Your ride today.... (part 1)

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Just the usual ride over to my parents' home... only the one 'interesting' incident. hard to explain but on the approach to a one-way system that is in effect a large roundabout, but just before it where it is still two-way, a car pulled over from the far right and looked like they were going to park on my side of the road facing me (on white zigzags - there is a pedestrian crossing there as well)... OK, there is enough room to go around them and the car behind me is holding back... next thing I know she is driving at me down the wrong side of the road as though it is one-way in the other direction to the one I am going in... errr... There is a car behind me, a lorry behind it, and I have my front light on (been one of the dark miserable days and on country lanes my black & blue top does not really stand out that well, so I play it safe and put my front light on - it was still on when I entered Middlewich), so it is not as though there is just me... right at the point where I have decided to swerve right and just let her pass down the wrong side, she vaguely starts to wander back to the other side of the road - vaguely because there is no way she is going to get there before the mini-roundabout arrives in the scene. I ended up passing here between the pavement and her car. I know her passengers had seen me... I have no idea what the car behind me did, but I had a good gap for a while before any other vehicles actually caught me up!
Other than that, it tried to rain on me on the way home - fine drizzle but nothing came of it thankfully - my waterproof being at home
You have to love the variety of challenges road users present you with somedays!
http://www.strava.com/activities/196657609

 

[vernon]

The view from my tent.

Four and a half miles to Leeds Station and a short down hill coast from Ribblehead Station to the Ribblehead Inn where I'm hoping to drink lots of beer. I returned to the pub after pitching my tent to find that a local that I'd been chatting to had bought me a pint before he'd left but before I'd returned. Nice one!

Station pie and chips for supper.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

The end of a week of commuting - I could get used to this. The ride in felt brilliant; my legs seemed full of energy despite it being Friday and everyone else on the road behaved. I think it was my quickest of the week too, which set me thinking about getting some easier rolling tyres if this was to become a regular thing.

No unexpected deflations today It did rain pretty well while I was working, leaving behind a misty and drizzly afternoon, so the lights got some use on the way back. I was going to try the short route home as I was about 20 minutes late setting out, but with the misty conditions it seemed like a better idea to retrace the scenic morning route even if it is a couple of miles longer.

20.2 miles round trip and 13.2 mph average

 

[Donger]

Above the clouds: After my Bealach na Ba adventure, I couldn't leave this part of Scotland without a re-match with an old adversary of mine, the nearby Mam Ratagan Pass above Loch Duich. Some of you may recognise the name, as it featured in Claire Balding's "Britain by Bike" series that followed Harold Briercliffe's book of the same name. The road runs from Shiel Bridge, at the head of Loch Duich up and over a big lump of a mountain, reaching a height of 1,100 feet and then descending into Glenelg, from where you can proceed to Galltair to catch an unusual and very small (6 car) turntable ferry to Skye across the racing currents.

I had climbed the Mam Ratagan on my holidays twice before in previous years, always from East to West, but I had never beaten it - by which I mean getting from bottom to top without stopping. When ridden from East to West, I think it is about 2 miles long, and the top half mile (between the two quite stunningly beautiful viewpoints) is viciously, cruelly steep -but I had managed it in stages with a few stops. I like to put new lines on the map, so this time I determined to climb it from West to East instead. This involved driving to the upper viewpoint in the car and then unloading the bike, descending down into Glenelg and going for a bit of a wander about sightseeing before finishing my exactly 20.0 mile ride with a 3 mile climb back to the car. The plan was great, but you can't always plan for the weather. We have been having quite fantastic weather in Scotland on this holiday, but today everything had disappeared under a blanket of low cloud, and visibility at the top was extremely poor - a complete whiteout with a light fret, when I arrived. Warm clothing and lights on all round were the order of the day.

(View from the clouds)

To anyone who is interested in taking on this climb, I would urge you to do it sooner rather than later, as much of the road surface (including almost all of the 3 mile descent Westwards towards Glenelg) has recently been upgraded to lovely smooth new tarmac, and you can safely glide down the first 3 miles at speed before the road flattens out and deteriorates for the next 2 miles. There is also some lovely new tarmac on the lower reaches of the East side.

Once you get into Glenelg, you are spoilt for choice for interesting destinations, despite there being very few roads to choose from. Firstly, when you arrive in the village of Glenelg, there are the brooding remains of the old Bernera Barracks - built to house the redcoat army just after the Jacobite Rebellion.

(Ruins of Bernera barracks, behind the white house).

Less than a mile along the coast to the South, there is a lovely war memorial dedicated to the Highlanders, with a backdrop of the Isle of Skye on the opposite side of the straits.

(Highlanders' Memorial)

A couple of miles further on there is a left turn up the valley by the name of Glen Elg, which leads, after a few miles to a couple of interesting ruins of Pictish brocks - small fortified towers dating back to pre-Roman times in Britain (the days when Picts were Picts, and they didn't mess about with niceties like referenda). Just beyond the second of these brochs, and miles beyond the last signs of civilisation, just as I reached my turning point of exactly 10 miles from the car, I came across a small "bikes for hire" sign and a cyclists' cafe in what looked like a Mongolian yurt. Normally I would have just had to try this hippy cafe out, but I'd come out without any money, so I'll have to leave that to some other intrepid Cyclechatter to report back on.

