Mountain Biking the Ladybower Loop

This was an amazing ride around Ladybower with Gary, Jim and Bec. We went out in search of some good descents, but got an adventure that was more than we bargained for.

DISCOUNTS ON AWESOME KIT:
Visit Odyssey Activewear: https://odysseyactivewear.com/
Use discount code ‘bikeandbeyond’ at the checkout!

COME AND VISIT ME
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bikeandbeyond/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bikeandbeyon…
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/50595952

CAMERA GEAR
GoPro Hero 8 https://amzn.to/3a4Ivs0
GoPro Chesty https://amzn.to/33EC8dU

PROTECTION
IXS Trigger Full Face Helmet https://amzn.to/2YZfSbu
My Review: https://youtu.be/2KqdJBt_GzE
IXS Trail Evo Helmet https://amzn.to/3bMVpgt
My Review: https://youtu.be/zuGNWkBDHAM
7IDP Flex Kneepads https://amzn.to/30A09kj
My Review: https://youtu.be/SdB8PLxmDew
Fox Enduro D30 Kneepads https://amzn.to/31zmHBu
My Review: https://youtu.be/_9ONBlgWfNU

CLOTHING
Fox Defend Shorts https://amzn.to/31sa2Qc

100% Brisker Gloves https://amzn.to/31sPFlT
My Review: https://youtu.be/otns7PPTIbc
Fox Ranger Gloves https://amzn.to/3xOOcVv

Five Ten Freerider Shoes https://amzn.to/30DbFLS
My Review: https://youtu.be/-Ux1yFsn-as
Evoc Pro Hip Pack: https://amzn.to/3bFUVeU
My Review:https://youtu.be/JjNrIQyUcjg

MY BIKE & PARTS
Cube Stereo (2019) https://bit.ly/3ypQZpz
My Review https://youtu.be/PfF7QyM-3Yw

2022 Voodoo Bizango Pro

Voodoo Bizango 29erhttps://bit.ly/32wK3qX
My Review https://youtu.be/o6D3TS_Wx6U
Brand X Ascend Dropper Post (Link Unavailable) My Review: https://youtu.be/ge4bxxsHFmQ
DMR Deathgrips https://amzn.to/3a9G2N8

This week’s video is one of the most random and challenging rides I’ve been on in a while it was also one of the most stunning rides and it certainly had its fair share of laughs and odd situations [Laughter] as well as being a great day out this

Ride certainly has its surprises and we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for what the heck are we doing like most good rides it started at a random car park at the foot of a hill the plan for today is to head over to

The lady Bar Reservoir and ride an epic Loop in the sunshine taking in some amazing sights some downhill sections and then getting back to the cars before the rain starts but before the day can start us YouTubers did what we do best and mess around in the car park filming each other

But once we’d stop pratting around in the sunshine we got ourselves sorted and headed off the first few stations from the car park were full of Boulders it may not look it but the trail was pretty wet today so everything was really slippery our back tires were constantly sipping on the wet rocks

It’s always a shock to the system when you have a tough climber out the gates but little did we know this was going to be one of the easiest ascents that we made today and of course the climb was totally worth it for the views at the top Our second climb was a little different it was way too slick to try and ride up this grassy Hill so we resorted to pushing the bikes and to our disbelief there were even a couple of snowflakes falling and the higher we got the more snow fell until it was officially snowing not to

Mention that the temperature had dropped dramatically but with the cold wind in our faces we kept pushing on fueled by the thought of some epic descents to come reaching the highest point on the trail we stopped to take stock of the situation this was now a full-on storm

Well at least these guys had the right idea but we decided to push on hoping that the storm would pass which it didn’t we were now riding uphill in a full-on blizzard it’s hard to believe that 20 minutes ago we had blue skies and the wind was so still

That we could fly a drone around what a difference 20 minutes can make all dressed up in the proper kit we plowed on but it was slow going but like they say a bad day on the bike is still way better than a good day at work

After a while the wind died and it was actually pretty cool riding in the snow even with the cold the conditions were fun and our Spirits were still high although I can’t tell if the others were being serious or not their mouth said one thing but their face their faces had another

Soon the weather broke and the sun started shining through the hill went from a raging blizzard to having an ethereal vibe to it so there was only one thing to do snow angels amazing this of course was followed by a few snowmobiles Hahaha And visibility was good once again so this is us over here in the lovely colorful sunshine and then over here full-on Mordor that’s where these came from hoping that the worst of the weather was behind us we got back to riding like I said before riding through snow

Is really tough it feels like you’re dragging an anchor behind you and you have to put so much effort in but nearing the top of the hill we knew that the climbing was coming to an end the first Ascent was a gradual one but it served as a great warm-up for what

Was to come with the recent storm the ground was sopping wet and of course the snow made everything really slippery not to mention we had no idea what we were riding over all this makes for precarious riding conditions but still a heck of a lot of fun

But soon we came to the proper descents this section was fast Rocky and as you can see super wet a river on the full sauce I had no problem bouncing over the Rocks but I can imagine Gary in front of me was having a different experience on his

Hard time these natural descents were in a world of their own today with all the running water and debris it’s hard to know exactly where the best line is there’s really nothing at the trail Center that can prepare you for this kind of riding but I did regret not

Wearing my waterproof Socks today though to be honest a wetsuit would have been more useful there were a couple of these awesome descent sections on this part of the hill but the conditions were making filming slightly difficult as you can see at this point my hands were pretty much

Frozen to the bars so taking them off to wipe the camera was gonna have to wait until I was back on Solid Ground foreign with the technical nature of these ascents you almost forget how amazing the scenery is around here but I couldn’t stare at it for too long

Because I needed all the brain power rocket Master to navigate the ice the conditions were adding an extra unknown fun element to the right I don’t often get a chance to ride in the snow so it was a great challenge it definitely reminded me that it’s time

To guess the new tires nothing major but every now and then I’d feel the bike slip out slightly on the uneven ground to be honest I had no idea we’d be running in these conditions today the forecast said sun with a little bit of rain in the afternoon

Now I’m not one for taking loads of extra kick with me in a ride but it goes to show that being prepared for the worst certainly pays off on days like today but this wasn’t the last Descent of the day we also decided to take a detour to

Check out one of the dams this was some seriously epic scenery it’s hard to show the scale of this on camera but this thing is huge of course when you find something like this on a ride there’s only one thing to do get those classic Instagram snaps in

We couldn’t hang around here all day we had riding to do after our stop we decided to keep moving despite the sunshine the temperature is still freezing and we are pretty darn drenched after the blizzard and riding down what was essentially a river the last part of this Loop was a flatter

Ride along the reservoir as you can imagine we didn’t do the full 50k ladybower Loop in these conditions we stuck to the 29 kilometer option mostly because after getting soaked earlier on the temperature has started to take its toll can’t really feel my hands anymore with no feeling left in our hands and

Feet we high-tailed it back to the cars I can tell you I’ve never been so excited to see the warm inside of my car and it looks like we made it just in time we’ve just made it back and it is snowing like mad again so with the weather picking up again we

Were glad to be in the warm and dry there’s nothing like a dry set of clothes after a cold wet ride so we are absolutely Frozen can’t feel my feet I’m just trying to dry them off oh so cold come on heater come on so despite the cold weather this was one

Of the most fun rides I’ve had in a while thanks for joining me on this adventure please consider subscribing and I’ll see you next time foreign