Your ride today....

[BSRU]

A short be hilly 57km with 830m of going up this morning, sunny but cold.
In the hilly part, the first 36km went up 630m, 17.5m per km(92ft per mile), probably the hardest 36km I've ever done.
Included my first ride up Snap Hill, a 17% climb used in the local hill climbing competition, my time almost twice the time taken by a former British national hill climb champion.

Snap hill, the easy lower part, that tree on the left is when it starts to get steep.

Now off to buy some cake, if my legs will let me after inflicting lots of pain on them today.

 

[Archeress]

Today was the day I had my first 20 miler planned. It has taken a while coming and to be honest, when I woke to rain on the windows this morning, I was less than impressed, but the weather got steadily better through the morning and by 8:30am was looking decent. A quick venture out to unlock the trike very quickly told me how warm it was not and I very quickly revised my clothing wisely putting on long fingered gloves as it turned out.

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It is looking nice behind me!
My initial route was as before, so there were no surprises and I was soon making progress and heading through Delamere Forest, somewhere I haven't been to for quite a while. After Delamere Forest, I turned off up a road I hadn't done before, so the next series of ups and downs came as a bit of a surprise to me and more accurately my legs! I knew this route had more climbing in it, that was the whole idea, but I sat in my bottom gear for rather longer than I was expecting!

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Time for a snack I think! And why not do so with a view? Some closeups. I love the light in the next 2 pictures.

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A break in the clouds and suddenly the landscape is transformed...

From there it was out for more climbing and yet more climbed and roads I don't know and somehow haven't been on before. I think I might have to do a lot more exploring as part of my getting fit and getting back out doing distances again... I could enjoy it.
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A chance glance left on a left hand bend and well I just had to stop. I know its the inside of a bend, but its a quite country lane and I've not had any cars come passed have I?

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A slight scrambled onto the grass verge (no more than a couple of feet from my trike) and well, I know the 1st picture is what I saw, but somehow it is the 2nd picture that my mind remembers!

After here, it was onto lanes that were vaguely familiar and then onto lanes that were completely familiar. I had rigged the route so that the first half was challenging and then the 2nd half was something I already knew and knew how much energy was needed for etc. I hadn't counted on the weather mind you. Up until now, I had managed to avoid all the squalls coming through. The last half hour of the ride wasn't so lucky with 2 such squalls getting me and both included hailstones which I wasn't really ready for.

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Whilst I was stopped to take this picture (and there would have been more if the camera card hadn't filled up ) 2 cyclists stopped alongside my trike and started to talk with me. I was at this stage doing the drunk can't walk in a straight line act - holding onto a gate for support and working out how to get back to my trike an entire 1.5m away but on grass. Part way through the conversation about trikes and recumbents came the comment "Are you SatNavSaysStraightOn?" . @Tail End Charlie it was nice meeting you and I do hope you didn't get as wet as I did when that next squall came through and that you had a good ride! and apologies for not remembering the name - I am horrendous at them. I really thought I had remembered it right up until I started making the sourdough!

20.5 miles with 955 feet of climbing...7.9mph, I guess not too bad. http://www.strava.com/activities/294733608

Lovely pictures, I agree on the beautiful light. I was thinking of you the other night when I was watching the Gadeget Show on Channel 5+24. They had an Ice Trike on there with fat wheels in one of their challenges. Best wishes for a smooth recovery.

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[dan_bo]

Last night's drop back into Manchester. Ten minutes later and the sting from the hailstones was bloody painful.

 

[Archeress]

My ride today was the usual loop down to North Common for my CBT. My depression has deepened in the last week with self harm thoughts becoming more prevalent so it was a tough session.

Back to the ride though, I had put some new tyres on last night, opting for a pair of 700x25C Continental Gatorskins. Now call me silly but the ride seemed a lot quicker on these new tyres. I did according to Strava, 20.2miles in 1hr 37min, knocking 5 minutes off my best time, which by my reckoning makes it about 5%. Of course I could also be a little fitter. Only downside to the ride was a smallish flytip in one of the lanes in Hambrook. I did my civic duty and reported it online to the council.

Ride is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/295379550

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[Goonerobes]

Work has unfortunately been getting in the way this week so I took advantage of a couple of free hours & some reasonably fine weather to get a few miles under my belt this afternoon.

So with limited time (& little imagination) I headed to the northern edge of the New Forest & did a reverse variation of the the route I've done the last couple of mid-weeks along the nice quiet lanes of Furzley, Landford & Hampworth to Redlynch before heading west for a while through Hale, Godshill & Woodgreen & then back across the forest & through Nomansland & Furzley again for a 35 mile round trip.

https://www.strava.com/activities/295391761/overview

I now know where to come for my mistletoe next christmas!

