Your ride today....

[Cavalol]

Just over ten miles round my beautiful home city.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1958761987

View attachment 438214

Surprisingly warm out earlier, could have easily not taken my coat.

 

[cyberknight]

How do.

Been a while.

This weekend’s rides I shall entitle “Stratford YHA club rides”

2 rides to report, 65 miles yesterday and 54 today.

Weather: shockingly bad overall yesterday despite a bright start we couldn’t have got any wetter, bright today but with really wet, muddy, lumpy roads and looking like I’d been in a cyclocross race.

Highlights:

•One rider off due to a jammed chain resulting in a nasty graze, bent hanger and dented ego.

•Another rider having three punctures and a blowout in the space of fifteen minutes.

•A well earned shower at the youth hostel followed by a really good meal in the evening at a local pub. (Little things.....)

•A good turnout at the memorial in Meriden today to pay our respects to the fallen. Pics: View attachment 438181 View attachment 438182 View attachment 438184

Made it home View attachment 438185

Today’s stats: View attachment 438186

Mucky View attachment 438187

•Bumping randomly into @cyberknight at Meriden and having a bit of a chinwag.

• 3 PRs on strava (not that I was trying)

• A tailwind pretty much all the way home!!!

Anyway, that’s enough s**te from me.
https://strava.app.link/YgGkAVPeLR
https://strava.app.link/zm6f05ihLR

It was pretty dismal 1st thing
And nice too see a CC face again .

 

[cyberknight]

just over 68 miles today with the VM crew
Very meh weather to start with but good fun all the same
As mentioned elsewhere i bumped into @Chris Doyle and @Lilliburlero today

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'></iframe>

 

[Donger]

Occasional showers, they said. Well, that went well. Pretty much nothing else went to plan today either.
Meet George. (He's the guy in the yellow, second from the left). It's his 69th birthday today, and he always rides his age in miles on his birthday. So off we set as a club, with the social group heading off on a 69 miler to Tintern Abbey and back via the Severn Bridge, and the intermediates setting off half an hour later.

After finding just about every one of the "scattered showers" in the first few miles out to Birdwood and across to Westbury on Severn via Northwood Green, we also ran into a few mechanicals. One new lady had turned up for this ride, choosing the club's longest ride of the year for her first ride, and riding a bike with .... shall we say ..... mechanical issues. Well, our half hour lead that was supposed to guarantee arrival at Tintern at roughly the same time disappeared by the time we hit Newnham. The new girl then turned back with one of our number escorting her home, but nobody had noticed them turning back. So, having just climbed a big hill, I told the others to carry on without me while I waited for them (and eventually turned around and went back down the hill to find them). Never did see them again, as I got caught up in an Armistice Day parade in Newnham on Severn, and stuck around out of respect.

Just before that, I'd visited the churchyard in Newnham and looked out at the view of Arlingham on the opposite bank of the Severn (my regular stamping ground). The sun was finally coming out.

Slogged back to Gloucester on my own through yet more heavy showers, and decided to rescue something from the ride by dropping in (not literally) to the docks for a moment.

Armistice Day always reminds me of my granddad, who served as a sapper for the entire duration (14 to 18) and lost every single one of his pals. After the great war he worked at Dorman Long's steelworks in Redcar, and I like the fact that this old crane bears a huge embossment of "Dorman Long Limited" on the steel bogey. It's a nice local connection to my granddad.

Anyway, hopefully George and the other six will have enjoyed a nice trip through the Forest of Dean and along the Wye Valley at Tintern. I was thoroughly soaked and a little disappointed, but it was nice to get home and hosed and spend the afternoon in the dry ... and thankfully I didn't need a 100km ride as I did my Metric Century-a-Month Challenge ride last week.
Cheers, Donger.
Ed. 36.7 miles, by the way.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Pootle into Bath to visit the Apple Store. Took my MTB (Cube Acid) as I fancied a mucky route along the gravel track between Wellow and Midford through the Two Tunnels and can’t bear to get my tourer or Audax bike in a mess.

Mission Burrito is always a treat and a coffee from a few doors down was delicious. My mission was an appointment with an ‘Apple Genius’ to get my Airpods sorted (battery case failed) and to their absolute credit, there was no quibble and they replaced it there and then. Sometimes paying premium prices pays and as I use them everyday at work I am rather pleased.

 

[NorthernDave]

After yesterdays off I decided that the best thing to do would be to get straight back in the saddle, so was out again this morning.
It was a grey, overcast and damp morning in contrast to yesterdays clear blue sky.

