The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Ajax Bay]

My personal approach for cycling is to stick to yellow roads. . . . I generally avoid roads that are pure white

I generally seek to stay off A roads (except where ‘bottlenecks’ force me onto them) and at the other end of the highway scale I seek to avoid narrow roads – the one that are shown as narrow yellow on the OS 1:50,000 maps. Some of those lanes are lovely but many are of a width that means that you cannot be sure that you will be able to cycle past a car coming the other way: this increases the need for caution and thus reduces speed. White roads are generally not public unless, as you say, it has bridleway or BOAT markings.

 

[ColinJ]

I was trying to plot a new route once and on Streetview I saw a sign on one lane - Private Road. I actually think that it was the name of the public road! If so, then the person who gave it the name has a sense of humour ...

I'll see if I can track it down and check.

Yes ... Private Road is PUBLIC!!!

 

[ColinJ]

And ... it looks like the Streetview driver took the sign at face value and declined to drive up there. You can see that the council has painted white lines on the road as usual.

As an exercise, I will try to find a way to get Google to send a Streetview car up there. The road is not on their current list, as you can see on this map ...

 

[13 rider]

November's in the bag nice an early . Chilly and hilly but a really nice ride .1 to go

 

[Sbudge]

November out the way early here too. Just that one critical century left (this year) ! :-)

 

[ColinJ]

Double drat!!

I had a new route planned for tomorrow (or strictly since it is well gone midnight, in a few hours time TODAY) - train to Burnley Rose Grove, a ride round the Ribble Valley eventually getting to Blackburn, train home.

For once, I have been really efficient and got my food and drinks made in advance, my bike fettlled, the route loaded to GPS and phone ... So, one last detail - double-check the train times and I discover that there is a local rail strike, so non-bike-carrying rail replacement buses!

Oh well, I'll save that route for a future ride and will do one of my local routes instead.

 

[ColinJ]

Littgull is going to do my new route with me next week. I just did a relaxed hilly local 53 km ride instead today, calling at a cafe mid-ride for coffee, a scone and a chat with friends.

 

[steverob]

A really enjoyable ride with @Sbudge today. Decided to wrap up in multiple layers, both top and bottom, and while I may have looked like the Michelin Man, I didn't really feel the cold all that much because of it, plus it really wasn't that bad when you were in the sun.

We took a train out to Leamington Spa and then cycled back to Buckinghamshire from there, with a light tail/cross wind for most of the route. Managed to find some really quiet pleasant roads; not many real big climbs, but a lot of undulations meaning the elevation total still looked semi-impressive.

If I include my ride to the station first thing in the morning in with the main journey, I believe that was my biggest distance day this year.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Lovely ride in the sun today. Worried about ice for first hour but after that sun had reached the roads and all was well.

 

[Sbudge]

A really enjoyable ride with @Sbudge today. Decided to wrap up in multiple layers, both top and bottom, and while I may have looked like the Michelin Man, I didn't really feel the cold all that much because of it, plus it really wasn't that bad when you were in the sun.

We took a train out to Leamington Spa and then cycled back to Buckinghamshire from there, with a light tail/cross wind for most of the route. Managed to find some really quiet pleasant roads; not many real big climbs, but a lot of undulations meaning the elevation total still looked semi-impressive.

If I include my ride to the station first thing in the morning in with the main journey, I believe that was my biggest distance day this year.

Yep, it was a really special ride. Sun, light (following) winds and some great scenery/roads. Might try more of these 'one way' rides. :-)

 

[ColinJ]

I had to repostpone my November metric century after picking up a chest infection from my sister. I'll have to leave it at least another 3 or 4 days, maybe more because I am still coughing and spluttering. I might end up having to do a very undemanding and boring 100 km up and down the local valley A-roads late in the month if I don't feel well enough to include the usual hills.

 

[ColinJ]

A like for your dedication, not for your chest infection

And one for your sympathy!

I just spoke to my other sister who had driven our stricken sister up here and back home again. She has NOT caught the chest infection! How could she do 2 long car journeys with the splutterer and avoid the bug, but I sit across a room from her for 2 days and catch it - #notfair!

 

[Sbudge]

I had to repostpone my November metric century after picking up a chest infection from my sister. I'll have to leave it at least another 3 or 4 days, maybe more because I am still coughing and spluttering. I might end up having to do a very undemanding and boring 100 km up and down the local valley A-roads late in the month if I don't feel well enough to include the usual hills.

Yuk, that's really tough. Cold air and a chest infection don't go well together. Good luck and don't take unnecessary risks. No point in making November then missing the whole of December through Pneumonia!

 

[GuyBoden]

Very cold this morning, still a slight bit of ice on some verges, so I rode my usual easy flat 100km. I was over taken by an electric bike, so I caught him up, sat behind chatting and drafting. This increased my speed tremendously, pity he wasn't going my way back home.

The lack of daylight hours is becoming a problem, I've been getting out earlier.

 

[Fiona R]

Very cold this morning, still a slight bit of ice on some verges, so I rode my usual easy flat 100km. I was over taken by an electric bike, so I caught him up, sat behind chatting and drafting. This increased my speed tremendously, pity he wasn't going my way back home.

The lack of daylight hours is becoming a problem, I've been getting out earlier.

Your rides are so inspiring, nothing stops you getting out!