Your ride today.... (part 1)

[derrick]

54 miles with the club, lovely day a bit of a slow ride but was not to bothered as it was a little bit on the warm side, went out to codicote had a lovely breakfast and a nice ride back, the other half has started attacking the climbs, she does not want to be the last one to the top.

 

[Jane Smart]

Proud to say, I did 22 miles in one hour , fifteen minutes with an average of almost 17mph. Ok not good, but considering I haven't been on my bike ( maybe six times in the past year) not bad ( for me that is :-) )

 

[gbb]

25 degrees early this evening, so 19 miles on my old favoured quick loop, Peterborough, Elton, Wansford, Yarwell, Elton and back.
Two hoofing big Buzzards, one hoofing big Red Kite, its wingspan must have been 5ft, maybe more, but not much else worth mentioning.
19 miles, 15.7 mph average, pushed moderately hard, but more importantly, recovered really quickly, a bit more like the old times .

 

[craigwend]

38.79 miles in 2.28.07,

waited till after 3 to skirt along the East Yorks coast for a few miles

@ Hornsea to see the influx of Wessies coming to eat fish & chips;

tempted to reset the comp as everyone tends to be about a mile plus on their comps... this would involve finding the instructions again though.

The ride itself was a 'good-un' , with a couple of friends keeping the pace up

sunny, dry & de-hydrating, though the flatlands of Holderness are forgiving on the legs

 

[Breedon]

well went out about 7.30pm for a quick blast was going to do about 20 miles doing the "Think I’ll go that way route", about 15 miles in my rear derailleur cable broke and I was on the last cog on a standard double 39/53 luckily I was top of a hill and about a mile from home.
Got some spare cable so will be replacing both cable's.

 

[Breedon]

It's a bit more reasonable warmth for cycling out there today so I headed out for a ride round the Cardington area. A couple more tweeks of the saddle had it feeling comfortable again which was nice .

The route was Condover, Longnor, Cardington, then back past Church Preen School, Langley and Ruckley, Acton Burnell, Pitchford and Condover again.

There were loads of other cyclists out today - most fully lycra'd up which made me wonder if there was an event on but I didn't see any race numbers or route markers so I think they were all just making the most of the .

I may have pushed a little hard on the way out so my legs were aching a bit towards the end of the ride , however I did feel chuffed to have got up most of the climb to Folly Bank in a higher gear than I usually do.

There were a couple of scary moments on quick bits of road. The first was coming round a corner at speed to find a car coming at me on my side of the road. The driver had gone wide to overtake a couple of horses - not doing it on a blind corner may have been a good idea. The second was coming round a corner to find a large stick right on the line I was taking. I managed to just miss it - not sure how.

27.95 miles covered at 14.1 mph average which I don't think is bad for a hilly ride.

View attachment 26227
Caer Caradoc seen from the start of the climb to Folly Bank.

View attachment 26228
Cardington

View attachment 26229
Looking across to Wenlock Edge.

View attachment 26230
An oaken arch on the road to Kenley

View attachment 26231
Langley Chapel which is apparently a unique relic of its age.

View attachment 26232
About to start the descent to Acton Burnell now and looking back towards Causeway Wood and the Long Mynd.

Looks stunning, thats what make's cycling great, kind of wants me to do more in derbyshire

 

[marzjennings]

32 miles from home to down town through two parks, so about 50/50 trail and road. Relatively cool day in the mid 80's (compared to the last two weeks of +95f), bike and body felt good. I was able to get a couple of sprint intervals in just to see how the old lungs are doing.
I didn't stop and so no pictures.

The last two miles I got 'hot foot' in my right foot. Realized I was wearing thicker running socks instead of slim cycling ones and so must have over pressured the foot.

 

[PeteXXX]

I was toying with which bike to go out on today. On or Off road.. Hmmm decisions decisions!
I had to call into a mates house on my way around to collect some sponsorship for my L2B and back (and a cup of tea, naturally) and eventually et to Billing Garden Centre shops to pick a few things up and also some fat balls for the bird feeder. As I couldn't possibly wear a rucksack on a road ride (!) I decided on the SL4 again.

I aimed down towards the Washlands alongside the A45 and did a circuit of the flood relief reservoir then headed up the bridleway to Little Houghton, Cogenhoe (pronounced cook-no) and then past a shop in Brafield-on-the-Green where I hoped to grab a bacon sarnie but the b*ggers were closed . Never mind..
From there, I used a regular bridleway of mine towards Whiston that drops down through a ford and back up to the village. From there, I headed homewards via Billing and a short cut through Lings Woods.
Back home, I treat myself to a banana & crunchy demerara sugar sarnie and a pint of Lime Juice with loads of ice cubes...

