Your ride today.... (part 1)
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
- Status
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Goonerobes
Its okay to be white
- Location
- Wiltshire
I think I may have served my "newbie progress thread" apprenticeship now so I hope that nobody minds me posting rides here now?
Today's little sortie was only the third time I'd tried this route, the first time it rained,(hard) & the second time I took two wrong turns & had a fairy visit so this really was third time lucky!
As anyone who knows this part of Hampshire will tell you we are a bit devoid of hills around here so I left my usual New Forest hunting ground & headed into the Test Valley countryside where although there is nothing major there are a whole host of sharp little inclines & I managed to find over 3000ft of elevation in the 62 mile route.
Contrasting scenery & cloud formation of countryside & Forest.
Whilst I have done a couple of longer rides with more elevation my thighs are currently telling me that this one was up there as one of the toughest!!
http://www.strava.com/activities/184155933
Today's little sortie was only the third time I'd tried this route, the first time it rained,(hard) & the second time I took two wrong turns & had a fairy visit so this really was third time lucky!
As anyone who knows this part of Hampshire will tell you we are a bit devoid of hills around here so I left my usual New Forest hunting ground & headed into the Test Valley countryside where although there is nothing major there are a whole host of sharp little inclines & I managed to find over 3000ft of elevation in the 62 mile route.
Contrasting scenery & cloud formation of countryside & Forest.
Whilst I have done a couple of longer rides with more elevation my thighs are currently telling me that this one was up there as one of the toughest!!
http://www.strava.com/activities/184155933
Stonechat
Guru
- Location
- Staines, Middlesex
Excellent speed and climbing
Elybazza61
Guru
Nice club ride today with a slightly different route than usual;weather couldn't make up it's mind whether to be cloudy,cold,breezy and chilly or sunny,a bit warmer and breezy.Enforced stop for a mechanical(not mine) and a coffee stop at the Raptor centre near Somersham meant plenty of re-fuelling so decided to add a little loop and a bit to round it up to 100kms;750k for the month and just under 400 for the Strava Giro challenge now so will probably be my best month ever.
http://www.strava.com/activities/184226848
Next week is the club outing to Rutland water so more kms to add on.
http://www.strava.com/activities/184226848
Next week is the club outing to Rutland water so more kms to add on.
Dark46
Veteran
- Location
- Quedgeley, Gloucester
I didn't get up as early as I wanted to had to cut ride short. Headwind didn't help things either so just ended up as a 15 mile ride . I was pushing but as I struggled with the headwind my sector times were not great.
Plus after today's ride it takes me over my 500k target for the month
Plus after today's ride it takes me over my 500k target for the month
Attachments
Last edited:
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
I left home early on what promised to be a very hot and humid day, with the humid component already in place, and the hot warming up nicely.
I went past the West Gate of Illinois State University, on my way to the local Pawn Shop, just to see what bikes were there.
I also saw an Amtrak Lincoln Service Train, with the lead unit in Heritage Color Scheme in honor of AmTraks 30th Anniversary.
I went by my LBS, called Vitesse, who was having an annual tent sale at the same time as the local Corn Festival.
Last edited:
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
Post Script;
I bought a heavy touring wheel with Weinmann Cathedral Rim and a Shimano hub for 15.00 US. Strapped to the top of my rack by the seatbag strap and pannier closures. Although the tent was full of bicycles, nothing quite appealed to me, except the Giant folding bicycle. An hour after I got home, it rained .33 of an inch over the course of an hour, so it is good I got home on time.
I bought a heavy touring wheel with Weinmann Cathedral Rim and a Shimano hub for 15.00 US. Strapped to the top of my rack by the seatbag strap and pannier closures. Although the tent was full of bicycles, nothing quite appealed to me, except the Giant folding bicycle. An hour after I got home, it rained .33 of an inch over the course of an hour, so it is good I got home on time.
Jefferson Meriwether
Veteran
- Location
- Worthing
I went out for a nice long bike ride on Friday. I took the usual route to Glastonbury via Crewkerne; as I was coming through Crewkerne the weather was quite drizzly and I considered turning round and going back home but decided to carry on. I'm glad I did because it soon cleared up and the rest of the day was decent weather. When I got to Glastonbury I stopped there briefly for a loo break and also to buy three bottles of Cappuccino porter.
I was soon on my way again along the A39 to Bridgwater. I stopped at a tavern car park along the way to put some air in the rear wheel of my bike as it was running slightly soft. Whilst I was doing so one of the members of staff (I suspect it might have been the landlady.) came over to check I was alright and see if I needed a hand. I bimbled into Bridgwater and found the start of the Bridgwater-Taunton canal then stopped for a spot of lunch.
I was just about to set off after lunch when I spotted my rear wheel was flat so I sorted that out and carried on along the 14 mile stretch of canal. The canal has the Somerset Space walk along it, a scaled down model of the solar system with the sun at the half way point of the canal and two sets of planets, one in either direction. It was a nice quiet ride along the canal, looking out for the planets on their plinths/milestones and also watching the occasional train going by.
