Your ride today.... (part 1)

[HLaB]

Not been on my ride yet but I'll probably meet some mates and go out in their slower group as not to stress the back of my lower leg and I'm a bit bunged up with hayfever anyway, I really should by antihistamines!

 

[Cubist]

I have already seen sense ... The ride was looking way too tough so I am toning the difficulty down by about 1/3! (We will turn back at the top of Scapegoat Hill.)

Call in for a cuppa. I live At the junction of High Street and Halifax Rd/Slaithwaite gate.

 

[ColinJ]

Call in for a cuppa. I live At the junction of High Street and Halifax Rd/Slaithwaite gate.

Hey - we could call in for that cuppa, and then maybe you could do the rest of the ride with us?

 

[Donger]

Shoes still not completely dry from the storm on Friday, but I managed to spin-dry them on the road today. Fancied a climbing fix, so mixed it up a bit and did a slightly different route up onto the Cotswold edge, via Leonard Stanley,Middleyard and Selsley, up to Selsley Common and Coaley Peak. Was pleased to manage it in one go, before resting for a drink at the Coaley Peak Viewpoint. I would recommend this route to anyobne esle wondering how to get up on top of the Cotswolds from the Vale of Gloucester for the first time, as it rises in a series of manageable steps. The toughest parts are at the bottom (in Leonard Stanley) and the top (where you turn right over the cattle grid towards the common). To get back down into the Vale, I recommend Frocester Hill, which has been recently re-surfaced with lovely smooth, pothole free tarmac, allowing you to cut loose and let go of the brakes.

Back down Frocester Hill @35mph with a huge grin on my face, before doing my usual return around the lanes between Frampton on Severn and Gloucester. 31.6 miles today. Approaching 950 miles for the year so far.

 

[PeteXXX]

Last weekend I was told of a couple of old railway tunnels you can ride through just south of Market Harborough, so I decided to look them up and build them into my imperial century for June

The tunnels turned out to be Oxendon and Kelmarsh tunnels on the Brampton Valley Way. Did my usual planning on ridewithgps, i.e. careful planning for 50 miles or so of the route and then getting bored and quickly clicking on likely places to ride and letting ridewithgps work the details (past experience has told me this doesn't work but I will never learn)

Anyway the rough route was Leicester to Market Harborough, down the Brampton Valley Way into Northampton, across to Daventry and then to Rugby and finally back home to Leicester. Ridewithgps gave the route as 100.4 miles.

Completely uneventful ride to Market Harborough apart from coming across a broken down car four or five miles away from Markert Harborough, a mother, her two kids and her mother in the car, rear tyre flat as pancake. I offered to change the tyre but they couldn't find the spare, I suggested they may have one of those emergency kits that fill the tyre but I looked at the tyre and it was that worn that the car should not have been on the road and an emergency kit would have been useless. Luckily they had RAC cover so gave them their exact location from my gps (granny was very impressed with it) and I went on my way.

Onto the Brampton Valley Way: It is a 15 mile stretch of old railway running directly from Market Harborough to Northampton and was in the main compacted hardcore, so a bit bumpy for the road bike. Was a fantastically peaceful run to Northampton and would make a great commuter route, though probably better suited to a hybrid than the road bike.

Tunnels were a bit muddy and very dark, I had a maglite strapped to the front of the bike and whilst it gave me sufficient light to see, the chinese cree light would have been much better. I stopped a couple of miles from the end of the path for a comfort break and a packet of porridge biscuits.

Just before I got to Daventry my laziness in using ridewithgps bit me in the arse as my route disappeared into a hedgerow! Looked at the map and worked out how to detour around the fields the route wanted me to go and was on my way.

At the edge of Rugby, ridewithgps put a huge boil on my arse and sent me down a track that a tractor would have struggled with, again I had to detour.

At 70 miles another comfort break and I took time out to eat a mars bar and watch a bird of prey hunting in the field I was stood next to.

Miles 70 onwards were hard, I had mainly a headwind and my right foot was really hurting (I get really hard skin on the outside of my foot for some reason) and I was wishing I was at home. Anyway, you can't quit, so I told myself not to be a wuss and kept thinking of that nice cold coke I was going to reward myself with when I got home.

Eventually got home, with the detours I had to do I had done 104.8 miles. A bit slower than normal, but that was expected with the 15 or so miles on the Brampton Valley Way, which if you like an off road pootle I can fully recommend, though take decent lights if you are going to go through the tunnels.

Time for a cup of tea.

http://www.strava.com/activities/154631982

The BVW is one of my regular rides, usually straight up to Mkt Harborough for a cuppa and a snack then straight back. A great diversion from that, though, is just north of Mkt H. on the old A6 into Union Wharf and follow the canal bank to Foxton Locks. Lovely place to relax and check some canal history out (but busy on weekends!)