.

Instead of heading back up the Mam Ratagan, you could head for the little ferry to Skye for a fantastic round trip, but there is a very long steep hill on the other side before you get to turn towards the Skye Road Bridge and a route back to Shiel Bridge via Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverinate. Alternatively, you can carry on Southwards (towards a dead end) and take in the scene of Gavin Maxwell's "Ring of Bright Water" and a load of brilliant views across to Skye and some nice little punchy climbs along the way.

After the barracks, the memorial and the brochs, I went straight back up the road to the Mam Ratagan Pass, and spent the first couple of miles trying to stop my chain from rattling and grinding. About 3 miles from the top, the road kicked up noticeably along the right flank of a hillside, and the increased pressure on the pedals seemed to make the chainset suddenly behave itself impeccably for the rest of the climb. 1,100 feet over 3 miles made this just about half the climb that I did on the Bealach na Ba, so i was determined to get up this in one go this time, and finally "beat" it.

(The road to the pass, West to East)

Not much traffic today, and when I did meet a couple of trucks and half a dozen cars, the single track road was just wide enough for me not to have to stop for them. I managed to keep going, grinding my way up at somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5mph all the way to the top, keeping my breathing under control and not feeling too bad. I'll confess I would normally have given up and taken a break about a mile from the top as my backside was aching so much, and it was getting a bit steeper, but I dug deep and made it over the crest in one go, much to my own satisfaction. Definitely easier going West to East, but still my third biggest climb to date.

Such a pity that the view from the upper viewpoint was still obscured by fog. We drove up here the other day in brilliant sunny weather, so I have included a shot of what it can look like on a better day - great view over the end of Loch Duich and the Five Sisters of Kintail.

(View over Loch Duich)

Trust me, it's worth every bit of effort getting up there, whichever side you tackle. I really recommend this climb to anyone coming to this area.

Well, that's it for this holiday. back to the humdrum vale of Gloucester for me now. Cheers, Donger.

 

[petergc]

My commute to and from work was planned to be a lovely route home with some hill training thrown in. I also packed a back pack with an extra few kilos of work clothing and boots in for added weight.

However my ride was cut short on the first climb with me suffering a blow out half way up the first climb. I pulled over and my less than 2 week old Continental GP 4000s tyre side wall split. On closer inspection think I may have sliced on a piece of Flint washed down after last nights rain.
I removed faulty tube, replaced with a new one and patched the tyre from the inside with a large puncture repair patch and inflated to around 50psi. I turned around a proceeded to the closest Halfords to pick up a reserved gator skin tyre.

 

[Spartak]

Just been out for an early morning ride, very misty when I left. I headed east climbing up Tog Hill on the A420 then passed the villages of Marshfield & Ford. Turned left towards Castle Combe & passed thru Tiddleywink ( what a great name for a hamlet of less than 10 houses ). Continued thru the sleepy South Cotswold villages of Grittleton, Luckington & Hawkesbury Upton before dropping down into Chipping Sodbury.

A nice 40 miler on a route I may use during the winter to keep my legs turning over !

http://www.strava.com/activities/196864439/segments/4635018279

 

[BigonaBianchi]

http://cyprusonabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

64 miles
1344 m climbing
top speed 50 mph

...and a castle. Hot and bloody windy lol!

 

[Dave 123]

http://cyprusonabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

64 miles
1344 m climbing
top speed 50 mph

...and a castle. Hot and bloody windy lol!

Not bad... My stats for today are
Distance 60.56 miles
Av speed 14.48mph
Elevation1481m
Max speed.......101.75mph

I was going that fast I've travelled through a wormhole and forgotten that bit!

 

[Dave 123]

So today's breaking of all records in the history of everything went like so-

I rode the 2.5 miles from Wembury to Elburton to meet my mate Richard. We then rode into Plymouth on as quiet roads as possible, ending up on the Barbican and the Hoe. We were heading for the Torpoint ferry...

As with everything in these parts we went up out of Torpoint, past Anthony House and followed the river Lyhner. The road was bloody awful! Scenery was good though. After Polbathic we turned left for a good old climb. Upon asking how far the climb was I was informed "half a mile", like buggery it was! It was followed by a fast decent then a left to Seaton where we stopped for tea and cake. Back in the winter storms the caf was battered, they were up and running by June, they're not quite there yet...

I could see from where I was sat a fairly stern looking up hill bend, which turned out to be quite tame, but at the end of the village we had another stiff old hill, but we were then rewarded with a beautiful stretch of road, as scenic as could be, looking out to Rame Head.
We dropped back down to Torpoint and caught Richards old club YOGI who we'd spied in the distance. We caught the ferry back with them and had a chat

We then went out of town, through the South Hams to turn at Ermington then onto Ivybridge before following the cycle path and criss crossing the A38.
As stated above just over 60 miles at 14.84 mph average, max speed was probably just north of 40mph!

