shorter rides

Jan

2017

The Daily Telegraph is telling you to get out and ride this weekend

“If you can’t exercise every day, working out at weekend still gives real benefits,”

Weekend Warrior

Ok. Those aren’t the Telegraph’s words, they belong to Professor Mark Hamer (@ma_hamer)of Loughborough University who is featured in this article in this weekend’s Telegraph (and the Guardian and the BHF website). Which makes them carry even more weight. He researches “Physical activity/sedentary and population health”, in other words what exercise can do for you.

The results of the research seem to have been that the benefits of vigorous exercise once a week give almost the same reduction in mortality risk (30%) as people exercising three times a week (35%). That’s right, being a weekend warrior who “goes out hell for leather” at the weekend (or any other day of the week) can make a real difference to your health. Not as much as exercising several times a week, but significant.

In all honesty, I only read the article because there was a picture of a mountain biker next to it, but that’s not the point.

The point is if you’re looking to get healthier, then getting out once a week and doing something energetic can make a real difference. Backpedalling is here to make that a reality. The Rusty Rides are for people who want to get out and do something energetic, but don’t know where to start. Why sit in the gym breathing conditioned air when you can be exploring the countryside with fresh air in your lungs? No-one ever get out of the front door to “reduce my mortality risk by 30%” but having fun outside can work wonders.

It won’t make you into a superhuman athlete but, if the scientists of Loughborough are to be believed, being a weekend warrior could be a life and death decision.

Rusty Rides are on Saturday mornings at 9am and 11am. Oh, and knee pads are not necessary, nor is lycra.

Find out more

Jan

2017

New year, new biking: introducing Rusty Rides

So, the New year has arrived and you’ve decided it’s time for a new you. There is an alternative to the gym that gets you outside and having fun.

Maybe you got a new mountain bike for Christmas, you fancy riding it somewhere nice but have no idea where to start.

Now is the season of resolutions. Whether you want to raise your pulse or a smile, we’ve got you covered.

Whatever your reason for deciding to get on a bike in January, Backpedalling’s rusty rides are for you. It’s all about having fun riding your bike so that you want to do it again.

We’ll be out for an hour or so at a relaxed pace, taking in a mixture of trails and quiet roads. The ups are fairly gentle but will get your pulse going. The downs will have you freewheeling and grinning.

Not only that but we’ll finish at a café so you can sit down, chat and refuel if you fancy. If there’s a more enjoyable way of getting a little exercise, I haven’t found it yet.

To find out when we’re riding click below:

RUSTY RIDE times

Jan

2017

Rusty Rides

So, the New year has arrived and you’ve decided it’s time for a new you. There is an alternative to the gym that gets you outside and having fun.

Maybe you got a new mountain bike for Christmas, you fancy riding it somewhere nice but have no idea where to start.

Now is the season of resolutions. Whether you want to raise your pulse or a smile, we’ve got you covered.

Whatever your reason for deciding to get on a bike in January, Backpedalling’s rusty rides are for you. It’s all about having fun riding your bike so that you want to do it again.

Not only that but we’ll finish at a café so you can sit down, chat and refuel if you fancy. If there’s a more enjoyable way of getting a little exercise, I haven’t found it yet.

Ride leader

Your leader for the rides is Andy, a British Cycling level 2 qualified mountain bike leader with years of riding experience. He will look after you the whole way offering helpful tips on how to get more from your riding as well as making sure that the ride is exactly right for you.

All you need is a working mountain bike and a desire to ride.

Location

We’ll start and finish outside Costa Coffee on Stoney Lane. There is plenty of parking nearby.

Times

The rides are on Saturday mornings in January at 9am and 11am.

FIND RUSTY RIDES

HELPFUL INFORMATION

Aug

2016

Wednesday Night Club August 3rd: Not running

Good morning everyone.

There is no Wednesday Night Club this week: I have a prior commitment and can’t be there.

We’ll be back on as usual next Wednesday, riding from Crab Wood. The Friday Morning Club is running as usual, riding from Crab Wood this week.

I’ll see everyone on Friday, at the weekend or next week.

Have a good week everyone and enjoy your riding.

Jul

2016

The Friday Morning Club: Crab Wood 29th July

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Friday Morning club.

What is it?

The Friday Morning club is a fun introduction to mountain biking. It’s designed as an introduction for beginners and those who want to rediscover the joy of riding bikes. It’s all about enjoying yourself out on two wheels alongside people who share the same goal.

