My last ride was a race but only against myself. I’d set a target to ride 4 laps of an off road circuit in less than an hour and managed to do it in 57 minutes 52 seconds. It may have been too easy to achieve but I certainly pushed myself and was spent byContinue reading “A different kind of ride.”
A big challenge, on a short circuit.
Each year I like to set myself some mountain biking challenges. It motivates me to work towards harder goals, which must be good for maintaining fitness. This year I’ve set only 2 challenges with the proviso that I can add others later. One is to ride over 100km, taking in 4 big hills in theContinue reading “A big challenge, on a short circuit.”
One big ride, four epic downhills.
Today’s ride was the biggest I’ve done since I attempted the Mary Towneley Loop last September. The weather was perfect, in the high teens Celcius, sunny with no appreciable wind. I knew I’d eaten enough last night to be well fuelled so I had some cereal and made sure I was well hydrated before settingContinue reading “One big ride, four epic downhills.”
Riding Rivington Pike.
Today I rode to an old favourite, Rivington Pike. It was a part of so many rides in the late 1990s but I just don’t seem to get there very often now. It’s in an area which is a real mountain biking hotspot so I could expect a quality ride but I also wanted toContinue reading “Riding Rivington Pike.”
Riding Healey Nab.
It’s good to ride somewhere new but I also love the familiarity of a quality local trail. Today I rode 4 laps of Healey Nab but used different climbs and descents each time. This makes it seem like a longer, varied trail ride without venturing far from home. Last night we had friends round forContinue reading “Riding Healey Nab.”
Classic rides.
I’d love to ride some of the legendary classic mountain bike trails. What could be better than riding the “Repack”, the scene of the first downhill, off road time trial of the sport which was to evolve into the mountain biking we know now? The date was 21st October 1976, which, curiously, is about theContinue reading “Classic rides.”
Explore, then explore some more.
The weather hasn’t been kind in May. We’ve had temperatures way below seasonal norms and quite a lot of rain. This is undoubtedly one of those “expected anomalies” which enthusiasts of Global Warming Theory use to “prove” their hypothesis. Still, it will never stop a determined mountain biker so I took the mainly off roadContinue reading “Explore, then explore some more.”
Making an everyday ride more interesting.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with regular rides in the same area. I have a firm favourite trail but the shine might go off it if I ride nothing else. Today I decided instead of my favourite to ride Healey Nab but again this is somewhere I ride a lot. So muchContinue reading “Making an everyday ride more interesting.”
What’s so great about Great Hill?
Great Hill is the northernmost high point at 1,251 feet of the West Pennine Moors, a chain of hills stretching for around 12 miles north of Bolton and east of my hometown of Chorley. The Highest point is Winter Hill, a little higher at 1,498 feet. The mountain biking is good from top to bottomContinue reading “What’s so great about Great Hill?”
Strava likes me!
On my last ride I felt full of energy but today I was rather tired. In the morning I’d had a cooked breakfast prior to walking the dog before my ride. It could simply have been that I was still digesting my food and wasn’t ready to ride, I’ll never know. Had I felt moreContinue reading “Strava likes me!”
Mountainbiker 