Bike & Bivi - first attempt.

For quite a long time now I've been meaning to join the Bike & Bivi set, loading up the bike for a night out of lightweight camping (I have bivi'd before, but not with the bike). I've been collecting a few bags etc. ready for over a year now, but until last night I hadn't actually done anything except think about it. Part of the problem was that of kit, my two sleeping bags are quite bulky, and one is a 3 season job and the other apparently 2 season (although I question that). Also although I have some bike bags, I don't have a saddle bag so some of my kit would need to be carried in a rucksack. Now, I decided that if I waited until I had everything that I thought I needed I'd never go out, so I used what I have available, loaded up the bike and rucksack, and headed out.

I didn't go far this time as last night was more about finding out what works and just having a go rather than go off on a long adventure. I'd already picked a spot quite close to home but at the same time quite isolated, at least in feel.

I rode out just before dark, giving myself enough daylight to get to my chosen spot, set up camp and make a brew. On the way there I stopped to photograph the bike, and watch an angry lapwing fly around making a racket, I'm not sure if it was myself that was the object of its rage or a nearby herd of cows. I suspect the latter as the bird seemed to be herding the cows around, like an aerial sheepdog.

The bike handled quite well despite its load, and I made a point of taking a ride down a winding grassy slope just to see how it would handle a mild downhill, which was fine. Lifting it over a gate to get to the top of the slope wasn't too bad either.

At my chosen spot I pegged out my hooped bivi bag, then put a brew on whilst I sorted out my sleeping bag etc. After tea and a Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer I settled down to bed. And found my first mistake, I pitched on what I thought was a flat spot on long grass, in fact I was on a slight sideslope. I decided to just put up with it, and spent an hour or so before nodding off sliding around on top of my Thermarest, listening to the birds singing and planes coming in to land overhead.

I had an uneasy nights sleep to be honest, partly due to the sloping aspect of my spot but also because I was cold. I took the lighter of my two sleeping bags, which is pretty old and bulky with a comfort rating of 0 degrees. I bought it for a fiver of a biker that I used to work with, he used it once for a motorcycle camp and decided that camping really wasn't for him. However, I did get some sleep, at one point dreaming that I'd woken up surrounded by revellers who'd set up a marquee nearby. In fact the only company that I'd had was a few birds, including an owl that I heard further down the vale.

Morning came, and a misty one at that. I stayed in bed until gone 7, listening to birdsong and the sound of a woodpecker drilling away, waiting for the sun to warm the air and burn the mist away. I made myself some breakfast, Aldi porridge in a pot and tea, starting to decamp whilst the stove did its job. All the time the sun was rising over the sides of my little dale, very welcome as I had a shivery start. Soon it was time to leave. I hadn't seen a soul pass by, I did expect a dogwalker at least, and I'm pleased to report that the only sign of my camp was some flattened grass.

I've learn't quite a lot in one evening. Picking a flat spot is the most important lesson, but also getting to know how a loaded bike handles is important. Some of my kit is old but good for a few years yet, my bivi bag for example, some needs updating, the sleeping bag being the most obvious but also a lighter less bulky sleeping mat would save space and grams.

Kit.

Carried on the bike;
Old Eurohike sleeping bag. Not great...
Alpkit ti mug (used straight on the stove).
Alpkit Kraku stove.
Alpkit Jasper firesteel (works in the wet).
Gas canister.
Spork.
Camera
Head torch.
Tea bags etc. and food.
Water bottle (1 litre did 2 brews and porridge).
Sit mat (my one luxury item, saves sitting on dewy grass in the morning).

Bike bags used;
Alpit 20l drybag carried on a Kanga harness (sleeping bag)
Alpkit large Fuel Pod (camera and head torch).
Alpkit Drop Bear (gas and food).
Alpkit Stem Cell (brew kit, mug, stove, steel).

Carried on my back;
Prolite 4 Thermarest.
Terra Nova Jupiter hooped bivi bag. Used quite a bit in the past, but not for a few years now.
All in an ancient Lowe Alpine rucksack.

