After the stormy start to the season at Nevis Range six weeks ago, the Poc Scottish Enduro Series travelled south at the weekend to the established venue of Innerleithen, home of long, physical stages and a local scene full of quick riders. With round 1 winner Joe Barnes only here for Saturday practice before leaving for Chile and the EWS opener, the series lead was … Continue reading Scottish Enduro Series Rd 2 – Innerleithen
I love camping trips – a few nights under canvas and you feel as though you barely recognise normality when you get back. A routine dictated by the hours of sunlight rather than by work or a television schedule makes you earn your sleep, and an early night is rarely unwelcome. With that in mind, and having finally gotten the chance to test a full … Continue reading To the sea!
I’ve waited all bloody winter for the conditions to be right for a crack at snowbiking, and at last this week there was a perfect forecast! Glenmore Lodge is the perfect place from which to watch the corries and to strike out for the hills, so I rode up the old ski road to the carpark, past the confused looking lifties and up the climber’s … Continue reading Schneebiking
What better after a long, wet winter than to travel south for a roadtrip? Not to spread out the beach towels unfortunately, but to visit the wettest place in England at the head of Borrowdale. Perhaps it’s Stockholm syndrome, and secretly I’ve grown to like the squelch of a nice soggy chammy – but hopefully it’ll be some time before it comes to that. The … Continue reading Far Easedale and the Four Passes
It’s been a blustery winter so far, but for the second time in four days last week the forecast turned up a gem in the far North-West. Another early start; this time it was local bicyclists Ronan and Nash joining me in the front of the van. As we moved through Inverness at 0630 a watery sunrise began to shine through the rain beating on … Continue reading Winter sun in Torridon
Last year, I swore that I would never do the ‘Puffer again. It was too damp, too dark, too gritty, and it cost too much in new bearings/chain/cassette etc. I think I said the same thing the year before; I’ll probably say the same thing before entries open for next year. When it comes down to it though, the thought of everyone else suffering their … Continue reading Pace and Momentum at the Strathpuffer
Back in early October I went for a few wee rides around Aviemore to make the most of the warmth before autumn came. It was good fun filming some of the ace little singletracks around here and putting them in a video, although the results of an afternoon out with the GoPro were a bit hit and miss, as I didn’t have a tripod and … Continue reading Indian Summer
The Tour de Ben Nevis must be the only race of its type in the UK – a 72km marathon circumnavigation of Britain’s highest mountain, with a carry climb, and river crossing thrown in to keep it interesting. If that wasn’t enough, within the timed circuit there are 4 enduro style ‘special stages’ in which you have to turn your race head up to 11 … Continue reading Tour de ben Nevis 2013
At the start of September I was lucky to be able to squeeze in a quick roadtrip to the Alps to visit Sam at Bikevillage, where I guided in 2011. the condition of the 3 of us going was that I finished converting the van into a rustic passion wagon within the 4 days that I had left myself. Many shuttles to B&Q and several … Continue reading Scale and 650b
Sometimes, you get so fixated on finding new, better trails that you forget the quality rides that are sitting right in front of you. That elusive dream trail is still waiting out there somewhere, but in the meantime there are all the old favorites waiting for a chance to show you why you ride your bike again. In August I went with Seb to revisit … Continue reading A classic summer’s day in Lochaber
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