"Training"

So kieldave* is coming up, only 8 weeks to go, so I should be hard at work training, doing fast high mileage rides on not too tech terrain. So what did I do? Some hikeabike uber technical rides. Great! High street on wednesday, Me, Mark, Si and Johnnie, the ride started off dry but as we climbed the cloud came in and drizzle started. A new route up to High st was harder work than normal, very steep at the start, some good bits in the middle but then a bit too technical to ride and the knott was still unrideable even approached from the side. Once on high st it brightened up, ground was a bit wet but still a cracking route. A long long drop to the cockpit then more downhill to howtown. I'd spied another new bit on the map, there's a grassy BW that dodges the hellish tarmac hairpin climb, much better. Was quite sunny as we hit the ullswater section, my fave bit of singletrack anywhere, very hard work but awesome. Everyone seemed to like it altho most prefered the cockpit downhill.

Did manage some training on friday did a run at lunchtime, only a couple miles but set the treadmill steep and fast-ish, was knackered after riding home.

Yesterday was skiddaw, been looking forward to this one, a superb descent off skiddaw, supposedly the best in the lakes! Lowey, Craig and I set off from Keswick, another wet start, it wasn't looking good. First the climb up from blencathra, done this a few times and it's a good one but I wasn't feeling it at all, I was off the back from the start. Rain continued and after an hour of climbing we started to hikeabike up a steep heather covered hill. Wind nearly blew me over a few times and in one pique of frustration I threw my bike down, I immediatley followed as my pack was caught up on the bike and it dragged me down too. Grrrrr. At the top we were fully in cloud cover, it was very wet underfoot and then the wind and rain really kicked off. We quickly decided to abandon the ride. No trail to ride just off piste down the moor alongside a gill. Was so hard going we considered riding down the gill but it was a bit too deep and fast flowing. Finally back to skiddaw house and we rode down lonscale. Brilliant downhill, only marred by me having to pump up my rear tyre about 5 times. (ust rim is old and leaks from around the valve) It's been sanitised a bit down near briar rigg and some whopping big waterbars put in. Still very fast and just as walker strewn as ever but a nice silly-fast drop to the car to finish.

Aching or tired from head to toe this morning, no proper training done and I never got to do skiddaw :-( must try harder.

*I've no idea how you pronounce kielder, if it's keeeel-dur that joke isn't going to work too well.