Paul.

Lovers Leap.

Drive into Buxton on the A6 from the south, and you'll be driving through Ashwood Dale, that part of the road surrounded by limestone cliffs. As you near town you might notice a cleft in the rock walls on your left, with a path leading into it beside a small river. I've looked at this cleft for years, wondering where that path leads and whats up there. A look at the relevant OS map (how we love maps!) tells me that there's a waterfall up there, called Lovers Leap. Consulting a local history book reveals that Lovers Leap was a popular attraction back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the only photograph was from that period. So today, after work, I decided to go exploring.

There's only one form of transport for this kind of work, so onto the fatbike and out of town, taking a farm track that dropped me onto the A6. I cycled back towards town, not liking the traffic much to be honest, until I came to my destination. As there was a path I swung off the road to join it, passing a somewhat knackered snowboard. The path soon fizzled out...

If I wanted to continue it would have to be on foot, and the feet would have to get wet. So, leaving the bike propped up against the cliff I set off, not worrying too much about the bike being left unattended, this was a Friday afternoon and folk would be more interested in getting home that looking for unguarded bicycles in obscure chasms.

After the first dunking you tend not to worry about the water. Instead one tends to worry about the slippery rocks under it. I very carefully teetered upstream, not wanting to slip over or hurt my already dodgy ankle, past a collection of lorry tyres and up along the river bed, not able to see where the riverbed led me as it wound its way up through the cleft.

At one point it narrowed and got choked by boulders and logs, easily clambered over.

Then the walls fell away and the ground widened out, and I could see the source of the water.

Which wasn't the waterfall that I had expected, but a mere pipe in the ground. Above the pipe I could see the fence and some of the huts belonging to a caravan site.

Exploration over, I returned the way I came.

In all honesty I don't believe that anyone has been up there for a long time, apart from a local group cleaning up after fly tippers. Back on the bike I headed home, to drink tea and dry my shoes. An enjoyable afternoons diversion, and I'm glad that I wore shorts...

Paul.

Battle on the Beach 2018

A few weeks ago on the 13th of April we packed up the van and headed back down to Pembray Country Park for my favourite bike race. We had a good run down, better than last year when the exhaust fell off my Landy. The aged Defender has now moved on, replaced with a VW Caddy, much more practical and cheaper to run but a bit boring in comparison to be honest.

Our camp.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon in good weather, set up the tipi, got the bikes out (Dani raced as well this year) and headed for the beach for a practice lap of the course.

On the beach.

Dani enjoying the sand.

The first part of the course, down the beach, into a military compound (briefly), and onto the tank tracks, was the same as last year. The tank tracks, a double track section parallel to the beach, is easily the worst part, bumpy lumpyness that is difficult to get into a rhymn on. Then the course changed from last year, a lot of singletrack had been taken out, in fact we rode for about 9k before hitting any. This did make for a faster course with fewer bottlenecks, but at the expense of some sweet riding. There were a couple of patches of soft sand in the dunes, benefiting those of us that ride fat, and the singletrack when we got to it was pretty good. The course splits at one point, laps one and two follow the same route but lap three is on a different route, to make it easier for the front runners by keeping them away from the rest of us slower riders. It works well. We only recce'd the course of the first two laps.

Skirting through the military complex.

Besides the tanks tracks there's this.

After our recce we headed into the arena for food, pizza for both of us and a faggot butty for me as well. Which was rather tasty, and comprised of a faggot sliced and fried, onions and a slice of cheese. In the evening we watched the night race for a while, and were quite impressed to see the racers leave the arena and ride through a marquee, along the front of a stage where a band were playing. A great move by the organiser! Being the seriously hardcore couple that we are, we headed back to the tent, drank tea, and had an early night. I slept very well under canvas, perhaps due to the crisp night air, and the long drive down.

Race colours!

