Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Saluki]

Just back from a nice ride. I decided to ride the Wreningham cyclepath loop, past Hethel and the Lotus factory and along the cycle path and then headed left and skimmed the edge of Kenninghall. Along this bit of the ride it was dusk and I rode alongside a young Barn Owl who was flying just off to my left. I rode alongside him for a couple of hundred yards when he wheeled off to the left and headed for some trees a quarter of a mile away. From there I carried on towards the A11 and over the bridge that spans it.
Instead of heading left and to home after the A11 bridge, I went straight on and turned right on the Norwich Road and headed off on my usual route to the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital and had a great ride down and flew along from the Roundwell junction towards the hospital. As I approached the last roundabout before the hospital complex, I looked at my Garmin and saw that I was a mile and a bit off my goal tonight so I turned right and headed towards Eaton and then followed the cycle path back to the A11/Roundwell junction and then rode to the hospital on the route that I had ridden just a few minutes earlier.

I was after a ride of 17 miles tonight but ended up doing 18.45 as that last roundabout to the layby is a bit further than I thought . The ride took 1:13:31 and I averaged 15mph. Either I am getting fitter or that bike is getting better by the ride. I my new bike

 

[ColinJ]

However, I wasn't prepared for this. Stocks Lane in Luddenden, @ColinJ territory. I passed a rider shortly before the bottom who smiled then chuckled to himself. He KNEW

My avid readers had been warned a couple of months ago!

 

[coffeejo]

Strictly speaking, dr_pink's ride today with me on duty as chief mechanic and bottle hander upper. It was the North Norfolk 100 mile time trial. It was 23C in the shade so we knew this was not going to be easy especially as she was riding a new, untested bike. For the first 40 miles dr_pink was flying but nowhere near full gas when disaster struck, I was a couple of miles up the road ready to hand a bottle up when my mobile went off, dr_pink's chain had come off and was wedged solid, quick u-turn screech to a stop and fix problem with much swearing. Four minutes lost, her heart rate sky high and the next 60 miles done on the 53 ring just in case.
She won. 4.43 07 but for miles 40 to 80 she was in a dark place. Actual ride time was 4.39 but I think would have been quicker than that. On balance not a bad ride on a slow lumpy course.
About 1 mile to go.

but

 

[Old Plodder]

@Old Plodder
I advertised the ride at 15.5mph and we ended up at about 17 .

Just tell them they were 'country miles'....

Edit: I misread that, still country miles being longer you would have to go faster to cover them.

 

[cosmicbike]

Strictly speaking, dr_pink's ride today with me on duty as chief mechanic and bottle hander upper. It was the North Norfolk 100 mile time trial. It was 23C in the shade so we knew this was not going to be easy especially as she was riding a new, untested bike. For the first 40 miles dr_pink was flying but nowhere near full gas when disaster struck, I was a couple of miles up the road ready to hand a bottle up when my mobile went off, dr_pink's chain had come off and was wedged solid, quick u-turn screech to a stop and fix problem with much swearing. Four minutes lost, her heart rate sky high and the next 60 miles done on the 53 ring just in case.
She won. 4.43 07 but for miles 40 to 80 she was in a dark place. Actual ride time was 4.39 but I think would have been quicker than that. On balance not a bad ride on a slow lumpy course.
About 1 mile to go.

That's proper quick isn't it? Crikes there's another thread kicking around about doing 100 miles inside of 5hrs, and I dare say 99% of CC'ers would struggle to achieve that (dons hard hat and runs for cover..).

Anyways, lovely to hear about all your rides folks, keeps me motivated on the third recovery, hope to try a mile or 2 in the later part of this week, will see how it goes..

 

[ColinJ]

Strictly speaking, dr_pink's ride today with me on duty as chief mechanic and bottle hander upper. It was the North Norfolk 100 mile time trial. It was 23C in the shade so we knew this was not going to be easy especially as she was riding a new, untested bike. For the first 40 miles dr_pink was flying but nowhere near full gas when disaster struck, I was a couple of miles up the road ready to hand a bottle up when my mobile went off, dr_pink's chain had come off and was wedged solid, quick u-turn screech to a stop and fix problem with much swearing. Four minutes lost, her heart rate sky high and the next 60 miles done on the 53 ring just in case.
She won. 4.43 07 but for miles 40 to 80 she was in a dark place. Actual ride time was 4.39 but I think would have been quicker than that. On balance not a bad ride on a slow lumpy course.
About 1 mile to go.

A great ride in trying circumstances - well done, dr_pink!

Even a perfectly adjusted bike can drop a chain from time to time - stick a Dog Fang, K-Edge or similar chain keeper on for insurance.

 

[Old Plodder]

I agree, looking at all the pics & ride reports does help to motivate.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

After the recent 4 day Cheshire ride on slicks, I removed the rack and stuck the knobblies back on the MTB, and set off to do a loop I'd been thinking about for a while.

Starting at Gilsland, I headed out northwards before crossing the firing range at RAF Spadeadam

....and continued along what must be one of the longest cul-de-sacs in the country at 8 miles long. It's also possibly the quietest with not a soul around, apart for the wildlife...

However it wasn't an easy ride as a gutsy decision was needed at this point...

I chose the bridge as the ford was green and slimy with a very knackered concrete surface. Eventually the tarmac road stops at the Cumbria/Northumberland county boundary where a bridge crosses an infant River Irthing.

Which was a good place to have a quick break before the off-road section started

Then it was a leisurely 6 miles through the deserted forest on a good but loose gradually ascending track.

The strong headwind funnelling down the forest rides made for slow progress in places but eventually after what seemed like an age I got to the western edge of the forest to be rewarded with this view, and a superb 2+ miles run across the moorland to meet the tarmac road just to the north of Bewcastle
.

Here's Bewcastle looking a lot more inviting that it did when I was here a fortnight ago..

After that it was just a 'slog' for the last 10 miles along quiet roads back to the start point., and the only thing to shatter the peace and quiet was the 'zzzuuuuuhhhhhhh' of my knobblies on warm tarmac

Garmin informs me it was 29½ miles/2520 ft @ 10½ mph

It's certainly a ride I'll be doing again

 

[Paul139]

@Ffoeg Lovely photos and look like fantastic roads and tracks

 

[Booyaa]

Another ride out today, just over 8 miles and loved being out but the wind was tough this morning. Slowly building up and feeling superb again now!

 

[4F]

Up out just after 5:30 for an early 68 mile blast on the fixed.

In the the first 2 hours I only saw 2 cars and one cyclist out. A glorious morning.

Following shots of Thorpeness Mere and Snape maltings.

 

[Kevoffthetee]

A nice leisurely 45k ride this morning on the mtb. Down to the millennium bridge on the Tyne and through the Sunday market then along to wylam, across the bridge and then back down to the mouth of the derwent and follow it all the way home.

The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and there were hundreds of people out for a walk, run or ride.

SUMMER IS HERE

 

[Old Plodder]

SUMMER IS HERE

At last......

 

[cyberknight]

1st club run in months !
Legs were tired at the end but a good ride
http://www.strava.com/activities/142584367

 

[Jon George]

... was on my motorbike. (I had intended to do a sixty miler, but woke up with bad lower back pain. Took a couple of painkillers, had a lie-in, then got out the motorbike and did the route.) I'll catch the sun on #1 bike another day.