Strava showed 19 miles but the ride was about 25 as tracking stopped at Billing for some reason or another

http://app.strava.com/activities/66985700

 

[Seamab]

I had to take my son up to Skye to drop him off, so I took the chance to go further north and cycle round the Applecross peninsula and tackle the mighty Bealach for the 1st time.

I did the Bealach Mor sportive route starting/ending from Sheildaig. A tad under 45 miles but probably the hardest 45miler i have ever encountered.

It started easily enough with a gradual climb out of Sheildaig and descent toward Kishorn. Temperature around 15C, so fine for cycling. Turning onto the 6 mile Bealach climb it started easily and i kept to a measured intensity having read about what was to come. It was quite busy with cars and motorbikes coming and going but i ignored them (letting them past at passing places but never stopping). After climbing for some time i rounded a corner and looked up at the road ahead to the horrifying sight of a long straight narrowing to what looked like a wall at the top with the hairpins. Eeek!

In the end the long straight just before the hairpins was frankly brutal and granny gear long employed before plan. After reaching the hairpins they were a piece of cake compared to what had gone before and i made it over the top to find yet another wee climb before the proper summit! 39mins of mainly threshold climbing, i was glad i hadn't gone into the red until just before the hairpins.

Descent was fab only marred by a car in front stopping at a passing places to let other cars through. 12 mins later i was in Applecross - and what a beautiful place - looking across to Skye and the Cuillins. Top speed of 41mph at some point on the way down. The climb looks easier from the Applecross side. Passed 3 cyclists coming up that way. Maybe someday i'll find out for sure!

After an energy bar i set off north round the peninsula with Raasay for company on my left. After an easy few miles it became increasingly hilly then turning West and heading inland it became a succession of brutal ups and downs with hidden corners, beautiful vistas and screaming legs that had me crying for mercy.

Absolutely fab, possibly my best day ever on the bike and one of the hardest. 45 v hilly miles avg speed 15.9mph just under 3 hours. Makes me wonder how brutal the Bealach Beag must be! Hope to get back up there again some time in the future.

Just missed the Celtman Triathalon which was the previous Sat with a swim of 4K in Loch Sheildaig, 202Km on the bike and a run up 2 munros! Bonkers...

 

[Glow worm]

Saturday's short ride this (not been on the computer much since).

Livid as my Cateye Wireless bike computer was pinched on Friday off the handlebars. Only left the bike for a couple of minutes down the allotment while I got some water. There were a couple of scrotes lurking when I got there, but I thought it best not to judge on appearences and trusted things would be fine. Won't be doing that again. At least I locked the bike!

Anyway, Saturday meant a trip to my LBS in Newmarket to see if they an identical one that I could use right away with the existing mount and sensor (so I wouldn't have to faff about fitting it).

Having had a few close encounters with errant drivers in recent days, I just couldn't face the roads and the idiots on them, so I headed out on my preferred cross country route!

First, up through Swaffham Prior, then over the crossroads and along Heath Road which took me to a bridleway adjacent to the Newmarket bypass (A14). Then over the road on the footbridge that marks the Suffolk/ Cambs boundary. This is the one- from Google Earth with the Suffolk sign behind.

The only problem with this route is you have to lug the bike up some steps to the bridge, then there's a stile to negotiate. Suffolk border control has clearly stepped up security in recent years. But once over the various barriers, I was on the racecourse- this is where some races begin.

Then I headed off across the racecourse into town along a rutted path. I wish they'd ban horses as they don't half churn up the ground.

In town, this is one of the 'horse paths'. They make for lovely cycling too to avoid traffic, as long as you weave around the 'deposits'.

My LBS did have some computers, but not the one I need, so it will have to be an Amazon job sadly.

Just 16 miles in total, (I estimated!) and on returning home, the garden thermometer registered 114 degrees F in the sun. (Around 85 shade). Not that I'm complaining after what seemed like 36 months of winter!

 

[ColinJ]

I had to take my son up to Skye to drop him off, so I took the chance to go further north and cycle round the Applecross peninsula and tackle the mighty Bealach for the 1st time.
...
Absolutely fab, possibly my best day ever on the bike and one of the hardest. 45 v hilly miles avg speed 15.9mph just under 3 hours. Makes me wonder how brutal the Bealach Beag must be! Hope to get back up there again some time in the future.