It’ll be led by Andy Whincup a British Cycling Qualified Mountain Bike Leader with years’ of experience riding and mentoring, so you know you’ll be in a safe pair of hands. You also know you’re riding with someone who really knows where to find the right riding for you.

It’s a weekly ride that will take in some of the most enjoyable riding around Winchester. The ride will be deliberately aimed at those who are beginners or who need to build their confidence.

Above all it’ll be good fun and a chance to meet and ride with new people.

Where is it?

This week we’re riding round Crab Wood on the west of Winchester. The woods are riddled with fun riding and Andy has stitched together the best of it into a lovely ride that captures everything that’s fun about riding here.

You’ll get pretty beech woods dappled in green at this time of year. You’ll get historic sunken lanes. You’ll get twisty woodland singletrack that’s great fun to ride whatever speed you go. You might even get to see deer and buzzards or hear woodpeckers as you ride.

What you won’t get is anything steep either uphill or downhill. Nor will you encounter any busy roads. So you can relax and enjoy yourself.

We’re meeting at Crab Wood Car Park so you either drive or ride there. Give me a call if you want advice on the best way to ride.

[Google_Maps_WD id=2 map=2]

Who is for?

It’s very much aimed at those who are just starting out mountain biking. The difficulty is deliberately set low enough for everyone to enjoy. If you think you lack fitness or confidence, then this ride is the ideal place to start.

So come along and give it a try.

Important information

When is it?

It’s on Friday 22^nd July at 10am.

We will be back at the car park by 11:30pm at the latest.

Jul

2016

Wednesday Night Club: Twyford

Want to have fun riding your bike somewhere really nice with a friendly group but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Wednesday Night club: it’s been created with you in mind.

What is it?

The Wednesday Night club is a fun introduction to mountain biking. It’s designed as an introduction for beginners and those who want to rediscover the joy of riding bikes. It’s all about enjoying yourself out on two wheels alongside people who share the same goal.

It’s a weekly ride that will take in some of the most enjoyable riding around Winchester. The ride will be deliberately aimed at those who are beginners or who need to build their confidence.

Above all it’ll be good fun and a chance to meet and ride with new people.

Where is it?

This week we’re setting off from Hunter Park in Twyford to take in two of my favourite local trails.

We’ll pass the Twyford Waterworks en route to Mare Lane, a beautiful ribbon of twisting singletrack. This is a downhill of perfect dirt that flatters everyone and will bring a massive smile to your face whatever speed you go.

We’ll pass the Hazeley War Memorial to take in some spectacular views across Winchester, the South Downs and all the way to the Isle of White.

The ride closes with the drop down White Lane from the top of the down. This hollow way is a brilliant bit of trail with just the right amount of slope to make the descent a huge amount of fun.

[Google_Maps_WD id=3 map=3]

Who is for?

So come along and give it a try.

Important information

When is it?

It’s on Wednesday 27^th July at 6:30pm.

We will be back at the car park by 8pm at the latest.

Jul

2016

The Friday Morning Club: Twyford 22nd July

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Friday Morning club.

What is it?

It’s a weekly ride that will take in some of the most enjoyable riding around Winchester. The ride will be deliberately aimed at those who are beginners or who need to build their confidence.

Above all it’ll be good fun and a chance to meet and ride with new people.

Where is it?

[Google_Maps_WD id=3 map=3]
This week we’re setting off from Hunter Park in Twyford to take in two of my favourite local trails.

We’ll pass the Hazeley War Memorial to take in some spectacular views across Winchester, the South Downs and all the way to the Isle of White.

The ride closes with the drop from the top of the down. This hollow way is a brilliant bit of trail with just the right amount of slope to make the drop a huge amount of fun.

Who is for?

So come along and give it a try.

When is it?

It’s on Friday 22^nd July at 10am.

We will be back at the car park by 11:30pm at the latest.

Important information

Jul

2016

The Wednesday Night Club: Crab Wood

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Wednesday Night club.

What is it?

It’s a weekly ride that will take in some of the most enjoyable riding around Winchester. The ride will be deliberately aimed at those who are beginners or who need to build their confidence.

Above all it’ll be good fun and a chance to meet and ride with new people.

Where is it?

What you won’t get is anything steep either uphill or downhill. Nor will you encounter any busy roads. So you can relax and enjoy yourself.

We’re meeting at Crab Wood Car Park so you either drive or ride there. Give me a call if you want advice on the best way to ride.

[Google_Maps_WD id=2 map=2]

Who is for?

So come along and give it a try.

When is it?

It’s on Wednesday 20^th July at 6:30pm.