Morning brought rain. Quite a bit of it. Breakfast consisted of Aldi porridge pots, super easy (just add boiling water) and tasty to boot, especially the golden syrup variety. And more tea, for me anyway. Dani took the opportunity to test the coffee press attachment that fits her recently repaired Jetboil (it needed a new piezo igniter, a weakness in the design). Dani took Toby for a walk in the rain, and I took advantage of a break in the weather to go for a ride and an explore. During which my bike fell over whilst I took some photos, causing a minor problem...

Dani getting her race face on.

The race started at twelve. We headed off at about twenty to. As I rode away from the tent I noticed that something was wrong. When the bike toppled the fall knocked the bars out of line. So, back to the van, grab a multi tool and straighten the bars, then off to the start line. By this time the rain had stopped and the ground was drying out, to our relief, in fact the rain could have been a good thing as it helped bind the dry sandy sections together.

I got to the start a bit later than I wanted, and consequently ended up further back than I would have liked. However, unlike last year the organisers wanted everyone to start on the beach rather than have those at the back starting on the access road to the beach. So eventually we all moved forward onto the soft sand. Dani stayed fairly central but I decided to head left, a wise move as it turned out. My plan was much the same as last years, get a fairly good start and go wide on the sand as soon as I could, to avoid any carnage and get a clear run with few people around me.

At the start of the beach an all female steel band were drumming away, giving the event a real carnival atmosphere. The countdown began, a horn blew, then close on 700 riders headed down the beach together. A fantastic sight and an incredible experience. Some tried to ride, some simply ran with their bikes, and of course the fatbikers just rode off. There was some mild carnage, a few on the ground, probably only to be expected given the sheer numbers and amount of adrenaline flowing. I got my good start, and went wide on the left. Dani however got caught in the middle of the melee, a mistake which cost her dearly. Soon I was flying along aided by a tailwind, always wary of the riders around me, but making good progress (for me anyway), overtaking some, being overtaken by others. I've fitted Confucius bars to my bike, and have taped the sides of the loop for my hands to make it easy to tuck into an aero position, suprisingly effective even on a fatty. Off the beach, onto the tank tracks, and into a headwind which got worse as the race went on. All the time I kept a good pace, keeping an eye out for Dani who I thought might be ahead of me. As I mentioned above, there were fewer bottlenecks, which in a way was a shame as I quite enjoyed the banter as we queued last year. Through the dunes, into the singletrack, the sound of drums getting louder as I neared the arena and finish line. Through the arena, under the inflatable bridge, passed the drummers (big thumbs up!) and into lap 2.

By this time I was really in a good rhymn, tucking in on the beach, (at some point during the race I went over 25mph, which I thought was good until I found out that a lot of riders hit 30+, and the winner reached 36!), enjoying the dunes and woodland (but not the tank tracks!), my spirit only dampened slightly by the weather. The rain had returned, in time for lap 3.

Once more through the arena, once more down the beach, once more along the dreaded tank tracks. Then it came time to take the lap 3 turning, heading along that part of the course which we hadn't recce'd. The third lap was muddier than the first two, but still good riding even with a Jumbo Jim on the back, a tyre not renowned for good handling in slippery conditions (they are fast though!). Still, I kept my pace up, even at the finish line when someone tried to outsprint me (she failed, losing out by half a wheel). Then we were funneled into the marquee, handed in our timing chips, and were handed a nice slate finishers medal in return.

At the arena I looked long and hard for Dani, still convinced that she finished ahead of me. I went back to the van, she wasn't there, so back to the arena. Dani actually finished about 8 minutes behind me, getting caught in the middle of the melee at the start did her no favours. Still, she enjoyed the experience, and is looking forward to next year when she can compete on her fatbike. Assuming I get it finished by then (I'm building it at the moment, we have the frame which is a titanium Stooge, but the rest of the components are being bought one at a time as and when I can afford them).

Back at the tent we drank tea, cleaned ourselves with baby wipes, got changed and started to pack our camping gear up. Small Dog had a pigs ear to chew on whilst we broke camp, which kept him busy and stopped him getting under our feet. Then back to the arena for burgers before the long drive home.

