Your ride today....

[Mr Celine]

Yesterday's ride headed west into a howling gale, albeit mild enough to still be in shorts. I stopped briefly on Ashiesteel Bridge to take a pic of the Tweed.

By the time I reached Innerleithen I was fed up with the back road and Sunday drivers not using the passing places, including the MTB uplift minibus for the lazy gits that don't like going uphill. I switched to the sustrans bimbleway to Peebles, on which I passed three families out for a cycle and about three dozen dog walkers. I stopped for another pic of the Tweed from the suspension bridge which replaced a long-dismantled railway bridge over the Tweed.

The bimbleway's route along the railway line is interrupted just beyond this point by the commuter village of Cardrona, one of the most depressing and soulless places imaginable. Where it resumes on the other side it's currently being dug up and I missed the diversion sign, which had been blown over in the wind. The diversion uses a path normally used by golfers which passes under a very low bridge, at which point some of said golfers nearly ran me down in their golf buggy.
Next stop Peebles with its bridge.....

which has been altered and widened a few times....

.... and is adorned with lamp posts held up by weird sea serpents!

Turning back east along the south bank of the Tweed I now had a tailwind, thanks to which it took under ten minutes to reach this milestone.

From Traquair I turned south over the Paddy Slack then down Yarrowdale. I passed a stationary tractor and trailer whose driver had pulled over to make a phone call, but set off again as soon as I had passed. The trailer was fully loaded with new car tyres. Had there been any apparent agricultural use for these I'd have pulled over to let him past, but instead used the tax-dodging red diesel cheat for some training, as for the next four miles the only overtaking opportunities were on downhill sections where he couldn't keep up, far less pass, and I had to sprint on the uphills.
Nearly home I passed the site of the Selkirk vintage car rally which by this time had mostly packed up. While peering over the hedge at the few remianing cars I almost T-boned a Capri 2.8 injection which emerged from the campsite entrance without (either of us) looking.

The map -

53.8 miles at 15.4 mph 2923 feet up.

 

[Jenkins]

Today started a bit grey, but the cloud soon moved on and gave way to a beatutifully warm & sunny day, albeit with a bit of a southerly breeze - nothing like predicted for tomorrow 'though, so today was for riding and tomorrow is for domestics before 9 straight days of work.

I started out on a well used route heading up through Falkenham, Kirton and Newbourne to Waldringfield before cutting back to Rushmere St. Andrew and round the top of Ipswich through Westerfield. So far so normal, but after that it was on to roads that I normally take in the other direction - the back road frm Akenham to Whitton into Claydon then down to Bramford, Sproughton, Washbrook & Copdock. From there I cut back and across country to Great Wenham and Holton St. Mary heading for East Bergholt and the villages in the area of Alton Water.

Going in the 'wrong' direction from normal meant that I saw a view of the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook that I'd never noticed before

and also went DOWN Freston Hill for the first time in a long while and was greeted by a fantastic view of the Orwell Bridge and the River Orwell, but no picture as I wasn't going to waste the tail wind up the riverside road into Whersted and into Ipswich. Once the slow grind through the town centre was over, I took the most direct route home, partly due to 'road improvements' closing off my usual Bucklesham route and forcing me to take the main route home past the main entrance to the Suffolk Showground/ Trinity Park with its Suffolk Trinity sculptures.

63 miles for September's 100km ride with 1750ft of upwards stuff and temperatures in the low to mid 20's - bloody lovely.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1847945848

 

[Fonze]

As once quoted by the famous English scholar, Winnie the Pooh, today was a rather blustery day ..
By the time I finished was really warming up ..
By Jeeves it's tough into the head wind ..
Completed in just under two hours just below 40 km ..
Bit heavy legged today but again was fun, and that's what matters, imo ..

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I had really intended on having a ride today (my last day-off of a 'long weekend')
However, we're having 3 cars valeted today

My Octavia, owned since March 2012 (& whilst the interior is vacuumed/'wiped over' a couple of times a month) has never been valeted, & very rarely washed
Wifes C-HR, about 2 months old, & daughters car too (when she gets back from College)

The Valeter is a family friend, who's taken early retirement, & wants to keep busy (also our daughters god-parents)

I'm not sure what results he'll get with the Octavia, but I'll have a look soon

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I'm not sure what results he'll get with the Octavia, but I'll have a look soon

4 hours on mine, & counting...……...!!
I did tell Dave I wasn't bothered about the paint being 'cleaned'/polished
Just to do the interior, & alloys, but Joanne had told Kath (his wife), so she told him to do it

 

[Arjimlad]

I have the afternoon off today & tomorrow as SWMBO is away with work. That meant I had to pick up my daughter from school. With a couple of hours to spend between leaving work & picking up I managed to fit 29 miles in for a bit of training.

