your day....

Wasn't today's ride, but the most recent one where we took a few detours from the normal route. There was a lot of locks, an escape and I threw in a bit of sex too.

http://www.farawayvisions.com/detours-c ... e-cycling/

Rode to Land's End today (work). Jeez that visitors centre is tenuous at best. I guess it makes money though.

Big day out in the mountains on the fat bike yesterday riding the inner part of the Cairngorms Loop. Some of it I'd ridden before during my ill-fated Cairngorm Loop attempt last year.

The Geldie over to Glenfeshie was all new and a real tech-fest on the fat bike. Ground was quite wet, but the bike just seemed to crawl over everything I pointed it at, maybe rode 90% of it so pretty pleased with that.

How were the avon and the feshie river crossings ian ?

Last week the geldie- feshie section was the driest ive ever seen it......

I would have said the Geldie was quite wet, but I've nothing to compare it to. For those used to Carnau in Wales, it was both wetter and more technical. I could see where other bikes had gone through, presumably yours?

Feshie seemed a lot drier in comparison but a lot of the upper singletrack had standing water on it.

The Avon crossing was quite low, picked my way across with dry feet. Didn't cross the Feshie, stayed east on the singletrack.

I did a quick 90 odd km on the road today. Went looking for some of the flat roads to the east of Sheffield.

Amazing how quickly you go when there's no hills in the way!

Relentless 18 today. Should have been 24 but I had a little sleep. 200 km, 6200m and quite hard but the setting as fantastic. Was 10th until sleep overtook me, then worked from 48th to 37th. Rich and Tom Seipp were there on the tandem, and Rickie Cotter in pit crew mode. Brilliant event, very friendly, but brutal !

Relentless 18 today. Should have been 24 but I had a little sleep. 200 km, 6200m and quite hard but the setting as fantastic. Was 10th until sleep overtook me, then worked from 48th to 37th. Rich and Tom Seipp were there on the tandem, and Rickie Cotter in pit crew mode. Brilliant event, very friendly, but brutal !

Good effort Steve ... serious question, do you not get bored going round in small circles? I know to a degree you can include it as part of the challenge but I always found it drove me mad.

from home to Cannock chase for tea and scones ,and back 67 miles total

Stu, bored? No, but the course was quite interesting and technical, and an event like that is a different sort of challenge. (
A mind game). Now a road circuit based 24 hour. Yes, that would be mind numbingly boring.

Wondered what was going on at the Fort Bill ski centre - I passed through today on my way to Lagan from Glencoe - 65miles of generally easy trails with only a few k on the A82. Stunning weather!

A run over a ride weekend. Wedding anniversary spent running around the Lake District. A nice "easy" 28km on the Saturday followed by an even "easier" 6km on the Sunday.



It was a tad warm.

Phil, that must have been your Surly at the Pinemarten cafe? We were just heading for the cablecar to go up Aonuch Mor for a bite to eat and a view.

Your bike looked very clean - you sure it had been ridden?

I forgot to cancel my alarm last night so it went off at my usual day-shift get-up time of 5 am. I couldn't get back to sleep so 7 o'clock saw me setting out into heavy fog to do my round-the-mountain loop. I've posted this before. This morning, as I climbed up the hills by Llangollen I rose out of the fog into brilliant sunshine. I can't resist showing you a couple of pictures of the cloud inversion in the Llangollen valley.

Panorama. Llangollen is under there somewhere.


Castell Dinas Bran (Crow Castle) rising out of a sea of fog.

They're great photos Frog, looks a stunning day out

slarge wrote:Phil, that must have been your Surly at the Pinemarten cafe? We were just heading for the cablecar to go up Aonuch Mor for a bite to eat and a view.

Your bike looked very clean - you sure it had been ridden?

That was mine - it was clean thanks to a thigh deep river crossing the previous day! Got plenty of mud on it on the East Highland Way later that afternoon....

We had this while hearing about all the FOG!!!!

Good to see Steve at Relentless.

We had a top weekend.

http://minipips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/ ... -then.html

Made an absolute royal horses arse of a full cairngorm loop- the weather window looked great - and it was +15 yesterdat with no wind. The night provided great views of all the stars and shooting stars - and even the northern lights over the hills.

Rode from blair atholl at 8.30 yesterday morning and was making good progress loving the flow of the singletrack especially the gaick pass which was my first time through , the larig au laiogh was infinately more ridable on big wheels and suspension over my 29x2.35 rigids. Al was going well and i felt i was on target , heading for a few hours kip in the fae shooting lodge porch until bam . It went from great fun to damage limitation. went for an ice bath in the upper feshie at 9.15pm....a badly placed foot on a slippy rock just below surface was swept away by the current and i was in the water on my side.

Soaked to my chest with no spare riding gear i had spare socks , spare warm gloves and a down vest how ever i decided at this point the smart money was on getting to ruigh aitchechan quick as possible (4km) and getting the cover and fire heat to salvage something as it was -5 according to garmin.

Arrived at the bothy could see the fire smoking away but was gutted to find 14 cyclists on a guided coast to coast already sleeping in the fire room and bunks so just got out of my wet kit and went to put on my dry socks and skins for sleeping.....it was then i found out my alpkit bag bag has holes in......socks and skins made that "plop" onto the floor. My saving grace was that safety kit gets double dry bagged - that is down vest and my sleeping bag/liner and bivvy so all that was dry.

Got up this morning got some gyp for arriving late at the bothy last night..... 9.37 according to garmin and i unpacked outside and was in my bed by 9.45.

This morning with frost all over and standing water frozen - and my pile of soden clothes frozen i waited for the cyclists to leave and fired up the stove to dry out my clothes. By this time i knew i didnt have the time to finish my ride as i was due in work at 8am tomorrow.

Mountain cafe breakfast and the train back to blair atholl before a coffee and new bib trews from dan and kev at escape route.

What a cock. How ever as they say- experiance is that thing you gain right after you need it most.

Was that your 907 with Nate's parked outside this morning?