More of the same...

 February 2021

For a while the sheer amount of snow was a real barrier to off-road cycling; once it turned to an icy base layer it was murder getting traction up hills etc.  

However we finally got some improvement and so I got 4 rides in on the new bike.  Still getting to grips with (see what I did there...?) the contact points for bum+hands and a series of minor adjustments went on.  Decided also on changing down to a 30T chainring to give me more uphill endurance for the Deeside hill climbs (eg Cairn Leuchan).  Changing a saddle is kinda difficult as you dont know what you like/dislike till youve spent your brass - a  bit like buying new single malts!

Also as the snow melted the river level rose and managed a couple of "sprint" training sessions in my old slalom racing boat.  And when things really kicked off I took my sea kayak for an 8km rush down the river.  Grade 2/3 rapids just flashed by as my GPS showed 22 kph at some points, 16 kph average.

No real plan to the days though yet as Covid lockdown continues.  Its not worth planning longer sea adventures until we get to maybe April when I can hopefully get across to the west coast.  I do see that for the second year running my trip to the italian alps for steep creeking (Valsesia river festival) is just not going to happen is it.

Other activities were mainly walking in the snow, bright day light does help the mood, and maybe some maintenance type stuff as I have my old bike to clean up & sell.

Cheers for now, S.

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January 2021 been & gone, locked down again.....

 Well Christmas is over, and for hogmanay we were back to a lockdown.  It then started snowing and has done so on & off all month.  Means I was back to my trusty MTB and some solo riding all round the low hills of upper Deeside.

Certainly when it was fresh and crunchy, it's a very pleasant way to ride and get some exercise.  I've been exploring a more XC sort of loop that will form a 20 kms exercise track going forwards - and as the gradients are reasonable I intend to ride it in both directions.

However the snow is now freezing hard and things are getting tougher. Certainly the access track climb is now sheet ice and in SPD shoes that's not much fun trying to stagger up it.

The other ways of me staying fit are local walks with the missus in the hour of sunshine that seems to prevail around noon, and going for a blast round in my old slalom boat.  If I carry it to one end of the road I can get about a 45 minute session in before I get too bored.  Its only a grade 1 or 2 but allows some surfing on the pipe wave and a few break-ins/pirrouettes lower down.  Then maybe a few shuttle sprints.

Biking is off now as we head into February as I once learnt a painful lesson on some ice a few  years back.  Need a good thaw that will help the river and allow some longer MTB trails once more.

Got a zoom whisky tasting with my neighbours though one evening this week so not all too grim !   Slainte.

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