2025 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Jeremy McCreary]

its a long lived stereotype that northen men love a good ferret, stuffing them down your trousers was quite the sport.

Sooooo many questions.

Q1. Exactly what was the ferret expected to do down there?

Q2. I can see this getting pretty athletic for all concerned, including the ferret, so maybe a sport. Was this also a spectator sport?

Q3. Was it any good for impressing girls?

 

[Mulezen]

The ferret is in addition to the canaries. Ferrets are ratters

 

[Chargeride]

I have to presume you have searched this potentially gender altering pastime.
Its considered a combined mating display alongside Gurning.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The ferret is in addition to the canaries. Ferrets are ratters

Canaries, too?? Jeez, what else do they stuff down their trousers over there??

 

[Chargeride]

20 miles of Penine Bridleway, it started off squishy

It basically meanders up and down through the Pennines

Simply delicious trail

Through hillbillie farms

Alongside railway tracks

Over and under them

Occasional villages

Atmospheric steep trails

Through sheep filled fields

And overgrown mining mounds

Long descents to reservoirs

This guy was miles from anywhere

And a whisker away from a head on crash as he drifted towards me

It became dream like at times

Batteries were getting low I was on three bars with a big offroad climb and ten miles to the van

A polite notice

Two bars now and running in eco.

Luckily a three mile descent into the village

To be met by three pubs in the square, I wont bore you with the next 7 miles, it was simply horrific, but good exercise.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

20 miles of Penine Bridleway, it started off squishy
View attachment 203941

It basically meanders up and down through the Pennines
View attachment 203942

Simply delicious trail
View attachment 203943

Through hillbillie farms
View attachment 203944

Alongside railway tracks
View attachment 203945

Over and under them
View attachment 203946

Occasional villages
View attachment 203947

Atmospheric steep trails
View attachment 203948

Through sheep filled fields
View attachment 203949

And overgrown mining mounds
View attachment 203950

Long descents to reservoirs
View attachment 203952

This guy was miles from anywhere
View attachment 203953

And a whisker away from a head on crash as he drifted towards me
View attachment 203954

It became dream like at times
View attachment 203955

Batteries were getting low I was on three bars with a big offroad climb and ten miles to the van
View attachment 203956

A polite notice
View attachment 203957

Two bars now and running in eco.
View attachment 203958

Luckily a three mile descent into the village
View attachment 203959

To be met by three pubs in the square, I wont bore you with the next 7 miles, it was simply horrific, but good exercise.
View attachment 203960

Where are the ferrets?

 

[Chargeride]

Where do you think, they make eco like turbo.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I have to presume you have searched this potentially gender altering pastime.
Its considered a combined mating display alongside Gurning.

No, I'd rather hear your explanation. I can understand how a ferret down the trousers might give rise to involuntary gruning. But surely that'd be illegal in a gruning contest.

 

[Chargeride]

Most telling is that the SE have taken over the Ferret, for decades the londoners have mocked the north and now we find they are the lumpy trouser people

 

[Chargeride]

So my computer, which fell off...another story ...correctly tracked the route and gave a visual countdown to the finish while Brians Garmin Instinct was ludicrously inaccurate to the point it recorded a 57 mile track that was only 24.9 miles.
We checked he wasnt in Napoleon mode or some bizarre doubling up, or been turned on in the van.
No idea

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Garmin Instinct

Tell him to get an EDGE, like everybody else Why he thinks a watch for runners is a cycling computer reminds a mystery to me

 

[Chargeride]

Im pretty sure runners and cyclists use the same satellites

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Besides, I can't wait to see your video, Chris. It must have been an epic ride! I wonder what the elevation gain was!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Im pretty sure runners and cyclists use the same satellites

There is a tool for every specific task There are better or worse tools as well.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I write this to drive the lesson home for you:
The team of four riders on MOSTy 500 used Garmin EDGE for each rider. They were using Garmin Connect app with live tracking of the rider currently on the trail. Therefore, the person to start the next lap knew precisely when the previous rider would cross the start/finish line. The finishing rider was stopping their EDGE and the starting person was starting the recording. All the recordings went to Strava and were hidden against any competition.

If Garmin EDGE computers were as precise as to handle that complicated task, what could go wrong for Brian with his Instinct?

 

[Chargeride]

I write this so the lesson can get home to you

Lol Stefan, your English is excellent, but some times the intent gets lost in translation.
That comes across a little demeaning.

I'll rewrite it for you.
'Oh Charge, you are always correct, I will bow to your knowledge'.

Or something like that

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Actually, I do admire you, Charge!

 

[Chargeride]

Its OK Stefan, English speakers are used to people trying their best and we have adapted to anything from subtle to complete gibberish to ease out what they are saying.

We dont even try the other way.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I've rewritten that sentence.

 

[RabH]

Final ride of a record breaking 2025!

Another nice but rather chilly day, my plan was an easy day this time and just enjoy a nice bike ride without any distractions so no photos! I made my way out to Threemiletown which funnily enough is 3 miles from Linlithgow, maybe that's where it got its name from! Then back through Beecraigs Country Park, the only really big climb of the day and down the descent into Torphicen! Then another descent into Bathgate where I joined the cycle path to Whitburn and on to Harthill, where I turned north towards Blackridge and west for home! I arrived home with a clean bike for a change as the roads were all dry after a decent spell of weather!

A little review of my year, starting with January with a total of 6 rides and 427 miles covered! A mild February saw me doing 611 miles from 8 rides, by far my best February total ever! Another 600 miler followed in March, 621 from 8 rides! 9 rides in April for a total of 675 miles, followed by a big May total of 741 miles from 9 rides! Only 8 rides in June but a very healthy total of 736 miles, July wasn't so productive though with just 593 miles from 8 rides!

Things improved in August with 640 miles from 9 rides and 631 miles from 8 rides in September! October only brought 7 rides with a decent total of 608 miles, then came a wet November with just 432 miles from 7 rides! December arrived and we had some very mild weather resulting in my best ever December total with 531 miles from 9 rides!

On to the records, my best yearly total of 7250 miles and my best ever elevation gain of 469,607 ft! I also beat last years total of 22 imperial centuries by 1 so a very productive year on the bike! A screenshot of my stats for the year! Only 96 rides but my best ever average yearly mileage of just over 75.5 miles!

Ride highlights by month!

January!

110 mile ride to Callander!

February!

120 mile ride to Thornhill!

March!

110 mile ride to Peebles!

April!

112 mile ride from Powmill to St Andrews and back!

May!

56 mile ride round the amazing Isle of Arran!

June!

160 mile ride to St Andrews in memory of my dad and brother, biggest ride of the year!

July!

128 mile ride to Loch Katrine!

August!

115 mile ride to Mauchline!

September!

107 mile ride to Auchmuirbridge!

October!

70 mile ride from Loch Lubnaig to Ben Lawers and back!

November!

71 mile ride to Kippen!

December!

64 mile ride to Carron Bridge!

On the cycling front it has been a truly incredible year, taking my bike past 43000 miles just blows my mind and if I can do another 7000 miles next year it would see 50000 miles appearing on my display which would be absolutely amazing to see! Nothing is guaranteed in life of course so I will just enjoy what I have achieved up until now!

I wish you all the very best for 2026!