Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Dismount]

Lovely ride to Castle Ashby yesterday with BRCC. Miserable and grey, with occasional drizzle (that's playing up my nerves tbh) and head wind that made the first 30 miles feel like and endless drag. Rewarded ourselves with a long-ish stay at The Buttery, where disappointingly enough I had another egg-related craving.. Sad, I know!

Bedford River looks stunning this time of year..
View attachment 33081

View attachment 33082

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65-ish miles all in. Not the fastest, but can't complain!! Winter is just about clocking the miles in, isn't?

Shouldn't the cake stand by empty, tut tut

 

[colly]

50 miles round the lanes of South Lanarkshire. 8 of us out and the pace was pretty gentle at 15.8mph average. Cold and grey but it was good to get out for some fresh air.

Shouldn't the cake stand by empty, tut tut

View attachment 33084

Yebbut. The pic was taken on the way IN.

 

[Archeress]

Just a little pootle round the city today, from my home in Bradley Stoke to Horfield Jobcentre to sign on. No troubles there as I have two interviews lined up one tomorrow and one on Wednesday. Then I cycled over to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway to meet my boyfriend John for lunch, a lovely savoury crepe with ginger beer in the John Lewis cafe. Then the run for home. I think it was about 10miles in all.

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[nickyboy]

There is this thread in General Cycling:
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-20-minute-cragg-vale-hill-climb-challenge.143059/

Basically @ColinJ has set himself the target of 20 minutes up the longest hill in UK, Cragg Vale. It has generated a fair amount of, let's say, friendly rivalry with a few folk having a go. Now at first I thought this was too far away in deepest, darkest Mythomroyd. But upon checking a routing I found it was juuuuust about in range, a 65 mile loop. So I was "on it like a car bonnet" as the youngsters say.
I planned to go yesterday but couldn't escape so went today. This is my tale, which has the subtitle "Please can I have a Garmin for Christmas Santa?"
Planned route was to avoid the really big hills before Cragg Vale as (a) It is a long way anyway (b) I didn't want to put in a really rubbish effort and all my weirdo internet buddies laugh at me. Glossop - Uppermill - Denshaw - Ripponden - Sowerby Bridge then the back road (Sowerby Bridge New Road?) to Mythemroyd. All went according to plan got the Mythemroyd and took obligatory photo at start of the climb.

8.38km, let me tell you, is a long way uphill.
Gave it full beans. Practically no wind was a godsend. Into the prevailing headwind it must be awful. I then took another photo a bit after the finish.

Despite living in Derbyshire I am a Lancastrian so I was very happy to leave "god's own county" and get into the REAL god's own county
Quick descent to Littleborough for café stop. Again, obligatory food shot:

Despite looking like the stuff they are using to do the patchwork road repairs on Cragg Vale it was a rather tasty mushroom soup.

And then I realised what had happened. My phone. The GPS. It wasn't working. FFS!!!!!!! When had it lost the signal....pleeeeease let it be Littleborough. No. It was right where I took the photo with the blue sign. So no tracking of my "epic" Cragg Vale ascent. I was standing near a primary school when I realised this. I would like to apologise to the Rochdale Education Authority for teaching some of their children some interesting new words today.
Uneventful ride home but proper knackered. 65 miles and about 5,500ft of climbing.

Then I had a plan. If I could get the photo details at the bottom and top of Cragg Vale and make some estimates....maybe I could divine my epic ascent time? Yes I could was the answer! Unfortunately the answer was 26-27 minutes which is decidedly average

 

[Dismount]

Just a little pootle round the city today, from my home in Bradley Stoke to Horfield Jobcentre to sign on. No troubles there as I have two interviews lined up one tomorrow and one on Wednesday. Then I cycled over to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway to meet my boyfriend John for lunch, a lovely savoury crepe with ginger beer in the John Lewis cafe. Then the run for home. I think it was about 10miles in all.

Hugs
Archeress x

Well done you, best of luck on the job front

 

[Berties]

my wife hadn't rode for a couple of weeks so i said i would have a spin out with her,not a fast run 25 miles to a coffee shop in Stockbridge,and then 15 miles home,nice fresh temp no wind,but the twist to the ride was riding through open fields near Mottisfont abbey i had to take a double take ,now i ride the New forrest so animals on the road is normal,but after my double take 25 metres in my direction was billy big balls the angry bull and 4 curious cows making their way towards me,now my wife caught up,i was laughing because which ever way i went they would follow,a car turned up so i took solace ,talking to the occupant who had called the farmer,the mini herd took chase and started walking around the car,as soon as they saw the farmer arrive they legged it across a planted field ,so i left it to him ,take it from me that bull was old school ,angry big with the ring through his nose

 

[Doyleyburger]

