Your ride today.... (part 1)

[robrich]

Ok wasn't today but Saturday morning. This is the first time I've had a chance to post.

A hilly but short Co Durham ride in beautiful weather from Lanchester to Muggleswick, (crikey, some steep hairpins there near the river Derwent!!) out to Edmundbyers then a good climb up the hill towards Stanhope. Turn off before Stanhope for a lovely fast 35mph+ descent towards Smiddy Shaw reservoir. Then it levels out back to Lanchester before I decided to tackle the infamous Peth Bank. Rest at the top to take in the view and tackle the abuse I got from some of the Burnhope locals for wearing lycra?!?! Back down Peth Bank and up the hill out west of Lanchester for a finish. 31 miles and such an enjoyable experience. Only problem was the newly tarred and chipped roads near Lanchester.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

http://summeronabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

76 miles today

 

[slowmotion]

Someone on a folder , about my age, came alongside in Battersea Park this evening. We started chatting.......an entirely unheard-of event in all my six years of commuting in London. We had a few laughs about the "life-style" aspects of cycling for about five minutes, and went on our ways with a smile. Chapeau that man.

 

[Crackle]

I shall slightly usurp this thread for a 'your walk today' post as I have been off the bike since Feb but now making progress back to it and this walk is a pre-empt to some gentle riding again if it all goes well.

So, my faithful hound and I set off early this morning, I hadn't told him how far he was going.

Top of the first hill and that there in the distance is this years Open at Hoylake

A few miles saw us in Royden Park.

Where we had a watering stop for an out of focus dog (sorry)

On with the walk and out at Thurstaston now where I took a picture of some old church. I dunno why all my pictures slope right, maybe my right leg is shorter than my left.

Some random bloke with a white beard and black hair, how strange and a random dog

Back on the Wirral Way, which can be a bit busy sometimes and we tend to avoid it when it is as my frustration is obviously showing as the dog now responds to 'another soddin cyclist lad', as well as 'heel'. I love all cyclists really and all shared paths, in fact, everyone and I'm not really a misery.

2nd water sto and I don't know why but when the dog went in for his water he ordered me a breakfast I didn't want.

Fore! Not the open course but another one

And there's no better way to end a long walk but with a swim in the sea. Wot me? No chance.

So 9 miles, no knee pain, no tendon pain, maybe the next one will be a ride, I'm hopeful.

 

[Old Plodder]

If you can walk 9 miles.......... good luck with your first ride.

 

[coffeejo]

And there's no better way to end a long walk but with a swim in the sea. Wot me? No chance.

 

[Archeress]

Mr Archeress and I went for a little ride to a local pub in Lower Almondsbury. The Bowl Inn is full of character and we had a good time with a couple of drinks each, strawberries and cream and a coffee, all whilst playing backgammon on our little travel set.

Check out my 4.5 mi Ride on Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/166411073

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[EltonFrog]

My ride today was on this....

To donate platelets. Not allowed to ride my bicycle on platelet day.

 

[PeteXXX]

My ride today lasted less than ten minutes.

On Thursday I rode Cannock Chase. Absolutely great fun, and a gem of a trail centre if you ask me. A few minutes I to that ride is a rock section called the Stegasaurus. It's a pretty straightforward rock garden to be honest, you can spot the best line through and simply aim the bike down it. There are two or three such rock gardens in that section, and one leads down, then into a little clearing and before you know it you're up onto some boardwalk. I got the gearing wrong and found myself in the big ring and wanting to put in a couple of pedal strokes to correct my line on the now climbing boardwalk, found I couldn't, and was now heading for the edge. I couldn't t get a wheel lift in with the pedals, and tried to manual the bike. It wasn't having it so I ended up simply putting the front wheel off the boards and onto the floor a couple of feet below. Gravity always wins these sort of battles, and the inevitable consequence was a faceplant over the bars, taking the brunt of the hit on my chest. It winded me, but I got back on and went back to the start of the boardwalk to show it who was boss. I rode the rest of the trail, then went round for a second lap, including the second half of the figure eight, riding perhaps 20 miles after the stack. I realised I had probably bruised my ribs or diaphragm, but as I always take a prophylactic dose of ibuprofen, codeine and paracetamol before a ride ( knackered hips) I guess most of the pain was masked. I did notice that on some of the sections needing a lot of "body English" I was hurting a bit on my right side, and it did hurt to breathe a bit on some of the steeper climbs ( I felt justified in pushing up Insidious Incline for example) but I didn't really think I was badly injured.

