Your ride today....

[Saluki]

Rode to the hospital this morning. I went via Eaton, past the golf course and up the hill to the Ipswich Road. 1st ride up it on the PX Pro Carbon since sliding and falling off last October. I've been using the CX for that ride. All the wet leaves are now gone, but I did keep a good look out on the road surface.
From there a couple of hundred yards along the A140, taking my life in my hands - or at least the hands of the following car driver. To be fair, he gave me a lot of space and must have noticed me shoulder checking as when I stuck out my right hand to move across to the turn right lane, he gave me at ton of room. Thank you anonymous car driver, you were lovely.
After the right hand turn, I rode on the Buckenham Road until the next right hander and along to Keswick, past the hall and mill turnings and along to Cringleford. I got across the A11 without needing to press the button on the Pelican Crossing, which was a first, the road was deserted. I even got across the first half of the road at Round House Way. But then sat on the island for an age and a half while half the county and their dogs came off the roundabout and headed for the hospital or university.
Finally, I got underway and just rode down to the hospital layby where Hubster had just arrived in the car.
8.01 in 32 mins or so. Nice ride, flipping cold though. I forgot my buff and noticed it wasn't there by the end of our road. I did have my lightweight running gloves under my mitts though so my hands were fine.

 

[Racing roadkill]

1st day of May, 1st 100K.


https://www.strava.com/activities/296086517

My Boardman Pro Carbon, an electric bike, and a recumbent trike

Owslebury

The rapeseed is out.

The Boardman.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Superb ride today up to 'my' Castle today with this group on holiday here in Northern Cyprus. The climb was hot sweaty and fast, the descent was more fun than I can describe, riding at 50mph crouched down on my top tube!



I got some cool video footage as well, but it's taking the rest of forever to upload to you tube.

47.4km 631m

Avg Max
Speed 23.3km/h 80.3km/h

 

[theloafer]

just a short run to fettle in the all the new bits on the old girl ...but as I have been off for so long thought I best take my training aids with me as well .....the legs grumbled a little
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/762193145

 

[cosmicbike]

Quick spin out tonight to loosen the legs and clear my head. 17 miles round Chobham and so forth, really quite nice.

 

[gavgav]

A lovely sunny evening and a bit of warmth starting to come back into the air, so I took in 30 miles that involved mostly new ground for me. I very rarely cycle in West Shropshire, not really sure why, but will be exploring more if this brilliant ride is anything to go by!

I headed along the cycle paths and out of Shrewsbury towards Bicton and Montford Bridge. Horrible road but only 1 knob and also probably the best pass I've ever had by a woman in a Micra who gave me so much room I think she almost hit the opposite kerb!!

I was following NCN Route 81 and continued to follow it down the lanes to Montford and Shrawardine. It is mostly flat or downhill along here and lovely quiet lanes for cycling on and with the wind behind me I was flying along (for me anyhow!) at 13mph avg so far.

I continued to follow Route 81 up towards Nesscliffe Camp and Pentre, before leaving it and heading up through Edgerley to Kinnerley. These lanes were also superb and provided great views of the Breiddens and Rodney's Pillar

After Kinnerley I headed in the direction of the very exclusive hamlet of Dovaston and then turned right in the direction of Kinton. There was a bit more climbing in this area with Dovaston Bank and quite a pull up to Kinton. It was well worth it though because the scenery was outstanding, with one particular spot giving me a view of The Wrekin, Stretton Hills, Breiddens and Welsh Mountains. Simply stunning, and I wished I could have taken a photo that would have done it justice, but here's one towards the Longmynd anyway

The lanes here were also superb for cycling on and I had an audience at the top of the bank in Kinton, whilst I stopped to check the OS Map.

There were quite a few map checks as I continued to Wilcott and then retraced my steps back to Shrawardine and Montford Bridge. It was more hilly in this direction and into the wind, so progress slowed somewhat. Back out onto the horrid old A5 there is a nasty long climb all the way up to Bicton, where I had a friendly exchange with a cyclist coming down the hill and she shouted "you should be going this way,much easier"

Today would have been my nans 96th birthday and she is buried in Bicton church, so I called in to have 5 minutes at the grave, before heading back onto the main road. I was passed closely by another knob, and at speed, but shortly afterwards came across a policeman with a handheld speed gun pointed at the road. I so hope he got the knob !!

From there it was back down the cycle lanes and home, having really enjoyed myself

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/296458691

22.5 miles today to get

A new BB for the hybrid.

Not quite a spoon, not quite a fork. It's a spork.

The Britannia.

 

[Dave 123]

A quick 18 mile local loop today on tired, post circuit training legs today. Plenty of people out.

