Your ride today.... (part 1)

[coffeejo]

Thanks. I am back in Yorkshire now, and what happened next on the holiday will be revealed in part 3 of my Scottish ride reports this evening after I return from today's ride in the sunshine.

Never mind the ride, post the report!

 

[Old Plodder]

.......Oh and today.. i saw bunnies!!

I do hope they got away from you.......& weren't your breakfast.

 

[ScotiaLass]

I wasn't sure if I was going to ride today as my back was a bit stiff and sore (arthritis in my upper and lower spine) but it was such a cracking day....I held out until about 10.30am and thought stuff it, I'm going out!
I took a painkiller, packed a lunch and headed off.

I took the usual route with a few diversions, Kelpies, Locks 1-16, The Falkirk Wheel, Union Canal, Callendar Woods, Helix Park and back via the cycle paths taking my miles to 20.

I also took the little Fuji camera hubby loaned me....so prepare for the photos!

Near the Kelpies - I met up with my little friends...

'Hello! Have you got food for me today?'

"Now you've fed me I'll just get back in the water...'

The Union Canal - my route home

I diverted to go play in the woods.....

It was so lovely today!

Lunch break at Helix Lagoon - I love my life!

"Hello - where's my polo mint?' (yes, he did get one)

The proof.

All I was missing was some company but it was great all the same!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Just shy of 60 miles today on the bianchi out to Horsham
http://summeronabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[Saluki]

Well! I'm still alive but I might have used up and entire months swear quota, including a liberal sprinkling of effs.

I rode down to meet Hubster from dialysis and went the 'pretty' route through Little Melton as it's nicer and generally safer than ploughing down the Hethersett to Norwich road where people are in a hurry.
My first main thing was there were roadworks but they were letting bikes through so that was OK as I didn't want to go and brave the B1108 in the middle of Tractor Season, ta very much. I spent a good mile at about 5 or 6 mph as the gritting had gone a bit mad and there was over an inch of the stuff, going up to 2" at the sides of the road. I stuck to the middle and hoped for the best. Once I'd got through I had a minute or two picking off the tar from my tyres before heading off on my way. The rest of the ride along the Melton Road was uneventful.
At the end of the road I took ages turning right out of the junction as the little old man in the car ahead was waiting for a written invitation to turn out. Finally he went and I followed him around the roundabouts where he then went back the way that he'd come. Heigh ho. I had a fab ride down the hill at a nice 28mph as I headed for Colney and the hospital. There is a private drive off to the left and I could see a brown car dawdling down there. I was well ahead of him so knew that I'd be well past the private road junction before he got there so I kicked on. Just as I was approaching the private road junction - where I had right of way - the bloke sped up and drove at me.
I headed for the middle of the road, happily nothing coming towards me, I punched his drivers window saying something like "I say chap, do you think that maybe you should have looked before you drove out of a junction" or words to that effect.
I then overtook him as I was still travelling at 28 mph as I thought that, had I braked, in the middle of the road, I'd probably have been hit/killed/driven at some more.
The bloke hung back as I was passing him and then he overtook me, giving me yards of room but calling me names - something about my parentage, I didn't quite catch it. Before heading off to the traffic lights ahead.
What joy! Those lights were red and so was my temper. I thumped his door some more and suggested that he should look where he was going. He said that I didn't pay road tax and that I was invisible to him as all cyclists were as we are all the produce of unmarried parents. What I said next is unprintable and he stuck his head out of the window and called me a C word right into my face. Bad move. Very very very bad move.

The lights changed and I headed off to the right and to the hospital. 10.1 miles - 42:21 moving time. 3 minutes swearing time and my hand hurts. It really really hurts. Hubster had to turn my gps off as I was shaking so badly. Happily Hubster had some M&Ms in the car so I could have something sweet as I was really quite shocked.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

There is always one asswipe Saluki....well usually several.....sounds like this guy had a small penis.

 

[Goonerobes]

Making the most of the late summer sun (& the fact I've got no work on at the moment ) today was my third ride in as many days around the beautiful New Forest.

