Kirkhill Forest again

My spiritual place between the week is Kirkhill Forest, perfect to practice mountain bike, close to the city and pretty funny trails to ride. Few people in winter, and more people now that the 'summer' is almost here.

 Narrow paths, fast downhills.

THEY ARE NOT GIANTS...

Taking advantage from my short standing in Spain, and the mini-summer, I went to Mota de Cuervo, just to feel again the flat terrain and long vineyards of my land.

Old traditional wind mills, now as a museum, pretty nice sightseeing, and hot wheather. This year has had particularly lof of rain, so rivers and lagoons are plenty of water, the spring is getting enormous related to plants and insects.

The few forests which you can see along your riding, just a bunch of trees, enough to get a rest avoiding the burning sun.

River Záncara passing close to my birth town, normally totally dry, this spring amazing wet.

Just finishing with a reflexion from my thoughts when riding:
It is beautiful think about, that the small things of the life, little details like a riding within the nature, a walking, enjoy with your family or just speaking with a friend taking a beer, are things which help you to keep focus in the things we call "important things" like work, future, worries. But maybe the life is easier than that, and just we need enjoy it, and like the title of this publication metaphorically..THEY ARE NO GIANTS..

SXC SERIES MTB

SXC SERIES
Thinking about racing in Scotland? Cross country could be a good chance to start or just to come back, like in my case.
By the moment the first issue is motivation, so, find a nice group of cyclists with your same interests would be an adventage to start to trainning, somehow commute to the races together.
The spring is coming and I am sure we will have a lot of better days to come, more sun time, and practicing in between the week.

ABERDEEN-BANCHORY

This is a good path to go cycling, close to my house here. I usually do with another cycling colleague who showed me the way. It is the Deeside path, it follows the border of the river Dee, of course.

The adventages are a lot; for example is a continuous path almost until Banchory (30 km ahead), so you avoid the traffic with its danger. It is an ancient railway, now disappear, actuallly you can see an old station near to Banchory, and an old vapour machine there, I think it is like little museum.

The landscapes are green, and with farms where you can see sheeps and horses, interesting thing: the horses have their own blankets on them, may be for the cold.

In this picture we can see the little hill of Durris, which I want to go soon for practicing uphill.



When the winter is here, we have a big problem, because the wet path is often frozen, so, you need spikes in you tyres if you don't want to end fallen down against the hard ice. I did not buy them, but it will depend if january is coming cold or not.

The weather, here is.....so bad ;). It is because I am doing more running than cycling, it is faster, the wind is less annoying and you get less risks, in my opinion. But I keep thinking in go cycling too.

 This is the football field of Banchory, it is sure the they do not need to wather it everyday, ha ha ha.








Anyway, I try to take advantage of all the places and facts, so I appreciate every moment with its own circumstances (bad weather, good weather, different landscapes, different people), all these things make you to be richer, or at least living experiences so different everyday.

THE CYCLE PATH TO HAPINESS

We know that cycling made you feel well physically and menthally, but now some researches are probing that, and with the time pass will be more scientist who will certify it.

 The clycle path to hapiness

DISCOVERING SCOTLAND

First days in Scotland, by now it seems beautiful, different, green, wet, weird, but actually it is a good place where the people is very kind. I hope find here my place and enjoy of all.

My first day on bike was quiet, I spent my time looking at the city, and discovering new places. The beach is close and it is so cool. You can ride in a quiet way and go along it. Then I went to a new park were you can ride too, and one thing that I like is that in these parks you share paths and ways with pedestrians, and all the people is very polite. Here the bikes are welcome.

I

I was lucky as the weather was very good, not hot of course, but sunny and the paths have not got a lot of mud. The mud: it is something which there is learning to live here. After this route all the days there was mud everywhere.











Then I went to the south of the city, and saw amazing cliffs which had small paths for ride on bike, it was better for walking or hiking. Anyway  I tried to cycle along them, and the result was.... I couldn't.

I think, here the speciality of downhill is the most popular in mountain biking. And the people goes by car to the meeting point, so they do not practice cross country, at least like in Spain.
I hope go on my days on bike here, and all it will depend of the weather, I admire the people who is cycling, running or whatevering here, despite of the weather, maybe raining, or even with several low temperatures. I have to learn and using to do that. ;-)

(If someone read me and consider to correct some sentences or words he/she is free to do it, because I am learning english yet)

Volcán de Peñarroya

 Campo de Calatrava: tierra de volcanes, la mayoría de tipo maar, estos cerros, junto con otros compuestos de afloramientos cuarcíticos que han quedado arriba por erosión diferencial con las pizarras y lutitas, son los cerros que hay por esta zona de no más de 900-1000 m, y que permiten hacer algunas subiditas con la bici, muy cortas pero intensas ya que en general no les han dado mucha curva sino que se suben rectas.

Nos reunimos un grupo de amigos para realizar una rutilla muy bonita, y es que sorprende como en La Mancha se pueden hacer rutas muy dignas para un amante de la mtb. En esta subida relajada, vamos hablando, señal de que todavía no han comenzado las "recetas" (palabra adjudicada en esta peña a los tirones o arreones de los más fuertes del grupo, jajaja), que todo sea dicho vienen muy bien para forzar un poco y no acomodarse; y más cuando todo va de buen rollo.