Three 30-minute rides each week of the year Challenge 2024

[ColinJ]

Week 37: 3 qualifying rides, 104 km, 6 hrs.

• Ride 1 (Mon): 51 km. Different lumpy lanes near Crediton plus Nadderwater/Exwick loop. 3¼ hrs.
• Ride 2 (Fri): 19 km. (Back in Todmorden.) ELLL including Harvelin Park, Mankinholes, Lumbutts. 1 hr.
• Ride 3 (Sat): 34 km. Clockwise Cragg Vale loop. 1¾ hrs.

Ride #1 on 1x11 Devon bike. Other 2 on 6-er, as usual only using lower gears for longer/steeper climbs.

Success rate: 37 weeks out of 37.

134 qualifying rides so far this year. Weekly target 100 km; total to date: 3,720 km. Average progress now = 100.5%; last week = 100.4%. Total ride time approximately 220½ hrs.

PS Special characters to copy and paste for ride durations - ¼ ½ ¾ !

 

[annedonnelly]

Three rides again for me. The first at home but since Tuesday I've been house sitting near Gretna and have the Brompton with me. First job was to replace the front tyre which had a long split in the sidewall and had been running with a slow puncture for a few weeks. Followed by a test ride up and down the lane.

On Friday I finally got a chance to explore a short stretch of NCN 7 from Eastriggs to Annan. Some stretches of quiet country lanes to start with. A slight detour to the bank of the Solway due to an unsigned junction. Then on towards Annan. A rather stupid short stretch of signed diversion to miss a quiet roundabout but a lack of signage at the roundabout serving Tesco. Luckily the motorists were tolerant of me approaching the roundabout in the wrong lane as I tried to figure out where the route headed. Down the main street and then over the river on a foot/cycle bridge. I didn't go far along the riverside before turning back but it would be nice to explore further sometime. Rather disappointing to find that the cafe near where I'd parked was closed for some reason so no chance of a reward for my 10 mile ride.

 

[FrothNinja]

Riding through country I hadn't ridden since I was new to Britain and seeing the sites on a £25 sit up and wearing a frame pack.
W37R1- Mares CX 1 hour 6 mins - Brockley, Aston Magna, Chipping Campden, Broad Campden, Brockley.
W37R2 - Mares CX 43 mins - Brockley, Aston Magna, Paxford, Brockley.
W37R3 - Centurion 33 mins - local miles.

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 37: 16 rides in total over 30 mins – one HMCAM ride, one HMCAM multi-bike ride + 12 more local rides; distance cycled 259.98km

Week 38: 15 rides in total over 30 mins –one HMCAM multi-bike ride + 12 more local rides; distance cycled 256.83km

Weeks 1 to 38: total distance cycled 10166km

A couple of achievements over the last two weeks or so: on 9 September all six bikes had done more than 1000km this year – and, on 18 September, I passed 10,000km in 2024 – I’m hoping to get up to around 12,250km by year-end.

Here’s La Rossa (my bike of the week) – near la Roche on Thursday afternoon. I’ve also posted a landscape version of this photo in the ‘My Picture of the Day’ thread

 

[ColinJ]

A good week!

Week 38: 5 qualifying rides, 212 km, 13¼ hrs.

• Ride 1 (Mon): 14 km. ELLL. ¾ hr.
• Ride 2 (Tue): 66 km. Tod, Hebden Bridge, Oxenhope, Laneshaw Bridge, Trawden, Worsthorne, Southward Bottom, Tod. 4¼ hrs.
• Ride 3 (Wed): 18 km. Rode to Hebden Bridge to meet pal at a cafe, then back plus a mini-loop in Tod with a decent hill. 1 hr.
• Ride 4 (Thu): 14 km. ELLL. ¾ hr.
• Ride 5 (Sat): 100 km. Tod to Hebden Bridge, [train to Mirfield], my forum ride, [train to Hebden Bridge], Hebden Bridge to Tod. 6½ hrs.

Rides #1, 3, 4 on 6-er (as usual only using lower gears for longer/steeper climbs), other 2 rides on CAAD5 using full range of gears on multiple tough climbs/fast descents.

Success rate: 38 weeks out of 38.

139 qualifying rides so far this year. Weekly target 100 km; total to date: 3,932 km. Average progress now = 103.5%; last week = 100.5%. Total ride time approximately 233¾ hrs.

PS Special characters to copy and paste for ride durations - ¼ ½ ¾ !

 

[bluenotebob]

One other thing that I was going to mention and (as usual) forgot .. I used to have an extensive collection of UK OS maps but I lost them all in a messy divorce (along with lots of other things).

As you may recall from my earlier posts, I lived in and around Bolton for most of the 1960s and I walked/cycled all over the place (the ride I remember best was Bolton/Southport/Bolton as a 15-year-old in 1968 – it was the longest ride of my life until a few years ago). I’m not sure that I ever cycled north of Darwen, Ramsbottom or Haslingden but it’s hard to be certain.

In recent years, I’ve become a bit frustrated at not being able to follow most of @FrothNinja 's rides and some of @ColinJ 's on a map as some of the places mentioned, I would have visited as a kid/teenager, including Hardcastle Crags which I remember from a school trip to Bolton Abbey up in the Dales.

Anyway, my sister, bless her, has uncovered a huge stash of my late father’s maps .. and my Xmas present from her this year is going to be a 1947 OS edition of ‘Blackburn & Burnley’. I can’t wait! A reminder of all those lost railway lines and (hopefully) I’ll be able to piece together some bike rides that I did 60 odd years ago .. and I should be able to trace some rides posted in this challenge thread.