I returned home, had a shower and the started to dismantle the fitted wardrobes in our bedroom, all our clothes are in a spare room in much smaller wardrobes.

Mrs Dave has just returned from Cambridge with 5 new tops.... Of all the days to go clothes shopping

 

[BigonaBianchi]

40 miles 460m climb through the villages countryside around Turnalar Northern Cyprus



Encounter this litte fella today out on the ride. It's a blunt nosed viper, it's bite can be fatal, although thankfully bites are rare. This is th esecond such snake I've seen in
three days, the first was very much alive so I didn't stop to say hello.


The local fishing village

 

[Goonerobes]

Having woken up feeling a bit like the weather, cold, grey & windy, I decided to keep my weekend ride local & a bit shorter than of late just in case I changed my mind & went back home!

Suitably wrapped up in 3/4 tights, base layer, long sleeve jersey & rain jacket I set off without any real route planned & headed for the New Forest. Taking the option of a tail wind to start off with I headed up through Furzley towards Nomansland, where thankfully I warmed up a bit & dispatched the jacket to rear pocket before flying along Roger Penny Way to make the most of the breeze.

By the time I'd reached Blissford Hill, a naughty little 25% climb, I'd also cheered up a bit & jokingly tried to persuade a young family of tourists on mountain bikes to follow me up, thankfully they cheerfully declined as half way up the steep bit I slipped into the wrong gear & had to struggle to the top, that'll teach me!

With that negotiated it was a flat road down to Ringwood before turning into the wind & through Burley Street to the A35 & up & down the Bolderwood Hill, passing more than a few what seemed like a different type of cyclist today, on tandems, Bromptons & the like so I'm guessing more & more tourists are coming here to cycle which is quite nice for us locals as it hopefully also brings awareness to cycling & cyclists.

Heading for home I threw in a quick loop around Woodlands & Ashurst to made it a nice round 50 mile trip & a feeling of betterness now!

https://www.strava.com/activities/296556470

Its only a short hill & I've done it a dozen times but it still requires a deep intake of breath before I start!

Its always nice to see the trees start to turn green again after the long winter.

 

[Diggs]

Well,I covered a similar distance to Alex Dowsett today, but I was out a little longer
It was however a lot of fun and marginally warmer than I was expecting.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Yesterday's ride. You will see why as you read but I was too upset to want to write it up.

So, the weather. yes, the less said about that the better. It was err, cold to start off with 1½C apparently and my neighbour had to scrap ice off her car as I was deciding on what to wear!
Not much happened to start off with and it was a boring quiet ride initially. I said hello to a number of cyclist who simply ignored me no idea why, perhaps it is the fact I don't look 'professional' enough not wearing lycra anymore (it doesn't fit and I can't physically put it on, not being able to reach my feet and all that...). The climbing all gets done in the first hour of my ride whilst I have the strength, so by the time life became more interesting, I had a view.

The weather wasn't up to much at first, until this happened. I stopped. I have never seen a full 22º halo before and a chance glance sideways and what is there! Shielding my eyes from the sun, I'm stood at the side of the road when there is a shout "are you OK?" 2 cyclists have very kindly stopped to double check I am OK. Suddenly I realise, I am standing alongside my trike with my arm raised in the air! I apologise, thank them and explain why I am stood at the side of a country lane looking like I am flagging down someone for help! Tad embarrassing really, I move on to a better location where I can sit and watch it in my trike.

It's getting better... and is now complete and not hidden behind a couple of trees as it had been earlier!

Eventually I realise that I really do have to consider completing my ride so continue onwards and upwards. It turns out I wasn't quite at the top of the hill yet!

A trike's eye view of the world. Suddenly I find myself looking through gates rather than over them, through gaps in hedges rather than over them, at planks of wood that are fences, rather than over them... life is different low down.

I struggle to my feet (sometimes it is a struggle and if the ground is uneven, it can be a little precarious as well) and capture a spot of light somewhere in Cheshire!

Further on and the halo is still there, but this one is unusual apparently because of the vapour trail across the centre and the darkening on one side.
If nothing more 'interesting' happens in the field of Atmospheric Optics, my pictures (these here and some more) will be published tomorrow here www.atoptics.co.uk/1130.htm along with an explanation of what you are looking at.
Immediately after taking the photo above, I went to change gear and instead of the clicking I usually get, I had a nice smooth movement and well, no gear change.

A quick investigation revealed a problem. and a few more sprang to mind. At least when it breaks you still have the gear you were in and if you are carrying an 8mm spanner, you can change to a more suitable gear that your very lowest gear which you just so happened to be in when this happened. Yep - no 8mm spanner. So I have 3 exceptionally low gears and the highest of them spins out at a little over 2½ mph! I call for help but its a no can do. I'm a little over 2 hours from home with a top speed of 2½ mph!

