We’ve had plenty of rain in the last few days, especially last night, but after 4 days without riding my mountain bike I wanted to get out. I don’t often ride the hills around Rivington at the weekends because they’re are usually a lot of walkers, many with dogs, so it’s better as a midContinue reading “Wettest ride in ages but still a good one.”
Tag Archives: strava
Making the most of a small trail network.
We’re enjoying a very dry period and today we also had some sunshine. This is giving us excellent mountain biking conditions with the trails almost dry, even with temperatures in single figures on the Celcius scale. I decided to ride locally on my nearest hill, Healey Nab, and wanted it to be an essentially unplannedContinue reading “Making the most of a small trail network.”
Do I have a problem?
Today had me wondering once more if I have a problem with my mountain biking. I thought I’d go to a fairly small riding destination at Birkacre, the site of a mill until 1939. Since then all the buildings have been cleared, leaving some interesting trails surfaced with grit and dirt. I’ve been riding hereContinue reading “Do I have a problem?”
In search of single track.
A single track mountain bike trail is a narrow track with little option to alter your line. The picture above shows a trail I rode today, a perfect example of the type. I’d looked on Google Earth, which is a fabulous resource for finding new trails, and noticed a dotted line across a section ofContinue reading “In search of single track.”
Last ride and review of 2021.
Today was bright, sunny and unseasonably warm at 13 celcius. A perfect opportunity on New Years Eve for a last ride of the year. After a considerable amount of rain since my last ride I chose Healey Nab for its well drained purpose built trails. But first, what has my mountain biking year been like?Continue reading “Last ride and review of 2021.”
Back on it.
I returned to cycling after 6 days, today. We spent a few days away in north Wales during last week and my Covid 19 booster hit me hard on Saturday. I felt very tired and somewhat feverish so couldn’t ride at the weekend. I firmly believe that vaccinations and boosters are a good thing. IfContinue reading “Back on it.”
Stormy weather and type 2 fun.
The weather has been far too wet over the last few days to make a mountain bike ride an appealing prospect. I do, however, have strategies to overcome the weather and still get out for a worthwhile ride. I know some relatively weatherproof trails and if these are likely to be too dismal, I alwaysContinue reading “Stormy weather and type 2 fun.”
The Road to Wigan Pier.
This is not a review of the book of the same title by George Orwell, written in 1937. In fact the only Orwell novel I’ve read was 1984 and I bet you can guess when I read that! Wigan isn’t by the sea and so doesn’t exactly have a pier but a number of buildingsContinue reading “The Road to Wigan Pier.”
A good training ride.
The windy weather was bound to have dried the mountain biking trails, at least in the open. I thought it would be good to ride to the top of Great Hill today but not to use my favourite woodland trails on the descent. Instead I’d continue across the open moorland before committing to a particularContinue reading “A good training ride.”
An old school ride.
With autumn undeniably with us I have to consider the likely trail conditions before every ride. I remembered back to around 25 years ago when I’d ride with my mates to Rivington and particularly the western flanks of Winter Hill. We’d ride the area at weekends right through the winter so surely it would beContinue reading “An old school ride.”
Mountainbiker 