Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Dark46]

Well out with @Donger,@gordyfinbar but no @Largie003 today.

I arrived at the usual meeting place just as the KCC where leaving. So I didn't have a 100% clue where we were going, but Frocester Hill was mentioned earlier in the week.

I made a swift about turn and closed in on the pelaton. We headed towards the A38, and I quickly dropped off as the head wind was a bit tough. After crossing the dualcarriageway I turned left towards our normal route. I was unaware that the club went straight.
I went through the lanes to Standish and Stonehouse, where I turned right towards the industrial estate. Before I could get there is was stopped by the barriers coming down on the railway line. I waited for the Virginia Voyager to go by before the barriers went back up, when I was passed by a stunning jogger!

I carried on towards the main road and then turned right just after passing the jogger, then left at the next roundabout towards Eastington. Going to Eastington I pushed on the hill on the way in hoping for a PB. At the next roundabout I hung a left towards Frocester. I got to the triangle in Frocester and looked at my phone only to see a missed call and a text message from @Donger say to wait there! So it's did for 1\2 hr. By then I figured I must have missed them, then got another call from @Donger. He said to come up Frocester, but I couldn't see the point in everyone waiting in the cold, so I said why don't we meet at the Black Shed. I said okay no worries, and set off.

The ride there was pretty uneventful, arriving at the Black Shed i noticed that there where no bikes outside. So I turned round and headed back towards the A38. Heading back I saw @Donger, Dean and Tony coming towards me. I shouted that I would turn around and did that at the roundabout at the A38 roundabout. On the way back to the Black Shed I was past again by @Donger and co saying the Shed was shut! We headed back to the A38 where I phoned and text @gordyfinbar to let him know we where going to Saul junction for a rest and a cuppa.

I pushed on the off (after finally getting clipped in and pushed straight away hoping again to set some PB'S as my Garmin has on passed occasion stopped on that section.

At least when we got to Saul the coffee shop was open! A couple of cups of drinks of coffee and 1\2 hr later @gordyfinbar and Chris turned up but no Berney and Lisa. Just as we were leaving Chris got a call from Lisa to say they were lost!

As we got to the Longley Loop @Donger and I went left and Dean and Tony went right.

When @Donger said by I headed for Gloucester Bikes and a cup of tea and Chocolate cake. I was in there about an hour. And got home just after 14:00. But making sure that I have ordered 2 new tyres and a innertubes.

In all I covered 36.5 miles and averaged nearly 14 mph

 

[Jon George]

View attachment 76645

I really like this pic.

 

[nickyboy]

Mad windy yesterday. 20mph in Glossop probably equals 40mph on the tops so it was a good excuse to get another less hilly ride in. 52 miles about 3.000ft of climbing (it didn't feel that hilly but waddoiknow). Glossop - Hyde- Hazel Grove - Alderley Edge - Some little Cheshire villages - Marple - Glossop.

It was notable for the fact that there weren't many cyclists as stupid as me to be out there. Cheshire lanes are usually crawling with blinged up bikes on a Sunday afternoon. Having said that, I shot past a few. This can only be for ne of two reasons: I am a cycling god...or....they've dug the bike out of the shed having eaten too many mice pies over Xmas and are trying to get fit. I know which one it is.

A real grind outbound. When I started heading back what I really needed was one of those spinnaker thingies....or a kite-surfer. I could have probably freewheeled it all the way back. Nice to get home and have a large milky coffee from the Dolce Gusto that Santa brought me

 

[Jon George]

Another tactical error - headed out East of Ipswich today for Old Felixstowe for a standard 25 miles with the wind on my back and had to face the music on the return leg.
The weather was dull and windy going out, and extremely windy, extremely drizzlely, and extremely dull on the way back - and quite the effort needed. I also made the mistake of wondering if the dates I have recently started taking as nibbles might initially resemble the texture of the cockroaches they have to eat on I'm-A-Celebratory-Get-Me-out-Of-Here.

Bawdsey Manor under a bleak sky, just before I turned into the wind. And the drizzle. And the crazy 4x4 drivers.

 

[MikeW-71]

Just had to get out of the house tonight, and with the wind dropping to a vaguely sane level, I headed out on the MTB to try out my spanking new Rock Shox fork (it's just a cheap one)

Wandered into town and through Bitts Park on the cycleway. Decided I would see where the Hadrians route ends up through the other end. It was a mudbath, which I really shouldn't have been surprised about since it is right beside the river and we've had a staggering amount of rain lately. Turned round and headed back to Tesco, thought I might as well pick up some milk from the petrol station on the way back. It was shut

Boo

Still, it was a fair 50 minutes ride, yet more kit to wash and a bike to clean again.

The fork? It was excellent! I cannot describe how much better it is than a boggo Suntour effort.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Well the wind has slowed a lot so after fitting some new tyres , kindly donated by my bro , at the weekend I set off at 8.30 pm.

The Stars were out and it was a rather pleasant ride. Managed 18 miles and averaged 16mph, which I was rather pleasing considering I tried finding a cycle path which runs to the city centre, but as it's dark I must have missed one of signs and ended up on a piece of road which resembled a farm track. Mainly like that that because it's upkeep is down to the residents.