We will be back at the car park by 8pm at the latest.

Jul

2016

I went out for a quick spin around Wednesday night’s route from Twyford and I can report that the trails are in top condition. Ideal for getting a taste of mountain biking.

The dirt is that lovely consistency that flatters you at every turn. Just dry enough that there’s no mud and just damp enough that there’s grip in spades.

Much more pleasingly though, the verges have been cut back so the final descent beside Hockley Golf Course is wide open and great fun.

There are still a few places if you fancy joining us. I look forward to seeing you.

Jun

2016

Wear and tearing my hair out.

If you ride a mountain bike for long enough, there are two certainties:

You will get muddy
Parts of the bike will wear out

Mud is part and parcel of the fun. If I’m honest, it’s part of the attraction. Riding in the mud is a lot of fun and there’s something about coming home covered in mud that puts me in touch with the child in me.

QE Park mud covered

I’m fine with mud (but don’t quote me on that in February)

Wear and tear is another matter entirely

Things wearing out means that the bike spends more time on a workstand and less time out on the trails.

Some mountain bikers are tinkerers and fettlers. Some people really enjoy “optimising” their bike with new bits and pieces. I’m not one of them: repairs are a necessary evil that cuts down my riding time. I’ve got better at fixing things because it means I can spend more time riding. Simple.

So the inevitability of things wearing out is something I could live without. The problem is that, seen over a long enough time frame, everything on the bike is consumable. Chains & brake pads: easy fix and not really a problem. Cables: fair enough. Rear cassettes: OK, I suppose. Even chainrings: eventually, and it’s not that much of a faff.

There is, however, one piece of breakage that really does my nut in. And that is spokes.

Why so bad?

In the old days, a broken spoke was an embuggerance but nothing more. You whip off the tyre, lift out the tube and stick a new one in. No biggie.

However, I run my wheels with the new-fangled tubeless setup. It means exactly what it says: there are no inner tubes. The tyre fits on the rim like a car tyre and is held tight with latex sealant. There are some really good reasons for tubeless: it virtually eliminates pinch-flats (where the rim hits the ground and pinches the inner tube), it virtually eliminates punctures too and you can run tyres at lower pressures for more grip. Everyone’s a winner.

The downside is that fitting them and setting them up can be a bit of a pain. There are a whole lot of potential leaky spots to be eliminated. That latex can go anywhere if you’re not careful.

So once they’re on and up I tend to leave them alone as much as possible. Changing them for winter ones in October and back again in about March is about all I can stand.

Which is why I hate snapped spokes.

That means taking the whole careful set up completely to pieces and beginning again from scratch.

Why tearing your hair out?

: Front spoke missing

: Rear spoke missing

I went out for a ride on Monday. At one point I hit a lip slightly wrong. At another I put too much side load through the rear wheel. Result: one snapped spoke on each wheel.

That translates to taking both wheels apart before I can go out and ride again.

That’ll be fun.

“If you can’t exercise every day, working out at weekend still gives real benefits,”

So, the New year has arrived and you’ve decided it’s time for a new you. There is an alternative to the gym that gets you outside and having fun.

Maybe you got a new mountain bike for Christmas, you fancy riding it somewhere nice but have no idea where to start.

Now is the season of resolutions. Whether you want to raise your pulse or a smile, we’ve got you covered.

So, the New year has arrived and you’ve decided it’s time for a new you. There is an alternative to the gym that gets you outside and having fun.

Maybe you got a new mountain bike for Christmas, you fancy riding it somewhere nice but have no idea where to start.

Now is the season of resolutions. Whether you want to raise your pulse or a smile, we’ve got you covered.

Ride leader

Location

Times

Good morning everyone.

There is no Wednesday Night Club this week: I have a prior commitment and can’t be there.

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Friday Morning club.

What is it?

Where is it?

Who is for?

When is it?

Want to have fun riding your bike somewhere really nice with a friendly group but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Wednesday Night club: it’s been created with you in mind.

What is it?

Where is it?

Who is for?

When is it?

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Friday Morning club.

What is it?

Where is it?

Who is for?

When is it?

Want to ride your bike somewhere really nice where there is no traffic but don’t know where to start? Then join us on the Wednesday Night club.

What is it?

Where is it?

Who is for?

When is it?

I went out for a quick spin around Wednesday night’s route from Twyford and I can report that the trails are in top condition. Ideal for getting a taste of mountain biking.

If you ride a mountain bike for long enough, there are two certainties:

Wear and tear is another matter entirely

Why so bad?

Why tearing your hair out?

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