On Monday I did my "flat route" which is 32 miles to the south of the forest towards Lymington: http://www.strava.com/activities/191655810
Tuesday was just a 7 mile blackberry picking session on the hybrid: http://www.strava.com/activities/192076383
& today was a 42 mile circuit taking in some of what I think are the most scenic roads around Brockenhurst, Rhinefield & Bolderwood & made me realise that perhaps I sometimes don't appreciate what I have on my doorstep in terms of cycling routes! http://www.strava.com/activities/192586103

Some of yesterdays harvest.

The giant redwoods of Rhinefields Ornamental Drive.

Lovely in the sun but this place can be quite inhospitable on a wet & windy day!

This young fella certainly seemed to be enjoying his mums milk!

 

[gavgav]

After a day off the bikes yesterday it was ride number 4 of my holidays today and some more new territory. I had found a nice 33 mile route from Keswick, in my Cycle Tours book and so we loaded the bikes onto the roof of the car and drove over to Keswick Leisure Centre, where we found the car park had a limit of 4 hours and so parked on the road for free!

We set off following the Coast to Coast Cycle Route along the old railway, with a mixture of fairly rough off road track and some wooden boardwalks that hug the cliffs and then joined the path next to the A66.

There was some steady climbing pretty much all the way to Threlkeld, where we stopped at a posh cafe that is obviously geared up to those on the C2C. I have a desire to do the C2C and this glimpse has stoked those desires even more. Next year hopefully!! There was a slight moment at the cafe as I tried to get back on the bike and kicked @Rickshaw Phil on the "thigh" as I did so

We continued on the C2C route as far as Mungrisdale. The scenery was just fantastic, with views of Blencathra to the left and Helvellyn to the right as we traversed gated roads up onto Mosedale.

I saw a Red Squirrell on a wall and we also had a bit of trouble with rush hour up on Carrock Fell

I have ridden in some pretty stunning places over the last few years, but Carrock Fell was something else, simply brilliant.

We were then back on hedged roads and a superb descent into Hesket Newmarket and then Caldbeck, which were lovely villages. Shortly after Caldbeck we stopped for lunch in Whelpo, by the stream and in the very warm sunshine it was bliss as I sat on a rock and ate my lunch

The main bit of climbing for the ride was next, as we wound our way up onto Aughertree Fell, where it seemed a bit like the Outback due to the straight road and barren landscape. There were a few sheep about, but not much else.

There was then a good descent into Orthwaite, and as I was bouncing down a rutted piece of road I heard a crashing sound. I systematically checked things were still on the bike as i slowly came to a halt and found that my 2nd water bottle had bounced out of the pouch in my rack bag! Luckily Doug was following and appeared holding the bottle which had survived with a few dinges!

We continued through a wooded undulating section to Bassenthwaite, with some glimpses of the lake

Next was a steep climb up to the busy A591 and we had to mix it with the traffic for a couple of miles. There were no issues though and we laughed at a chap in a Yellow Skoda who missed a gear as he overtook and there was a huge rev from the engine .

We branched off onto a quieter but very hilly side road through Applethwaite, which gave great views over Keswick and Derwent Water

Rejoining the A591 cycle path, we crossed the A66 and arrived back in Keswick, having throughly enjoyed what arguably is the most spectacular ride I have ever ridden. This was quite apt as it was my 50th ride of the year.

We finished off the ride with a pint at the Travellers Rest on Dunmail Rise and were treated to a Hercules flying overhead at about 100ft above us!!!

32.6 miles
10.3mph avg
2519 ft of climbing
A fantastic day

 

[coffeejo]

Well! I'm still alive but I might have used up and entire months swear quota, including a liberal sprinkling of effs.