Excellent ride today with @Jason.T . Only 19 miles or so but was good to get out trying my new aldi gear out.
Can't believe jason just abandoned his pride and joy though, just for the sake of a photo opportunity

 

[Jason.T]

Excellent ride today with @Jason.T . Only 19 miles or so but was good to get out trying my new aldi gear out.
Can't believe jason just abandoned his pride and joy though, just for the sake of a photo opportunity View attachment 33112

But I did put it down very carefully

 

[Crackle]

One descent had me stopping at the top - one of those where the h*** is the ground ones, +50% gradient for a 10m vertical drop and tangled tree routes - first time I had been there and I wanted to 'consider' my options first I did ride down it and dealt with the mud, the bridge (not too narrow), more mud, fallen tree and sharp right turn at the bottom of the hill. Was quite please - getting my confidence back slowly... Then more mud, narrow (6" wide 6 foot long) wooden bridge, one of those nasty drop 50cm dips with a climb of 75cm and solid mud... managed that as well! so happy days.

Asthma held up OK just leaving me very breathless for the first hour of the 90 min ride...

Even managed a QOM on a strava segment I didn't know existed on a totally new route to me! http://www.strava.com/activities/96797399.

Hah! I recognise most of that.

 

[ColinJ]

Then I had a plan. If I could get the photo details at the bottom and top of Cragg Vale and make some estimates....maybe I could divine my epic ascent time? Yes I could was the answer! Unfortunately the answer was 26-27 minutes which is decidedly average

A clever use of the photographs!

Now, do you want some good news? You did about an extra km!

What you did was more like the entire bit in green, whereas the official HC course is as shown above. You could safely deduct 1.5 minutes from your time, maybe closer to 2 minutes, i.e. you did more like 24.5 - 25 minutes.

Well done!

 

[colly]

Eastenders came on the box. My cue to depart and go for a jolly old jaunt on the bicycle. A cold, dark evening but I had on my new winter cycling jacket.
It works, I was as warm as toast, in fact at one stage I was unzipping the front to cool down.


22 miles @ 15mph

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2038226

 

[PeteXXX]

Just for the joy of confusing the chaps yesterday morning I posted at 01:15 on our facebook page from where we'd arranged to meet at 10:15, asking where the flook were they! (I work from the depot across the road and that was when I was nearly finished my shift) Suffice it to say, I was overjoyed when my alarm rang at 07.30 but did pick a mate up and get back there on time at 10.15
We did a route we'd ridden last February, and it was nearly as cold as last time! One of the chaps is still building up his strength so the pace wasn't fast, but I wasn't particularly bothered as I was a bit short on sleep and only have one day off

Anyways up, I managed to pose my bike for a piccie in Orlingbury

We were only on a 25 mile circuit that had no major hills or challenges but we enjoyed if nevertheless.

We parked ourselves in the gateway of a mansion for the obligitary team photograph....

Second shot was a bit better..

The route was through lanes and villages, across an abandoned ww2 airfield and back to the carpark by a coffee place. Id taken some home made carrot cake with me so we tucked into that

The lads are of to Sherwood next week but I'm working so won't be able to go unfortunately. Never mind, there's always next time!

 

[Rob3rt]

Last night, 32 miles out to Rivington and up the hill (Winter Hill?) toward the mast, only to find the road closed from about 2/3 of the way down the descent, so had to come back up again. Was very cold and my water was just starting to become slush when I got back, I was very glad to have food laid on for me on my return! Freezing!

This morning, 16 mile commute in from girlfriends, pleasant ride but very cold, nearly decked it about half a mile from my house, lost the front end on a junction, caught it, then the back end skipped out, managed to hold it and give a whoop, I am sure the cyclist who saw this happen has a new hero!

 

[derrick]

Out on the fixie tonight as i am waiting for a few bits for the road bike, only 10 miles was not sure how i would get on with the hills, as i normally only use the fixie for commuting, but i was quite surprised was only a few seconds difference on strava, the hills did seem a lot harder, but being a short ride will do me good, may keep using it for evening rides, saves keep cleaning the good bike. the other half done well also, i raised her saddle a bit, she said it felt better.

 

[Saluki]

It was a bit chilly out tonight. I left the house at around 9.20pm to go and meet hubby from dialysis. He was already waiting for me at the layby when I arrived. It took 39:20 tonight, I normally take a good 6 minutes less. The cyclepath has no lights near it and although my lights are not bad, I think I need better ones.
Only 8.29 miles and I went a slightly different route than I normally do as the road is quieter and better lit than the normal route. I was just warming up when I got to the car. I can't say that the endorphin buzz arrived tonight as I think it was too cold for them. I think that they stayed home in the warm, the wimps.
I feel much better now I am back in the warm. I made a discovery tonight too. I can get thicker socks in my winter cycling shoes.