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Got me some of them there new fangled sunspendered bicycle forks.

Just to see if there’s owt in this new fad.

Another group ride at Hamsterley. The rain stopped for the group ride, and it was even a little bit warm.

It tipped it down for the ride there and back though.

The group ride was very stop-start, as they always are, but was on some great trails. Kiwi Matt was leading, so there was quite a lot of off-piste stuff - I really like the vague slightly-different-colour-of-leaf-mulch tracks.

Felt okay, despite the cold. My left knee felt a bit sore on the ride back, but that was probably due to the insect bite next to it that was me go to A&E the following night.

Distance: 106km (maps: 38km home to Hamsterley, 25km group ride (start of ride only - phone crashed - distance based on average speed on first part), 38km Hamsterley to home)
Time: 8 hours (2:15 out, 3:30 (very stop-start) for club ride, 2:15 home)
Surface: road - off-road - road
Weather: Cold, wet
Bike: SS Inbred (32:17, with 2.4″ tyres)

On a scorching hot day, I headed out to Swaledale.

I took my ‘usual’ route out to Swaledale, down Fremington edge to Langthwaite and then to Dales Bike Centre. I ran out of water on the way there, but bought some Lucozade Sport at the pub in Langthwaite.

From there, I rode back up Arkengarthdale, to ride over Low Moor, before climbing to Great Pinseat over Surrender Moor and then down Hard Level Gill. I thought the other way round might have been a better climb/descent, so rode over it again and then back to Reeth before riding home.

It’s always great to be riding in Swaledale again. This is where I first rode MTBs, but even without sentiment it’s a brilliant place to ride. Plus you get to pretend you’re on the moon by riding over Great Pinseat.

I ran out of fluid again on over Great Pinseat, and again on the way home. Not great when the temperature is in the mid- to high-twenties. Usually, when riding to/at/from Hamsterley, two bottles is enough for each section but Swaledale makes each section 50% longer. Luckily, I’d been trying out High-5 Zero tablets in the water, which seems to have staved off the worst of the effects of dehydration.

A great day out and I was still spinning along at 20kmph on the way home. Felt knackered at times, but I think that was the heat and dehydration. Legs feel fine two days later.

Distance: 125km (50km from home to Dales Bike Centre, 30km off-road ride (first 5km lost in phone crash), 45km from Reeth to home)
Time: out of the house for 10 1/2 hours, riding for 9 1/2 (3:30 out, 3:00, 3:00 home)
Surface: road - off-road - road
Weather: Sunny, very hot
Bike: SS Inbred (32:17, with 2.4″ tyres)

Rode the Inbred out to Hamsterley to join the monthly Trailblazers group ride. I seem to be able to manage 20kmph fairly consistently on the 50″ gear (even riding home into a pig of a head wind with big, draggy tyres), which bodes well for ‘races’ like the Kielder 100 and Hit The North.

The club ride was really good. Great group of people of all abilities, some nice long climbs and some technical stuff too. Got a good pounding from the rocks and roots now that I’m getting a bit faster, and actually had a hand cramping on the ride home. Group rides are always stop-start, but they give me a chance to ride stuff that’s much more technical than I’d ride alone, and are good fun so well worth going on. We rode up to the top of Black Hill, then down Dangerous Descent before following the Red route backwards for a while before riding a really steep descent that almost had me over the bars and then heading to the end of the Black from the DH huts.

Had a couple of mystery punctures. Think they were caused by running ‘normal’ size tubes in 2.4″ tyres, at low pressure while braking hard.

Distance: 106km (maps: home to Hamsterley, group ride, Hamsterley to Woodland, Woodland to home (phone crashed, so two tracks))
Time: out of the house for 9 hours, riding for just over 8 (2:11 out, 3:45 (very stop-start) for club ride, 2:15 home)
Surface: road - off-road - road
Weather: Sunny, warm
Bike: SS Inbred (32:17, with 2.4″ tyres)

Rode the Solitude out to Dales Bike Centre, then home via (almost) Tan Hill and Barnard Castle. My original plan was to go via Hamsterley too, to get to 100 miles, but I couldn’t feel my feet at Barnard Castle after the hail-filled puddles on the track to Bowes.

Once I’d warmed up at home, I felt fine. Sure I could manage the Hamsterley bit too.

