Your ride today.... (part 1)

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Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Ah, that would require technical knowhow that I don't have. I have to take the PX to my LBS as I can't find what is causing that bloody click that I can hear.
The Selle Italia is just bloomin' uncomfortable I think, the Spoon is much nicer. I am considering putting my Spesh BG Riva on the PX, it's on my Defy at the moment and I've never had a moment's problem with it. I think that I might have a good old faff with saddles before I start messing with the front end as it feels fine on my wrists. I have proper problems with my wrists so I don't want to mess with the position if I don't have to.
Have you tried a charge ladle? Girly specific with a slightly wider base and shorter nose.
 

Saluki

World class procrastinator
Have you tried a charge ladle? Girly specific with a slightly wider base and shorter nose.
I bought the Spoon from the forum and have only had 3 rides on it and it's comfy. I'll wiggle the position about again today, maybe quarter of an inch forward. I might well give the ladle a try but the spoon is the same width as my Selle Italia (comfy for 10 miles or so) and my Riva BG. What I really need is a Spoon with a channel down the middle of the saddle. The best saddle I ever had was the original one on my Giant Defy which bit the dust a year ago (the saddle, not the bike)
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
A ride out with @Rickshaw Phil today and a repeat of last week's Wrekin ride that ended up in a monsoon, but mostly dry today and so i enjoyed it this time! :thumbsup:

We set off into a strong and gusty headwind and knew straight away that this wasn't going to be a fast ride.

Through the estate was hard into the wind and we stopped briefly at the Sports Village for Phil to make the 1st of many slight adjustments to his saddle.

We then continued to Uffington and Upton Magna, where we had to stop for roadworks. Phil tried to trigger the lights to change, by riding at speed up to them, but they didn't play ball and so i naughtily rode through on Red as i could see it was clear through the lights and beyond :whistle: Phil was very good and walked his bike through!

We pressed on, still into the wind and so it was slow going to Wroxeter, where Phil stopped to water the nettles ^_^!

After Wroxeter it was around the NCN 45 and up to Longwood, where i started to describe last week's ride in the rain to Phil, cue drizzle starting to blow in the wind!! Thankfully it didn't amount to much and was actually quite nice and cooling as we began to climb up Spout Lane, fuelled by a quick Chocolate bar stop :thumbsup:.

We reached the top of the climb at Little Wenlock and i could actually enjoy the scenery this time, rather than cowering from the rain

@Rickshaw Phil on the climb around the Wrekin
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The downhill section through Ercall Wood was good fun, other than the dreadful road surface, and then along Wrekin Course as we cruised at 20 to 25 mph quite easily.

From there it was another climb up to Charlton Hill, where we spotted what Phil thinks was a Merlin flying around.

We then descended back to Longwood and through to Wroxeter, where the wind finally became a tailwind, and so the average speed picked up a bit.

We retraced our steps, through the traffic lights at Upton Magna, which this time changed for us! and onto Uffington and Pimley, where Phil continued home and I wound my way through the estate. Big spots of rain decided to fall on us as we parted, but didn't come to much, just leaving a musty smell in the air as the forecast humidity started to build.

31.2 miles at a very slow (i blame wind, hills and chatting to Phil too much!) 11.2 avg mph.

1500 ft of climbing
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
I think that @gavgav has covered all the salient points.:thumbsup: Not sure I would have mentioned the bit about watering the nettles though.:whistle:

It was a good ride - plenty of hills, nice views and I've tweaked the saddle pretty well so hopefully it's about right now.

I'll just add that after parting with Gav in Sundorne I had a fairly steady ride back. Leaving town I noticed a guy who I can only descriibe as a MAMIL up ahead who I was slowly reeling in. I caught him on Pulley lane, passed just before the climb ramps up at the end of the road and left him trailing behind. Silly really but it made me feel good.:laugh:

I did 40.6 miles at 11.4mph average this time.

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Shropshire produces wine!:ohmy: Wroxeter Roman Vineyard's premises.

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Just after Wroxeter you get some clear views over to the Stretton Hills. Looks pretty wet over there.

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After a lot of climbing we get to todays summit. Looking at The Wrekin from the Little Wenlock side.

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Gav was pretty happy not to get soaked through this time.:thumbsup:

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Looking back at the Wrekin from Charlton Hill. This is the spot where we saw what I believe was a Merlin.
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
I think that @gavgav has covered all the salient points.:thumbsup: Not sure I would have mentioned the bit about watering the nettles though.:whistle:

It was a good ride - plenty of hills, nice views and I've tweaked the saddle pretty well so hopefully it's about right now.

