Pushing the envelope/Breaking the crust

Ride home was fun, the ground had softened in some places but had a few dodgy moments where I'd push into a turn and the ground held fast, seconds later another turn and the mud crust would give way and it'd go all squirrelly. Got some proper drifts going on, no stacks tho so it's all good.
Some inconsiderate twunts near home, I got home just before my mrs, I waited outside for her to help get Charlie out, she was opposite our house indicating to pull into a parking spot on our side of the road, she had to wait for a queue of traffic to clear. Lights at the corner went to red so we waited for someone to let her in - you know just pause for a few seconds before joining the long queue ahead. Nope no one stopped, just before she got completely blocked in for another cycle of the lights I had to step infront of some womens big 4x4, cow, admittedly plenty of people had already not let her in but she'd have blocked my mrs in. Where the lights are is a box junction but quite a few times recently I've seen people queueing across the junction and when the lights change no-one has been able to get across (except me on my bike of course :-) There's just no need for crap like that.

Crusty

Couldn't be arsed nightriding this week, it's getting just cold enough for offroad commuting now, 98% of the trail was frozen this morning, just a couple of puddles hadn't, lovely. Got in work quite clean, numb feet tho even with merino socks and neoprene overshoes, rubbish circulation I guess. Looking a bit milder at the moment, hope the mud hasn't defrosted. Looking forward to some snow (untill it ices over and later melts, I'll be bitching about it then) Hopefully get a proper ride in this weekend.

Not very Zen

I was not transcending the mortal plane this morning, I did not reach nirvana during my singlespeed commute, the purity of monocogging completely failed to enrapture my beating heart. As I grovelled through a solid headwind with toasted legs, head bowed against the rain I was thinking gears would have made a bloody brilliant addition to the ride.
Nightride with Johnnie and Si last night, fairly short, pike, wildes, bastard climb, ICR, home. Si easing his way back into downhills, Johnnie recovering. Nasty wind at the pike but not bad elsewhere. I went back up AICR on my way home and it had got a lot worse, had to stop for an energy bar and legs felt proper drained this morning. Early this year I was knocking out commutes and nightrides no problem but at the moment it's killing me, guess I just need to push on through it. Just off for a caffeine boost to (hopefully) help propel my legs homeward. This morning it took me a pitiful 70minutes to do 14miles of (admittedly redlight heavy) road riding.

What tyres for...

...rock, gravel, grass, mud, bogs and snow(!)? Big group ride in the lakes yesterday, still having riding mojo problems and after purchasing a new graphics card on saturday I had COD black ops and assassins creed vying for my attention. Salvation/motivation was provided by Lowey who kindly offered to chauffer, we met up at staveley, 18 of us set off. Very very wet, started of with a lung buster tarmac climb then some well surfaced lanes with big puddles, twisting our way over to dubbs lane, I was warmed up and finally glad to be there. Dubbs was loose and gravelly, not ace but do-able. Garburn was not doable at all, Gavgas our leader blitzed passed us on the bottom section, (I didn't see but I presume he didn't clear it all) and Jacqui was on usual top form outclimbing the rest of us. At the top of garburn Gav threw us a curve ball and headed over to high street instead of down garburn. The snow started to appear on the ground as we traversed the hill on off-camber grassy singletrack. My tyres didn't like this, lots of front and rear wheel slippage. Coming down from Ill Bell was steep and sketchy, with my confidence in my tyres shot I minced sections of this. The snow was deeper now 2" up to 8" or so in drifts. We ended up pushing across to mardale ill bell, a proper trudge through the snow, serious wind chill and grumbles from a couple of riders suggesting this wasn't a great idea, specially once the cloud cover came in. Anyway we made it and started the descent, some fast snow covered track followed by steep pitch stairs mostly free of snow but no way was I attempting them. Started getting my shit together on the natural stuff just in time to hit nan bield. Didn't clean it, had to redo 2 sections but managed to ride it all. Good stuff. Graham had a "face brake" moment, ended up with a massive graze down his nose and there were a few other offs but no serious damage. My waterproof boots were compromised on the very wet trail on the valley floor but we didn't have far to go, road straight back to Staveley, a bridleway detour was started but abandoned when we realised we would run out of daylight. Big ringed it back to the cars, my feet squelching with every pedal stroke. On the way home lowey was lamenting how tired he was, I felt OK but later lying on the couch at 8pm I was nodding off, a very early night and my legs are fried this morning. A hard ride day out for a paltry 25miles 4000ft climbing.
Gavgas has done a vid, lowey and Deejay have some pics.