I rode down to meet Hubster from dialysis and went the 'pretty' route through Little Melton as it's nicer and generally safer than ploughing down the Hethersett to Norwich road where people are in a hurry.
My first main thing was there were roadworks but they were letting bikes through so that was OK as I didn't want to go and brave the B1108 in the middle of Tractor Season, ta very much. I spent a good mile at about 5 or 6 mph as the gritting had gone a bit mad and there was over an inch of the stuff, going up to 2" at the sides of the road. I stuck to the middle and hoped for the best. Once I'd got through I had a minute or two picking off the tar from my tyres before heading off on my way. The rest of the ride along the Melton Road was uneventful.
At the end of the road I took ages turning right out of the junction as the little old man in the car ahead was waiting for a written invitation to turn out. Finally he went and I followed him around the roundabouts where he then went back the way that he'd come. Heigh ho. I had a fab ride down the hill at a nice 28mph as I headed for Colney and the hospital. There is a private drive off to the left and I could see a brown car dawdling down there. I was well ahead of him so knew that I'd be well past the private road junction before he got there so I kicked on. Just as I was approaching the private road junction - where I had right of way - the bloke sped up and drove at me.
I headed for the middle of the road, happily nothing coming towards me, I punched his drivers window saying something like "I say chap, do you think that maybe you should have looked before you drove out of a junction" or words to that effect.
I then overtook him as I was still travelling at 28 mph as I thought that, had I braked, in the middle of the road, I'd probably have been hit/killed/driven at some more.
The bloke hung back as I was passing him and then he overtook me, giving me yards of room but calling me names - something about my parentage, I didn't quite catch it. Before heading off to the traffic lights ahead.
What joy! Those lights were red and so was my temper. I thumped his door some more and suggested that he should look where he was going. He said that I didn't pay road tax and that I was invisible to him as all cyclists were as we are all the produce of unmarried parents. What I said next is unprintable and he stuck his head out of the window and called me a C word right into my face. Bad move. Very very very bad move.

The lights changed and I headed off to the right and to the hospital. 10.1 miles - 42:21 moving time. 3 minutes swearing time and my hand hurts. It really really hurts. Hubster had to turn my gps off as I was shaking so badly. Happily Hubster had some M&Ms in the car so I could have something sweet as I was really quite shocked.

*hugs*

 

[ColinJ]

Never mind the ride, post the report!

Ha ha! I went for a sunny 3 hour walk over the hills instead of a ride today.

Ok, here we go ... Friday, 5th September - a long, scenic ride from the outskirts of Fort William. We followed the route of the Lochaber 100 event which was taking place the next day. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to enter the event since our fuel bills for the holiday had eaten up most of our holiday budget, and anyway - we couldn't get a dog sitter for the Saturday. In fact, it was our turn to dog sit while my family members went off and did some non-dog-friendly activities.

Colin and Carrie go mad in the Highlands! (Part 3)

Another early start today, but Wednesday's suffering was still fresh in my mind so this time I made sure that I ate a hearty breakfast before setting off. I made myself a big bowl of porridge on Thursday night, and reheated it in the morning. I also drank 500 mL of carbo-drink in the van on the way to Fort William.

We parked just off the A830 in Corpach. (Carrie chose a spot in front of someone's house. There were no parking restrictions so we had a right to do it, but I know that some people do not like it and I felt tense about it in case someone came out and kicked off. In fact, we had no trouble at all, either before riding off, or when we got back in the evening.)

The weather was a bit depressing when we set off - chilly, overcast and drizzly. That had been forecast, but it was set to brighten up later so I was not over-concerned. We were not disappointed - as you will see from my photos below, by the time we got off the main road onto the A681, it had become a beautiful sunny day and remained like that until sunset!

There is not a lot to say about the A830 - it is a busy road. It was not too bad when we were on it, but I was looking forward to getting off it. As far as busy roads go, it is a very scenic one once you get a few miles west of Fort William.

After 24 miles, we turned left onto the A681 at Lochailort and would remain on that road for 65 miles until we eventually ended up back on the A830 again at Drumsallie.

The road surface on the first part of the A681 was very rough and I really didn't fancy 65 miles of that. Fortunately, it improved after a few miles and I have no complaints about the rest of it.

So, first picture of the day, taken on a jetty down to Loch Ailort.

The scenery kept getting better and better, and the weather was by then great for cycling. Very warm, with nice cooling breezes.

I was making sure to eat and drink and felt much better than I had on the Mull ride. I was suffering a few digestive grumbles which were eventually dealt with behind a Highland bush, and after that I felt really good. I was suffering from regular sulphurous 'eggy' burps every 15 minutes, which was odd considering that I hadn't eaten eggs for over 2 days, so I was probably seeing off the last of whatever it was that had been troubling me since I arrived in Scotland. Anyway - the important thing was that I was feeling strong and enjoying this ride!

We found a new war memorial in an elevated position up a hill in Glen Uig, and stopped there to refuel and enjoy the scenery.

