Your ride today.... (part 1)

[flatflr]

Update on a couple of rides.
Spent the weekend out in the western end of the Beacon Beacons for a mates birthday so on Saturday 3 of us headed out on a ride from Llangadog to Carmarthen and back. 45 mile slow ride for me us one of my mates had only ever ridden a max of 20 mile, but he kept at it but was a little broken at the end, well done him. other mate is a regular cyclist who rode from Bulgaria to Estonia over 3 month in 2012 so no issues for her. I left them back at Llangadog and headed up the hill and back to Brynamman for an extra 10 miles.

Short recovery ride (after the weekends partying) of 20 miles for me today, uneventful other than getting 4th quickest on a Strava segment

 

[Donger]

No ride Saturday. No ride Sunday. No ride tonight. I've had my shoes stuffed with newspaper and placed in the airing cupboard since my soaking on Friday night, and they are still squelching wet. Man, what a storm that was! At the risk of developing trenchfoot, I'm not going to let it stop me getting out tomorrow. Frocester Hill beckons.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Well done. I always find that climb tough because it is so relentless - absolutely no let up. Over 3km at 8.5%. Hang on, I'll knock up a profile so people can get a feel for it ...

View attachment 47902


What is humbling is that it is only equivalent to about 1/5 of the last 16 km of the classic Mont Ventoux climb from Bédoin and that has another 6 km at the bottom at about 4.5%!

Looks like a fun ride! I just viewed it on Google Maps StreetView. The country looks a bit bare out there, though: it must get pretty windy at times.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Went and helped with my local scout groups annual cycle ride tonight. I took the young group on a 12 mile ride, averaged less than 8 miles an hour and that included riding 6 miles to and from the ride at a more normal pace. Still the kids enjoyed it and that is what it is about.

http://www.strava.com/activities/154412098

 

[Garry A]

Went for a pedal out from home (Falkirk) to Culross on the Fife coast and back again. Mostly cycle paths or really quiet roads. Very sunny and lots of bikes out with happy faces on them

My Giant resting against a fence with a sea view

Have fun!

 

[EltonFrog]

A couple of utility rides today, 4 miles to the shops and back on my own then later the enemy and I went to Reading again along the K&A canal on the mountain bikes. Twenty two and a bit miles, on a cold, grey, and wind damp day, I hate grey days in the summer.

 

[Cubist]

Looks like a fun ride! I just viewed it on Google Maps StreetView. The country looks a bit bare out there, though: it must get pretty windy at times.

Not much to break the wind, and its all arranged in glaciated valleys which tend to funnel the wind. It's either in your face or behind you. It can be pretty bleak up here in the winter. Which last from the end of August to the end of may....... There are virtually no flat stretches either, so,every ride tends to have a saw tooth profile.

 

[Cubist]

Well done. I always find that climb tough because it is so relentless - absolutely no let up. Over 3km at 8.5%. Hang on, I'll knock up a profile so people can get a feel for it ...

View attachment 47902


What is humbling is that it is only equivalent to about 1/5 of the last 16 km of the classic Mont Ventoux climb from Bédoin and that has another 6 km at the bottom at about 4.5%!

Thanks Colin, nice to hear it isn't just me that finds it tough. The top section also has several false summits, which can lead to little segments of despair to break up the brutality. Strava shows the total climb from the Bottom of Meltham to be 1100 feet in just 3 miles.
http://www.strava.com/segments/3967684

We're going to try Cragg Vale over the next few days, I'll need to do some careful route plotting from this side though....... I've done Ripponden Bank on a MTB from Norland to Ripponden, but I don't fancy it the other way round on a road bike just yet.

 

[ColinJ]

Not much to break the wind, and its all arranged in glaciated valleys which tend to funnel the wind. It's either in your face or behind you. It can be pretty bleak up here in the winter. Which last from the end of August to the end of may....... There are virtually no flat stretches either, so,every ride tends to have a saw tooth profile.

Indeed - like this ...

That was the profile of a forum ride being planned to take in some of the Tour de France stage 2 route. I just saw sense and am coming up with a less brutal version!

 

[Cubist]

Indeed - like this ...

View attachment 47914

That was the profile of a forum ride being planned to take in some of the Tour de France stage 2 route. I just saw sense and am coming up with a less brutal version!

We're proposing to do all of it from York to Holme Moss at the end of July. ........

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I rode the one below on my 15kg touring bike, the same one I've been using for commuting these past 5.5 years, and it was hard work!
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Parkdale-to-Audax-Noojee-Loop-return#
The first 45km was just my ride to the start point of the loop, but the loop was 200km with 3000m climbing, and as you can see from the elevation profile, there weren't many flat bits, it was all ups and downs, so the legs don't get much of a break.

I'd love to ride some of those Tour de France routes, though: I'm so envious of you lot, living so close to them.

 

[ColinJ]

I rode the one below on my 15kg touring bike, the same one I've been using for commuting these past 5.5 years, and it was hard work!
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Parkdale-to-Audax-Noojee-Loop-return#
The first 45km was just my ride to the start point of the loop, but the loop was 200km with 3000m climbing, and as you can see from the elevation profile, there weren't many flat bits, it was all ups and downs, so the legs don't get much of a break.

I'd love to ride some of those Tour de France routes, though: I'm so envious of you lot, living so close to them.

That sounds good. Hard, but good!

I can't see the elevation profile. When I click the button to generate one, I get an error message.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

That sounds good. Hard, but good!

I can't see the elevation profile. When I click the button to generate one, I get an error message.

It works for me in Firefox 10 (what I use at work), but here it is, anyway:

 

[ColinJ]

It works for me in Firefox 10 (what I use at work), but here it is, anyway:

Maybe you need to be logged in to see it? I just tried it using Chrome instead of Opera and got the same error message.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I get the same error in Opera as well. Looks like a great ride, though.