 

[Goonerobes]

Rule 5 had to be implemented this morning due to the onset of manflu yesterday, which as we all know is the worse kind of flu!

Anyway, I had a 100k route planned which was basically a route I've done a couple of times over the summer except in reverse just to see if the hill climb was any easier from the other side, (I know, its not that bigger hill but this is the south we're talking about!) It wasn't!

I was quite amazed how different some of the scenery was simply by doing it backwards & once I had left the New Forest & hit Wiltshire I had to double check a couple of times just to make sure I was going the right way as all looked very unfamiliar.

Not a good day for photos as you will see in pic 1 as it was very misty & murky.

The misty view from the highest point, 640ft.

A piggy village seems to have appeared which I had never seen before?

http://www.strava.com/activities/196974970

 

[accountantpete]

Not my pic but the two Lancaster bombers flew right overhead today travelling West.

There is a flypast at Derwent Dam tomorrow.

Fantastic sight and even better noise

 

[Gravity Aided]

11.64 miles to town and return via another route, I looked in on fell Park, where the old water tower(used to have a riveted iron drum atop this masonry tower for the water) still sits in the park that was previously used as the town cattle pound, surrounded by brick sidewalks from the period. I wanted to get a quick ride in this moring, as storms are forecast for the afternoon.

 

[ianrauk]

Well I bagged my maiden non stop 200+ mile ride today.
220 miles to be precise. Doncaster to Home (Orpington, Kent) Near 15 hours in the saddle. With good cycling buddies @rb58 and not of this parish, Liz and Sandra (It was Liz' and Sandra's maiden 200 too).

We set off from Doncaster Station at the stroke of midnight. The weather Gods looking down on us with pleasure, blessing us with a warm night with none of the predicted rain storms, though we did get a little drizzle in Cambridge. But nothing to really moan about.

rb58 at Kings Cross waiting for the Doncaster Train

All for the princely sum of £18.50

Map route Part 1

Map route part 2

It was tough at times, sometime very tough, but the camaraderie and encouragement helped munch up the miles.
Crossing the Fens at the dead of night was an experience to behold. I don't think I have ever seen such a dark place so untouched by light pollution. It was just a great shame that it was cloudy so the stars were not visible. 2 punctures for the whole ride, one for me, one for Sandra. Not bad considering the accumulated mileage between the four of us.

Boy I am knackered.. but it was jolly good fun with some great cycling chums.
Century # 25 for the year. Century # 129 over all.

 

[welsh dragon]

Well I bagged my maiden non stop 200+ mile ride today.
217 miles to be precise. Doncaster to Home (Orpington, Kent) Near 15 hours in the saddle. With good cycling buddies @rb58 and not of this parish, Liz and Sandra (It was Liz' and Sandra's maiden 200 too).

We set off from Doncaster Station at the stroke of midnight. The weather Gods looking down on us with pleasure, blessing us with a warm night with none of the predicted rain storms, though we did get a little drizzle in Cambridge. But nothing to really moan about.

rb58 at Kings Cross waiting for the Doncaster Train
View attachment 56873

All for the princely sum of £18.50
View attachment 56874

Map route Part 1
View attachment 56875

Map route part 2
View attachment 56876

It was tough at times, sometime very tough, but the camaraderie and encouragement helped munch up the miles.
Crossing the Fens at the dead of night was an experience to behold. I don't think I have ever seen such a dark place so untouched by light pollution. It was just a great shame that it was cloudy so the stars were not visible. 2 punctures for the whole ride, one for me, one for Sandra. Not bad considering the accumulated mileage between the four of us.

Boy I am knackered.. but it was jolly good fun with some great cycling chums.
Century # 25 for the year. Century # 129 over all.

Well done indeed. Many congratulations.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Well I bagged my maiden non stop 200+ mile ride today.
217 miles to be precise. Doncaster to Home (Orpington, Kent) Near 15 hours in the saddle. With good cycling buddies @rb58 and not of this parish, Liz and Sandra (It was Liz' and Sandra's maiden 200 too).

We set off from Doncaster Station at the stroke of midnight. The weather Gods looking down on us with pleasure, blessing us with a warm night with none of the predicted rain storms, though we did get a little drizzle in Cambridge. But nothing to really moan about.

rb58 at Kings Cross waiting for the Doncaster Train
View attachment 56873

All for the princely sum of £18.50
View attachment 56874

Map route Part 1
View attachment 56875

Map route part 2
View attachment 56876

It was tough at times, sometime very tough, but the camaraderie and encouragement helped munch up the miles.
Crossing the Fens at the dead of night was an experience to behold. I don't think I have ever seen such a dark place so untouched by light pollution. It was just a great shame that it was cloudy so the stars were not visible. 2 punctures for the whole ride, one for me, one for Sandra. Not bad considering the accumulated mileage between the four of us.

Boy I am knackered.. but it was jolly good fun with some great cycling chums.
Century # 25 for the year. Century # 129 over all.

We're not worthy!