I knew I wouldn't have time for anything approaching a metric half and didn't want to push things too much anyway, so decided just to see where the bike took me.

Over Cock Beck and up Leeds Road into Scholes, no records being set on the long climb due to the still tender ribs and then the long steady descent through Barwick, interrupted today by yet another set of temporary traffic lights - they are blooming everywhere at the moment.
Anyhow, through the village and down the hill to the bridge and the climb up Cattle Lane, past the scene of yesterdays incident and the general ups and downs to Aberford.

Here I turned right, down the former A1 and towards the memorial at the end of the village opposite the Almshouses, where I stopped for a moment of contemplation and a couple of pics:

I've no particular connection to Aberford other that it being somewhere I cycle through fairly frequently, but when you read those names it does make you think, especially when you consider how much smaller the village was a hundred years ago.

Back on the bike and continuing south along Bunkers Hill (which looks flat, but it's a very slightly uphill incline in this direction) before turning right at Hook Moor and taking the main road first to the roundabout over the motorway and then the A642 to drop down into Garforth.

Ignoring the delicious waft of bacon coming from the butty shop, I carried on over the railway bridge and down to Town End where I used the cycle path to snip the corner and avoid the traffic lights, heading back out of town under the railway and back over the motorway.
Through the S-bend and over Cock Beck again, before tackling the climb up Long Lane back into Barwick, turning left at the end to retrace my earlier route back to Scholes (including a breather at the temporary lights).
I had toyed with the idea of cycling through Scholes and doing a long loop home via the A64, Skeltons Lane and Coal Road, but as I crested the hill to drop down into the village it started to rain - not a lot just a few spits and spots, but with a leaden sky overhead it was enough to let me decide to write off the long way home and head straight down Leeds Road, over Cock Beck for a 4th and final time, and then local roads up to home, with a little extension round the corner to push the mileage on.

15.08 miles (24.26km) in a steady 1h 13m at an average of 12.3mph with 839ft climbed and an average temperature of 6.1°C

Happy enough with that and I managed to keep the bike upright all the way round today, which helps. This is pretty much a 25km circuit I spent last summer chasing round trying to do it in less than an hour (I think my best time was 1h 3m), so pleased with that time considering I was taking it steady, especially up the hills.
Lucky with the weather too, as it started to rain fairly heavily about 10 minutes after I got in.

For some reason, I was unclipping a bit earlier than usual today and being particularly cautious at junctions, but I'm sure I'll soon be back to normal

And to end, the map:

 

[Noodle Legs]

After yesterdays off I decided that the best thing to do would be to get straight back in the saddle, so was out again this morning.
It was a grey, overcast and damp morning in contrast to yesterdays clear blue sky.

I knew I wouldn't have time for anything approaching a metric half and didn't want to push things too much anyway, so decided just to see where the bike took me.

Over Cock Beck and up Leeds Road into Scholes, no records being set on the long climb due to the still tender ribs and then the long steady descent through Barwick, interrupted today by yet another set of temporary traffic lights - they are blooming everywhere at the moment.
Anyhow, through the village and down the hill to the bridge and the climb up Cattle Lane, past the scene of yesterdays incident and the general ups and downs to Aberford.

Here I turned right, down the former A1 and towards the memorial at the end of the village opposite the Almshouses, where I stopped for a moment of contemplation and a couple of pics:
View attachment 438219 View attachment 438221

I've no particular connection to Aberford other that it being somewhere I cycle through fairly frequently, but when you read those names it does make you think, especially when you consider how much smaller the village was a hundred years ago.

Back on the bike and continuing south along Bunkers Hill (which looks flat, but it's a very slightly uphill incline in this direction) before turning right at Hook Moor and taking the main road first to the roundabout over the motorway and then the A642 to drop down into Garforth.

Ignoring the delicious waft of bacon coming from the butty shop, I carried on over the railway bridge and down to Town End where I used the cycle path to snip the corner and avoid the traffic lights, heading back out of town under the railway and back over the motorway.
Through the S-bend and over Cock Beck again, before tackling the climb up Long Lane back into Barwick, turning left at the end to retrace my earlier route back to Scholes (including a breather at the temporary lights).
I had toyed with the idea of cycling through Scholes and doing a long loop home via the A64, Skeltons Lane and Coal Road, but as I crested the hill to drop down into the village it started to rain - not a lot just a few spits and spots, but with a leaden sky overhead it was enough to let me decide to write off the long way home and head straight down Leeds Road, over Cock Beck for a 4th and final time, and then local roads up to home, with a little extension round the corner to push the mileage on.

