"Same again?", "Yeah, why not." - It could be a conversation about all manner of things. Another glass of a fine red wine or a good beer on a night out for example. But on this occasion it's the annual trip to the Peak District for some serious mountain biking fun. I've been going with a small group of like minded guys (not sure I can get away with using the term 'lads' these days), for several years now. Usually in January but this time in February, making the most of whatever the weather chooses to throw at us, riding for several hours on the Saturday and then again on the Sunday morning and staying over in the Youth Hostel in
Tag: Peak District
Cobbles and Climbs – Swiss Hill
"STOP, just stop". "This hurts and you won't make it to the top anyway". "I don't have the right setup for this, this just isn't going to end well". These are all common thoughts that pass through your mind when emptying yourself on a really tough climb. You just don't expect it to be only 30 seconds into the ascent! That was Swiss Hill, number 71. 1387
A big tough Peak District road ride, with hills of course.
It started with a Facebook message. So many rides do these days. This one started "Going to the peaks on Saturday the 19th March...." and concluded with "...thinking 80/100 miles with lots of hills". How could I resist, I had already planned a suitable route ages ago, I just needed a Saturday to deploy it into! 590
Taking on Holme Moss – In Single Speed!
'You're a stronger man than me; pushing out a gear like that up here', came the comment from the guy on the red Specialized as he slowly eased past me. He'd clearly noticed my chains position on my cassette as he'd followed my wheel for a while, I was riding with my chain turning the 17 tooth sprocket, not out of choice, but out of necessity. 460
A couple of hills near Bakewell; including climbs #34 & #35
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
Up Hill & Down Dale – An Evening Dovedale Ride
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
