Last weeks adventures............with no mishaps!

Out with Kathy who's got a cracking carbon mountain  bike but not too much idea on how to ride it up a mountain, well what I really mean is she can ride it uphill OK it's the coming downhill that scares the shit out of her!

A photo taken last night up the Pentlands specifically to make Baz see what he'll be missing for about the next 6 months while he recovers from his ruptured (2) achilles!

Off to Cardiff for a week to visit family here's hoping it's more like summer in the south of Britain.

A real mishap and no joking!

This is Baz and his faithful hound Rebus after I ferried him home from a business trip to Manchester where he decided to pass the the time on Monday evening playing badminton (he was quite good when younger) with a workmate. Unfortunately they'd only played for about 10 minutes when Baz played a clear from the back of the court and on landing described the feeling as if someone had hit the back of his legs with a baseball bat. Unfortunately as it turned out it was both(!) his achilles rupturing at the same time! A visit to a specialist is scheduled for tomorrow to determine what the treatment will be but in the meantime its no more biking for Baz for quite a few months! 

Summer arrived but disappeared just as quick again!

Thursday night and its still about 18 deg C at the top of Castlelaw when we met this group going the other way.

Saturday afternoon and Baz and me are near the same spot as Thursdays photo and its thick,wet fog and the temperature is a miserable 5 deg C!

A week of contrasts with most of the week being sunny and warm and the trails really drying and even dust appearing c'mon this is Scotland dust is as rare as Scotsman's wallet getting opened!

Reality returned on Saturday however and it was back to damp cold and wet. However I've been out tonight Sunday and can report without too much confidence that it might just be warming up again! 

A big mishap......a big crash!

My bike lies facing the wrong way while Baz conceals his mirth at my crash, I'm actually taking the picture from where I landed!

A self timer taken about an hour before the crash.

This was about 5 minutes or so before and was the usual compulsory picture taken at the top of West Kip

The top of Scald Law and the crash 20 minutes ago has been forgotten about, well nearly.........

The Sunday morning trip up the Pentlands was one I wont forget for a while, the riding up to West Kip was pretty uneventful but from the top of West Kip onwards along the Skyline the wind just got stronger and stronger. I blame the wind on the descent from East Kip for blowing me into a deep rut, Baz blamed my poor biking skills! Probably a combination, anyway I went over the bars and landed on my face nearly wrecking my new riding glasses and managing to cut my forehead in the process! The bike by the way was fine and after a minute or two to come to my senses so was I! The strength of the wind was unbelievable at times it must have been the north westerly direction as it hit the hills that caused it. Back at the foot of the hills it was like a different world with no wind to speak about!A bit of camouflage had to be applied to the cuts and bruise to fool her indoors or life wouldn't have been bearable, its not the first time this ploy has been used! 25.5 miles ridden and over 4.500 feet of climbing so a good mornings riding with a good bit of bragging rights about the injuries as well!