Your ride today.... (part 1)

[redflightuk]

Was very surprised at how busy the roads were. The majority of the ice and snow has now melted so a nice quick ride.

Me too Ian. i was out on the 25th and you'd have thought it was a normal friday afternoon.
The roads seemed a bit quieter on boxing day around here, which was a bonus as i had to ride on the roads in stevenage to get to sisters house as the cycle tracks have turned into ice rinks.

 

[Samjacksons]

Ride today

On the turbo 60mins

10min W/Up
4x
5min of 10 secs hard in top gear 20secs steady
5min steady
15min steady

Sure made a lot of sweat!

 

[Aperitif]

I stopped off at the office to collect a card for my new camera and took a snap... (any resemblance to living characters is purely coincidental)

Having arrived from Hampstead direction, it was only fair to ascend to Highgate and traverse the park again...

...showing the London City skyline with the gherkin prominent - second bump from the left in the background.

Keats House in Hampstead

Four Seasons fill the Measure of the year;
Four Seasons are there in the mind of Man.
He hath his lusty spring when fancy clear
Takes in all beauty with an easy span:
He hath his Summer, when luxuriously
He chews the honied cud of fair spring thoughts,
Till, in his Soul dissolv'd they come to be
Part of himself. He hath his Autumn ports
And Havens of repose, when his tired wings
Are folded up, and he content to look
On Mists in idleness: to let fair things
Pass by unheeded as a threshhold brook.
He hath his Winter too of pale Misfeature,
Or else he would forget his mortal nature.

Opposite Keat's house, well, nearly opposite was this little sketch

it looks good to me!

And then I did another bit of the CC Park and Ride by traversing Hampstead Heath.

The bit of the pond on the other side of the bridge was resisting the hurling of small rocks - it was that frozen!
Slipped and slid up the slopes toward the exit and stopped to re-position the Gherkin, using the camera zoom to its fullest extent...

and then exited to Spaniards Road toward the big houses (as detailed elsewhere) and out towards home - it was a tad chilly by this stage!
Last photo is the descent towards the A5, prior to going Northward - technology's answer to the twin towers of Wembley Stadium.

Oh - and I was at work too!

 

[gbb]

Not todays but last nights extended commute...took me past Peterborough Uniteds ground...just as the crowds were coming out. Thousands of em..all streaming across the roads, everywhere .
Not a Posh supporter, but 4-4 is about as good as it gets for them lately. A colleagues son left the match early when they were trailing 4-0.

Short while later on the open road, all the cars came streaming past, giving me the biggest draft

 

[fossyant]

Yay....

Weather good, but bl00dy cold...2c...full winter kit on. 32 lumpy miles (excluding the 'key hunt below') testing out the Garmin gadget - it's ace..... pre-planned a route taking all the back roads round Potts Shrigley...(Chesh/Derbyshire).

Had to walk one bit as the road was sheet ice, one side to the other.

Other than that great, sunny, but windy. Eye balls nearly froze though.

To top it off...forgot to take a spare key , and the family had gone out...... off to my sisters, then realised she didn't have the key for the new porch, so off again to FIL's - phew he had some...

 

[lukesdad]

It was cold today hills were o.k.descents were freezing.

 

[Dilbert]

20 miles and halfway round had my first puncture on the road bike. Nice policeman stopped to ask me if I was OK just as I was about to set off again. Not too cold once moving and it enabled me to hit my target of 120 miles this month.

 

[GrasB]

Lovely ride, a bit nippy but nothing that couldn't be handled with ease... a quick ride too. Got to the top of a hill to see the M11 snaking down south with the pools of water in fields either side looked really nice.

 

[The Jogger]

Went out for the first time in over two weeks, still suffering a bit with cold/cough so just five miles. Tried out the new pedals, first time clipless and loved it.

 

[ianrauk]

Went out for a spin in the Kent Countryside having not been on the bike since Christmas Day (to Arallsopp's and back yesterday doesn't count)

So just outside of Bromley near Downe, home of Charles Darwin.

It was mighty chilly and there was quite a bit of frost on the road, had a lot of fun riding through..
what a lovely crunching sound. No sign of any ducks on this pond in Knockholt.

On to the Nower in Cudham a little known view down a small side road,
and a cracking view it was today in the sunshine, looking south over the Downs.

On into Knockholt Village where there was some sort of small vintage car rally.

I pushed on to the village of Eynsford which it's known for it's Fjord and ruined castle.
(The Fjord at 2 foot deep today was probably just a little too deep for any moton's who wanted to risk it)

Then onto one of Kent's prettiest villages Farningham. Looking lovely in the winter sunshine.

The big tree to the left of the bridge is two trees that were fused together when originally planted,
In the summer half the tree flowers in white, the other half in pink.

Further down the road I cam across this....

So.. pushing on, a slow 5 mile climb up to Brands Hatch Racecourse.
Looking north to Dartford (town on the left, the QEII bridge towers on the right).

The West Kingsdown Windmill

I think Golfers are as mad as cyclists. There were a good few golfers out
on the Knockmill Course despite the cold and the greens covered in frost.

So on to one of my favourite roads to ride in Kent, The Knatt's Valley.
A 5 Mile downhill run from Knockmill back to Farningham..
and it was looking splendid today in the sunshine. Hard to believe it's just outside the M25.

Well as the old saying goes, what goes up must come down, but for me it was in reverse,
a nice long drag of a climb from Eynsford to Chelsfield where you get great views of the London skyline.
The Gherkin and Tower 42 on the left by the pole, to the right, the Docklands.

And then on to home.. a nice 45 mile run out, my very clean Roubaix now not so clean...
but hold on it is clean, as I just spent another hour cleaning it again for another run out tomorrow.

 

[Lardyboy]

Nice pics Ianrauk! Looks like you had a very pleasant ride.

One word to describe ours today - icey!

 

[gbb]

Circa 15 miles this morning before work. Minus 1 degree, virtually no wind, but Jesus...my fingers were so cold it stung so much i virtually wanted to cry after an hour on the bike. Sat at work for half an hour desperately trying to warm them up. Every other bit of me was fine.
A pair of nitrile disposable gloves, cotton liners and Chiba 'winter ' gloves. I may try a pair of pillows on each hand next time

 

[gbb]

This mornings commute brought home an age old problem for me...siezed Sora front mech, happens once every winter. I'd only been thinking about it the other day. Stuck in the large ring....allen key and some WD40, a waggle and a prayer, and off we go again.
This evenings return ride, considerably more comfortable than this mornings, despite sleet and snow showers today, roads are soaking and moderately cold. But my hands stayed warm

 

[Aperitif]

Harrow Weald

as much snow as I could muster

Old Redding - more ice, but nice.

Another, similar view showing the industrial chimneyscape, the Winsor & Newton factory, St Georges Centre in Central Harrow, where all the dragons go to shop and yonder - Harrow Hill and St Marys Church, next to THAT school. Not quite Chelsfield grade sightseeing you understand...
58kms of sunbathing - sorry all you snow-bound lot but it was glorious - as Ian's lovely post properly describes. (Surely a fjord escort would ensure a safe crossing at that bit of water Ian?) I saw golfers, stopped to watch footballers (two teams - but both playing in blue jerseys!) rugby, and poked my nose in people's front gardens, checked out their house style etc - yes, a relaxing, sunny people watching cruise...

 

[UKPhil]

25m miler Portland to Abbotsbury and back, lovely crisp sunny day. Plenty of layers and no wind so didn't really get cold!