Your ride today....

[Supersuperleeds]

Missus didn't want to go out for a ride this morning

So used the excuse of having to drop some paperwork off a couple of miles away for a short ride. 24 miles later back home watching the cricket.

Saw more people out on bikes in an hour and half this morning than I did in nearly seven hours yesterday. I presume people getting a ride in before the impending rain we have forecast for most of next week.

 

[Dave 123]

A mountain bike Billy no mates ride today.
I did the Wimpole and Hayley Wood ride today, but I did it in reverse to the normal route.
At the start of the ride the sky was quite glum

Along the Wimpole Way I stopped to take a pic of these beauties

Just before I entered the Wimpole driveway I had to stop to take a pic of the workforce having a day off

Through the Sunday morning day trippers and out the other side.
Arrington church was looking beautiful

Up Croydon Hill,seeing 17% on my Garmin... steep for Cambs and along to Hatley. As I rejoined the bridle way a bloke was coming the other way. I stopped to eat a biscuit and we had a chat for a minute or so.
Eventually I ended up at the back of Hayley Wood

Home via the Red House track and Caldecott Highfields

Saw some good birds today. Fieldfare, Redwing, Buzzard and the star of the day was a Sparrowhawk that I pushed along for a while. I heard 3 great spotted woodpeckers on the ride, but didn’t see one!

I was tired and hungry once home. 26.5 soft miles


https://www.strava.com/activities/1984093669

 

[Levo-Lon]

Nice 14 mile woods ride with the good lady,she's getting used to the new Levo fsr .
Cold day but only my feet were numb..

 

[Donger]

Another nice club ride today. 35.6 miles for me in cold and breezy but dry weather. Out through Upton St Leonards and up Nut Hill, before descending down into Brockworth and then up the second (and last) big climb of the day up Dog Lane near Witcombe. We were meant to cut across Cheltenham next, but people kept taking wrong turns and the peloton just couldn't keep together, so we abandoned our Keystone Cops routine and made straight for the Aviator café at Gloucestershire Airport. Then back via Hatherley, Twigworth, Sandhurst and Kingsholm before cutting through Gloucester Docks and picking our way through the traffic tailbacks near the car park for the Christmas market. That was quite possibly my last ride in shorts this year, but these are my vary favourite conditions - cold but not actually freezing - and it was nice to be able to ride in shorts one last time. Another nice ride in great company. Audaxing again next week, so I'll have to hope the weather holds up. One more metric century ride to go.
Cheers, Donger.

 

[TigerT]

It's getting pretty cold here in Zürich, this time last year, the bikes were already packed away for the winter, but not this year. I'm determined to keep riding even if it isn't as far as in summer. Most of my rides in the last couple of weeks have been short evening rides in the local area 10 - 15km's.

Today, however, I got a call from a friend wanting to go out, so we decided on a trip over to Winterthur. I started out from home in Zürich and headed over to Dubendorf to meet my friend, only to get a call saying he was going back home to get better gloves, so I had a 20 minute wait in the cold! He eventually turned up and we headed up through Wangen woods into Effretikon and then on to Winterthur. It was -1 degree, damp and foggy for most of the way, so coffee was definitely required. After a large Vanilla Latte and some carrot cake my feet were starting to get some feeling back, so we headed back outside.

It's surprising how a small temperature change can make such a difference - it was now 2 degrees and it actually seemed warmer. It was still cloudy, but the fog had cleared, so the ride back was a lot more pleasant.

Enjoyed the ride despite the cold - Always nicer when you've got someone to ride with - Takes your mind off freezing feet!


Feeling a bit warmer after a coffee

Selfie on the way home

Emerging from Wangen Woods

And here is the map

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Annual-leave today, but for 'family reasons', so no ride to even think about
Days-off. for next week, are Mon/Tues. so possibly out?

As stated no ride, very late morning brought a trip to Wetherby in car, with wife, father-in-law, sister-in-law (daughter at b/fs)
So, we weren't all sitting house, staring at each other...

I took the old route from here, with no A1
I had considered the 'old A1' (Great North Road) & heading over to join it at Ferrybridge, but just went up through Castleford, up Barnsdale Road, up Mary Pannall Hill,
Over Peckfield Bar (where A63 crosses) to HookMoor

Through Aberford (old route of 'GNR') to Bramham Cross-Roads
The actual cross-roads, or part of it, is still there!! (if you where to look)

Up, what is now, Paradise Lane, to Bramham, over the 'new' A1, running parallel to it, on the old road, & entering Wetherby on, what was, the slip-road off the (dual-carriageway) A1!!