Next morning I struggled to sit up and had to roll out of bed, but again, the regular doses of the three painkillers soon meant I was functioning again. I was a bit sore under my ribs yesterday, but in a bruised sort of way, nothing major. This morning it felt like it had more or less cleared up until about tea time. I had to do some gardening, only a bit of gentle weeding and tidying, and I had to bleed a dropper seatpost, but I was determined to get in an evening ride.

I started to notice real pain under my pectoral,muscle. The bruised feeling from my diaphragm had more or less gone, but has been replaced by a searing pain from just under my armpit, level with the nipple, to a point where my rib joins the sternum. I put the lights on the bike , pumped up the tyres and set off. I got as far as the hardcore track towards the old quarry, and realised that I could feel every single ripple, bump and pebble. So. No ride today.

I've taken a double dose of codeine now, and am feeling pretty mellow, but tomorrows ride to work is going to be interesting!

I managed to ride off the same boardwalk. Dunno why! I just wandered towards the edge and didn't steer it straight in time. Luckily I got the nose up and landed OK.
Cannock is a great ride though, I was there last week for the umpteenth time.

 

[Saluki]

Usual Tuesday ride from home to the hospital. I started off on my little 5 mile loop but peeled off to Rightup Lane instead of heading back. Interestingly, as I got to the end of the driveable bit of road there was a pillock (I assume he was a pillock and that he wasn't having a heart attack and leaning on his horn to get medical attention, as well as revving his engine to make extra sure that he would get help) behind me for the whole 100 yards before the road ends and turns into a public footpath with bike gates to stop nobbers in BMWs getting through. He must have been in a real hurry to walk his dog!

Anyway, over the bridge and down Rightup Lane, right under the bridge and up to the town lights and then along Norwich Road to Waitrose. Left along Tuttles and then right along the Melton Road where I had a lovely time and didn't see a car until I got to Little Melton itself. Up the hill to the B1108 and then right, over the roundabouts and down to Colney and then right into the hospital complex. I looked at the time as I approached the roundabout before where Hubster parks and saw that I had another 15 minutes before he'd be out of the ward so I rode up the hill on Colney Lane and over the roundabout and along the cycle path towards Eaton and then turned right down the cyclepath and back to the hospital via Roundwell Road or whatever it's called. It was all fields when I was a kid.

16.58 miles in 1:08:00. 14.7mph average, I wasn't hurrying as I thought my legs might be suffering after yesterday. They weren't so I'll probably have stiff legs tomorrow instead.

 

[albion]

...Turn off before Stanhope for a lovely fast 35mph+ descent towards Smiddy Shaw reservoir...

Yes, when I leave the slow C2C at Parkhead Station to go up a bit to join that road return via Consett that 4 mile section nearly always averages 30mph +, making for a good loop.

 

[EltonFrog]

My ride today lasted less than ten minutes.

On Thursday I rode Cannock Chase. Absolutely great fun, and a gem of a trail centre if you ask me. A few minutes I to that ride is a rock section called the Stegasaurus. It's a pretty straightforward rock garden to be honest, you can spot the best line through and simply aim the bike down it. There are two or three such rock gardens in that section, and one leads down, then into a little clearing and before you know it you're up onto some boardwalk. I got the gearing wrong and found myself in the big ring and wanting to put in a couple of pedal strokes to correct my line on the now climbing boardwalk, found I couldn't, and was now heading for the edge. I couldn't t get a wheel lift in with the pedals, and tried to manual the bike. It wasn't having it so I ended up simply putting the front wheel off the boards and onto the floor a couple of feet below. Gravity always wins these sort of battles, and the inevitable consequence was a faceplant over the bars, taking the brunt of the hit on my chest. It winded me, but I got back on and went back to the start of the boardwalk to show it who was boss. I rode the rest of the trail, then went round for a second lap, including the second half of the figure eight, riding perhaps 20 miles after the stack. I realised I had probably bruised my ribs or diaphragm, but as I always take a prophylactic dose of ibuprofen, codeine and paracetamol before a ride ( knackered hips) I guess most of the pain was masked. I did notice that on some of the sections needing a lot of "body English" I was hurting a bit on my right side, and it did hurt to breathe a bit on some of the steeper climbs ( I felt justified in pushing up Insidious Incline for example) but I didn't really think I was badly injured.

