by Matt Adrank | Oct 18, 2019 | Biking Adventures
There’s no doubt that winter is on its way. The nights are starting to draw in. The trees are turning all kinds of pretty golden and red colours and there is a definite chill in the air at times. As the weather worsens, it can be easy to leave your bike in the garage, promising yourself you’ll hit the trails again when the weather warms up.
But Cycling Weekly has recently offered some advice on how you can remain motivated to get in the saddle during the winter, and stay in shape in the coming months.
If you’ve been regularly riding all summer, including in competitions, the first top tip is to give your body a proper break. Take two weeks or so out of the saddle to relax and let your body recover from the busy mtb season.
Another thing you can do is sign up for a couple of mountain biking events in the spring. This will give you a goal to work towards and encourage you to go out for rides in the depths of winter.
This time of the year is also a great opportunity to introduce new things to your training regime. Book some mtb coaching to get some fresh ideas, for example. The publication suggested that this is a good time to bring strength-based exercise into your regime.
Building up your overall strength can help address imbalances in your body, reducing the risk of injury once you hit the trails again.
Maintaining your strength is also important as you get older, with a recent report by the Department of Health and Social Care highlighting the need to stay strong as you age to prevent falls and other injuries.
Pilates is another great way to keep in shape all year round, and it’s also perfect for off the bike training for cyclists. Found out more on our pilates page, here!
by Matt Adrank | Sep 26, 2019 | Uncategorized
Cyclists looking for great places to go on mountain bike weekends might be tempted to head to Wales after an award-winning biking family has recently opened new tracks in Snowdonia.
Rachel, Dan and Gee Atherton have spent £2 million buying a practise track at the Dyfi Bike Park near Machynlleth, Powys – and it has certainly paid off, as the family have collected eight world titles and 49 world cups over the years.
They have been based at the site since 2014, having borrowed the huge amount of money from a bank to create the cycle park in Wales’ famous mountain range, BBC News reported.
Dan, 37, told the news provider: “I had always dreamed of finding a forest with this much potential. We have an amazing blank canvas with 650 acres of forest.”
The site provides great downhill experiences, dropping from the 660m Tarren y Gesail Mountain through to sea level at the bottom. This has, no doubt, been helping 31-year-old Rachel achieve five downhill championships, as well as six world cup wins.
The family now hopes other biking enthusiasts will share their passion at Dyfi Bike Park, located in the beautiful Esgair Forest, along with them.
On the website for the park, Dan wrote the area offers the “perfect mix of max elevation with long descents and really varied terrain”.
According to the world-champion, the site, which has now opened its first four black trails, boasts “some of the most diverse tracks you can imagine”.
by Matt Adrank | Sep 13, 2019 | Biking Adventures, Pilates
Keeping active is important as we get older but often people forget about strength training and building muscle in favour of cardiovascular exercise like running, swimming, rowing and so on.
Ideally, you should aim to focus on both if you can – something that has just been reiterated by the UK chief medical officers and the Department of Health and Social Care, which has just published new physical activity guidelines that emphasise the importance of building strength and balance.
The guidelines haven’t been updated since 2011 and now recommend that adults should do strength-based exercises at least twice a week to help delay the natural decline in bone density and muscle mass that typically starts at around 50 years old. The overall message has stayed the same, however – any activity is better than doing none at all and more activity is even better than that.
It’s thought that a drop in muscle mass and bone density is one of the main reasons why older people lose their ability to do daily tasks with ease, with falls the main reason that people above a certain age are taken to hospital. This could be avoided, however, through the likes of carrying heavy shopping, brisk walking, swimming, gardening and taking the stairs.
Physical activity can also help protect against chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes (reducing the risk by 40 per cent), coronary heart disease (35 per cent) and depression (30 per cent).
The guidance also includes safe levels of activity for both pregnant women and new mothers, with a moderate amount of exercise for the latter proven to help them ease back pain, regain strength and reduce the chances of developing gestational diabetes.
“Physical activity is an under-appreciated asset in our clinical arsenal. It is cheap and brings a long list of health benefits.
“As we age, our muscles weaken and we can become stiff, leading to falls and difficulty performing everyday activities. Physical activity can prevent fragility and support mobility in old age. By keeping active, both throughout the day and also through hobbies, we can slow muscle and bone decline, ultimately keeping us independent for longer,” Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, said.
When it comes to strength training, going for Pilates in Waterlooville or your local area could prove particularly beneficial. This practice aims to strengthen the entire body in a balanced way, with emphasis on core strength as a way of improving general health and wellbeing.
It is suitable for people of all ages and levels of ability, so don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner… you’ll soon pick it up. Regular practice can help improve your posture, muscle tone and balance, while also relieving any stress and tension you may be experiencing.
by Matt Adrank | Aug 27, 2019 | Biking Adventures
British Cycling, with support from mountain biker and Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, has issued a call to reform right of way legislation that currently bans cyclists from over two-thirds of the public footpaths across England and Wales.
According to the Daily Telegraph, those behind the campaign believe that the current laws are confusing and outdated, only allowing people to enjoy beauty spots around the country if they’re on foot – such as the Cotswold Hills.
Unless permitted by the landowner, cycling on footpaths in England and Wales is typically considered trespass but local bylaws or traffic regulation orders relating to specific footpaths can make it a criminal offence.
Commenting on the news, head of campaigns with Cycling UK Duncan Dollimore said: “Conflict sometimes arises because people feel either entitled or annoyed because they perceive someone is using their particular space.
“Cycling UK wants to see England develop a better, more modern system for determining access rights – one based on suitability of use rather than historic use.”
But head of advocacy and policy for The Ramblers Gemma Cantelo made further comments, saying that some of the paths aren’t suited to becoming multi-use routes because of their physical features of their character.
As Cycling UK explains, there are 146,000km of public footpaths in England and more than 26,000km in Wales. If the majority of English footpaths were open to cyclists, it could more than triple the mileage that biking enthusiasts can enjoy, allowing them to see even more of the wonderful countryside we have right on our doorstep.
Looking to find out more about mtb weekends in north Wales? Get in touch with us today.
by Matt Adrank | Jul 25, 2019 | Biking Adventures
There are plenty of reasons to head to Scotland for a mountain biking adventure, and now one more has been added to the list.
The Tweed Valley Trails Association (TVTA) has announced a new agreement with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which gives the TVTA permission to officially maintain three mountain biking trails that are currently being used unofficially.
All the new trails are based in Caberston Forest, which is known by local riders as The Golfie. It’s long been a popular spot for mountain bikers.
Commenting on the new agreement, South Scotland region manager with the FLS Sallie Bailey said: “The Tweed Valley is a mecca for mountain biking and has a long history of world-class riding for all abilities. We want to build on this and strengthen the links we already have with the mountain biking community.”
The agreement will be reviewed on an annual basis, and is a pilot for how this kind of collaboration could work elsewhere in the future.
The TVTA was formed specifically to engage with local landowners about unauthorised mountain bike trails. They want to promote a culture of sustainability and responsibility and involve the local biking community as well as landowners in trail management.
Co-chair of the TVTA Neil Carnegie said they were “delighted” that the FLS is embracing the mountain biking community in this way, adding that they “can’t wait to get working on the ground, our tools into the dirt and start making a difference”.
Earlier this year we pointed out how much investment is flowing into mountain biking north of the border, so the announcement that the trails in Caberston Forest are set to be officially maintained is more positive news for the riding community.
Looking for mountain bike tuition? Come and see us today.