After that, we did a rapid descent to Loch Moidart which blew the helmet back off my head! After some careful adjustments to stop it happening again, we rode along for a while then proceeded to climb up Drynie Hill.

And here's one of me, with some Highland lumpiness in the background!

Carrie is a bit hard of hearing and did not hear a car coming up behind us, nor my shout to pull into a passing place to let it by. That meant that the driver had to wait behind her all the way up a singletrack climb. The car eventually inched past and the driver politely pointed out that she should have pulled over. Carrie apologised and explained that she couldn't hear the vehicle. The driver politely suggested that she look over her shoulder more often, and then he drove on. How civilised! I suggested that she gets one (or two) of those mirrors that replace the bar end plugs. I think @potsy uses them.

We rode on through more and more fine scenery. We stopped at one village shop where I had a chat with an English driver who turned out to be a mountain biker. He was ogling my Cannondale and asked how it was to ride. I got the feeling he would be discussing with his wife whether their household budget would run to a road bike!

Another English man spoke to me. He was on an electric bike. The road there was flat but he wasn't bothering to pedal!

We ate our ice creams and continued on our super ride. I decided that I wanted to supplement my drinks with a cold Pepsi, and my food rations with a bag of crisps and a Snickers, so we pulled in at a village shop at Strontian.

It was becoming one of the finest days I have ever spent on a bike! The road after Strontian was a bit like a rollercoaster, constantly rising and falling by 60-100 ft. It would have killed me on Wednesday but I enjoyed it on the Friday. I got out of the saddle for the uphills and sprinted up them, then whizzed down the downhill bits, timing my arrival at passing places to suit vehicles wanting to get by.

Eventually, we had one more biggish climb, then a rapid descent to Loch Linhe, as the road turned north towards Fort William. We were on the wrong side of the loch to get back there. There is a ferry at Corran which can be used to get over to the A82 back to the town, but we were sticking on the A861.

Ben Nevis had just come into view in the distance, its summit obscured by cloud.

It felt a bit odd to head west on Loch Eil, away from Fort william, but that's what we had to do to get back to the A830.

Carrie and I finally got back to the A830 and turned right. We immediately picked up a tailwind, and had a fun wind-assisted 10 mile ride back to the van. We averaged 22 mph on that last stretch, which wasn't bad compared to hoiw slow I had been at the end of our Mull ride a couple of days before.

At 96 miles for the day, we were a little short of our century but we couldn't see the point of doing another 4 miles on a busy road just to say we had done a century.

An absolutely fabulous day on the bikes!

PS As a reminder how lucky we are to have a settled period of sunny weather in September, here is a photo of me taken on a mid-afternoon walk in mid-June!

 

[Jon George]

Mainly consisted of numerous Those-Blackberries-Look-Too-Good-To-Miss pit-stops. As it did yesterday, and the day before that ...

 

[Deleted member 23692]

I had a quick nip 'round the block' tonight on the MTB.

Considering I had knobbly tyres on, I was slightly quicker than all the times I've done the same route on the same bike but with slick tyres on.

Have I bust a popular myth? Who knows? Who even cares?

Anyhoo here's a map...

13.8 miles / 600 ft ascent @ 14.1 mph

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

The Tour of Britain came to town today. So as any normal individual would I rode 34 miles to the Cotswolds to watch them climb there instead. We have a perfectly good climb here which they went up but hey - I want a ride too. So after all the motorcycles and stuff came through we saw the break come by then the peloton at 4 mins cruising a hill I find a wee bit of a challenge. The crowds were sooooo big it took us ages to get through the snarl up and head for the cafe, where, you guessed it, it was chocker with other riders. So off into the lanes to a pub for some necessaries. Another 36 miles home to notch up 70 and get to see that well known climber, Mark Cavendish, cruising a toughie.

 

[mooseracer]

Not posted on here for a while, and indeed not been out on the bike much this summer...but got the mojo back a few weeks ago thankfully. 71miles, 3400ft and 17.9 average. A beautiful day to be out on the bike.

 

[Saluki]

There is always one asswipe Saluki....well usually several.....sounds like this guy had a small penis.

If he'd got out of that car, he'd have had no penis!