THere's also been the Orbea Rise come in recently..
Riding has been great.. but it'd been more focused on the lad, which i do need to address in 2024 a bit and make a bit more time for myself. But some rides at places like Hopton, Milland etc have helped, but at times i do miss the local Sat rides to the pub, which have been less frequent than i'd like.
Fitness isn't bad..but the weight is up more than i'd like and i REALLY need to get that under control and sorted in 2024.
Not quite finished yet as we've got BPW and Hopton before 2024..
Fair to middling this year, horrendous hours at work hasn't helped getting out and maintaining fitness and coupled with a cold at the beginning of December and the weather turning to shit, I've not turned a wheel this month and the lbs are piling on. Highlight was the Peaks with my mates in June.
Hopefully 2024 will see my motivation return as I won't be working as much.
"Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?"
"My dear Doctor, they're all true."
"Even the lies?"
"Especially the lies."
Mine's mainly been solo on the e-bike locally until my buddy got himself an e-bike too, we get out at least 2 Sundays a month either local East Lancs stuff or around the Southern Yorkshire Dales. Realised I can still ride most of the technical stuff I used to ride 15 years ago just as well which was nice.
Had a good few rides in May when we took the e-bikes over to our gaffe in the Cantal, found a few more trails to add into routes for next Spring's trip. Found out most of the easy stuff in the forests nearby are either part of the TET or link to it, got me thinking about a lightweight green laner..
Next year, hmm well it would be nice to be a stone lighter and riding the non e-bike a bit more often...
According to Strava I've done 4423 km so far this year & I reckon about 4000 of those Km's were on Zwift!
I can only remember going out on the mtb once,been on the road & Gravel bike's a few times
Excuse the downer but it's been a lousy cycling year, I've done hardly any... I usually have a 'ride every day unless it's chucking it down' rule but I blew that.
Tiny highlight was a (drunk 11pm on a Sunday) Ebay bike purchase, that I assumed wouldn't come to anything, but - eighty quid! I reckon the rack & mudguards cost that
Yes, I've sorted the bars.
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ChrisW wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 6:24 pm
Excuse the downer but it's been a lousy cycling year, I've done hardly any... I usually have a 'ride every day unless it's chucking it down' rule but I blew that.
Tiny highlight was a (drunk 11pm on a Sunday) Ebay bike purchase, that I assumed wouldn't come to anything, but - eighty quid! I reckon the rack & mudguards cost that
Yes, I've sorted the bars.
Out of vague interest, what's wrong with the bars?
Doubt is not a pleasant condition.
But certainty is an absurd one.
Voltaire
Not the best of years for me. I had a knee problem in the summer that meant no riding for six weeks and now I'm still off the bike thanks to a broken collarbone; a cycling accident!
I was also supposed to be riding an ebike for a magazine review right now but again busted bone...
pretty decent in some respects, plenty of miles on the Eeb and the old full suss.
I've ridden more in groups than before and really enjoyed it, going to different places mostly around south wales with them. I've also ridden in a lot of new places solo, a lot of these have been very cross country, touring milage type ride on the old Amish bike.
I joined https://mtb.fitness/ earlier in the year and have been doing plenty of gym work which is really paying off in strength and stamina, but the downside of me not riding too much singletrack and steeper downs is that I've been loosing confidence in riding steeper stuff. I've also been trying out flats which has been a bit at times
Taff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:57 am
pretty decent in some respects, plenty of miles on the Eeb and the old full suss.
I've ridden more in groups than before and really enjoyed it, going to different places mostly around south wales with them. I've also ridden in a lot of new places solo, a lot of these have been very cross country, touring milage type ride on the old Amish bike.
I joined https://mtb.fitness/ earlier in the year and have been doing plenty of gym work which is really paying off in strength and stamina, but the downside of me not riding too much singletrack and steeper downs is that I've been loosing confidence in riding steeper stuff. I've also been trying out flats which has been a bit at times
@Taff We need you over at Dowies (or however you spell it) and Shutcastle to show the old boys some different trails. There's plenty we've ridden there but plenty we've not i'm sure. Could even hit Staunton one weekend.
Taff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:57 am
pretty decent in some respects, plenty of miles on the Eeb and the old full suss.
I've ridden more in groups than before and really enjoyed it, going to different places mostly around south wales with them. I've also ridden in a lot of new places solo, a lot of these have been very cross country, touring milage type ride on the old Amish bike.
I joined https://mtb.fitness/ earlier in the year and have been doing plenty of gym work which is really paying off in strength and stamina, but the downside of me not riding too much singletrack and steeper downs is that I've been loosing confidence in riding steeper stuff. I've also been trying out flats which has been a bit at times
@Taff We need you over at Dowies (or however you spell it) and Shutcastle to show the old boys some different trails. There's plenty we've ridden there but plenty we've not i'm sure. Could even hit Staunton one weekend.
Deffo.
I'd love to have another day out with you guys, but you've spent a lot more time up there than I have so you'll be showing me around .