Thankfully the wildlife is mostly friendly around here as I wouldn't fancy arguing with those horns.

The youngsters were slightly more curious than mum who was quite content to carry on feeding despite an annoying cyclist taking photos!

 

[PeteXXX]

Todays ride posted today, for a change!

After repairing my Marin from yesterdays aborted ride, due to the pawls in the hub not doing their job, I was hoping the bike would behave itself on todays jaunt. I did have a spin around the block to test it, but as the ride was challenging in places, a 'round the block' might not have shown up the deficiencies in my skill at repairs!!

A mate that I haven't ridden with before offered to show me a 20 mile loupe of Harleston Firs and Delapre that he does quite regularly. I know the Firs a bit, as I've done quite a few rides around it, but as he and friends built a fair few of the trails thee, I rode loads of new bits!
There are some lovely downhill and wiggly trails between the trees there, with some more technical twists and turns that make you concentrate or you'll be flying into the undergrowth! I must confess, I've taken flying lessons there before, but not today

The pic shows 7 miles of The Firs, part of the Spencer Estate that includes Althorp House. It's still a working woodland, so the trails quite often get vanish due to tree felling and coppicing. Today they were all fine though.

From here we dropped through the town centre to Delapre Woods, a relatively unknown area of downhill and singletrack fun! There's maybe a mile or so of riding in these woods.
On the way along one track, there were a youngish couple, who must have been quite warm as their clothes seem to have fallen off. I didn't think it was that warm to be honest! I only had time to spot that the lass appeared to be a natural brunette before we rode past with a cheery 'hello' from us, and a squeal from the young lady. The things that go on in the woods sometimes... Whatever next

As we were nearby, we popped into the café in Delapre Abbey for a drink and a slice of cake to sustain us.
No pics on the ride as we didn't really stop much.

The whole ride. Back home on 25 miles with mainly decent weather, though the wind was quite strong over the open fields as we rode to The Firs from town, and a burst of rain after the café stop that only lasted 10 minutes.

https://www.strava.com/activities/295319170

 

[BigonaBianchi]

100metres with 0m climb today around the resort car park in Norhtern Cyprus messing with seat post and multi tool

 

[Spartak]

Two rides today, firstly rode with Little Spartak to school taking a longer route than usual enjoying the morning sunshine.

Then at eleven myself, littlest Spartak ( on her bike seat ) & Mrs S. rode to Warmley for coffee, and I couldn't resist the smell of bacon frying in the cafe !

The Warmley Waiting Room cafe must win the award ( if there was one ) for most improved cafe of the year

 

[DCLane]

Tim (my 10 year-old) and myself will be riding Shibden Wall later this year.

So for practice we went up Batley's Station Road cobbles a few times; they're rough and steeper than it looks here.

The result? He won 2-1

 

[Keith Oates]

Went out in a fresh breeze this morning but managed 52 kms to test out the new Shimano shoes I bought earlier in the week.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nickyboy]

Went out in a fresh breeze this morning but managed 52 kms to test out the new Shimano shoes I bought earlier in the week.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You seem to have gone completely native Keith. I spend a lot of time with my Chinese clients removing ! exclamation ! marks ! from ! their ! communications !!!!!

 

[Keith Oates]

NO, they are copying me.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mo1959]

Lovely leisurely ride over towards the village of my birth, Dunning in Perthshire. A couple of phone snaps from the little road coming back down towards the village. First showing the gorse in bloom and the second looking down towards the village itself.

 

[BSRU]

Just a short 48.63km with 607m of going up, last year this route would have been on of my longer rides.
Weather was strange, the sun was out but it was cold especially in the shade plus the cold wind was quite strong today.
Having a rest for the weekend so hopefully can have a "long" ride on Monday, if I'm mentally strong/tough enough maybe an imperial 100.

A nice tree lined country road, gave me some protection from the cold crosswind.

Glad to have a hot mug of tea and some walnut cake when I got home.

 

[Simontm]

So yet another toil day off - think I've finally used up last year's! - and went for the correct side of Leith Hill for Ride London practice.
Oxshott - Cobham - Ockham - West Horsley - East Clandon - Newlands Corner...

Newlands Corner. Jeez, nobody warned me about that! Come round the bend and uh oh!* Still the view was nice at the top


Anyway, had a nice nod from a gent waiting with his daughter for the school bus at Gomshall and passed by three guys at Holmesbury - one of whom had no worries about some cap that went flying off his bike - and nearly no climb up Leith Hill as there was a car crash right at the bottom but a policeman let me through.

A steady pace - walking pace that is - up and over, down to Dorking- Leatherhead then home via Oxshott again.

*i still managed 8mpg average for all you sniggering out there