First weeknight blast of the year...

Great ride this evening - it feels such a long time since I'd been out on the bike, and the Orange was awesome tonight...

The Larsen tyres I found sketchy last summer were predictable fast and fun and my fitness post winter was more than respectable. Absolutely buzzing, few heart in mouth moments, tons of adrenaline and a great start to the year!

James

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First ride 2016...

It seems an age since Jon and I were last out on the bikes at the end of 2015... My bike thought so too! A stiff bottom bracket that wasn't diagnosed until mid week meant I had some extra 'training' effort due to the resistance - a replacement is ready to be fitted...

A good ride around the forest, it really is a great 'short' ride, hilly enough to get you fit, and technical enough to put a smile on your face. The winter has not made too much of a dent on the trails, and everything was pretty much still intact.

Ryan has a minor mechanical in that his rear mech seized up due to a rusty cable that then snapped! We managed to bodge it to run with a few of the middle gears (well Jon did) - excellent trail side repair skills!

Talk turned to the next outing in a fortnight - where we're hoping to head up to Ladybower.

Summer rubber...

I love mountainbiking - first ride tonight on 'summer' rubber and I'm sold, it's transformed the feel of the Five, it feels lighter and more nimble and so much more grip on the unsurfaced singletrack!!! Great ride with great friends tonight Ian, Kev and Ryan. Cheers lads!!!

More exploring...

Another good night exploring new trails with Ryan, Ian and Kev tonight! Some cool bits and good to re ride last weeks discoveries!

Bitten, stung, lost and still smiling...

Awesome ride last week with Chris, Ian and Kev, the forest was baking but like the old days we did some exploring. Chris mentioned he'd been walking at the weekend down the section we used to call 'Chris's trail' and had spotted some fresh stuff we'd not seen before. Just like old days that excitement of exploring and finding new challenges, with natural trails, no artificial surfacing or manicured berms - great fun and a lot of smiles, getting lost, bitten, stung and still coming out wishing it went on for longer!

What a week!

Absolutely amazing ride tonight, Fearingout back to it's best! Thanks for the banter and the laughs James, Ian, Chris, Ryan and Kev. Some great photos too! Fitness is getting better thanks to James setting the pace and circuits with Carla Gilder again at the weekend, making riding so much more fun! See you all next week!

James

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Getting in to it...

Well we're well into the swing of 2015 - and there has not been a week night ride missed so far this year. How things have changed from 2014...

The last few weeks numbers have swelled - new faces and some old ones coming back to the bikes. We've welcomed XC nuts, DHers and everything in between. To me it shows the flexibility of Macclesfield forest and the trails. It's good to see such different riders trying to push themselves in different ways, and it's also good for the banter, the diversity of bike choice, and the learning.

The XC guys are quick up hill for sure and are dragging up my fitness no end - the DHers are insanely confident on the descents which is pulling me along (literally) as I try to hand on to their tails on the descents.

This week we stopped to take some photos and it's good to remember the roots of Fearingout as a community of riders united by a blog and photo diary... This year is kicking off, and it feels like old times, not in a sad melancholy way but one that inspires, energises and enthuses me - and I hope that rubs off on everyone else. We seem to be doing osmething right... so if you're reading this as an old riding friend, or a first time in Macclesfield, you're always welcome out with us lot.

See you on the trails!

Back in the saddle for 2015...

The year of the comeback? Well 2014 was a but of a damp squid when it came to riding. Apart from an awesome trip to Scotland we didn't really achieve much. 2015 feels different. A new energy and passion. Taking it back to the simplicity and roots of a weeknight ride, every week... So Macclesfield Forest, Tuesday nights about 6pm. See you there...

James

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Scotland Weekender 2014...

So the season begins...
It is always with an air of anticipation that I pull out of the drive when heading for Scotland - the memories of the trails at Glentress and Innerleithen only improve with age, and so despite the 4+ hour journey we keep on going back (or should that be coming home).

Fearingout Scotland Weekender 2014

This year promised fine weather, good company and bikes in good nick for once (as Ross was hiring one!), and it delivered all of that in buckets. The accomodation this year was 'The Bike House' in Innerleithen - let by Chris and Kate Ball - a great venue for a riding weekend with a downstairs bike workshop and outdoor area to clean/wash a bike, then a lovely spacious airy open plan living space, with two bathrooms and three bedrooms completing the picture. Innerleithen may be small but Jon and Ryan still found ways to get into mischief - coming in at something like 3 in the morning on Saturday night - long after Ross, Ian and I had gone to sleep watching Life Cycles and having 'one last beer' in the house! Good news is a curry house has opened on the high street and it's excellent...

The trails were divine as always and early season was evident in the good condition of a lot of the corners with not too much evidence of braking bumps on any of the trails we rode. Friday was Glentress red, Saturday was Glentress black, Sunday was the Traiquair loop at Inners and Monday was the Glentress freeride park... Over 90km covered and I daren't imagine the vertical height gain/descent.

As usual - pictures (and moving pictures) paint a thousand words so sit back and enjoy.
More next year!!


Fearingout Scotland Weekender from James Hilton on Vimeo.

Cannock Chase delivers...

It's been over ten years since I ride at Cannock but today I was very pleasantly surprised! The trails flowed well and made good use of the gradient available and apart from some heavy wear and braking bumps in places we're generally in good condition.

Most peculiar were the pebbles rather than gravel!

The hard tail was the perfect bike for the tight twisty singletrack. The cafe was great too and all round a lovely spring ride to open the Fearingout 2014 calendar!

James

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