But anyway I enjoyed myself , so onwards to the next trip.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Wish I'd known you were going out bro, could've tagged along lol

 

[MikeW-71]

Will give you a shout if there's another chance any time soon

 

[Cush]

Just had to get out of the house tonight, and with the wind dropping to a vaguely sane level, I headed out on the MTB to try out my spanking new Rock Shox fork (it's just a cheap one)

Wandered into town and through Bitts Park on the cycleway. Decided I would see where the Hadrians route ends up through the other end. It was a mudbath, which I really shouldn't have been surprised about since it is right beside the river and we've had a staggering amount of rain lately. Turned round and headed back to Tesco, thought I might as well pick up some milk from the petrol station on the way back. It was shut

I understand how you feel but you are a braver person than me I would never go beyond the Sheepmount in the dark (used to jog there sometimes when I was on a 05:00/06:00 finish). Presume you mean the Rosehill Tesco garage which I think closes 21:00/22:00 but the Tesco main store is open 24 hours a day Monday to Saturday.

 

[MikeW-71]

Oh, the main store is open, but I hadn't brought a lock with me. I probably won't bother going past the Sheepmount again TBH, even on the MTB it's not a great track and I'd just bypass it on the road.

 

[Donger]

Ever cycled through hailstones at over 30mph? I hadn't .... until today. There's another new experience I can chalk off now. Brrrrr!
Today's ride started off as a hill-climbing special, with the intention of doing Upton Hill, taking a short cut along the escarpment and dropping down the far side of Horsepools Hill so that I could do a u-turn and come straight back up it. Upton Hill had to be done, as it is one of the few big hills around here that I hadn't ever climbed but most of the others in my club had done. A wrong that needed righting. I had also never ridden around the busy Gloucester ring road (Cole Avenue and Eastern Avenue) other than on a Sunday. It was not a pleasant experience, but I got through it, and turned up Painswick Road in the same glorious sunshine as I had left the house in, full of optimism and looking forward to the challenge.

Made it up the (2 mile?) climb comfortably without stopping (receiving some cheery encouragement from a council road crew on the way), and at the top I hung a right onto a little track that runs along the escarpment to Edge, where I stopped for a couple of photos of the views of Gloucester and of painswick Beacon. (Who am I kidding? OK, so actually yet more views of my bike again).

You will notice that the sky was no longer blue.... I didn't.

I stopped off at my favourite folly, where the greying sky in the background again went un-noticed. With my sunny outlook on life it still looked blue to me. The words around the top of the folly read something like "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills", and if you stand square on to it, on a clear day you get a perfectly framed view of the Malvern Hills in the distance. It's a shame it is falling into such disrepair.

At this time I was concentrating more on trying to spot deer than on the weather conditions. Literally 2 minutes later I suddenly became aware of dark clouds all around me, with that brownish grey tinge that you get with snow clouds. Muggins hadn't even brought any waterproofs today, it had looked such a glorious day when I set out. By the time I got a further mile or so down the road and arrived at Edge, it was sleeting. A minute later, right at the top of Horsepools Hill, it turned to hail...... heavy hail. I abandoned thoughts of dropping down the far side of the hill and then climbing it, and instead just got the hell outta there down the main road towards Gloucester. My glasses instantly misted up while dropping down at about
35mph, and I had to peer over the top of them and hope not to get any hailstones in my eyes. Brrrr! Arrived at the bottom frozen cold, thoroughly sodden and miserable. Tried to take a selfie in the rain without taking my gloves off. Actually I think I look better blurred.

Probably turned out to be a useful reminder about the level of preparation needed before i take on my 2 audaxes by the beginning of February. I'm definitely layering up and rooting out all my waterproofs for the big ones. I'd hate to be out in this weather for 6 hours or so without them.
Good luck with the weather everyone. Cheers, Donger.

 

[Jon George]

One of the massive advantages of essentially being self-employed, and working from home, is that you can readjust to make the most of the weather. The forecast was for late-morning and midday sun, followed by afternoon Tempest. I got in a 25 miler out to Otley and Coddenham. (SwissStop Greens arrived while I was out - a little bit of fettling in a moment and I'll hopefully be able to stop in the rain. Which would be nice ...)

Proof there was at least a bit a sun about near Coddenham @Donger .

And one of Hemingstone church.

 

[sgl5gjr]

A quick short trips for me after my chest infection today....... bit of shopping this morning on a 5 miler..... then a 10 miler this afternoon for a "stretch" out... shame about the sleet and cold wind... took my breath a bit but worth the ride..... chest is tight now again tho'..... hopefully not put it back too far....

 

[compo]

I was able to get out this morning before the thunderstorm that hit 10 minutes after I got home. I had a brilliant ride in glorious sunshine.

I was queuing for a cuppa at a tea hut. There were several ramblers standing about and one in the queue ahead of me. When he got to the serving hatch about 6 other ramblers came over and pushed in front of me. "He was saving our places" I was told when I protested. I somewhat vigorously elbowed my way back to my position in the queue ignoring comments about ignorant cyclists. "Ignorant cyclists", from Ramblers, FFS, praise indeed. I have had a number of altercations with those twits over the years. What is it about funny boots and walking that attracts the ignorant section of the population? Anyway, it didn't spoil my ride home.

 

[cosmicbike]

Following Sundays 31.52 mile battle with the wind, I decided today should be a nice, steady, flat 20 miler. The Met Office seemed to be in full support of this, and sure enough at 0915hrs the sun was shining, it wasn't windy and I was geared up ready to go. First showing for the road bike this year, and I stuck to one of my known routes. Stupidly I forgot this one was anything but flat, and the first 10 miles round Chobham and Sunninghill saw over 500ft of climbing Still, at least I got the clothing right today and felt just right the whole ride. After shouting VERY LOUDLY at some dizzy Alfa driver who wanted me on her bonnet I cut through WGP, stopping briefly to tweak the saddle height in an upwards direction, before heading home through Englefield Green.
23 miles for me today