Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Nick Stevenson]

Headed out at 8 this morning onto the C2C at Washington and upto Consett and back. Nice and cool with the sun just coming out, 40 mile in 3hrs, was pretty please with that but feeling it now.

Ooooo!!!

 

[Mike Warren]

A nice morning when I set off with a bit of a breeze coming from the West. Picked up the Reivers Route at Backworth and headed south to North Shields then on to Tynemouth. The last ten miles or so saw the wind get stronger and stronger so it was hard work at times. 21 miles completed. Is there anything better in cycling then riding uphill with the wind in your back?

 

[CopperCyclist]

Great 50 mile route. A lot of new roads to me, some really nice ones discovered. Sunny but (nicely) cool - I even went out an hour later than I planned as it was 6 degrees C at 9 o'clock!

 

[Berties]

well,couldn't get motivated early so it was about 11 when i got the bike out ,thought i would ride and get a coffee and see how the day went,but that never happened ,i headed north going through tidworth camp then towards bulford camp it was like a war zone on the ranges 7 ranges firing and a apache so low i felt his down draft and it deafened me,then i picked up a tracked apc going down hill i could smell his fumes and then hit a 15% hill going up it felt like i was letting him stream me,then headed west to stonehenge ,then dodged the tourist coaches going down the woodsford valley and saw the camel kept at some gardens ,under the shadow of old sarum,past salisbury cathedral,then hard east and up the test valley,where i saw a pair of muntjac deer,funny looking things,a couple of laps of the village and home so a coffee run went wrong,giving me a 55 mile scenic run

 

[gavgav]

32 & 1/2 miler through the glorious South Shropshire countryside, with Rickshaw Phil and Doug again (after our 23 miles yesterday) via Condover, Ryton, Longnor and then over the pass to Cardington. Lunch at the Royal Oak in Cardington (including a nice pint of Ludlow Best) and then back on the bike to Plaish, Church Preen, Cound, Condover again and then over the top of Lyth Hill to finish. Fabulous sunshine, but I got very saddle sore and ran out of energy at about 25 miles. I think 55 miles over 2 days has proved to be about my limit at the moment!

 

[gbb]

well,couldn't get motivated early so it was about 11 when i got the bike out ,thought i would ride and get a coffee and see how the day went,but that never happened ,i headed north going through tidworth camp then towards bulford camp it was like a war zone on the ranges 7 ranges firing and a apache so low i felt his down draft and it deafened me,then i picked up a tracked apc going down hill i could smell his fumes and then hit a 15% hill going up it felt like i was letting him stream me,then headed west to stonehenge ,then dodged the tourist coaches going down the woodsford valley and saw the camel kept at some gardens ,under the shadow of old sarum,past salisbury cathedral,then hard east and up the test valley,where i saw a pair of muntjac deer,funny looking things,a couple of laps of the village and home so a coffee run went wrong,giving me a 55 mile scenic run

Sounds like an eventful ride bertie

Just an hour for me round town this evening, the only notable event as turning left at some TLs, heard a 'moped' coming up behind me..i wasnt hanging round...and this guy on a standard'ish MTB absolutely flew by, twice my speed
He'd got an engine mounted on it , wished i'd seen it in more detail.

 

[Drago]

Just back from a quick 15 miler. I saw 14 cars.

9 overtook me by crossing solid white lines.

1 overtook me within the confines of a pedestrian crossing.

1 was on a mobile.

One decided they couldnt wait for me to go by in order to overtake a parked car on their side of the road, forcing NE into the gutter to avoid a head on.

2 were commuting no moving traffic offences.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

It was a pretty good day for cycling today so I was glad to be able to make the most of it with Gavgav and Doug.

Doug was pretty saddle sore after yesterday and as it was fairly clear that the Charge Spoon he was using doesn't suit him I did a swap with a gel saddle out of my spares box for him to try instead.

The 32.5 mile route is the one I had intended to do the day I broke three spokes in my back wheel and had to be recovered. It's mostly not too difficult but there is the exception of one big hill on the road to Cardington (marked as Folly Bank on the map) which climbs 380 feet in about a mile and a half. Good job there's a nice pub in Cardington to sit and recover with a pint (Three Tuns Pale Ale for me).

A few snapshots from the day:

Doug & Gavgav take a break near Longnor with The Lawley and Caer Caradoc in the background. The road we are taking climbs up between the two.

At Folly Bank (866 feet asl). A good place for a bite to eat.

The bench speaks for itself.

Just down the road is the Royal Oak. Nice pub!

The Wrekin, later in the ride.

Looking towards Wenlock Edge and the Ironbridge Gorge. An idyllic rural scene with a bit of industry poking its nose in.

Cound Church

 

[Monsieur Remings]

60.4 miles in the early evening, through to dusk. Clevedon down through Cheddar, on to Wedmore, Mark, West Huntspill, Highbridge, WSM and home.

Managed an average of 19.7mph and got home in 3h 04 minutes.

 

[fenlandpsychocyclist]

Just buzzed my lardy belly around what i call my "course 4".
29.97 miles of junctions and rough roads, but devoid of traffic.
This time i stayed down on the drops and set my best time ever, managing 17.0 mph average speed.

I did very nearly trash the bike though, as towards the end of the ride when i suppose my blood sugar
was getting low and concentration was fading a bloomin great moth/dragonfly/whatever wedged in my
earhole!!
Instead of just tilting my head to clear it i forgot i was cycling and used the right hand to clear it while wildly
flailing about on the road.
I won't do that again!!

 

[EltonFrog]

View attachment 12402
Cound Church

That'll be nice when it's finished.

 

[Lee_M]

Just commuting into London and back on the regents canal and Victoria park

Great but got lost in Victoria park again! Every day I seem to come out of a different gate!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Today I rode back in time to the American civil war. I rode over the Richmond battlefields at cold harbour and Malvern hill as well as others...tonight I sleep in a church on the old battlefield.

 

[EltonFrog]

Today I rode back in time to the American civil war. I rode over the Richmond battlefields at cold harbour and Malvern hill as well as others...tonight I sleep in a church on the old battlefield.

Good grief! You are actually riding across America! That is fantastic.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Yep...

Today I took time out again to see the battlefields...my ride included a simple 20 second ride over no man's land from the union line to the confederate line at Malvern hill one of the big battles around Richmond.

7000 confederates died on that ground I read on a plaque.