Sadly it widdled it down, so the stroll around was somewhat curtailed. & taking fish & chips from the 'Whaler', to sit by the Wharfe with them, transmuted into sitting upstairs in the restaurant, which has quadrupled(?) in size since I was last up there

Still managed plenty of pictures though!!!


And, back via Thorpe Arch, with a nip into the trading estate, where I was pleased to see that the ordnance dumps (partially buried) are still in use as units
It was built/adapted, from the WW2 Royal Ordnance Factory

Also, as we left, there's still the slit-shelters, between earth walls!!


What did surprise me was the amount of riders about, on decent looking bikes
No mudguards (up to them), & in dull clothing (black, mainly)

Again, 'their decision', but they were disappearing into the gloom/rain

 

[cosmicbike]

Having had rides of only single figures the past couple of days due to DIY, I found myself a good bit behind on the miles if I'm going to get to 8000 by the end of the year. Togged up with winter longs and thermal top (too warm in the end) and a nice brisk ride out to Walton before heading back through Chobham, 28 miles in the bag.
Another 10 miles into work tonight and I'm getting back on track, about 770 miles to go...

 

[Pat "5mph"]

It was cold, very cold.
It was gloomy, very gloomy.
Four Glasgow Belles went for a ride, one of them had not ridden her bike for umpteen years, still, she managed 25 miles.
Leaving Glasgow green, we went along the Clyde, up the bridge over the motorway, swiftly passed through Kelvingrove Park, tehn joined the canal path at Maryhill to Clydebank leisure centre.
On a clear day the views there are magnificent, sadly today it stayed overcast.
A faster return by the Scotstoun segregated path back into the city, taking in various landmarks.
A new route for some at a leisurely pace: I did hear "Pat, you're going too fast!" but it must have been my hearing ....
Ah, I think my back wheel's bearings are shot ... knock, knock, knock ...

The meeting point, Glasgow's People's Palace, this is across the Terracotta Fountain I posted yesterday.
It houses a museum, a cafe and small botanic gardens at the rear.

Bridge over the motorway, from the riverside to the top of the city.

Along the canal path


The view at Clydebank.
This used to be shipyards. After the shipyards closed, the area lay abandoned for many years. A regeneration program has been underway along several bits of the Clyde, the plan is one day to make it possible to cycle or walk all the way from Glasgow to the shores of Loch Lomond.
At the moment, one has to leave the Clyde at what was Glasgow Harbor - now a residential area, then follow the canal and a disused railway line to Loch Lomond.
Looking towards Dumbarton: on a clear day you can see the Erskine bridge on the skyline, today just rain clouds!

Looking back towards Glasgow: there is still a gap in the riverside path of around 5 miles.

 

[Jenkins]

After a long week at work and a day out at Rockingham yesterday for its last ever race meeting (I was also there for its first in 2001), today was very much a slow start and I didn't get out of the house until nearly 12:30.

Yet another unplanned ride with the only intention being to complete the monthly 50 mile ride to contiunue the 50km/50 mile/100km triple challenge (only missed the 50 miler in March so far). It was another of those cold, grey days with low cloud and a cold easterly that Suffolk does so well at this time of the year and I started by heading out on one of my usual meandering routes out to Martlesham before turning east across to Little Bealings & Great Bealings, Tuddenham & Westerfield. I then headed up towards Henley before cutting back to Claydon, down to Bramford and skitring around, and then doubling back into, Sproughton and the traffic light hell that is Ipswich. Once out of there via the road past the cemetery it was a simle ride home through Bucklesham to complete the challenge.

And the last ever race grid formation from Rockingham on Saturday - I wont miss the climb up the stairs to the top of the grandstand!

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

And so the important day of last week arrived (for me)


As I mentioned last week we had a "friendly" competition going on with a group of friends from town.

The challenge was to climb up a segment of 7.1 km as fast as everyone could and the best times recorded in Strava would win a 6 liter pack of beer (litronas)

So we woke up to a chilly Sunday and grey, as we rolled out of the park the very little tiny drizzle started, it never got any worst, it didn’t get better till much later either.

The group was 7 riders strong and and competition was on when we hit the bottom of the climb. By them we had like 37 minutes warm up ride, easy with a few efforts to wake up the muscles. I told everyone to take off.. I had to take a nature break any how.

They had a good 3 minutes advantage on me when I started climbing as fast as I could, I remember seen over 400W here a few times before the climb gives you a little rest, I would pay for this early effort later.

Caught them after 7 minutes, they were going easy, some tired and some knowing they had no chance of winning just came to see the show or out for a ride. Me? I was a man on a mission!!