Next morning I struggled to sit up and had to roll out of bed, but again, the regular doses of the three painkillers soon meant I was functioning again. I was a bit sore under my ribs yesterday, but in a bruised sort of way, nothing major. This morning it felt like it had more or less cleared up until about tea time. I had to do some gardening, only a bit of gentle weeding and tidying, and I had to bleed a dropper seatpost, but I was determined to get in an evening ride.

I started to notice real pain under my pectoral,muscle. The bruised feeling from my diaphragm had more or less gone, but has been replaced by a searing pain from just under my armpit, level with the nipple, to a point where my rib joins the sternum. I put the lights on the bike , pumped up the tyres and set off. I got as far as the hardcore track towards the old quarry, and realised that I could feel every single ripple, bump and pebble. So. No ride today.

I've taken a double dose of codeine now, and am feeling pretty mellow, but tomorrows ride to work is going to be interesting!

Blumen' eck! That sounds really hurty! Get well soon.

 

[cosmicbike]

Late ride for me today as SWMBO had to go back in to work this evening. Got out just after 8pm and a steady 19 mile spin out through Virginia Water, Chobham, Foxhills and home via Lyne and Chertsey. Very nice out there tonight, not too hot.

 

[PeteXXX]

Today, five of us were supposed to be out for a road ride. It's my only day off this week so I had no other option, sadly. One by one, folk dropped out. One chap went out yesterday and had stuff to do today, another was prepping his motorized bike for a trip to the Nürburgring in Deutschland, and another had family stuff to attend to. It ended up and just one mate and myself. Never mind, such things happen.
We've not met up since our 131 mile ride back to Northampton from the London ~ Brighton last month so it was good to have a chat on the way round.
I'd planned a ride towards Medbourne to meet up with one of the chaps, but as he couldn't make it, I decided to head over Sywell towards Orlingbury and, eventually, Oundle.

The LBS in Oundle is well worth a visit ~Gorilla~~ Such a helpful shop that deals mainly in higher end bikes and a few oddities like the bikes in this pic.
The owner really takes time to help out with problems even though he's rushed off his feet with work ( a great place to be for a small business!) He sorted my mates gears out with a few deft twiddles of an adjustment screw or two. Free - Gratis! With this done though, his bike was so much better for him to ride, and it's now booked in for a full service in a few weeks time. That's how to get business, eh?! ( they also have a proper, ground coffee machine at £1 a mug. Can't knock that, eh!)
From Oundle, after a half hour stop, we headed on towards Kimbolton and Grafham Water for a bite to eat..

and a crackin' Strawberry & Clotted Cream ice cream

We didn't stop there long, as at about 60 miles, we needed to aim homewards. On the way back over the Grafham dam wall, we were eating flying protein for the last half mile, but I managed not to eat any tis time, though I did have to empty my helmet once we passed through the cloud of bugs and midges.
On the way back, we had the usual headwind, but it was quite light so wasn't much of an issue. For some reason or another though, I had pains under my ribcage that really knocked the strength out of me. I've no idea what caused them. I know what cycling pains are and it didn't seem to be that. Still, we took it steady on the 25 or so miles back but I had to stop several times to rest. I did wonder if it was lack of alcohol as I've not had a drink for a week. I've applied the Guinness Test this evening just in case. Once I got home and rested for a while, I felt fine. Strange things happen sometimes!

A lovely day out in great riding weather.

My Strava had a hiccup from Oundle to Grafham, hence it shows a 77.7 mile ride.

I've been robbed of nearly 10 miles
I'll live with it though

http://www.strava.com/activities/166274130

 

[Cubist]

Blumen' eck! That sounds really hurty! Get well soon.

Yep, ribs have stopped hurting now. Extended the commute home to include the climb up to Buckstones again this afternoon. Nice headwind on the way up though.