Longer rides: Kelso, Carlops

Three weeks of pretty good rides. A colleague from work persuaded me to ride to Kelso and back over the Lamermuirs. Beautiful ride out, sunny, but we felt we got a bit lost going though the Border's countryside by the end. 4h10m, 85k. The way back was into the wind and quite a bit of rain, we took the longer road, bypassing Longformacus. 5hrs and 97k home. Longest road ride I have done. I was tired the next dayl,but not too bad. Graham was on a titanium racing bike, and me on my steel city bike which meant we were eveny matched. He is training for a 500k 'race' from Trondheim to Oslo - lunatic!

Keeping up interval training - getting faster on long intervals but have not done so many 2 min intervals recently. Doing the long intervals starting on the bottom road of Arthur's Seat, and doing 4 circuits.

Went out early with Neil one Sunday to ride to Carlops and finally do the track back over the Pentlands. Pretty fast over to Nine Mile Burn - managed to ride up the single track on Exponential without putting down a foot - that really is one of the hardest sections in the Pentlands. However Neil burst a gear cable that we didn't manage to fix with zip ties, so everytime he wanted to change chain ring I had to stop and help! The ride up to Borestane is great, can't wait to do it North to South. The log broadworks on the way down are boneshakers on a hardtail though. Boring field back to Harlaw and back to town via the Mushroom field, Community Compost path and water of Leith. 60km, 4h10min. Route on 'Map my Run'.





Planning all week to do the Carlop route in reverse, down to West Linton and over Caulstane Slap - the only part of the Pentlands we have not riden.

Found a new lunchtime ride - up to Craigmiller Castle, round the park, down past the New Royal. They have cycle path, with loads of steps, and then they have blocked off the paths coming out the back of the site - they built bridge foundations to cross the stream, but did not build the bridge. There are 2 ways round - either out to the main road and onto the new cycle path, or down the field from the Castle. Both lead across a wide field towards the playing fields behind the Jack Kane centre. There is a fun path though the woods there. Did this with Dermot one day, and Neil on the Friday afternoon. Had a great fast ride with Neil, who has his new second hand Epic. We set off fast, Craigmiller - River Esk - into the back of Dalkeith Park - and back home. Riding at 85% MHR for more than an hour. Slowed a bit by the end. 1:15 28k. Approx ride map on 'Running Map'

Sunday morning feeling a cold coming on, but up early to go to the Pentlands - cold and very windy, we take it easy and just ride out to Exponential, returning via Red Road, Black Hill, Den's cleuch and Phantoms cleugh. Hadn't done that loop for a while, so good to see it again. Had just changed by rear tyre from a Conti Vertical, which had been great for winter to a Conti Speed King, which was fasater, but felt much more insecure on the unexpectedly wet ground. Had an interesting run in with some highland cows. Probably should not have gone, since I have been down with a sore throat and cough all week and no bike at all.



Also replaced by front wheel with a stronger DT5.1 with Hope Pro II hub - feels heavier, but I am not worried about bending it like the old 117.