In January I set myself 2 targets for the year and added another later. I have accomplished 2 of the targets so far in the form of a downhill sprint, where I wanted to beat the fastest ever time on the app. Strava, and an off road ride of over 40 miles with over 4,500Continue reading “Facing a big challenge.”
Third time unlucky?
They say “Third time lucky, third time unlucky”. I set myself 3 targets for my mountain biking this year and I’ve already accomplished 2 of them, but will I be unlucky with my third? I didn’t seem to be doing enough training for the first challenge, a ride of 40 off road miles with 4,500Continue reading “Third time unlucky?”
Trying to train.
In January I set myself 2 mountain bike riding targets for the year, then added another later. I’ve achieved 2 of the targets in the form of a ride with over 4,500 feet of almost exclusively off road ascent and a short, twisty, downhill sprint, where I wanted to beat the fastest time recorded byContinue reading “Trying to train.”
Boat training.
My pedal powered boat is now a good form of training as an alternative to mountain biking. It’s powered by a paddle wheel which only wants to turn around 30 times per minute at cruising speed, which is walking pace, and I have geared it down with a chain and sprockets so that the pedalsContinue reading “Boat training.”
Cramps.
The older I get, the more I seem to suffer from leg cramps. This week the problem has been in my calves but it can appear anywhere from foot to hip. I may have allowed myself to remain dehydrated after gardening in the relatively warm weather and never really got on top of my hydration.Continue reading “Cramps.”
Flower of the Week, 19th August.
Our garden moves on. As one flower fades another grabs the attention. The perennial rudbeckia, Black Eyed Susan, is finally showing her black centred, blazing yellow flowers. We originally bought 2 or 3 inexpensive plants which grew big. You can easily dig them up and split them or just dig a clump out to spreadContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 19th August.”
Any harm done?
Most of us nowadays think about our impact on the environment and wish to do no harm. Mountain biking may be a healthy outdoor pursuit but we can impact on the environs and are often blamed for erosion of the trails, usually by walkers. I get particularly annoyed by riders leaving debris such as foodContinue reading “Any harm done?”
All grown up.
Our son, Dylan decided, at around the age of 13, that he wanted to shoe horses for a living. The craft is called farriery and he has qualified this year as a farrier. It’s no easy task because Britain insists that every farrier is trained to a very high standard, which takes nearly 4 years.Continue reading “All grown up.”
What, no mountain biking?
I’ve been away on holiday for over a week and haven’t had access to a bike. This has meant no hard exercise beyond walking, often with our dog, Freddie. I took some running shoes which have only been used once in the last 6 or 7 years but have decided not to run whilst away.Continue reading “What, no mountain biking?”
Boating at last.
I built my pedal powered dinghy last year and after much development I’ve been able to use it as supplementary training instead of always riding my mountain bike. The boat never forces you to put additional effort in. It entirely lets you decide how hard you want to work and setting off with the boatContinue reading “Boating at last.”
Mountainbiker 