I'll just add that after parting with Gav in Sundorne I had a fairly steady ride back. Leaving town I noticed a guy who I can only descriibe as a MAMIL up ahead who I was slowly reeling in. I caught him on Pulley lane, passed just before the climb ramps up at the end of the road and left him trailing behind. Silly really but it made me feel good.:laugh:

I did 40.6 miles at 11.4mph average this time.

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Shropshire produces wine!:ohmy: Wroxeter Roman Vineyard's premises.

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Just after Wroxeter you get some clear views over to the Stretton Hills. Looks pretty wet over there.

View attachment 50631
After a lot of climbing we get to todays summit. Looking at The Wrekin from the Little Wenlock side.

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Gav was pretty happy not to get soaked through this time.:thumbsup:

View attachment 50633
Looking back at the Wrekin from Charlton Hill. This is the spot where we saw what I believe was a Merlin.

You can rely on me to embarrass you! ;)
 

robjh

Legendary Member
I finished work early in Cov again yesterday – hey, when the boss is on holiday, who can it hurt? – and headed down across the eastern edge of the Cotswolds to Oxford, where I caught a train homewards.

It was a beautiful warm evening with only a light breeze. I went through Leamington and Kineton, then up onto the last NE finger of the Cotswolds after Tysoe – I’m not sure if the ridge still counts as Edgehill at this point. More minor roads took me near Hook Norton, and down into Chipping Norton (warning: here be toffs and Tories, of the Cameron and Brooks varieties!), and then on to Charlbury and onto the plains around Eynsham, and thence across the Thames at Swinford and into Oxford. I had nearly an hour to look around Oxford before my train left. Even at 8pm the main streets were heaving with foreign teenagers, I would guess mainly on language school visits, but I had time for a lightning tour of some of the city’s great European renaissance and neo-classical architecture, and could at points have imagined myself in Versailles or Salamanca or ancient Rome.

I did 64 miles from Cov to Oxford, then finished with a 10-mile ride home from Leamington station in the dusk, with the air still at a balmy 18 degrees. It was all in all a pretty good way to spend an evening.


Looking back down the hill towards Tysoe - probably the most scenic part of the ride.
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The toll bridge over the Thames at Swinford. At 5p per car you wonder what is the point. Luckily bikes go free!
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It was getting a bit dark in Oxford for good photos, but here are a few dreaming spires.
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w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
Yesterday my wife did a group ride as her Guide meeting. We had 19 of us in total, 17 on BSO's of one description or another (I don't know what's worse, that people make full suss bikes for 10 year olds, or that people buy them. I know where we lifted them over a fence (easier than negotiating the restrictive gate) it was pretty much the heaviest thing there.) and 18 helmets as the Guide Association mandates them when doing cycling as part of their insurance cover. I'm nothing to do with Guiding, so had a baseball cap on. Started with the obligatory saddle raising and tyre pumping, they'd all been given instructions to check their bikes the previous weekend, some had and just came with the list of faults. Right at the off one bike appears with the valves at 45 degrees and the tyres decidedly pudgy. I couldn't get the track pump on them and so just suggested avoiding anything sharp (wrong move.)

We then toddled off along the river path in a big line, between stops for narrow bits with nettles (they were all told 'bring long sleeves and trousers or suck it up' some didn't) slight inclines and overly large bumps we averaged 5.6mph moving for around an hour including stops, then turned around and rode back. I was tail end charlie and in the main everyone who we met along the way was nice enough. A couple of fishermen said it was like a re-enactment of the Halfords Commercial! One group of four came up behind us on mountain bikes, tinging a bell pretty insistently which got a terse 'we'll be pulling over in a sec' from me back to them, it was pretty obvious we couldn't just dive out of their way, although it could have been meant in good humour as once they'd 'shoved' past one of the Guides pointed out their last rider was her big brother. Anyway, they redeemed themselves completely because as we reached the kissing gate where it's easier to lift the bikes over the fence they were waiting for us and helped portage all 19 bikes before zipping off.

Along with being sweeper I was there for mechanicals, we had a set of handlebars that had 'fallen off the previous weekend and been fixed by Grandad' that needed some serious adjusting as the girl had ridden most of the way unable to reach the brakes. Then on the way back a rear mech fell apart, fortunately the rider had managed to find the screw and washer and with a bit of head scratching I got the routing right and fixed it. Finally about a mile and a half from home (not that they did much more than 6 miles in total) the bike with the dodgy valves punctured. I managed to patch the tube (my success rate is going up) and re-jigged my pump to work for Schreader valves to get it fixed (noticing about halfway through I'd dumped all my kit on a red ants nest) then decided to sort the front while I was there (it was a puncture waiting to happen) at which point, with the tube empty and the valve repositioned, the pump decided it wasn't going to play ball with attaching to the valve. Unable to swear with a 13 year old Guide stood next to me I did what I could and eventually managed to convince some air to get in to the tyre and we were off to a closer pick up point. I then found out her ride home had left, so my wife was going to deliver her and the bike, meaning there was nowhere for mine, so I had a fast and hilly dash home at gone 9, racing the dark with no lights. Not the perfect end to things.