At this point one of the guys jumped on my wheel and rode with me for the nex 17 minutes that I had left, do the math.. 17 + 7 = 24…24.43 is how long it took me.

The final result???

19 farking seconds short..!!! Grrrr…!!!! I told Paco I would be back at the end of the month.. Training month that is.

Our winner? 27 years old and 70 kilos… (hat young skinny people you know..)
Not the best pic but I think the camera reflected how I was seen stuff after the effort…

The rest of the guys coming up..

Nice pic of Juan.. He was sick so he came for the fun of it..

Heading back down, you can see it is wet.

After that we really didn’t get want to get wet anymore so we decided to head closer to home to stay within reach of the beer home.

We stopped at a nice park to see the water come out from a natural spring, remember this is a dry part of the world and this spring hasn’t show up in the last 13 years, we had a lot of rain lately, bad for riding but great for nature and the farmers.

Here are a few shots…

Like this one..

All that water comes from the spring

The spring is located under the mustard color building on the right…

We finished the ride short after this stop, bar was too close and we were happy with what we had done.

The Ride and rest of the pictures are here: https://www.strava.com/activities/1984073792#49976236342

 

[Old jon]

Well, the sun was shining, which is often a good sign around here. Mind, it was well cold also so there were no silly thoughts about me riding great distances. A mental route map of something like 22 miles was almost accurate, twenty three and a half it turned out to be.

Once started it was even colder, but the roads were fair quiet even around Holbeck. Briskly away from there to pedal through Hunslet and up the roundabout decorated hill to John O’ Gaunts. Left onto Holmesly Lane for the drop down past the train station at Woodlesford and left again to head for Swillington. Those two hills after crossing the river are becoming a little bit easier on the legs, and they certainly raised body temperature nicely. Straight across the Garforth roundabout and yet another left at the lights to head for Barwick in Elmet.



This is an anticlockwise ride, all those left turns and there are more to come! In Barwick turn left again and ride to Scholes. There seems to be more up than down along this stretch, at the end of which is yet another left. Along the A 64 for a few hundred yards and then at last a right turn. Followed by a left onto Skeltons Lane. And yet another left at the end of Red Hall Lane onto the A 58. After Wheee! down Boot Hill ( but only 33 mph ) turn right to pass the Oakwood Clock on the way to the edge of Leeds’ town centre and the everlasting roadworks at the bottom of Eastgate. Escape to cross the Aire again, the shortcut through Hunslet to Dewsbury Road and on to home. Freezing left foot did not stop the smile at arriving after a damp ride.

A map. All the words have to stand on something.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

A quickish one this morning before I had to do things. I'd thought about doing 30ish miles but shortly after setting out it started to rain so I decided to cut it a bit shorter and the route ended up as Condover, Ryton, Longnor, Acton Burnell, Harnage, Cound, Berrington (via the flatter A458 route I tried the other day), Condover again then back via the direct way.

It was already a bit cold, damp and gloomy out and having that rain start a couple of miles or so into the ride didn't help matters at all, however I carried, on determined to get some decent kind of mileage out of it and the rain did ease off. By this point though I'd already comitted to the shorter route so decided to carry on with it.

There were a few other cyclists out braving the conditions as well, including a group of about ten which I presume was a club outing. Near Concord College I disturbed a merlin which took off from the hedge and headed along the road ahead of me for a bit (haven't seen one of those in ages), then later on a buzzard lazily crossed the road ahead of me just above hedge height.

The sun did start to break through towards the end of the ride which just lifted the mood nicely for the finish. The bike will want a good clean as most of the roads had a film of mud on them. They'll probably be like that 'til the spring now.

23.9 miles at 13 mph average on a more pleasant ride than you might have expected from the conditions.

Sorry, no photos today.

 

[cosmicbike]

Nowt but the joys of commuting for night shifts. Got the clothing proper wrong last night and tonight and cooked in both directions! Ho hum, at least it should be right for the ride home in the morning. Forecast is dire for the rest of the week so I may falter and bring the van as the week goes on

 

[cosmicbike]

A very foggy ride home this morning which meant it was cold and wet. Had to remove the glasses as they just got covered in moisture and made visibility even worse. On the plus side, a local loop to add a couple of miles saw me reach my 2018 target of 7,300 miles (20 miles/day), in fact I'm now over it by 0.1 mile

 

[13 rider]

A very foggy ride home this morning which meant it was cold and wet. Had to remove the glasses as they just got covered in moisture and made visibility even worse. On the plus side, a local loop to add a couple of miles saw me reach my 2018 target of 7,300 miles (20 miles/day), in fact I'm now over it by 0.1 mile

Well done