Policy update for Great Western Trains (formerly First Great Western).

http://road.cc/content/news/189317-grea ... eed-routes

Wednesday looking a bit mince weather wise so probably going to aim to head out on Thursday and see if I can't find a bit of mucky fun.

Presumably a 400.

Currently signed up to the Peaks, Troughs and Plains as a first 200 after a year off. No bikepacking needed on that one so will be going out fast and light. Well, light anyway. Might take a small top tube bag for wallet and phone to stop them getting sweaty.

Alas Tuesday is my one evening I can't do due to an ongoing regular commitment to tramp beers and bike polo.

Wednesday or Thursday are good for me though.

Hang about or ride on to get help? You would have to leave your SPOT if you have triggered SOS and leave. The general rule is that if you've called for help you don't leave. This operates on the basic principle that if you were to injure yourself after calling for help then nobody would know where ...

Mostly it's about lazy journalism. Pretty much any sweetened milk product is going to have the same sort of effect on your recovery. Plain milk lacks the calorific content that is sought for effective recovery but I think the protein values are pretty much the same. Compare varieties on your favouri...

Anything up to 300k and most people won't sleep, even the ones that start at odd hours. For 400k, it's a bit of a toss up as to whether you sleep. Some people will always grind on through but a lot will look for a nap at some point. If there's an established control somewhere in the night section th...

First things I would check there are

a) is the cassette on tightly. A little rocking is OK but not a lot.

b) is your derailleur hanger straight with the frame

c) is the cable running smoothly/not kinked

d) is your chain the right length

I think for me, the issue would be whether I would affect someone else's ride. Weather is always a bit trickier up in the Highlands and this past weekend's efforts on the CL show how precarious a cold snap can make it for riders and their chance of completion. You're right, the front of the bulge is...

Anyone about next week? Weather prospects are looking nice and I'm thinking of getting out midweek. Wouldn't mind some company and expertise.

I've got a bike, I've got kit and I've got bags to put it in. Just need a spot of help putting it all together. I've got a Whyte 529er with the usual set of flat bars, 10x3 gears on cable shifters and hydraulic disc brakes. Rear cable and hose running through the frame. The coming off the handlebars...

I've got a large Neo-Air which I use for regular camping. I've not broken my bivi cherry yet but reckon I'll use that for a first outing and, if I'm feeling decadent, I'll take the pump as well. The way I'm building up my kit, I reckon it'll go in the bar bag with the sleeping bag and North Face biv...

Cross Country services have racks where you hang up your front wheel. If you have a 29er it won't fit! Virgin may be the same, can't remember. On Cross Country, there's two sections for bikes. One either side of the corridor into the main part of the carriage. If you've got a 29er or other odd shap...

Given that the weather is dragging it's heels a bit on getting warmer, perhaps a southern route might be the thing. Given your location, you're well suited for having a crack at the Ridgeway and either heading back the same way for the double or popping onto the Kennet & Avon Canal until you fee...

To be fair to the guys, and pretty much anyone else out there not wishing to quietly conform to life's norms and standards, challenge and appropriate aren't words that readily go hand in hand. People looking to test themselves in different and more challenging ways aren't automatically egomaniacs.

There's a few more than 11 hours daylight on the solstice. You could kick off about 4am and still have usable light around 10pm.

I am tempted by a sooner running. If you were to start just before sunrise on the solstice I reckon it would be doable to get round the whole route in daylight.

To be fair to the 3 peaks, it's really only a race for about 20-30 people. For the other 600+ riders it's just a challenge.

I'm going to stick my name down for this as it'll give me something definite to work towards. I did redo the gps file as the old one seemed to make my Gaming chew through battery as it had to do a lot of calculating to stick a line on the right part of the map. I'll PM you for the new file and see i...

Went for a roadie truck around the Peaks yesterday to take advantage of a tailwind down the via Gellia. It was bloody cold all day and I got hailed on four times. Had to sneak a tow off a Uni student up to Owler Bar to stay ahead of the impending rain on the way home. Popped round to mates house aft...

I think I'd just go for minimum faff and drink black tea. I'd probably pack a tea that I prefer to drink black rather than builders though. Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong, Jasmine, Bakewell Tart, that sort of thing. I realise they don't quite evoke the rough and readiness of bikepacking but sod it, I l...

I was thinking about the TPT. Could truck up to Hornsea and finish the ride with a one day C2C.

The Crikey, how much ride was all on road and about 250 miles all told.

Waterways and bridlepaths will soak up some of the extra mileage but you'll need to think about getting north of the Humber before heading across if you want to hit 125 miles a day for four days.

Dibs on a Kanga please.

There was talk that the landowner had suggested up grading a parallel track to be used for bikes, he thought this would be less muddy and narrow. I've not been out that way for a while but it would be preferable to the original track which is always wet even in the height of summer There was a para...