Your ride today....

[Spartak]

Rode my first TT of the season tonight.
The Severn Road Club Evening 10.

Very pleased with my time 24:49 ( TBC ).

My PB on the course is 24:26 so not too far away.

Goal for this year is to do a long 23 !!!! 23:59 will do

https://www.strava.com/activities/289946873

 

[ColinJ]

I did a late afternoon 23 mile ride in the sunshine, the first properly warm ride of the year. I reckon out of the wind it was about 18 degrees which is a nice temperature on the long local climbs - high enough not to need extra clothing and for muscles to work properly, but low enough not to cook!

I had a couple of things to do in Todmorden so I nipped along the A646, and afterwards continued towards Burnley as far as Cliviger, after which I turned right and climbed the drag to Overtown, followed by the steep ascent of Greencliffe Lane to the Long Causeway. When I got to the highest point on the way home, I decided to add a couple of miles on because the sunshine was so nice. I detoured down Eastwood Road and decided to test the panoramic photo mode of the camera on my Galaxy S4. There was a fine view across the Calder Valley to Stoodley Pike, with the Harvelin Park estate featured in local cop series 'Happy Valley' just below ...

After that, a quick run back home via Blackshaw Head, Colden, Slack, and Lee Wood.

I'm not sure whether that super-wide attachment worked since it won't 'preview'. I'll assume it did and post this ...

PS Well, it kind of worked! You can see it but the impact is lost because the forum software shrunk it.

 

[thatname]

Another 52 mile loop out from Greenwich in SE London to the North Downs and picking out new lanes, valleys and climbs. This is truly wonderful riding country down here and a only a shortish ride from my home. Its new territory for me having previously spent most of my life North of the river. Been coming out here now almost every other day whilst the work front is quiet and checking out new variants of the same area and today I discovered a magical valley called Knatts Valley. 5 miles of single lane, traffic free rural Kent gradually climbing up a fairly remote (for SE England) valley. The gradient is forgiving, the road surface is smooth and most remarkable of all is that you can somehow maintain a steady fast speed all the way up. I'm convinced that there must be a stream to this valley and if there is it would flow uphill. The only negatives so far is the descent from the hill. Ive tried several lanes, each one very steep and begging to be bombed down at full tilt yet sadly the road surfaces have been so poor that ive had to scrub off the speed all the way down these short sharp descents. Guess i will have to do the route in reverse and suffer the agonising (but relatively short) 10-15% inclines for the long sweeping descents on the other side. The other bonus is that I have also stumbled upon some lovely country boozers tucked away from any village, great for a return visit with the better half for a Sunday lunch.

 

[thetribe]

Not been out on my bike for 2 weeks due to various things so headed out today to do my 10 mile loop, it was so nice I extended it to Amble & back (24 miles) but then on the way back it was still too nice so I took a detour, ended up with 33 miles and tired legs but a big smile

The obstacles on the NCN1 Coast & Castles South at Druridge

My first Port of call on the extended route...

Coquet Island

And as a final image, I finally have something to show for all the overtime and days off I've been working, which has been affecting my cycling time. Meet Violet, I know, too many wheels and the wrong type of pedals...
IMG_0321 by thetribe007, on Flickr

 

[ColinJ]

Hmm, my panoramic photo did appear but the forum software shrank it and made it much less dramatic!

Let's try it a different way ...

Ah, that's better - click the image and scroll L-R!

 

[Katherine]

Hmm, my panoramic photo did appear but the forum software shrank it and made it much less dramatic!

Let's try it a different way ...

Ah, that's better - click the image and scroll L-R!

Much better!
Fantastic view.

 

[BSRU]

A 69km ride this morning with 830m of going up.
Legs complained alot going up the climbs, especially the cat 3 after 50km straight into the wind.

A nice easy 40mph downhill, shame about the climb before it and after it.

Unfortunately the zip on my long sleeve "La Vie Claire" top broke and I have to send it back.

