The weather forecast for this Friday has deteriorated in the last week. From expecting a decent day a week ago it now seems certain that we’ll get a day of heavy rain. Everything else was in place for me to take on one of the 2 challenges I’d set myself for this year, to rideContinue reading “Disappointed hopes.”
Preparing for the big one.
I’m hoping to ride the Mary Towneley Loop a week on Friday. It’s a 47 mile circuit with 6,500 feet of climbing and is almost all off road. Before then my wife and I are visiting our son 270 miles away in Sussex where I might get a ride in. I’ll return next Monday, sixContinue reading “Preparing for the big one.”
A great downhill treat.
Today my ride had only one purpose. To enjoy the long downhill sections of the second half. First I had to reach the high point above Brinscall Woods, where my current favourite downhill begins. It’s a mainly off road route but there’s little excitement to the ride. It was, however, nice to be out inContinue reading “A great downhill treat.”
A long trail ride.
I’ve been thinking about my plan to ride the 47 mile, 6,500 feet of ascent Mary Towneley loop at the end of the month. I haven’t done any rides on that kind of scale for ages so I thought it would be a good idea to fit one in this week, with only around 3Continue reading “A long trail ride.”
The best downhill in Lancashire.
I’ve heard the route from the top of Great Hill down to White Coppice described as one of the best downhills in Britain. I like it but wouldn’t rate it so highly. It’s only a few miles to the hill, though the climb takes some time. Back in the late 1990s I rode the hillContinue reading “The best downhill in Lancashire.”
Falling off 3 times in 1 ride.
I don’t often fall off my mountain bike but today it happened 3 times. I wasn’t hurt by any of the falls, each being a trivial affair but because of the number of incidents I thought it worth mentioning. Occasionally I’ll have a little roll on the ground but not mention it in my blogContinue reading “Falling off 3 times in 1 ride.”
Returning to Great Hill.
I’d hoped to ride Great Hill, which rises to around 1,250 feet above sea level, on my last two rides but had to change my plan for various reasons. Today I had plenty of time and the weather was dry, though I knew the ground wouldn’t be so good, especially under the trees. I checkedContinue reading “Returning to Great Hill.”
Hottest day of the year.
It’s not often in Northern England that you need to change your planned ride because the weather is hot! Today we’ve had winds blowing from continental Europe and so the kind of heat we rarely enjoy. Add to that some humidity and it was enough to persuade me not to ride to the top ofContinue reading “Hottest day of the year.”
Finding grip in wet conditions.
I haven’t been able to ride for 4 days so was glad to get out today. I almost didn’t. My wife informed me that she needed to waste 2 hours of my time in the afternoon and when we arrived back home we had a short rain shower. This made me change my plan toContinue reading “Finding grip in wet conditions.”
Muddy summer.
Those 2 words in my title sum up my experience since the beginning of June. Before that we had 3 of the driest months we’ve ever had. May was also the sunniest month on record in England but then something changed. It’s been a regular pattern in summer since around 2006. We get a goodContinue reading “Muddy summer.”
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