Dartmoor MTB Epic – Day 1 Dartmoor by MuddyGoose - July 13, 20151 Leaving behind your 'way out', the car that can take you home. Heading off into the moors, not knowing what the trails will be like, not knowing which will be ridable, which you'll have to push up and carry over and which will provide the long lasting buzz that doesn't die down for weeks. Not knowing exactly where you'll end up camping but knowing full well that you've got the kit, the drive and the ability to make it all work. That almost sums up the feeling as I pedal off on the first day of one of my 3 day bikecamping epics. 366
A couple of hills near Bakewell; including climbs #34 & #35 Peak District by MuddyGoose - May 13, 20151 One moment I'm stood wondering if I should go left or straight on and a few minutes later I'm pushing hard sweating my way up one of the most wonderful cycling climbs in the UK. At this point I'm convinced that I got the loop the right way round and I am indeed riding up climb #30 from 'the book'. 276
Longest Ride Yet; 150 mile loop for Fish & Chips East Anglia by MuddyGoose - May 1, 20155 Take away Fish & Chips is a big tradition here in the UK and everybody has their preferred Fish & Chip Shop, but even so cycling a 150 mile round trip would generally be considered a little over the top! But that's exactly what we did on Sunday with a journey that took us from Peterborough to Hunstanton and back. 302
Awesome Ride Through Hail and Hills South Lanarkshire by MuddyGoose - March 1, 20153 The weather often plays a part in the memorability of a ride and my recent ride during a visit to Scotland certainly had plenty of both; weather and memorability! This was a stop-off ride, just off the A74(M) from Abington on my way up to Glasgow. 278
Another day, another hill – Cairn O’Mount Aberdeenshire by MuddyGoose - November 6, 20144 We all have our regular routes and places that we get to ride frequently, ocassionally and infrequently. I'm fortunate in that I have a job that requires me to travel and I also have a car big enough to carry my bikes. So I get to ride in lots of different parts of the UK. Aberdeen however is not a common haunt even for me. So when I got the chance to go there this week and I found myself with enough time to squeeze in a ride, I couldn't resist. 380
Exploring the North York Moors – Day 3 North York Moors by MuddyGoose - July 16, 20141 My main recollection of waking up on Day 3 was the feeling of getting out of bed in full view of the passing public. It wasn't that we'd slept in or that we'd mistakenly camped in the town square; it was only the odd couple of dog walkers and joggers but it still felt strange to be stretching and crawling out from my shelter at 6:00 AM in front of people busily going about their morning routine. So as we had on Day 2, we promptly packed up our stuff, back into our bags and for the final time headed off to find supplies. 181
Up Hill & Down Dale – An Evening Dovedale Ride Peak District by MuddyGoose - June 9, 20141 When you decide to ride somewhere, far from home and with little local knowledge you just don't know what you're going to get. In someways it makes the ride more exciting and when you discover a gem there's that moment of pure glee; when the 'explorer' comes to the surface and marvels at his discovery. I guess you could call it a 'discovery ride'. 57
A little bit of local knowledge goes a long way Yorkshire by MuddyGoose - April 18, 20140 I always check on the weather before going out for a ride and the forecast said sunny. What I forgot to check on, as usual, was the wind conditions. Ah well, at least I remembered to pack my Buff, windy ride it is then. 97
Pain & gain in equal amounts Peak District by MuddyGoose - April 6, 20140 The phrase “no pain, no gain” is one that’s no doubt very familiar to most serious cyclists out there. Usually referring to training, personal bests and physical improvement. But on certain rides like Tuesday’s the pain is 350m of altitude and the gain is coming back down. 72
First “Cafe Stop” ride of the year. Cambridgeshire Rides East Anglia by MuddyGoose - April 1, 20140 Beautiful sunshine, warm spring Saturday morning and like minded company to ride with; ideal ingredients for a "Cafe Stop" ride. In this case not only my first of the year but also my first, full stop. Being new to the road riding scene stopping off at cafes mid-ride hasn't been in my repertoire until now. 41