A mate of mine did the same route on a Scottish holiday a few years ago, and he said the same things as you! I want to go up there and have a go myself, when I am fit again.

Meanwhile, I am tackling more modest targets ... I am on my bike again now that I have been back on anticoagulants for 4 weeks. I didn't want to start too soon, and make myself worse, but sitting around in the sunshine was doing my head in! Today, I gave way to temptation and went out and did a ride.

I had been thinking about waiting for the traffic to die down and then use the easy, flat, valley road, but I like the hills so I decided to head out along Widdop Road instead. I walked up steep Moss Lane with my bike and then had an easy ride up Lee Wood Road to Draper Lane. That has a short steep section which I had intended to walk up, but in the end I stuck the bike in a low gear and rode up it. I was slightly short of breath, but nothing too alarming.

From there, it a lovely run down to Blake Dean. I really wanted to carry on to the reservoir but that involves a very steep, hair-pinned climb and there was a stiff wind against me. It would definitely have been too much for me in my current state of health. So, I sat on the edge of the bridge down in the dip of the valley and said hello to a few passing cyclists as I drank some water, then I turned and went back the way I'd come.

My return ride was wind-assisted and I was able to do a few hundred yards on the flat at 30 mph just to remind myself what it felt like, before the road started to kick up and I ran out of steam.

I rode back down to the A646, and then home. My total was only 9.5 miles, but there was nearly 1,000 ft of climbing crammed in. If the good weather holds, I'll be doing that ride again a few times in coming days. If I feel up to it, I will detour through Colden, Jack Bridge and Blackshaw Head on the return leg and either come down Mytholm Steeps, or ride down from Great Rock to Todmorden and return on the canal towpath if I don't fancy the traffic.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Third ride in a row today - I'm on a roll.

I dragged Doug (my brother) and Lorna (my cousin) out for a ride on one of my regular routes into Shrewsbury and in a loop via Upton Magna, Atcham and Condover.

When I suggested the ride it had gone cloudy and a bit cooler which I thought would suit everyone, but by the time we actually got out it was and again.

We had a few stops for saddle adjustment - Dougs mainly this time. He is currently using a gel saddle out of my spares box and it really isn't suiting him at all. I aim to get him down to a LBS that has an arsometer to be sized up for a replacement later in the week.

The warmth seemed to be getting to Lorna quite a bit, but she loves hot weather so refused to admit defeat. Suffice it to say that we made it round despite slowing a bit towards the end. We went for the short route home which involved a section on the A49 in heavier traffic than normal which made that bit extra unpleasant. Despite that it doesn't appear to have put the two of them off.

17.81 miles done this trip at an average of 10.6mph.

Doug and Lorna on the road towards Condover.

We took a short cut avoiding going through Condover itself. This is looking south from that road.

 

[gavgav]

It's a bit more reasonable warmth for cycling out there today so I headed out for a ride round the Cardington area. A couple more tweeks of the saddle had it feeling comfortable again which was nice .

The route was Condover, Longnor, Cardington, then back past Church Preen School, Langley and Ruckley, Acton Burnell, Pitchford and Condover again..

You should have come on up to Acton Scott and seen us playing cricket for a bit

 

[gavgav]

Third ride in a row today - I'm on a roll.

I dragged Doug (my brother) and Lorna (my cousin) out for a ride on one of my regular routes into Shrewsbury and in a loop via Upton Magna, Atcham and Condover.

When I suggested the ride it had gone cloudy and a bit cooler which I thought would suit everyone, but by the time we actually got out it was and again.

We had a few stops for saddle adjustment - Dougs mainly this time. He is currently using a gel saddle out of my spares box and it really isn't suiting him at all. I aim to get him down to a LBS that has an arsometer to be sized up for a replacement later in the week.

The warmth seemed to be getting to Lorna quite a bit, but she loves hot weather so refused to admit defeat. Suffice it to say that we made it round despite slowing a bit towards the end. We went for the short route home which involved a section on the A49 in heavier traffic than normal which made that bit extra unpleasant. Despite that it doesn't appear to have put the two of them off.

17.81 miles done this trip at an average of 10.6mph.

View attachment 26299
Doug and Lorna on the road towards Condover.

View attachment 26300
We took a short cut avoiding going through Condover itself. This is looking south from that road.

You managed to get Lorna to stay still for a photo?!!!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I had a rather hot afternoon on High down hill