How did I do? I finished in 410th place out of 661 finishers, and was the 22nd fatbike home. I came 158th out of 249 riders in my age group. My time was 2:00:39.6, it would have been nice to finish in under 2 hours but I'm not unhappy.

By this time in the year I've normally run a couple of fell races. That I haven't is down to my achilles tendon on my right leg, I'm getting a lot of pain where it attaches to the heel. I'm still running, but at a lower intensity around local fields, and in the Goyt if I'm feeling ok.

Paul.

The first of March.

Today is Thursday, and on Thursdays I go running. Today, according to the calendar, is the first day of Spring. Today is also the day when the Beast from the East has really made its mark, with a lot of snow about and road closures all over Derbyshire.

Anyway, I went running. Out across the fields, close to where I live. Nothing too hard or technical, just fairly low level running through sheep fields and along lanes. In summer you can hear skylarks, and sometimes spot them as well. However, its still winter despite what the calendar says and the snow made it rather more interesting than usual.

First of all there was the windchill, which according to Buxton Mountain Rescue Team was about -18C! They posted a little video on Facebook shot on part of my run route showing the local conditions.

The chill was so harsh that I was tempted to turn back and go home, but I carried on. I'm glad that I did, I soon warmed up when out of the wind and anyway, it was fun!

Wind tends to move snow about, stripping it from the fields and depositing it in drifts. I had to wade through quite a bit of snow, thigh deep in places, Small Dog struggled to get through and needed helping a couple of times.

Small Dog enjoys snow. He rolls in it, eats it, and generally runs amok in it. But it sticks to his paws, icing up on his pads, so maybe I should consider getting some boots for him.

As a bonus, both my beard and my eyebrows froze.

I enjoy snow. I like riding in it, running in it, snowshoeing, and even driving in it. Today however, I'm staying at home, having called a snow day for the first time in my life. With road closures and train delays I just didn't fancy the trip to work, as even if I got there ok there is still the journey home (late shift this week) to consider. So I stayed at home.

Paul.

Seize the moment.

Snowing here in the Peaks. It started last night, so as I'm on late shift this week I decided to get up early and ride this morning. Nothing too long or too demanding, just getting out on the fatbike for a short local play in the snow. As a bonus, my beard froze.

Sometimes its important to just seize the moment, get up get out and do something outside of your usual routine. For me it takes a good fall of snow for that. Must try harder!

Anyway, some pics;

First offroad section, downhill in ruts.

At the top of a fairly hard climb, made worse by the soft snow clinging to and clogging my back tyre.

Combs Moss in the distance.

Lou.

Bud.

Mr Frostybeard.

Heading back to Buxton.

Apologies for the grey photos, forgot to set the camera to 'snow'!

Paul.

Lady Cannings.

The fatbike has been out of action for a few weeks, due to the front brake lever having a seized piston, a common fault with Sram Guide R brakes it seems. So I've bought a complete secondhand set from that ebay place as a quick fix and swapped over the dodgy lever to one from the 'new' set. I did think about going for broke and forking out for a new Hope front brake, but money is a bit tight and anyway I like the feel of the Sram jobs. So, the plan is to try and make these brakes last for another year or three and only replace when I need to. Yesterday I did a short road ride to make sure that everything was hunky dory, which it was. Just as well really as a big steep hill figured in my route choice.

Today however, Dani and myself loaded up the van and headed across towards Sheffield for a visit to Lady Cannings Plantation, home to a couple of purpose built mountain bike tracks. First however we stopped in Hathersage, so that Dani could swim in the open air pool and test out her new Alpkit wetsuit. I just watched, drinking tea, whilst Dani braved the water. Which she very much enjoyed. After more tea and a plate of cheese and chips we headed out again.