Showers with intermittent riding

Not been proper nightriding for a few weeks but Johnnie was reportedly ove rhis flu and Si was back from his big crash. Speaking of which this is a pic of the drop he jumped/fell off, pretty big huh? Either this guy is a hobbit or the drop was over 5'. Anyway I wasn't in the mood for technical just wanted to get a few miles in, the guys were in agreement. Barrow bridge climb was hard work, think I've lost a load of fitness, wildeswood has changed, the bit through the trees has been seriously cut up with loads of water channels through the earth and the 3" layer of leaves, there's loads of little islands of leaves and you've no idea if they are just leaves or concealing big rocks so have to pick your way between them. Met Si and we waited for Johnnie, a cyclist appeared just down the road, we weren't sure if it was him, cyclist then stopped turned his bike over, removed a wheel and started fettling "yep that's him" We steadily climbed up to Georges lane, Johnnie nearly hurled so retired early obviously not quite over his flu. Me and Si continued, georges lane, winter hill rd, Holdens farm scout rd, smithills then back up Barrow bridge walker fold down hole in't wall and wildeswood. Nice, easy (well non-technical, winter hill rd and barrow bridge was bloody hard) mud free route, weather was cold and windy but rain held off and it was not too bad a night all in all, lot better than I expected after the last couple of weeks. As we got to the rivi school access road I tried to cross the chasm of a ditch to reach the tarmac. I lazily just tried to compress the forks and wheely over from the rebound but the leaves disguised the extent of the ditch and front wheel just went down, front wheel hit the tarmac and I went OTB, stupid bugger. I spun home on the road properly tired, hope we get a few more rides like that.

taking it easy

More of the same weather wise, I'd been wanting to get some hill climbs in, punish my legs a bit but again wussed out of a proper nightride, instead took the long route home. Rain was a bit lighter so my sub gold standard clothing was coping, went to smithills dean rd, not done the full climb before, 1mile dead straight, 120m of climbing, ooh that was hard without gears. Going along the tops my joystick was proving to be rubbish, rain blowing in my face, oncoming cars dazzling me, I couldn't see diddly, bit nervy. Was planning on going up edge lane too but after SD rd my legs refused, down to chorley new road into horwich and up chorley old, nice steady climb. Round the ring rd to stretch it out and home, legs feeling well worn.
This morning my legs are tired but my shoulder is frigged, been sore for a while now doc said muscle damage NSAIDs and take it easy, thrutching a singlespeed up steep hills it turns out isn't taking it easy, quite sore and stiff too. Damn.

Deluge

Last year Johnnie got himself some endura stealth longs, the ultimate in pant technology, waterproof softshell stuff that is a proper fit and cut for riding in. Match them up with some waterproof boots and jacket and you've got the perfect winter attire. But they cost an absolute mint and are overkill for 90% of even winter riding and I can put up with damp legs and wet feet can't I? Of course it's the other 10% that gets you reaching for you wallet, last night was like that. Chucking it down all afternoon and night, by the time I got home from work my shoes were full of water and my "waterproof" gloves were waterlogged. I was warm enough and could probably have managed another hour but then I'd have had enough. "No such thing as bad weather just bad clothing"....balls to that! just not enough funds for the very best clothing. I was out in the rain even longer than usual, because visibility was so bad I had to keep the speed down so no numpty ran into/pulled out on me. As it was some guy nearly got me, queue of oncoming traffic waiting to turn right, a 4x4 turned right in the (just about big enough) gap in front of me but nobhead tried tailgating him (due to the big 4x4 nob had no view of the road but went for it anyway), if I hadn't been smack bang in the middle of the road he wouldn't have seen me until it was too late, as it was I got a ermergency stop slide and a hand wave of apology - is that it? A wave? For nearly killing me? Thanks. Nobody was up for nightriding anyway so I didn't have to come up with excuses, see if I make it out tonight.