Distance: 115km (maps: 44km from home to Dales Bike Centre, 39km from DBC to Barnard Castle and 32km from Barnard Castle to Home)
Time: 7:50 (2:36 out, 50 mins for coffee, 2:40 to B’d Castle, 1:40 home)
Surface: Mainly road, with bits of easy off-road
Weather: Sunny, wet, hail…
Bike: SS Solitude monstercross (34:18, with 1.6″ tyres)

Two years ago I went down to Manchester for Hit The North, a 12 hour MTB race. My chain skipped and it was really muddy, but I had a great time.

Last weekend I went down to Manchester for Hit The North 1.5v2, a 2 hour MTB/CX race. My chain skipped and it was really muddy, but I had a great time.

My chain doesn’t skip like that anywhere else. Weird mud in Phillips Park, Manchester!

The course was a great mix of MTB-type riding on singletrack, with some CX boggy fields and steep climbs thrown in to the mix. 600 feet of climbing in each 3km lap, with 100 feet of that being up steps.

I did my usual of heading for the back of the group at the start, then queueing for most of the first part of the first lap meaning my first lap took almost half an hour, almost ten minutes longer than my second lap.

It took me about an hour to feel like I was warmed up, but my slipping chain meant that I couldn’t really power up the climbs, leading to lots of pushing the bike and running.

I managed 5 laps, compared to the 8 laps of the winner and 2nd place rider, and finished in 2:05. I think I’d have got 6 laps without the skipping chain, which would have put me right into mid-pack mediocrity.

This was my first event as a Ragley Bikes rider and it was good to meet team mates Dave and Jason (they’re the fast part of the team) and also designer Brant, who was marshalling/heckling. Also good to meet and remeet lots of others too; the best bit of travelling to events and races really.

Evidence: too fast to photograph and checking my brakes work.

Distance: 15km (5 laps of 3km)
Time: 2:05
Surface: Off-road
Weather: Coldish, but dry. Very muddy.
Bike: Inbred Singlespeed (32:17, with 2.4″ tyres)

Popped out to Dales Bike Centre for a coffee and a panini.

I’d planned to ride on my Inbred, but found that the bottom bracket was bust the day before, so had to do a fixietwat ride instead. It’s a long time since I’ve ridden a fixie a decent distance so, like all the best rides, I wasn’t sure I’d manage it. It was fine though, though I could get out there a lot faster on the MTB.

Distance: 90km (maps: 45km out and 45km back)
Time: 3 hours out, 90 mins for coffee, 3 hours back
Surface: Mainly off-road
Weather: Cold but dry and sunny
Bike: Fixed Solitude monstercross (34:16, with 1.6″ tyres)

Second attempt at starting the C25K running programme. Made the mistake of taking the dog, so runs got slower and slower as I dragged the dog round; she can stay at home next time.

* walk 10 mins
* 8x run 1 min, walk 1.5 min

Too many layers and too warm.

Distance: 4.35 km
Time: 35 minutes
Surface: concrete/tarmac
Weather: Warm and dry
Trainers: Inov-8 Mudroc 290
Clothing: skanky Tracksters, long sleeve merino baselayer, merino jumper, waterproof jacket

First ride on a fixed in ages, so just a play around the town, with little bits of easy off-road. Beech Woods was good for getting used to fixed off-road, getting used to clipping pedals or skipping off unexpected rocks.

Good fun, and even found a waffle stand in the town centre!

Distance: 23.5km (map)
Time: 2 hours
Surface: On- and off-road
Weather: Chilly and damp
Bike: Fixed Solitude monstercross (34:16, with 1.6″ tyres)

Road out to Hamsterley again for another Trailblazers group ride.

Usual ride there and back.

The group ride was ace. Lots of new faces, including “Twitter friend” menage-a-moi, and probably the biggest group ride turnout of the year. In October!

The route was really good. Big climb up to Doctor’s Gate; the descent off Doctor’s Gate is now brilliantly rocky after all the summer rain. Then rode dangerous Descent followed by some nice twiddly stuff in the back end of the forest before heading for the ‘new’ Section 13.

Did a cheeky descent that runs parallel to the black after that. Just a narrow ribbon carved into the pine needles on a steep descent, with the odd bit of woodwork over a fallen tree or two. A really good little trail, that I think I might like even more than I like Golden Owl. I think my new garden will be getting some bits of woodwork at the bottom to practice on.

Moving house soon, so this could be the last big ride of the year. But maybe not.

Distance: 67miles (39km, 27km, 42km)
Time: 9 hours (2.25hrs, 3.5hrs, 2hrs (plus cafe and group ride faffage))
Surface: On-road, off-road, on-road
Weather: Warm
Bike: Inbred Singlespeed (32:17, with 2.2″ tyres)