Sadly not enough cake in the house to make up for my top having to be sent back, by the time a replacement arrives it will probably to warm to wear it.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/290455890

Another 15 mile pre work ride.

Same destination, different lid today

 

[SomethingLikeThat]

A lovely 35 miles in West Yorkshire. Featuring cream tea in Jackson Bridge.

 

[Dirk]

44 gloriously sunny miles today to Torrington and back.
Narrowly missed running over an Adder and a lizard. Saw woodpeckers and butterflies, Egrets and Shell ducks. Leaves coming out on the trees and the wild garlic is sprouting. Stopped at the Puffing Billy for a cuppa and a flap jack before making the return journey. Result on two accounts - Mrs T's knee held out and I finally found where the odd creaking sound was coming from on my Focus Cayo............... it was my helmet strap rubbing on the polystyrene inner. Been driving me mad for miles!

 

[derrick]

Biggest ride of the year today, 96 miles out to the blue egg, lovely grub and cake was great, A nice pleasant day with two friends. Beautiful fields and we past some lovely thatched cottages.https://www.strava.com/activities/290462953

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Another day dawned with a glorious ray of sunshine into my bedroom and another ride followed.

Life has gone green overnight

I spied this farmhouse along the way and decided to take a 'my eye's view' shot of it from the recumbent trike.

The tree is still fighting its battle.

"The Old Pale" in the distance, basically the highest hill around here so cyclists cycle up it.

A bit of a view and given I couldn't get away from the powerlines, I thought I may as well make a feature of them.

For @Mo1959 Life is going green. A horse chestnut tree...

And another for @Mo1959

My trike and I, well my trike.

A lovely white flowering cherry tree which I have recently started to pass after a minor diversion to do 3 sides of a square.
From here, life got interesting and the result was an air ambulance landing within 10m of myself and another cyclist. Sadly another cyclist (in a the group of 10) had misjudged a bend at the bottom of a fast descent and was in a bad way. The cyclist I came across was clearly in shock and I stayed with him until life sorted itself out. Cyclists had scattered to all the obvious points that an ambulance could arrive from to direct it to him. What none of them had really taken into account was the first responder arriving by helicopter and after it had done a circuit, had arrived at the conclusion where we were was the only place to land. The field with the horse chestnut above in was the best option, despite the farmers crop. The wheat/barley was only 3-4 inches tall and with no powerlines, a very low fence and plenty of clear access.... Once the other cyclist was with one of the crew, I left only to then come across an ambulance further down the road. A quick point to confirm which way they needed to go was all that was needed and I left. Sadly I won't get to know how he is, but I do know his wife is also a cyclist and was there at the time. I did offer to get my husband who had the morning off work to come and collect the bikes and we would look after them, but arrangements had already been made with the local pub. Fingers crossed for him.

Further on in my ride, and another hazard. But somehow, sitting in the sun and waiting didn't seem an issue and when the owner came out and apologised, all I could do was ask why. They needed the delivery, its a small single track road and I live up one that is even narrower and after the early issues, it really wasn't a problem.

16.7 miles at the same 8.3mph but my time was marginally faster.https://www.strava.com/activities/290373055
I may take tomorrow off, not sure.

 

[Katherine]

Another day dawned with a glorious ray of sunshine into my bedroom and another ride followed.

Life has gone green overnight

View attachment 86461
I spied this farmhouse along the way and decided to take a 'my eye's view' shot of it from the recumbent trike.

View attachment 86462
The tree is still fighting its battle.

View attachment 86463
"The Old Pale" in the distance, basically the highest hill around here so cyclists cycle up it.

View attachment 86464
A bit of a view and given I couldn't get away from the powerlines, I thought I may as well make a feature of them.

View attachment 86465
For @Mo1959 Life is going green. A horse chestnut tree...

View attachment 86466
And another for @Mo1959

View attachment 86467
My trike and I, well my trike.

