Ride 02/11/2013 by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Cold and soaked to the skin Perhaps cycling in pouring rain and 2°C wasn’t the best idea…

Ride 19/10/2013 by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Given that it’s absolutely pissing it down I didn’t want to ride too far from a dry warm home, so it’s a quick short ride this week. Still ended up riding through huge! deep puddles up shield hill. [Wet feet]

Ride 12/10/2013 Holyrood by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Well it’s typical Scottish weather, crap!, so decided to ride to Edinburgh city centre and do the tourist thing. Visited Holyrood and the Scottish Parliament, then onto Holyrood Palace and finally up to Edinburgh Castle where it promptly rain on me Thankfully it wasn’t too hard so I could ride home without having to catch the train.

Hike 05/10/2013 Ben Cleuch by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

OK so no cycling this week as the bike is in for it’s service and won’t return till next week. So i decided I would hike up Ben Cleuch, the highest point in the Ochil hills, and do it vis Ben Ever. This also gives me chance to see how suitable the path is for me trying to cycle up to Ben Cleuch. And although it’s doable it’s going to be a tough one as there are some very steep parts in which my only way up will be to push the bike. Thankfully most of the steep stuff is up to Ben Ever and a little section up to Ben Cleuch. It should be possible to ride down most of it and from Ben Ever to Ben Cleuch it’s a reasonable ride. My only concern will be the wind, it’s bloody windy up there! which also made it cold, even on a temperate day like it was today. Distance wise it’s only 3 miles up and 3 miles down but elevation is the killer, over 2500 feet to climb to the summit of Ben Cleuch which is 721 meters, but I get bragging rights to say I’ve been up there hopefully next time will be on the bike 0.o For the time being I need to nurse my sore and blistered feet, I was designed for riding not walking!

Ride 28/09/2013 The Nebit by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Well today’s ride was my first attempt at getting up The Nebit, one of the hills in the Ochils, Alva sits at the foothill of it. It was a misty start to the day but as the day wore on it became sunny and warm, to the point I was swimming in my own sweat going up the damn hill. Quick strip down in cloths allowed me to cycle up in just my cycle top and trousers. I was expecting it to be cold and windy at the top but as it turned out it was quite pleasant. Anyway the gravel track allowed me to cycle most of the way up  but the last 100m accent had me pushing the bike up hills again Thankfully I could cycle down it a lot easier and basically did a big loop over the hill. Meet some other mountain bikers coming up on the way down. Now that I’ve found a good way to access the hills I can make an attempt at Ben Cleuch, the highest hill in the Ochils (721m), the Nebit is only (449m) but that might wait till next year since I would only do it in good weather. Anyhow got some good pic’s

Ride 21/09/2013 Glendeven Reservoir & Helix by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Well its another dull day but at least it’s not windy. First went to the new Helix park which is now open although it’s only half done as most of it won’t be finished until 2014, but you can ride around the park if you want. Then onto the Ochils and Glendeven Reservoir which I hadn’t been up, until now, but was one of those places I wanted to explore. Another lots of hills day with sore legs but at least I didn’t fall off my bike this time, still sporting the bruises from last Saturdays excursion

Ride 14/09/2013 Crichtons Cairn by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

So it’s a nice day therefore I would do some mountain/road biking. Rode to Lennoxtown and up Crow road (Hill) until I reached the car park there. I then went off road up to Crichtons Cairn which with hindsight was not a good idea. I’ve never been up it and didn’t know what to expect, unfortunately it was ridiculously steep! One concerned hill walker asked me if I was ok after I fell pass her on the way down the hill, even pushing my bike up and down the hill I fell a couple of times. Ok for hill walkers, crazy stupid for mountain bikers, and some crazy fool actually managed to ride down the hill past me! Too much for me so won’t be going up again. Anyhow it was back on the road back to Kilsyth and up Tak Ma Doon Road which is manageable, along to Denny and back to Falkirk. Over 3800 feet climbed and 48 miles clocked up.

Ride 08/09/2013 Round the Forth by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Didn’t ride yesterday as I was cutting the stupid grass, so did a quick sprint around the Forth today. Unfortunately some cunt of an insect decided to fly under my helmet and sting me whilst crossing the forth road bridge. I must have looked like a crazed idiot banging and shaking my head and swearing a lot, I was furious and the bastard insect got away >:( my head still hurts 2 hours later…

Ride 31/08/2013 Kilsyth Hills by PaulLund at Garmin Connect – Details.

Sometimes the Scottish weather really pisses me off! Forecast very windy and no rain, 5 miles out I get drenched So now I’m cold and wet, but I press on. It did brighten up a bit but I’m still fighting a 15 mph head wind all the way up to Milton of Campsie. Some crazy hill climbing but I did eventually make it back home, absolutely knackered now 75 miles in 5:42 and 4700 feet climbed.