RIP wrote:Thanks FLV (must be abbreviation for FLying V surely?!) Damn! There go those parentheses again, I've worn out my keyboard now

Nope, a shout to my favourite ever film scene, right down to the line.

Monty Python.

More of a run than a ride. Annual fell club Santa Run. Just over 10km including a impromptu run around the local garden centres "santaland" and then through every isle of the local Morrisons....they we're quite, quite confused. 63 Santas and 7 dogs :)

Today's ride home from work featured sun, which has been rare recently, and the 10,000km I've ridden this year

Quick spin round the loch in search of some snow

It was a bit damp out on Long Mynd today...very low cloud with visibility at times down to 20 meters. Nice 40-ish miles though...not a soul up on the tops. I wasn't the first one up there today however...a few tyre tracks in the mud.
Greetz

S.

Well Wednesdays ride actually - stopped of on the way to visit parents to do a ride round the northern yorkshire dales. I figured my planned route would be an ideal first proper ride on single speed but 50+mph winds turned it into a brutal slog - 40 miles in total and was utterly broken by the end. Singlespeeds are instruments of torture!

Yesterday's and today's ride for me. I rode to nearby Southwold and followed the MTB Epics "North-south divide" route in reverse as far as Castle Donington, about 190 miles. It pretty much rained between the start and Thetford but the route was a reasonable mix of on/off road riding.

Once into the dull, dull Fens it was mostly straight-line tarmac with 90 degree turns around fields and rivers. I was last in to the kebab shop in Whittlesey and the staff were baffled by what I was doing, "you're staying in a hotel?" No, bivi bag, "what's that?".......

After that *every* single bridleway, without exception was a mud fest and carved up by moto-x bikes, horses or both. I got sick of pushing and clearing jammed wheels so where possible took roads that ran parallel!

I didn't need to get to the end until just before lunch but decided not to bivi as I couldn't face getting all my kit muddy so I pushed on to do it in one.

Slight annoyance at my Garmin crapping out and straight lining the route for Strava, at least it didn't lose everything like it did on my last outing!

I'm undecided on the route, it's certainly only worth doing during a dry spell as the eastern half isn't good enough to make up for the mud. It's suggested you do it west-east. I guess that gets the hard stuff over while you're fresh and if you have to bail you've done the good bit. Then again the eastern bit might feel a bit of a come down rather than it getting better as the ride goes on if done east-west.

Sounds like perfect training for the summer Johnny

Sunrise on my last ride of the year, just 97 miles short of my 5000 mile a year target.

I blame a rubbish November and December, a job change in that time as well and a little bit of CBA.

No targets for next year, it's the year I want to learn to Wheelie........

wheelie you say sir???? im sure i could help with that one

A local loop through the sand dunes to and from Formby Woods




Oh, look a Squirrel

John, is that pic of the squirrel "as is"? It looks rather red, in that it's a red squirrel, which would be a rare sight...

Started the year off with 68km of wet and windy riding around the Brecon Beacons. Not many folk out today...

Ian wrote:John, is that pic of the squirrel "as is"? It looks rather red, in that it's a red squirrel, which would be a rare sight...

Formby is one of the few places in the UK that has red squirrels. I was brought up there and we used to feed them in our back garden.

Well after a leisurely start we headed out round the Bingley Bash. Only 23Km but it's pretty much all weather and feels quite rural despite never being more than a km or so from a village or town. Had a minor excitement when we came across another rider who'd fallen and thought he'd dislocated his shoulder. He'd already phoned his wife so we waited with him until she arrived and carted him off to the local A&E. Not the best start to the new year for him.

Ian wrote:John, is that pic of the squirrel "as is"? It looks rather red, in that it's a red squirrel, which would be a rare sight...

Yep it's "as is" there's a nature reserve up at Formby where they are protected although nearly wiped out a few years ago their numbers are growing again.
There are some nearly black ones and some very red ones as well, but luckily no Greys.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby ... irrel-walk
If you're up this way give us a shout for a tour

I went for a big old CX ride and came across this at Newbury

https://instagram.com/p/__1OIuzE9L/

Like it dave, foam party for bikes

ianfitz wrote:

Ian wrote:John, is that pic of the squirrel "as is"? It looks rather red, in that it's a red squirrel, which would be a rare sight...

Formby is one of the few places in ENGLAND that has red squirrels. I was brought up there and we used to feed them in our back garden.

FTFY. They're as common as muck up here You can sit and watch them at a couple of the local cake shops.

There's a fair few in the Lakes too..

They exist in Wales too. Saw one in Tywi once, and there's ad event population on Anglesey.

We have about 6 in our garden, in varying shades of red to brownish. As we have so much coniferous woodland up here they can compete with greys,not so in the south where deciduous trees are the more common, which favours greys.
This time of year it's quite amusing watching them take nuts from the feeders and bury them, only for another to come along and dig 'em up and hide them somewhere else

Last year I "think" I had a puncture just the one, today I did my local mid week loop (about 20 miles) it being the 1st Jan and picked up 2 punctures

48 slow miles avoiding NY resolutionists.

It was icy at first, and then it rained.

did cut gate pass with a couple of mates,wet/wild/windy in prep for next weeks bach to bach