The "Photos From Today's Ride" thread...
Discussion
Had another crack at the Gorrick "Summer Monkey" MTB race lap tonight...
...anyone who rode in the race ought to recognise the drop-off behind me (it looks smaller in photos than in real life
).
Absolute idiocy, really. I didn't go out until late, by the time I got to the spot in the picture it was getting dark, by the time I hit the second lap I needed my 700 lumen front light on full blast. I've broken the chromo-plastic mudguards (properly this time, I can't see any way to repair them to a satisfactory standard). I got lost toward the end of the second lap, bypassing the start but ending up on the early sections again
So I took myself, and my 1997 Falcon Pro-Line road bike, off home for a nice hot shower and a massive lump of cake. I'll stick to riding that particular loop in daylight from now on, I think...
...anyone who rode in the race ought to recognise the drop-off behind me (it looks smaller in photos than in real life
).Absolute idiocy, really. I didn't go out until late, by the time I got to the spot in the picture it was getting dark, by the time I hit the second lap I needed my 700 lumen front light on full blast. I've broken the chromo-plastic mudguards (properly this time, I can't see any way to repair them to a satisfactory standard). I got lost toward the end of the second lap, bypassing the start but ending up on the early sections again
So I took myself, and my 1997 Falcon Pro-Line road bike, off home for a nice hot shower and a massive lump of cake. I'll stick to riding that particular loop in daylight from now on, I think...
Silver940 said:
Surely it would be more fun on a mountain bike?
More efficient, certainly. But I haven't got a working MTB right now, and my son won't lend me his because he says I'm "The Phantom Bike Killer of Old Farnborough Town". So I use what I've got.It's not quick off road, it's quite hair-raising in parts, and a hell of a challenge. It's also a big test of my bike handling, and teaches me a lot about line selection. It is, after all, "just riding a bike". I've got to the point now where I can ride the whole lap save for one steep climb out of a 'bomb hole', which is too rooty for any grip, and the 'chicken run' exit is too soft for traction. I know I'm probably not doing the bike any good, but there's certainly no lack of fun when I take it away from the black stuff. Wet weather would probably dampen my enthusiasm pretty quickly, though
Plus, and whisper this, FFS...
I may be dead last on the Summer Monkey lap, but I am, on average, at least 20 to 30 places above last on many of the intermediate segments, so doing better than some folk on MTBs. In some cases, I'm 100 places off the bottom of the leaderboard, and having learned the course the hard way on a road bike, I figure that I'll be able to put in some decent times if/when I get round it on a MTB.
daddy cool said:
Damn, babe! You are bootylicious!
Who took the picture? Or do you have the longest selfie stick known to mankind, and photoshopped it out afterwards?
Oooh! Cheeky! Who took the picture? Or do you have the longest selfie stick known to mankind, and photoshopped it out afterwards?
Camera was balanced on a chunk of boiler slag just off the trail, with a 10 second timer. I was using the timer to take pictures of just the bike, to avoid camera shake due to the fading light more than anything (flash photography in the woods just looks pants). Then I thought "why not get myself in there as well?"
I even took one where I ran to the bike and jumped on to look like I'd just descended the drop, but I was too far from the 'racing line', and it looked completely lame. I did try to breath in and look good, but 10 seconds just isn't enough time for me to get results. Believe me, I took a couple of others where I ended up looking decidedly more "round" than that one...
3hrs 15 mins moving. Close to 4 hours elapsed time. Some spent taking pictures, some moving logs and trying to make the route more obvious, and quite a lot trying to re-attach one of my rear mudguard stays with a zip-tie (without a pliers handy it wouldn't tighten enough to hold securely). Front mudguard was wrecked when a small branch got dragged into it, so they'll be going in the bin now.
I'm also a lot closer to replacing my MTB now, as, despite having off-road fun on my road bike, I realise that it'd be even more fun to blat around the same routes on a decent MTB.
I'm also a lot closer to replacing my MTB now, as, despite having off-road fun on my road bike, I realise that it'd be even more fun to blat around the same routes on a decent MTB.
One of the world's greatest cyclists, seen here with Marianne Vos.
Marianne Vos by Mark Skinner, on Flickr
Marianne Vos by Mark Skinner, on Flickr
The home of Tiger Beer.
Tan lines must be razor sharp - apparently. ( no I have no idea why it's been turned on its side either )
(Excuse large inflatable orange cat, it's my daughters
)
https://www.strava.com/activities/329725111
As it is Father's Day and mine is 6500 miles away with my daughter I thought I'd ride around Seletar Airbase where he used to live for a couple of years, nearly 50yrs ago with the RAF.
Tan lines must be razor sharp - apparently. ( no I have no idea why it's been turned on its side either )
(Excuse large inflatable orange cat, it's my daughters
)https://www.strava.com/activities/329725111
As it is Father's Day and mine is 6500 miles away with my daughter I thought I'd ride around Seletar Airbase where he used to live for a couple of years, nearly 50yrs ago with the RAF.
Edited by Johno on Sunday 21st June 10:27
Not a photo, but a video, of the last 500m of the Womens tour finish at Stevenage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSIwuWQhcjA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSIwuWQhcjA
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