Last year when we did this ride my wife was just starting out and found some of the bumps testing. This year she blitzed it on her Croix, which loved the gravel and dirt sections (I was told by one passing set of cyclists that my Durano shod Sirrus was completely the wrong bike for the job, it proved them wrong) and was frustrated by the slow pace. The girls loved it and there's hope they'll do more during the summer holidays. Whatever we might say about cycling, the grass roots side of things, kids on bikes, is still as much of a thing as it ever was, every one of them owns or has easy access to a bike and while some of the riding skills needed work, they all got on with it and had fun. Can't be bad.
 
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Gareth C

Veteran
Location
North Pennines.
Tour de Yorkshire

So with just one week since we saw crowds around the route of Le Grand Depart in Yorkshire, I had the chance to ride the route with friend Debs, who I met on last years Ride Across Britain, and a bunch of her colleagues in an organized event. One hundred and twenty miles. Lot’s of hills. It would be the biggest ride I’ve done this year, and (so Debs said) essential training for my own Ride Across Britain later this year. Enough said, I booked up, and sure enough, the big day rolled around and I found myself in Ilkley.

The weather forecast for the day was for rain and showers through to mid-morning, and then general sunshine and warmth of the rest of the day. The downside was the strong westerly wind forecast throughout the day.

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Ilkley to Skipton
The route differed a little from the Grand Depart, in that we didn’t have a neutralized start from Leeds, but had to kick off straight on the main roads between Ilkley to Skipton (albeit early on a Sunday morning)

Upper Wharfedale
From Skipton (Gateway to The Dales) we follow the route through Wharfedale. This is one of my favourite parts of the world, and it’s a shame to have no time to stop off in Kettlewell, Starbotton and Buckden. As we near the head of the valley, the heavens open and we get athorough soaking. Buckden marks the start of the climbing and we start the ascent of the Cote de Kidstones. The real hard part comes after the White Lion pub, then we’re on the top. The descent is typical of these parts, being steep and with bends.

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Wensleydale
From Kidstones we head along Bishopdale in postcard scenery and enter Wensleydale. Our route takes us through Aysgarth and on to Hawes. All the villages are still proudly displaying their Tour de France bunting, flags, and yellow bikes. At Hawes there is a right turn and the road heads upwards. The Cote de Buttertubs takes us from Hawes into Swaledale. There are three distinct steep sections in the first third of the climb, after which it becomes more manageable (and the top is in sight). We have a good chat amongst the cyclists along the top section, mostly in admiration of the professionals, before committing to the descent.

Swaledale
After a brake-burning descent, we are now rewarded with a gradual downhill along Swaledale, with the odd uphill kicker just to stop it all being free-wheeling. There’s a feed station at Gunnerside, and one guy has managed to destroy his rear tyre skidding it down the Buttertubs descent. The organisers are looking for a spare for him. After Reeth it’s time for the final major climb of the day, the Cote de Grinton Moor (where just one short week ago, we were watching the race). At this point, we’ve covered all the King of the Mountains Stages, but are just over half-way round the route.

Leyburn to Harrogate
We follow more gentle countryside from Leyburn to Masham to Ripon. The lack of major climbs is welcome, but the legs are certainly feeling it now, and the route is best described as “undulating”.

From Ripon we join the A61 from Ripon to Harrogate, which is busy on a Sunday afternoon. Sure, it’s part of the route of the Tour de France, but personally I’d rather have been cycling on country back roads to get us to Ilkley.

Back over the hills to Ilkley
One thing the pro’s weren’t constrained by was finishing where they started. We are, and this means a cross-country route back to Ilkley which includes a lot of climbing, especially so late in a long and hilly day. Skirting past Harrogate is a very long climb, with a descent to Leathley in Wharfedale, then a climb up and down to Otley (also in Wharfedale), with a planned further climb and descent to Ilkley (you’ve guessed it, in Wharfedale). This leads me to check the GPS for an “along the valley” route, but it seems to involve dual carriageway and busy roads, so I commit to the last (?) climb of the day. The final few miles to the finish are into the most terrible headwind, so it’s down onto the drops to make it as efficient as possible.