We found a parking space just south of Burbage North, unloaded the bikes and hit tarmac. And a headwind. A cold one at that. I've fitted Confucius bars on the bike, which proved their worth as I could use the front loop and tuck into a more aerodynamic position, well more aero for a fatbike rider anyway, which made riding into the wind a lot easier.

On reaching the plantation we had two choices, Cooking on Gas, a new trail sponsored by Go Outdoors, and the older Blue Steel trail. Both start and end close to each other, with a climb back up to the start. Once my hands warmed up again we chose to go Cooking, and did a couple of runs down. A nice flowing trail, with berms aplenty and smooth lines, but all over too quickly. Our second run was of course an improvement on the first as we got into the flow, but there is room for yet more improvement. I don't ride much singletrack these days.

Blue Steel has a different feel, apart from being muddy near the top (Cooking was bone dry) its a lot more technical, with more rollers and tighter corners. Again we did two runs, but my second run wasn't quite as good as Bud slipped sideways a touch. Bud is my front tyre, Surly's finest 4.8 rubber. It has slipped before, in snow, but always finds grip. However, I was put off a bit and held back a touch on the top section. Surly have a habit of naming tyres after people they know, my back tyre is Lou and they also make an Edna, Nate and a Big Fat Larry (true!).

After those four runs we headed back to the van, with a tailwind this time, holding a good pace. Then home for huge mugs of tea and home made muffins. Post ride tea and cake, there's little in this world better.

Paul.

Sherwood bloody Pines.

I've been riding at Sherwood Pines a couple of times recently. Trail centres aren't really my thing these days, but there was a time when I lived in Bedfordshire and myself and my regular riding partner Dave used to travel to Wales on a regular basis to ride either Coad-y-Brenin, Afon or Cym Carn. Nowadays, living in the Peaks means that I'm spoilt for good quality riding without having to travel far, or at all.

Gas van and Inbred.

There have been a couple of all-female rides over at Sherwood recently, which Dani was keen to join. So we packed the bikes in the van (an ex-Scottish Gas VW Caddy which has now replaced my aged Landy) and headed over. Of course, being all female rides I couldn't join in so I rode alone, not a problem to be honest even though I enjoy riding with my wife.

One fuckin' speed.

Both occasions coincided with my fatbike being off the road, the first time with a knackered rear wheel and today with a dead front brake (the lever piston has seized). So, I used my ancient (circa 2000/2001) fully rigid On-One Inbred. This was one of the first batch of Inbreds, when you had the choice of either one gear and V brakes or one gear and V brakes. I love this bike, and rode it all over Bedfordshire when I lived down there. Nowadays its looking a bit dated, with it narrow riser bars, 26" wheels and low front end (due to the steerer tube being cut right down). Having a low front means neck ache for me these days.

One thing that I have remembered from riding the Inbred recently is just how much I love riding singlespeed. Yes its hard work at times, but I love the simplicity of the set up, the lack of noise from gearshifts, the fact that you're concentrating on your line and not on your gear choice, and the directness. By directness I mean the way all of your power goes straight to the back wheel as soon as you crank the pedals, something which is hard to describe and is best experienced. I'm now thinking of building a new singlespeed bike, something in steel, fully rigid, plus sized wheels and with more up to date geometry.

And onto the trails. every trail centre has its own character. Sherwood's trails are mostly fairly flat singletrack, twisting through the trees, bermed here, flat there, nothing too technical (apart from one rocky man made drop off). There is a jump park and downhill course, but I have yet to explore them. The red trail takes about an hour to ride, depending on conditions, on my first visit the ground was hard and dry but today it was muddy. Very muddy in fact, which added to my time.

I have to say that I did enjoy my visits there. Trail centres aren't my favourite riding locations, but sometimes it is nice to just go out and hammer some singletrack, singletrack being a bit lacking in the Peaks. I'm sure that we'll be back soon, as the terrain is very similar to a typical cross country race course so riding there will be good practice for Dani to get her prepared for the race season.

Dani, in her race top.

Yours truly, with extra mud and winter beard.

Paul.