15.08 miles (24.26km) in a steady 1h 13m at an average of 12.3mph with 839ft climbed and an average temperature of 6.1°C

Happy enough with that and I managed to keep the bike upright all the way round today, which helps. This is pretty much a 25km circuit I spent last summer chasing round trying to do it in less than an hour (I think my best time was 1h 3m), so pleased with that time considering I was taking it steady, especially up the hills.
Lucky with the weather too, as it started to rain fairly heavily about 10 minutes after I got in.

For some reason, I was unclipping a bit earlier than usual today and being particularly cautious at junctions, but I'm sure I'll soon be back to normal

And to end, the map:
View attachment 438217

If I could give a double like for this I would, full kudos to you for getting straight back out after your off. And another for resisting bacon!!

 

[tyred]

Nice little 35 miler enjoying the Autumnal colours on my Raleigh Twenty. Actually the first time I've ridden it since February 2016 Photos are a bit crap as I couldn't see the screen of my phone in the bright sunshine!

 

[Jon George]

So, instead of any major ride, I did one to Christchurch Park in Ipswich for the two minute remembrance (I have little time for 'God' bits and went home after the end of The Silence. Several thousand people in attendance - which was great to see.) and an afternoon visit to the pub.

A second after the 'mortar' exploded to mark the beginning of the two-minute silence, a strong gust of wind blow a cascade of golden leaves down upon everyone.

I owe my existence to the fact that my paternal grandmother's first husband was killed during The Great War and I've decided to investigate more about the man.

Least We Forget.

 

[pawl]

Got up this morning seriously lacking motivation I have been suffering from a cold and having to work yesterday really not feeling it today . Pottered about just about to get changed when big Sister called so another cup of coffee and more faffing and Im finally on the road at 10.30. No plans but really wanted to get a metric century in . Headed to Quorn via Cropston ,Rothley got to Quorn to hear the last post at the war memorial quite moving . Had get off and walk through the crowds but then due to the closed roads the rest of the village was eerily quiet . On to Barrow had to do a detour due to closed roads around the war memorial lots of crowds again . Sileby ,Seagrave ,Wymeswold thanks to the tailwind I'm averaging ,17 mph but headwind home got to 50km ok but began to struggle the wind taking its toll . Ideas for a 100km were forgotten and a imperial half became the target . All the time my average speed is dropping as I struggle on . Got to my village still 7 miles short decision time turn for home and settle for 43 miles or press on stubbornly press on and turn away from home a loop around Groby on to Newtown Linford and finally home with 50.4 miles in the bag average had dropped to 14.8 mph . I think that's the slowest ride ever on the road bike . Last week I did 125 miles at 16.8 mph I think I'm not well . A really tough day on the bike at least I managed to miss the showers .

If I could average 16 mph l would be looking if Mrs P had something in my drink bottle

Sounded like a good though

 

[DCLane]

Rode the Eureka 210km audax today ( https://www.strava.com/activities/1959167716 ), which was supposed to have 'light showers' at the start. That, in reality, was rain ... on slippy, muddy, leaf-covered Cheshire back roads. My 23mm tyres were sliding all over, meaning I had limited control - not good in a group of 10 or so riders at speed. I stuck with the front group until the Eureka cafe and then rode solo as I was increasingly concerned I'd take someone out.

Met @PMarkey at the start and passed again just after the Eureka cafe stop at 70km.

From there it was good and bad through the roads into Wales and back but I was getting slower on anything except flat main roads. Which meant I got to Tattenhall grumpy and hungry. Simon found me and we had a brief chat: sorry you got me in a grumpy mood at that point. A Cornish pastie (cold) and cake (nicer) sorted that out.

After lunch I treated the ride as a sunny afternoon trip through the Cheshire countryside, which seemed much better. Apart from being slow on downhills and corners for safety it was fine.

Rolled to the next control and, despite being a bit tired, found the energy to get a shift on to the finish and scrape in about 2 seconds under 9 hours and a 16.01mph average as a result. Towards the end my Wilier Montegrappa was getting 'clicky' and I'd lost some gears due to mud, grit, leaves and dirt getting into everything - finishing with about 4 working gears. It's getting a winter re-build and therefore I'm not concerned: new inner/outer cables, chain, bar tape and other bits are ready to be fitted.