At home a quick investigation reveals this! Not good. But let's get home first.

Well, on the new way home, I spot this... and decide to stop. Spinning is not something I had planned on doing for 2 hours without a break and there is a patch of light and one of my favourite spring flowers and I need a stop...

Some spring flowers.

Another rest break (plus a discrete hide behind some bushes) and another chance to look at that halo. It is still there, still complete and still wonderful. But there is a 10 photo upload limit which I suspect you are all really grateful for right now I also came across 3 lapwings. 2 males competing with each other for the attention of a female who I could see.... The discrete hide behind some bushes did have more than 1 advantage!

Strangely, after my breakdown and despite having to stop numerous times, not a single one of the 20 odd cyclists that went passed me said hello or asked if I was OK . I could really have done with an 8mm spanner. The problem was I needed my lowest gear for a couple of the climbs I have to do to get back home, but I needed something other than my lowest gear for the distance to get home!

So only the 17.8 miles yesterday. I won't say how long but suffice to say I was out around 2 hours longer than expected!
https://www.strava.com/activities/295986534 and my photos might get published tomorrow.! www.atoptics.co.uk/1130.htm
However if you go here, you will see someone elses view of the same phenonema from Cambridge yesterday. http://www.atoptics.co.uk/opod.htm

Today - no ride, but a supervision of my husband repairing my trike. Luckily I had 2 replacement gear cables handy that were long enough and my husband was able to repair my trike, though in his words "there are 2 ways of cabling the pulley in the external gear changer and it took me 3 attempts!"

We should be back on the road tomorrow.

 

[Saluki]

Hubster and I rode this today (except for that little spur to the top right of the map as it's a dead end and I doubt its changed any in the last 3 weeks). Last time I rode this route, it was with @StickBouncer but as he is sans bike, as far as I know, Hubster had to come out for a ride. He is my nominated ride buddy, whether he likes it or not.
I didn't make him go up Gurney Road and Britannia Road though, we took a slightly different route up Sprowston Road, then cut up the edge of Mousehold Heath and then along the Cyclepath past the Pitch & Putt on Mousehold. There is still a bit of a climb but not quite like the original route. Hubster would not be up for that and I can do without the grumbling that early into a ride, ta very much (I am a mean and horrible wife who desperately tries to keep Hubster fit enough for transplant, hopefully soon).
After that wee climb, we followed the route as I made it originally. He didn't recognise Salhouse or Woodbastwick, even though he rode there just a few weeks ago. Not recognising the brewery is a worry IMO


We rode from there, around to Ranworth Broad and sat in the sun and had a cuppa. I had a cuppa, Hubster had a coke and a humungous bun thing. I didn't photograph it as my iPhone won't cope with such gihugeous bakery items. I just didn't look and quietly ate my protein bar (space food)


From there, the GPS decided that it wanted us to go back the way that we'd come, for some reason. It's been a bit naughty lately like that. I hoped that I could remember the way, and I did. So that was good. We headed for South Walsham, Panxworth (Where Hubster reckons that sPanx(worth) knickers are made). To Great then Little Plumstead along the fabulous cycle paths that weren't there when we were kids. We had to risk life and limb riding down there. Sometimes there was a tractor or even a car Nice quiet villages they were. Not so much now. There were a couple of 4x4s hooning about but we were nice and safe on our cycle path.
Heading from there, over the railway bridge and back to Thorpe End, through Thorpe St Andrew and the direct route home, down Ketts Hill. Hubster said that he was happy we went the pretty way out so that he didn't have to go up Ketts Hill. Me too actually. Home via the Marriotts Way and up Marlpit Hill. I went the long way round the block as Hubster was well behind me and I didn't want to have to hop about at the front door (needing a wee) waiting for him to show up.

29.77 miles with a riding time of 2:26:20. 12.3mph average so that's not too bad for Hubster. He enjoyed himself - and the humungous bun - too.

 

[Katherine]

Yesterday's ride. You will see why as you read but I was too upset to want to write it up.

So, the weather. yes, the less said about that the better. It was err, cold to start off with 1½C apparently and my neighbour had to scrap ice off her car as I was deciding on what to wear!
Not much happened to start off with and it was a boring quiet ride initially. I said hello to a number of cyclist who simply ignored me no idea why, perhaps it is the fact I don't look 'professional' enough not wearing lycra anymore (it doesn't fit and I can't physically put it on, not being able to reach my feet and all that...). The climbing all gets done in the first hour of my ride whilst I have the strength, so by the time life became more interesting, I had a view.

