............so in the stillness of the moment........

A selection of some pics from the year, some taken while out cycling and the odd one of other people cycling, as they say on Strictly.....in no particular order...........

 

......I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall..............

Long time no blog so time to bore you again. I was starting to worry I wasn't riding enough, my mileage is steadily dropping a bit like the temperature but as my mate keeps telling me, I worry too much. Looking back the road miles have dropped off but the mountain bike miles are going up. Last year I think the dark months slogging through the mud on the mtb really kept the base fitness up and really helped once I got out on the road bike in the summer.

This year though I've had a bit more company with my friend Bonus really enjoying his cycling. We've really made the effort to go looking for new trails to ride and enjoyed it along the way and now have some great route options every time we ride.

We even managed to follow a route out of a magazine using an app but I still took my trusty OL9 map just in case and we never got lost once. A cracking loop around the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth which meant the ascent of Contisbury Hill, the road bit was the easier bit and that's saying something when it ramps up to 25% from the off and Bonus promised he'd buy chips at the end. After that it was some great trails up and down through Watersmeet and then more ups and some great descents to eventually reach the Valley of the Rocks. Short but tough in parts but the promise of chips kept me going. Turned out the chippy was shut until February, the perils of out of season riding, next time!

I've got out on the funny green bike venturing up the toll road on my last ride to see how I got on with the different gearing. It turned out to be a very steady and enjoyable spin up into the fog on the moor. I quite enjoy being up there in the mist it's very still and peaceful, just me and the ponies and I had great fun picking my way across the moor when I went off road. 

Today was probably the muddiest ride of the year, great new trails but oh so muddy and we even had to climb a fence through a garden when we found the trail blocked by some lads chopping and chipping trees. Would they be lumberjacks or tree surgeons? 

Exmoor Beast 2014

I've ridden the Exmoor Beast on two occasions but last year to be honest I didn't really enjoy it, so this year I thought I'd have a lie in and drive up onto Exmoor. I wanted capture images of the beauty of Exmoor and the people out for a ride on what was a glorious day even if it was a bit windy.

Calm before the lycra storm....

This is just a selection of what I took on the day, you can see some more here.

............if you could see, what I must see, still hidden in the rain..........

I'll leave all the talking to other people, I'll be out on a bicycle.....somewhere..........

To Hull and back..........

It's not all cycling, sometimes I have to leave the bike at home which possibly maybe might be a good thing. A few days away up North seeing family, cooked breakfasts and a couple of nights of sampling craft beers made a pleasant change. I've lived where I am now for longer than my place of birth. I like visiting the old place though, the familiar accent, the old haunts, I think when you're a kid you don't appreciate the history that surrounded you so I took the opportunity to remind myself. The Wilberforce House exhibition is excellent, very thought provoking. The small volunteer run Trawler centre detailing the history of the industry, the loss of life and the lives of all involved also touched a nerve. Seeing pictures of where my dad grew up which were basically slums we need to be truly thankful of what we have in this modern age. I missed the tour of the actual trawler though which was a shame maybe another time.

Wilberforce monument

I've always liked the 'Old Town' area and apparently the city has Quarters now it's nice to see the local authority trying to market it a bit better but some of the newer areas of the city are looking a bit tired I just hope the City of Culture thing leads to some revitalisation. I even managed to drag the girls to one of the old pubs for a bit of a history lesson....and a pint.

Always nice to visit, always nice to come home, when I say home, is that where the heart is or just your bike? I'd like to think I'm a sort of dual nationality now, part Yorkshireman part person from Somerset if they have a name, Wessex Boy?.....answers on a postcard.

....we are standing on the edge........

I took to social media to vent my despair at having to go back to work after three great days of cycling and taking pics. One of my American twitter buddies commented "Cycling does this to us.So fun, that rest days are like asking us not to breathe" I can't really add to that......

Lucky......

....and we'll all go together........

This week has been a good week, riding bikes with mates, realising how far I've come and riding bikes, did I say that already? In an effort to ride somewhere we hadn't for a while Bonus and I headed to Wimbleball lake which is now a Country Park apparently. They've done lots since I last visited, little pump tracks for kids (and big kids!) an activity centre and a big high ropes thing which looked scary. We parked up next to a very cool Citroen DS, got sorted and headed off around the lake.

Last time we rode here I distinctly remember pushing my bike up hills from the get go, this time we were just spinning along enjoying the view. As we were making such good time we took the opportunity to check out the ruins of the abandoned church at Upton. I think Bonus was a bit disappointed we were making such good time, he suggested doing two laps, but only suggested!

It's a very different part of Exmoor compared to where I usually ride, lots more trees and green rolling hills but just as beautiful. Loads of tucked away pretty cottages, my retirement residence list gets longer every ride.

After the only interesting descent of the ride, an overgrown sunken track between the hedgerows which basically turns into a river we were soon back at the lake. The dam is being re-grouted (yes really) and after a steep road climb up to the dam we were faced by fencing blocking off the route across. It was only temporary fencing so we temporarily moved out of the way, no one in a high vis vest and a hard hat came chasing after us, so no harm done. A gentle spin back towards the car park and a couple of laps of the kiddie tracks (had to be done) we were back at the car, we felt a bit flat. I commented to Bonus that this ride was testament to how far we've improved over the last few years and we should remember that, so we did, over coffee and cake :)

On Wednesday my mate Jennifer came over for her annual pilgrimage to ride up the Porlock Toll road and see me, hopefully. I won't bibble on as she's written a far superior blog all about it and took some lovely pics. She's the first to admit she might be struggling up the hills at the moment but there's no staying with her on descents, her eyes lit up when I suggested we head down Porlock hill! My gps gave up the ghost so no stats but that didn't matter it was a good ride with a mate.

Today. after enjoying(!) a drive along the A39 in a fruitless search for a bicycle repair stand from a German supermarket I decided to head out for an afternoon mtb spin. The sun had gone in but it was still warm and I made it up as I went along which meant it turned into a hard hilly loop after the last couple of steady rides. 

I felt good, the views were as ever stunning and I got up the hills far better than it felt at the time. I must remember if it's hurting I must be trying harder :) 

The heather is starting to bloom on North Hill which adds purple loveliness to the hillside and you can't go wrong with a bit of purple.