 

[ColinJ]

Anyway, my sister, bless her, has uncovered a huge stash of my late father’s maps .. and my Xmas present from her this year is going to be a 1947 OS edition of ‘Blackburn & Burnley’. I can’t wait! A reminder of all those lost railway lines and (hopefully) I’ll be able to piece together some bike rides that I did 60 odd years ago .. and I should be able to trace some rides posted in this challenge thread.

Real OS maps are very nice, but another option for wider coverage is a subscription... I don't know if the OS subscription is available in France? Another option is to become a cycle.travel supporter, which gives access to whole-GB OS mapping. This is the normal map showing part of the route for my forum ride yesterday...

Standard basic map:

Supporter OS version:

(As you can see - it was a very 'lumpy' route!)

 

[bluenotebob]

Real OS maps are very nice, but another option for wider coverage is a subscription... I don't know if the OS subscription is available in France?

@ColinJ .. I've always loved paper maps. Perhaps it wasn't clear from my post above but what I wanted was a map of the area where I spent my late childhood/teenage years but made at the time when I was a kid. I want my memories confirmed and hopefully expanded.

I'm not terribly interested in seeing a current map of that area covered in motorways and new housing estates, and with hardly any railway lines left.

I find that viewing Google Maps (or any other internet-based mapping system) leaves me with a headache. On the other hand, I can happily pore over a paper map for hours and hours.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm not terribly interested in seeing a current map of that area covered in motorways and new housing estates, and with hardly any railway lines left.

I suppose that is me thinking from the point of view of planning bike rides in GB now!

Quite a few of the railway lines that I remember as a child no longer exist. At least some of them have been turned into cycle paths.

 

[FrothNinja]

One other thing that I was going to mention and (as usual) forgot .. I used to have an extensive collection of UK OS maps but I lost them all in a messy divorce (along with lots of other things).

As you may recall from my earlier posts, I lived in and around Bolton for most of the 1960s and I walked/cycled all over the place (the ride I remember best was Bolton/Southport/Bolton as a 15-year-old in 1968 – it was the longest ride of my life until a few years ago). I’m not sure that I ever cycled north of Darwen, Ramsbottom or Haslingden but it’s hard to be certain.

In recent years, I’ve become a bit frustrated at not being able to follow most of @FrothNinja 's rides and some of @ColinJ 's on a map as some of the places mentioned, I would have visited as a kid/teenager, including Hardcastle Crags which I remember from a school trip to Bolton Abbey up in the Dales.

Anyway, my sister, bless her, has uncovered a huge stash of my late father’s maps .. and my Xmas present from her this year is going to be a 1947 OS edition of ‘Blackburn & Burnley’. I can’t wait! A reminder of all those lost railway lines and (hopefully) I’ll be able to piece together some bike rides that I did 60 odd years ago .. and I should be able to trace some rides posted in this challenge thread.

A lot of the names I use are ones from OS maps (ie Blue Bell - near Colne)

 

[FrothNinja]

W38R1- Centurion 38 mins - local miles.
W38R2 - Hybrid 2 hour 38 mins - Burnley, Cliviger, Worsthorne, Haggate, Thursden, Coldwell, Walton Summit, Trawden, Winewall, Laneshaw Bridge, Blue Bell, Colne, Foulridge, up Slipper Hill, Blacko, Roughlee, Newchurch, Spen Brook, Fence, the Ridge, Higham, Fence, Burnley (total 36.6 miles / 58.9 km plus 1,034 m / 3392 ft ascent)
W38R3 - Mares CX 37 mins - run out to the Clarion for Clarion Sunday. Cyclists from Clarion CCs all over Britain and I forgot to take any pics - doh - but I did get my little pin on pennant

 

[ColinJ]

W38R1- Centurion 38 mins - local miles.
W38R2 - Hybrid 2 hour 38 mins - Burnley, Cliviger, Worsthorne, Haggate, Thursden, Coldwell, Walton Summit, Trawden, Winewall, Laneshaw Bridge, Blue Bell, Colne, Foulridge, up Slipper Hill, Blacko, Roughlee, Newchurch, Spen Brook, Fence, the Ridge, Higham, Fence, Burnley (total 36.6 miles / 58.9 km plus 1,034 m / 3392 ft ascent)
W38R3 - Mares CX 37 mins - run out to the Clarion for Clarion Sunday. Cyclists from Clarion CCs all over Britain and I forgot to take any pics - doh - but I did get my little pin on pennant
View attachment 746650

I took a photograph from almost exactly the same position years ago - Let me see if I can find it... Ah, here you go - from 2008 or earlier! Looks like an extension has been built to the house on the left since then.

Terrible sense of déjà vu there! Have we done this before?

 

[annedonnelly]

Three rides for me. I'm still away from home but haven't yet managed to explore more of NCN 7. There's a 9 mile loop that I've done via the nearest village. The village is by the river Esk and (surprise, surprise) in a valley. No matter which way I do the loop there's a steep uphill stretch near the A7 that I can't quite manage on the Brompton.

Out in the car this morning we had to divert to avoid a traffic jam which meant I got to see some more nice single track roads that I can try exploring when I get a chance.

P.S. I love looking at old maps too.

 

[FrothNinja]

Piccie relating to Sunday's ride