View attachment 86468
A lovely white flowering cherry tree which I have recently started to pass after a minor diversion to do 3 sides of a square.
From here, life got interesting and the result was an air ambulance landing within 10m of myself and another cyclist. Sadly another cyclist (in a the group of 10) had misjudged a bend at the bottom of a fast descent and was in a bad way. The cyclist I came across was clearly in shock and I stayed with him until life sorted itself out. Cyclists had scattered to all the obvious points that an ambulance could arrive from to direct it to him. What none of them had really taken into account was the first responder arriving by helicopter and after it had done a circuit, had arrived at the conclusion where we were was the only place to land. The field with the horse chestnut above in was the best option, despite the farmers crop. The wheat/barley was only 3-4 inches tall and with no powerlines, a very low fence and plenty of clear access.... Once the other cyclist was with one of the crew, I left only to then come across an ambulance further down the road. A quick point to confirm which way they needed to go was all that was needed and I left. Sadly I won't get to know how he is, but I do know his wife is also a cyclist and was there at the time. I did offer to get my husband who had the morning off work to come and collect the bikes and we would look after them, but arrangements had already been made with the local pub. Fingers crossed for him.

View attachment 86469
Further on in my ride, and another hazard. But somehow, sitting in the sun and waiting didn't seem an issue and when the owner came out and apologised, all I could do was ask why. They needed the delivery, its a small single track road and I live up one that is even narrower and after the early issues, it really wasn't a problem.

16.7 miles at the same 8.3mph but my time was marginally faster.https://www.strava.com/activities/290373055
I may take tomorrow off, not sure.

Quite an incidental ride!
Well done.

 

[Saluki]

Usual hop to the hospital today. I rode via Bowthorpe, Bawburgh, Little, then Great Melton, Hethersett and then to the hospital.


I suppose that you could say that it was the pretty route. It was a nice day for riding anyway. 11.7 miles in 51 minutes so averaging 13mph. Pleased with that. Not in a wild hurry and my hill climbing seems to be getting better. I'm not shattered at the top of a hill and I'm not in granny gear (not far off - but not actual granny)

I am well over my April Target so I've moved it. I need another 20 miles this month now. My 'smushing the target every month this year' pressie to myself arrived today. G3 Live in Concert - 1997. Been rocking out this afternoon.

 

[Donger]

Just my usual 20 miler down the country lanes to Frampton and back tonight, but that's not the real story. This ride brought up my first thousand miles of 2015 in record time - in fact, to be precise, 1,002.1 miles by 22nd April in 33 rides.
(By contrast, my end of Apr totals for the previous 6 years:
2009: 362.9
2010: 410.1
2011: 536.6
2012: 452.3
2013: 537.9
2014: 590.9
Smashed it out of the park!)

On the outward journey, I was so surprised to see a line of traffic at the little T junction in Longney, that I actually started counting the oncoming cars. Over the next 2.5 miles to the middle of Saul I wouldn't normally expect to see more than 3 or 4 cars coming the other way. Tonight I counted 62 of them, and they were mostly going much too fast, treating it as their own personal race track. I had heard something on the radio earlier about a crash between junctions 12 and 11A Northbound on the M5, so I guess this must have been related to that. Reckon the A38 must have also been backed up nose to tail, and the little lanes running parallel to it had suddenly become a rat run bypassing the A38 from Whitminster to Quedgeley. What is it about Audi **** and Beemer pilots that makes them think that their time is so much more valuable than anyone else's? Every time I came across a parked car I ended up doing a track stand while I waited for a safe moment to pull out, and on a couple of occasions I made eye contact with oncoming angries who just glowered at me as if to say "don't you dare!".

Stopped at Frampton for a slurp of my drink and leaned on the canal bridge gazing across the Severn towards the Forest of Dean for a few minutes, and then set off back home, eager to ignore the traffic and get my 1,000 miles under my belt. What a difference. Only 3 cars in all (going in either direction) throughout the next 10 miles. By the time I got to Longney the road was so quiet there was a lovely big hare lolloping down the lane in front of me, and I came within 10 feet of it and made eye contact before it turned on the afterburners and shot off to one side at warp speed. Man, those things are fast!

Cheers, Donger.