I bombed up the A38 with the wind behind me from Bradley Stoke to Leyhill, thence to Charfield, Kingswood, Hillesley, Hawkesbury Upton, Horton, Iron Acton and then Frampton Cotterell with five minutes to spare before chucking out time. Then it started to rain so we had a wet walk home.

I now have to make four packed lunches for tomorrow before I can even think about cleaning my bike & fitting mudguards.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1849897747

 

[cosmicbike]

This mornings commute home was hard work into the wind, but coming back tonight was weeeee!!!

 

[Katherine]

Went out for a late afternoon ride Straight into the wind which was exhausting, even when I turned off and it was a cross wind. I could smell the Indian restaurant for over a mile before I passed it! Much easier on the way back but most of the ride was with a cross wind so not inclined to extend it for a metric half.
It was amazingly warm and I enjoyed looking for signs of Autumn along the lanes and in the fields.

 

[Salar]

.... and is adorned with lamp posts held up by weird sea serpents!

They could be "The Linton Worm" of the Tweed and border rivers, which is the Scottish equivalent of the Lambton Worm in the River Wear.

 

[Fonze]

Struggled to go today, bit heavy legged ..
So had my Bulletproof Coffee and ventured out, was really hot by time I'd done ..
Another 35 km in the bank, felt like a million bucks after, so makes it all worthwhile

 

[Mr Celine]

They could be "The Linton Worm" of the Tweed and border rivers, which is the Scottish equivalent of the Lambton Worm in the River Wear.

I'd never heard of that legend before though wikipedia has. The Linton referred to according to that article is not West Linton, which is near Peebles, but a lot further downstream near Morebattle. Look out @User9609 !

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

It was blowing a gale out there. Mrs 26 and I met Jules H in Upton. We'd decided to attempt a ride with hedges to shield us from the big blow. So a standard run out through the hedge lined lanes for Bromsberrow and Brooms Green lead Jules to suggest a stop at St Mary's, a gem of Norman Architecture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary's_Church,_Kempley Jules and I looped for Gwynne's Hill while Mrs 26 instead headed for Much Marcle. We took the roller coaster lanes for How Caple to turn for Hole-in-the-Wall and a game of Pooh sticks from the footbridge. 3-2 to me My hat got blown off as we dropped into Ross-on-Wye. Hat retrieved we headed for the Priory coffee shop and some well earned refreshments.

We chatted with our lady hosts who reminded me and introduced Jules to the idea of looping by Brampton Abbots so that we could avoid the busy and dangerous run along the A40. So we headed that way and emerging on the standard run back we decided to hope that memory nav would take us by Rudhall and Bollitree Castle (where Richard Hammond lives). It did and some deep memories recognised the route to Bromsash and Linton. It's amazing what memories can lurk. I hadn't been this way for more than a decade. Jules was suitably impressed. I knew what was what from Linton so that at Dymock I suggested heading for Ketford. That meant trading the tail wind we had been enjoying since Ross for a bit of a struggle to Four Oaks. Welsh House Lane took us to Ketford and on to the usual return from Ryton. We parted on Hook Bank as I took the Brotheridge run back. Jules was very pleased with the outing. We'd managed to get some useful shelter on the ride out, found some new lanes (and old ones for me) for Jules. I just loved the spontaneity of riding through those almost forgotten lanes. 74 smiles today.

 

[galaxy]

@galaxy

Do you want a free one?, obviously my Pioneer is not as nice as @Rickshaw Phil but it's only about 10 miles from you.

Hi there
What size is the frame.

 

[galaxy]

Been a bad 2 weeks. Mum had a Diabetic Hypo in her sleep. Ended up with brain Damage. Last weekend we had to agree for Critical care to be removed. On Saturday she peacefully passed away. So been arranging funeral and sorting her belongings. So today needed a bike ride.

 

[welsh dragon]

Been a bad 2 weeks. Mum had a Diabetic Hypo in her sleep. Ended up with brain Damage. Last weekend we had to agree for Critical care to be removed. On Saturday she peacefully passed away. So been arranging funeral and sorting her belongings. So today needed a bike ride.

I am so sorry to hear your mothers passing. This time must have been truly awful for you. Please take care.