I've only ridden over in Staunton once and that was just passing through, so I'm really keen to ride there and the pludds - another place that I've never ridden.
It was going well - until I fell off.
Hoping to get more engaged next year!
I also learnt that 800mm bars are not really for mere mortals and that you can cut them down to 760 without people pointing and laughing at you.
"Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?"
"My dear Doctor, they're all true."
"Even the lies?"
"Especially the lies."
A lot of riding this year, it's mainly been to work and back or at twisted oaks. I've managed at least monthly visits at twisted, if not more often so I've really been building confidence on jumps, drops and gaps.
I added the G170 to the garage in May as I wanted to see whether a longer travel bike would be more fun than the T130. It was more confidence inspiring to begin with and I tried lots of features that I'd not gone near before, but now I'm just as happy doing the same stuff on either bike. I'm fine doing most of the features at twisted now. Not counting the proper jump lines, there's only a few left to do.
Had a trip to Phoenix bike park in the summer, it's very dirt jumpy, so not sure I'll be going back, but was fun for the day. Also managed a day out at Whinlatter in the lakes on an ebike, that was pretty awesome.
Planning to try a few other places next year too if I can find the time. Chicksands, maybe FoD, and perhaps another Southern Enduro race as well.
Had planned to get a new motorbike next year so my no claims wouldn't disappear...might get an ebike instead now.
Numnut wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:41 pm
I added the G170 to the garage in May as I wanted to see whether a longer travel bike would be more fun than the T130. It was more confidence inspiring to begin with and I tried lots of features that I'd not gone near before, but now I'm just as happy doing the same stuff on either bike. I'm fine doing most of the features at twisted now. Not counting the proper jump lines, there's only a few left to do.
Amen mate... the bigger bouncer when you're progressing does give you that boost of YEAH IT'S GOT IT ! and that then takes you to higher levels. You then as you say, find it's OK on a bit less.... then you progress more..
I think in the past year i've got faster.... but not braver.
Taff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:57 am
pretty decent in some respects, plenty of miles on the Eeb and the old full suss.
I've ridden more in groups than before and really enjoyed it, going to different places mostly around south wales with them. I've also ridden in a lot of new places solo, a lot of these have been very cross country, touring milage type ride on the old Amish bike.
I joined https://mtb.fitness/ earlier in the year and have been doing plenty of gym work which is really paying off in strength and stamina, but the downside of me not riding too much singletrack and steeper downs is that I've been loosing confidence in riding steeper stuff. I've also been trying out flats which has been a bit at times
@Taff We need you over at Dowies (or however you spell it) and Shutcastle to show the old boys some different trails. There's plenty we've ridden there but plenty we've not i'm sure. Could even hit Staunton one weekend.
@weeksy when I'm back on it properly, I'll be happy to help here. Fair bit of local knowledge in this respect. As it is, I rode my Orbea Rise all of 3 miles into town and back one day last week, the first time I've ridden further than up and down the road outside my house in over 15 months! I am hopeful that I might be able to get a couple of off road rides in soon potentially (and have just bought a range extender, so I can run the assist level higher than I normally would for the time being whilst getting used to riding again), still waiting to find out whether I'm going to need yet another surgery (which is likely to set me back months again) in the new year though...
One word of warning about Staunton... Wait til it's dry! It's an amazing place to ride in the right conditions, my favourite trails in the UK in fact. But in the wet it's bloody lethal and no fun at all IMO...
Down on previous mileage totals this year at 13,500 miles but managed to do some notable rides:
Marmotte, finished in the top 10% of may age category despite horrendous cramps for the last 40 miles
Flandrian Challenge, Wanted to complete it in a day but but had to go back to finish off the last few sections as light ran out, that took 90 minutes of day 2.
Picked up some TT trophies at the club for the fastest 10m and 25m TT of the year.
Timmy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 9:31 am
Down on previous mileage totals this year at 13,500 miles but managed to do some notable rides:
Marmotte, finished in the top 10% of may age category despite horrendous cramps for the last 40 miles
Flandrian Challenge, Wanted to complete it in a day but but had to go back to finish off the last few sections as light ran out, that took 90 minutes of day 2.
Picked up some TT trophies at the club for the fastest 10m and 25m TT of the year.
All in all, not bad.
in excess of 1000 miles a month... fuck man... don't you work ?
Timmy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 9:31 am
Down on previous mileage totals this year at 13,500 miles but managed to do some notable rides:
Marmotte, finished in the top 10% of may age category despite horrendous cramps for the last 40 miles
Flandrian Challenge, Wanted to complete it in a day but but had to go back to finish off the last few sections as light ran out, that took 90 minutes of day 2.
Picked up some TT trophies at the club for the fastest 10m and 25m TT of the year.
All in all, not bad.
in excess of 1000 miles a month... fuck man... don't you work ?
randr-photo-10077948-2000px-by-c-jarman by Steve Weeks, on Flickr
2022-12-04_04-50-34 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr
IMG_20231011_095836 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr
at times
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