When I got to Taunton I didn't stop there long, just long enough to pop into the Tobacconist; they didn't have any chewing tobacco so a tin of WoS SP100 it was. I was soon on my way again contending with the busy traffic going out of town. There's a section of duel carriage way on the outskirts of Taunton, both lanes were busy and moving slowly. I put my foot down and went between the two lines of cars at about 20mph making motorbike noises under my breath; there's nothing quite as enjoyable as a bit of youthful exuberance in situations like that
I took some country lanes between Taunton and the Ilminster roundabout and got slightly lost. I passed another cyclist twice; both times she had a look of forlorn resignation on her face. I can imagine she was either a local who's resigned to the fact she lives somewhere she doesn't want to or she was, like me, a lost cyclist and had indeed been lost for so long she'd become resigned to her fate of cycling round and round those byways, never to rediscover civilisation again. If I'm ever cycling that way again I'll make sure I have a bag of Jelly babies with me; maybe a couple of those will cheer her up.
I was soon back on my way and dropped down into Chard where I visited my eldest Sister and her family for a quick cup of coffee before pooting along the back roads to Beaminster. Those last few miles were a bit of a killer but I kept plodding on and, twelve hours after I left the flat and with 9 hours worth of peddling and 100.31 miles on the clock, was back home again. I had a nice duck leg and the three bottles of Porter for tea then off to bed where I slept like a baby.
I was soon on my way again along the A39 to Bridgwater. I stopped at a tavern car park along the way to put some air in the rear wheel of my bike as it was running slightly soft. Whilst I was doing so one of the members of staff (I suspect it might have been the landlady.) came over to check I was alright and see if I needed a hand. I bimbled into Bridgwater and found the start of the Bridgwater-Taunton canal then stopped for a spot of lunch.
I was just about to set off after lunch when I spotted my rear wheel was flat so I sorted that out and carried on along the 14 mile stretch of canal. The canal has the Somerset Space walk along it, a scaled down model of the solar system with the sun at the half way point of the canal and two sets of planets, one in either direction. It was a nice quiet ride along the canal, looking out for the planets on their plinths/milestones and also watching the occasional train going by.
When I got to Taunton I didn't stop there long, just long enough to pop into the Tobacconist; they didn't have any chewing tobacco so a tin of WoS SP100 it was. I was soon on my way again contending with the busy traffic going out of town. There's a section of duel carriage way on the outskirts of Taunton, both lanes were busy and moving slowly. I put my foot down and went between the two lines of cars at about 20mph making motorbike noises under my breath; there's nothing quite as enjoyable as a bit of youthful exuberance in situations like that
I took some country lanes between Taunton and the Ilminster roundabout and got slightly lost. I passed another cyclist twice; both times she had a look of forlorn resignation on her face. I can imagine she was either a local who's resigned to the fact she lives somewhere she doesn't want to or she was, like me, a lost cyclist and had indeed been lost for so long she'd become resigned to her fate of cycling round and round those byways, never to rediscover civilisation again. If I'm ever cycling that way again I'll make sure I have a bag of Jelly babies with me; maybe a couple of those will cheer her up.
I was soon back on my way and dropped down into Chard where I visited my eldest Sister and her family for a quick cup of coffee before pooting along the back roads to Beaminster. Those last few miles were a bit of a killer but I kept plodding on and, twelve hours after I left the flat and with 9 hours worth of peddling and 100.31 miles on the clock, was back home again. I had a nice duck leg and the three bottles of Porter for tea then off to bed where I slept like a baby.
EltonFrog
Legendary Member
@Gravity Aided I enjoy your post and photos, it's great read cycling posts from other parts of the world.
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
There are "other duties" this weekend so I went for a 20 mile loop at 7 am in my new wind stopper to give it a road test.
The jacket was on top form, I on the other hand struggled every inch of the way, I guess it's just one of those days, or I'm really old!
The jacket was on top form, I on the other hand struggled every inch of the way, I guess it's just one of those days, or I'm really old!
D
Deleted member 23692
Guest
Today I did the same route a yesterday, except I used road bike rather than the MTB. It's the first time I've been on the roadie since the beginning of July, and boy does it show!
Here's a map for those that want to play spot the difference - I did take a slight detour to avoid a particularly dog crap infested railway bridge
I was only 1.7mph quicker overall (15.7 vs 14mph) on the road bike, but comparing the two .gpx files, it''s obvious that I slowed considerably on the crappy surfaced roads on the way back.. where as the MTB just flies along them.
Two fun rides regardless
Here's a map for those that want to play spot the difference - I did take a slight detour to avoid a particularly dog crap infested railway bridge
I was only 1.7mph quicker overall (15.7 vs 14mph) on the road bike, but comparing the two .gpx files, it''s obvious that I slowed considerably on the crappy surfaced roads on the way back.. where as the MTB just flies along them.
Two fun rides regardless
Last edited by a moderator:
Went out this morning and did 17.3 miles, and as Dave 123 says above, I was exactly the same on my ride, my legs hurt from the off, I struggled with small inclines that I flew up last week, it's weird when this happens, never mind still a nice ride, and hopefully do it again at 8 am tomorrow, or maybe even a little more..
Spartak
Powered by M&M's
- Location
- Bristolian
Short family ride this morning with Little Spartak no.1 ( 5 ) riding her bike, me pulling Little Spartak no. 2 ( 18 months ) in the trailer & the girls grandad.
We rode many of the cyclepaths thru Emersons Green before joining the Ring road path and heading along the Westerleigh Greenway, stopped halfway for some Frusli bars
We managed nearly 10 kms !!! http://www.strava.com/activities/184581785
We rode many of the cyclepaths thru Emersons Green before joining the Ring road path and heading along the Westerleigh Greenway, stopped halfway for some Frusli bars
We managed nearly 10 kms !!! http://www.strava.com/activities/184581785
London Female
Über Member
My sons first trip out on a bike since he was about 10/11 years old. It was a short pootle around Radley Lakes.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
- Status