View attachment 87519
The weather wasn't up to much at first, until this happened. I stopped. I have never seen a full 22º halo before and a chance glance sideways and what is there! Shielding my eyes from the sun, I'm stood at the side of the road when there is a shout "are you OK?" 2 cyclists have very kindly stopped to double check I am OK. Suddenly I realise, I am standing alongside my trike with my arm raised in the air! I apologise, thank them and explain why I am stood at the side of a country lane looking like I am flagging down someone for help! Tad embarrassing really, I move on to a better location where I can sit and watch it in my trike.

View attachment 87520
It's getting better... and is now complete and not hidden behind a couple of trees as it had been earlier!

Eventually I realise that I really do have to consider completing my ride so continue onwards and upwards. It turns out I wasn't quite at the top of the hill yet!

View attachment 87514
A trike's eye view of the world. Suddenly I find myself looking through gates rather than over them, through gaps in hedges rather than over them, at planks of wood that are fences, rather than over them... life is different low down.

View attachment 87513
I struggle to my feet (sometimes it is a struggle and if the ground is uneven, it can be a little precarious as well) and capture a spot of light somewhere in Cheshire!

View attachment 87521
Further on and the halo is still there, but this one is unusual apparently because of the vapour trail across the centre and the darkening on one side.
If nothing more 'interesting' happens in the field of Atmospheric Optics, my pictures (these here and some more) will be published tomorrow here www.atoptics.co.uk/1130.htm along with an explanation of what you are looking at.
Immediately after taking the photo above, I went to change gear and instead of the clicking I usually get, I had a nice smooth movement and well, no gear change.

View attachment 87515
A quick investigation revealed a problem. and a few more sprang to mind. At least when it breaks you still have the gear you were in and if you are carrying an 8mm spanner, you can change to a more suitable gear that your very lowest gear which you just so happened to be in when this happened. Yep - no 8mm spanner. So I have 3 exceptionally low gears and the highest of them spins out at a little over 2½ mph! I call for help but its a no can do. I'm a little over 2 hours from home with a top speed of 2½ mph!

View attachment 87523
At home a quick investigation reveals this! Not good. But let's get home first.

View attachment 87516
Well, on the new way home, I spot this... and decide to stop. Spinning is not something I had planned on doing for 2 hours without a break and there is a patch of light and one of my favourite spring flowers and I need a stop...

View attachment 87517
Some spring flowers.

View attachment 87518
Another rest break (plus a discrete hide behind some bushes) and another chance to look at that halo. It is still there, still complete and still wonderful. But there is a 10 photo upload limit which I suspect you are all really grateful for right now I also came across 3 lapwings. 2 males competing with each other for the attention of a female who I could see.... The discrete hide behind some bushes did have more than 1 advantage!

Strangely, after my breakdown and despite having to stop numerous times, not a single one of the 20 odd cyclists that went passed me said hello or asked if I was OK . I could really have done with an 8mm spanner. The problem was I needed my lowest gear for a couple of the climbs I have to do to get back home, but I needed something other than my lowest gear for the distance to get home!

So only the 17.8 miles yesterday. I won't say how long but suffice to say I was out around 2 hours longer than expected!
https://www.strava.com/activities/295986534 and my photos might get published tomorrow.! www.atoptics.co.uk/1130.htm
However if you go here, you will see someone elses view of the same phenonema from Cambridge yesterday. http://www.atoptics.co.uk/opod.htm

Today - no ride, but a supervision of my husband repairing my trike. Luckily I had 2 replacement gear cables handy that were long enough and my husband was able to repair my trike, though in his words "there are 2 ways of cabling the pulley in the external gear changer and it took me 3 attempts!"

We should be back on the road tomorrow.

Oh dear and very well done!!!!!

 

[andytheflyer]

Longest ride yet on my bike 'bent: 54.3miles. Warming up for the 100k Anglesey Lanes audax next month.
Horrible day though - overcast, windy, cold, and mostly wet. Home with cold legs and shower brought out the chilblains so in and out quickly!

Over to Market Drayton and Jones's Coffee Shop via Cholmondeley and Wrenbury, back via Prees, Whixall and the back lanes - adding bits on until I knew I'd break 50 miles.

Ran into a dilemma in the back lanes 100m from the busy A525 when I came across about a dozen escaped sheep and lambs and proceeded to drive them towards the traffic, so had to stop. Sheep then milled about, as sheep do, and I hoped someone would turn into the lane from the A road and drive them back past me - but no-one came, and a very and thoroughly damp me got colder and stiffer. After about 10 mins they found a hole in the fence and scrambled back into their field - so that problem solved itself.

Was glad to get home - I live on top of a hill so it's always a 200ft climb to get home, whichever way I come at it from.

Lots of roadies out this morning, but curiously they all evaporated once it started raining. Must have been on carbon bikes.....