 

[Supersuperleeds]

The BVW is one of my regular rides, usually straight up to Mkt Harborough for a cuppa and a snack then straight back. A great diversion from that, though, is just north of Mkt H. on the old A6 into Union Wharf and follow the canal bank to Foxton Locks. Lovely place to relax and check some canal history out (but busy on weekends!)

I went by Foxton Locks this morning, I was very impressed with the BVW, hardly anyone on it, saw maybe four or five bikes and similar number of dog walkers, the road at the Northampton end was rough as anything straight after you come off the BVW, it looked like it had been used for a bombing run.

 

[PeteXXX]

I went by Foxton Locks this morning, I was very impressed with the BVW, hardly anyone on it, saw maybe four or five bikes and similar number of dog walkers, the road at the Northampton end was rough as anything straight after you come off the BVW, it looked like it had been used for a bombing run.

I usually use the MTB for that area..

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Aanother 10km today. Wasnt quite as hard going as sunday as the air quality was slightly better today View attachment 47949

On my journey i came cross 3 french tourists. They're trek had started in Newport, and this morning theyr'e journey was to take them from aberystwyth to Bala. They were aiming to do 50 miles per day. they made me laugh by saying "it is very hilly here. An understatement if ever i heard one. View attachment 47951

there were a few dark clouds along the way, but the rain held.




View attachment 47952

What's the bike?

 

[welsh dragon]

What's the bike?

I bought a cheap folder to see if I liked the feel of them. If I do, I can save my pennies and buy a dahon or tern, so far I like it. I like the fact that I can put it in the back of my car and use it if I am out and about. Its made by a subsidiary of dahon. But cheap.....

 

[derrick]

Nice 20 miles just to keep the legs turning, felt good considering our 100 miles on Sunday, did not want to push to hard as i am doing my first 10 mile TT on Wednesday evening, bit of a hilly route but should be fun, i think a few of us will have a beer when it's finished.
http://www.strava.com/activities/154744920

 

[alans]

My ride yesterday was one of three parts. It was a sixty five miler mostly on NCN1 from Thurso to the Crask Inn. The first thirty three miles to Bettyhill were purgatory - mostly uphill undulations with a strong headwind

Part two was twenty two miles along the Stratnever Trail from Bettyhill to Altnahara an extended site of the highland clearances with remnants of the clearance still visible. I took this route instead of going via Tongue because it promised flatness and this proved to be the case.

The last ten miles were mostly uphill with one or two false summits and close to the summit which came two miles later than anticipated I got off and pushed. Beaten by my head rather than gravity.

The Crask Inn at the end of the ride - this hostelry merits a posting in its own right. I've a belly full of fine food, ale and malt whisky and as I retire to bed, there are still members of an angling party catching trout in the burn at 01:00 because it's still light enough to see.

A grand day and some of the next morning out!

Pics will have to wait as the bandwidth here is poor.

I really enjoyed reading that Vernon.
My E2E first day was from JoG to Betty Hill. I too had a strong headwind & I well remember those barsteward hills at Melvich.
I rate the Strathnaver valley as the highlight of the ride.I was surprised to get up from Altnaharra to the Crask without using the 24" gear though I did stop near the top at arough large parking area for a breather.
What can you say about the Crask? unique,chraracter.Certainly a place to revisit & the decent into Lairg was an excellent start to the next day especially after a full monty Crask special breakfast.

 

[PRob]

Just a quick one today...
http://app.strava.com/activities/154692268

 

[Deleted member 18052]

Went out to conquer 'Nunburnholme Hill' or Londesborough Hill Climb as on strava near my house for the first time - Let me fill you guys in

Its been my challenge since I started cycling, the first time I have cycled it I had to stop a fair few times on the way up and even walk a bit...
http://app.strava.com/activities/128174004/analysis

Next couple of times I just wasn't going to get up I had that feeling so I bombed out a little way up!
http://app.strava.com/activities/135408928/analysis

Today was the day - Or was it?

Fibre grip installed on seatpost to stop it slipping back into the frame (seems to have worked OK), but i'm on evening cover so if phone rings I need to answer it, and it only bloody did! half way up!! Bugger!!!

http://www.strava.com/activities/154797516/analysis

I would have got up that bugger without stopping if the phone didnt ring :-(

Daz

 

[albion]

With a near lunchtime start I figured I could take advantage of 'daylight to 10.30pm' and see if I could achieve a long planned ride I kept chickening out of.

I took the easier route through Ponteland , up to Knowesgate, turing off the A696 direct west to Bellingham via Sweethope Loughs and Redesmough. From there it was a difficult never flat to Kielder Village, finally reaching Scotland after 58 miles. There is nothing whatsoever to welcome you apart from the usual 'Welcome to Scotland' sign, not even a bench to eat sarnies.

On the positive side it was near traffic free after Knowlsgate. The return after Bellingham was the usual nightmare I faintly remember, that being an extremely long steep climb though Redesmouth.

118 miles in all to Scotland and back.

 

[LarryDuff]

Did a nice 11 miles at lunchtime. It was easily the hottest day of the year so far. Helmets are horrible to wear on a hot day.