At the finish @Steve H , @Kestevan and 1 other un-introduced CC member turned up, having ridden the 160km route. Which, given the weather, seemed more sensible. Or rather they didn't resemble a mud pie.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Got up this morning seriously lacking motivation I have been suffering from a cold and having to work yesterday really not feeling it today . Pottered about just about to get changed when big Sister called so another cup of coffee and more faffing and Im finally on the road at 10.30. No plans but really wanted to get a metric century in . Headed to Quorn via Cropston ,Rothley got to Quorn to hear the last post at the war memorial quite moving . Had get off and walk through the crowds but then due to the closed roads the rest of the village was eerily quiet . On to Barrow had to do a detour due to closed roads around the war memorial lots of crowds again . Sileby ,Seagrave ,Wymeswold thanks to the tailwind I'm averaging ,17 mph but headwind home got to 50km ok but began to struggle the wind taking its toll . Ideas for a 100km were forgotten and a imperial half became the target . All the time my average speed is dropping as I struggle on . Got to my village still 7 miles short decision time turn for home and settle for 43 miles or press on stubbornly press on and turn away from home a loop around Groby on to Newtown Linford and finally home with 50.4 miles in the bag average had dropped to 14.8 mph . I think that's the slowest ride ever on the road bike . Last week I did 125 miles at 16.8 mph I think I'm not well . A really tough day on the bike at least I managed to miss the showers .

I only averaged 7.65mph today

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Yes, it's happened. I have been out for a ride. 80 pages since the last one; the country was yellow and brown with Autumn colours today. On the last ride yellow and brown also featured thanks to the drought!

I decided to get a ride in after the local service of Remembrance. Our house is horribly untidy at the moment thanks to me being a messy git and recent burst pipes and resulting drying! This meant I couldn't be doing with digging the road going MTB out of the garage so Spare Bike #1 was pressed into service for the last time this year. I decided to stay in the small ring for the entire ride.

It hurt but in a good way! I tried to keep the pace high but not so high that I couldn't hold a conversation with myself. It felt slow but the gusty wind didn't help.

25 miles at a shade over 15mph. I suspect I'll be slower on the mountain bike next time!

 

[johnnyb47]

I'm enjoying my night rides at the moment. Virtually no traffic on the roads ,armed with a decent set of lights and a tough old mountain bike makes cycling around the deserted lanes a pleasure. As daft as it sounds I see more wild life at night than I ever do in the daylight hours. These week I've seen countless foxes and a couple of badgers foraging around for food ,but tonight was the icing on the cake. As I went passed a gate post, i spotted a barn owl perched on it. I managed stop and get 6 feet from it without scaring it off. It's always nice to see nature and get away from the general grind of everyday life :-)

 

[PMarkey]

Rode the Eureka 210km audax today ( https://www.strava.com/activities/1959167716 ), which was supposed to have 'light showers' at the start. That, in reality, was rain ... on slippy, muddy, leaf-covered Cheshire back roads. My 23mm tyres were sliding all over, meaning I had limited control - not good in a group of 10 or so riders at speed. I stuck with the front group until the Eureka cafe and then rode solo as I was increasingly concerned I'd take someone out.

Met @PMarkey at the start and passed again just after the Eureka cafe stop at 70km.

From there it was good and bad through the roads into Wales and back but I was getting slower on anything except flat main roads. Which meant I got to Tattenhall grumpy and hungry. Simon found me and we had a brief chat: sorry you got me in a grumpy mood at that point. A Cornish pastie (cold) and cake (nicer) sorted that out.

After lunch I treated the ride as a sunny afternoon trip through the Cheshire countryside, which seemed much better. Apart from being slow on downhills and corners for safety it was fine.

Rolled to the next control and, despite being a bit tired, found the energy to get a shift on to the finish and scrape in about 2 seconds under 9 hours and a 16.01mph average as a result. Towards the end my Wilier Montegrappa was getting 'clicky' and I'd lost some gears due to mud, grit, leaves and dirt getting into everything - finishing with about 4 working gears. It's getting a winter re-build and therefore I'm not concerned: new inner/outer cables, chain, bar tape and other bits are ready to be fitted.

At the finish @Steve H , @Kestevan and 1 other un-introduced CC member turned up, having ridden the 160km route. Which, given the weather, seemed more sensible. Or rather they didn't resemble a mud pie.

Some of the lanes where definitely a bit sketchy and might have been better tackled with studded tyres I think I got in 30 minutes or so after you but the fact you had slowed somewhat probably explains that

Paul