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At the end I don’t feel too bad, and the organisers have laid on access to massages, beer and food.

I didn’t manage to cycle all the way back up the hill to the hotel, which is a shame, as it would have pushed me over 200km in a day. That’s a target for the future!
 

beardy01

Well-Known Member
Location
edenbridge
Cant really compete with the post above but here goes, picked my bike up from evans after having a new bottom bracket fixed so a quick 26 miles with 2 big climbs and an average of just over 16 mph which was aided by a top speed of 55.6mph coming down titsey hill near oxted kent......may have to wash my bib shorts tonight it felt fecking quick!!!!!! But bloody fun :biggrin:
 

EltonFrog

Legendary Member
A bit of an odd day today. Our plan was to have a bike fit and then go for a 60 mile ride from Richmond Park, down to Leith Hill and back via Box Hill. It didn’t quite go to plan.

A while back Jane decided she wanted to have a Bike Fit, and she had heard good things about the chaps at Pearson Cycles in East Sheen, near Richmond, so we both booked in. I went first and all went well, a few minor changes, and some sound advice and I was all done in 90 minutes, then it was Jane’s turn. I went and got some breakfast across the road and came back an hour later. Well, they changed a lot on her bike, new seat post, moved the stem, lowered the saddle, change the cleats and lots of advice about riding positons and exercises.


Off we went, a quick bit to eat for Jane and we set off round Richmond heading for the direction of Kingston then all point south, we got a bit lost in the park and had to half way round again. Well, my bike felt a bit odd at first but after a couple of miles I got used to it and it started to feel quite good, less pressure on the hands and less achy shoulders, but Jane was not feeling the love at all, the bike felt totally different. She was told that it would and it would take a few days for her to get used to, but she said it felt so odd that she wasn’t comfortable with cycling 50/60 miles on it today. So we abandoned the planned trip, did another lap of the park, which is stunning, stunning landscapes, stunning wildlife and some cunning stunts too. Some twunt nearly side swiped Jane coming out of a car park.

There were loads of cyclists out to today, literally hundreds of them, and one or two of them were being twats as well. GET OFF THE PHONE YOU PRATS!

Very hot today too, a nice round the park ride but a bit of a disappointing day out riding. Never mind, there’s always tomorrow.


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On The Road in Richmond Park
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Attempting some action shots and failing
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Our New ShuTT shirts and Sponsors Logos for the Pru Ride 100 & DEBRA
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Oh Deer!

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Two and bit times round the Park
 
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EltonFrog

Legendary Member
I finished work early in Cov again yesterday – hey, when the boss is on holiday, who can it hurt? – and headed down across the eastern edge of the Cotswolds to Oxford, where I caught a train homewards.

It was a beautiful warm evening with only a light breeze. I went through Leamington and Kineton, then up onto the last NE finger of the Cotswolds after Tysoe – I’m not sure if the ridge still counts as Edgehill at this point. More minor roads took me near Hook Norton, and down into Chipping Norton (warning: here be toffs and Tories, of the Cameron and Brooks varieties!), and then on to Charlbury and onto the plains around Eynsham, and thence across the Thames at Swinford and into Oxford. I had nearly an hour to look around Oxford before my train left. Even at 8pm the main streets were heaving with foreign teenagers, I would guess mainly on language school visits, but I had time for a lightning tour of some of the city’s great European renaissance and neo-classical architecture, and could at points have imagined myself in Versailles or Salamanca or ancient Rome.

I did 64 miles from Cov to Oxford, then finished with a 10-mile ride home from Leamington station in the dusk, with the air still at a balmy 18 degrees. It was all in all a pretty good way to spend an evening.


Looking back down the hill towards Tysoe - probably the most scenic part of the ride.
View attachment 50651


The toll bridge over the Thames at Swinford. At 5p per car you wonder what is the point. Luckily bikes go free!
View attachment 50646

It was getting a bit dark in Oxford for good photos, but here are a few dreaming spires.
View attachment 50647

I drove over that bridge yesterday, I didn't have the 5p so I just put me foot down and legged it! :blush:
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Been off the bike two weeks, off work and no commuting. Decided to crack out the best bike and off for a 33 mile blast. Chest was rather tight and HR running about 10 BPM above normal, so eased off first 15 miles and decided not to hit the hills. Haven't ridden the best bike for nearly a year. Got docs appointment later with latest blood tests, so thought I'd give the lungs a blast having felt so exhausted the last two weeks. Rather hot out.
 
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