Today's Bike Ride

'You had a waz round Whinlatter', or 'I had a waz in our compost bin'.

I had a zoom round Whinlatter I think... no wee in sight, but you could hear me go weeeeeee quite a bit :)

I now wonder if you were there when I was Grouse... I was there last Wednesday...

There is a nice ice cream van as you drop down from whinlatter.A few hill reps for me tonight on the bike. Legs very tired. Watched the vuelta when i got in.Hann you would know if you met grouse. Lovely man.Helped me achieve my bob graham. Top man

Ahhh, not necessarily, as we could both have been riding the trails without knowing you see :) I did have a chat with a few blokes riding up the South red trail though, and Grouse could have been one of them :)

Didn't see the icecream van :(

Aww Daz I return the compliment. I was there on Tuesday on the south red altura trail as it happens. Don't really consider myself a mountain biker but had a mosey and really enjoyed it on a bit of an old faithful I bought off Fishbulb for my son a couple of years ago but he's outgrown it. It's only just big enough for me but a grin to ride in fact I've hardly ridden my road bike since I inherited it.

It's Luchini isn't it? Doesn't he normally park up by Fitz Park?

Ah, so I missed you by a day, pity... If only one knew these things beforehand, we could have done that loop together and have an icecream after :)

Good solid 70 miler at the weekend, up into the Beacons and screaming back over Penderyn Moor at breakneck speed on the R3 despite the head wind, that road is such fun and the scenery sublime, no wonder Top Gear are always using it!
Sadly the frolics were ruined by the wreckage of road maintenance wreaked by Rhondda Cynon Taff council on our favourite Rhigos mountain, ok I know there were a few holes and a bit of work was needed but the previous smooth and pleasant surface has been tarred and chipped and badly at that, completely buggered! Now the holes are still there but full of chippings, at least you could avoid the holes! A wonderful descent trashed. So I had a "99" at the ice cream van at the top and stomped off home down the valley in a grump:angry:, but feeling righteous after my longest ride since the Marmotte.

Last week I was in France with my mum, bro, his missus and by baby nephew (baby acclimatisation trip) - was lovely and sunny but very flat - did a variation on this loop a few times (on the amazing shopper bike my mum keeps out there)

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/...pen_ive_done=1

Then last night after work rode to meet the chap for tea at the Grouse (from chesterfield) - but they don't do food on Mondays :rolleyes:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/...pen_ive_done=1

Toffer I feel your pain with the chippings. The most outdated way of repairing a road surface.
They have just done a road near here. No attempt to fill holes, no planing of the surface, no lets get the road level first just chuck some chippings on top with a bit of tar and thats it.
The road surfaces in Derbyshire are a complete joke as are the rest of the country.

With the bad winters returing its time the goverment invested into road repairs or we are going to have major problems. We should have pumped a few hundred million into the roads and created growth and jobs instead of giving the banks what they wanted and now being told what we have been.

I led a bit of a campaign a few yrs ago to get a road re surfaced. It worked after months of complaining. And that is the problem. Everyone moans but no one officialy complains.
When I had a meeting with the road engineer for that stretch of road I asked him if he thought it was substandard for bikes to go on. It turns out he had been reporting it for over 15yrs to be resurfaced.