Your ride today....

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

Time to see if all the training of last month pays off

As a lot of you noticed I am a very goal oriented and need to keep challenging myself in order to not get bored.

I have a goal set in my head that I should be able to do this climb in under 1 hour

You can see the best time I have is 1:08 so I was training to shave 8 minutes off…

The time of the true is this Sunday, let’s see how it goes..

Any advice? Recommendations?

 

[cosmicbike]

Time to see if all the training of last month pays off

As a lot of you noticed I am a very goal oriented and need to keep challenging myself in order to not get bored.

I have a goal set in my head that I should be able to do this climb in under 1 hour

View attachment 442529

You can see the best time I have is 1:08 so I was training to shave 8 minutes off…

The time of the true is this Sunday, let’s see how it goes..

Any advice? Recommendations?

Ride faster

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Yesterday afternoon's ride: Cold and a bit breezy but bright out and I decided to do one of my longer regular routes going to Upton Magna, Walcot, Eaton Constantine, Cressage, Acton Burnell and back via Pitchford and Condover.

I headed over Lyth Hill to start to avoid the worst of the traffic and was fairly glad I did as I was riding into a fairly brisk wind which wouldn't have been much fun on the quite exposed main road. At Atcham I crossed the river using the old bridge, then headed through Attingham Park which seemed to be doing pretty well for visitors. Had a shoelace come undone and tangle round my pedal spindle on the way out of the park which was a bit irritating.

Back out onto the roads, there was a certain amount of school traffic which is never particularly good. In a couple of places en-route to Walcot I had vehicles behind pressing to get past only for a large vehicle coming the other way to cause a blockage that I could get past easily but they couldn't.

I turned towards the sun on the way to Eaton Constantine but it was settling behind a bank of cloud in the far distance so I wasn't getting too much glare. At Cressage I paused for a drink at the top of the climb out of the valley and a farm vehicle towing a trailer came past just as I was about to set off again which gave me the chance to get their slipstream and be towed along at around 20 mph for a couple of miles to Cound Moor (where I couldn't keep up that pace on the short climb).

It was getting properly dark by Acton Burnell. I tried to get a photo of Concord College all lit up with the moon overhead but that didn't come out well. I had a good run back to Condover with the wind helping and decided to retrace my steps over Lyth Hill as the rush hour traffic would be underway, which turned out to be a sound decision.

33.8 miles at 13.2 mph average.

A couple of shots from the old Atcham Bridge.

Christmas trees up at the gates to Attingham Park.

Heading into the sunset.

A bit of an experimental shot from Lyth Hill. This new (to me) camera can cope with some very low light levels but could do with being on a tripod.

 

[8mph]

Had a 3hr window in which to cycle from Southbourne to the New Forest via Sustrans cycle route 2. Instead of staying by the coast the path takes you through suburbia via some rather drab parks, onto busy intersections where the signs and path seemingly run out. After cycling through housing estates and trying to escape the maze of cul-de-sacs I turned back and had 30 minutes mooching in charity shops instead.

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

Ride faster

Will try but the first 300 meters are at 21%.. Then is a constant 8%.. for like 3 km.. you have a little false flat.. Slight downhill and then is hell..! 5 km at 10% or more.. Why do we do this??

 

[13 rider]

Will try but the first 300 meters are at 21%.. Then is a constant 8%.. for like 3 km.. you have a little false flat.. Slight downhill and then is hell..! 5 km at 10% or more.. Why do we do this??

For the descent ,wheeeeeeee

 

[C R]

Will try but the first 300 meters are at 21%.. Then is a constant 8%.. for like 3 km.. you have a little false flat.. Slight downhill and then is hell..! 5 km at 10% or more.. Why do we do this??

To show off in this thread?

 

[colly]

Will try but the first 300 meters are at 21%.. Then is a constant 8%.. for like 3 km.. you have a little false flat.. Slight downhill and then is hell..! 5 km at 10% or more.. Why do we do this??

Because you can.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Below freezing this morning. I left it for a bit to let the sun do some work before putting on the layers and heading out. Lovely bright sun shone from a cloudless sky. Little or no wind thankfully or the "feels like" temperature would have been horrendous. I took the lanesy route out keeping an eye peeled for ice. Thankfully there was little ice at all. I was OK for the first 20 miles but the cold was beginning to penetrate. My pace was pretty steady if not slow at times. Buzzards were equally unenthusiastic just sitting on various perches. I plodded steadily onward with the company of winter thrushes and the odd dunnock. At Longdon there was a huge flock of corvids. Mostly crows and jackdaws. The sun was getting low as I rode the final miles and my left hand had disappeared somewhere at the end of my arm. Thankfully I was able to find that hand again when I got it home and warmed up. Santa take note - new gloves please. 47 smiles

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

To show off in this thread?

Isn't this the main reason for cycling? If not has to be the top five.....

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

Because you can.

Because I can try... Yup, get it done we will find out on Sunday..

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

For the descent ,wheeeeeeee

I am terrified of descends.. Specially 21% ones

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I had to visit the bank this afternoon and even though it's near freezing out, the bike seemed a preferable option to trying to battle through Friday traffic.

The ride down went smoothly enough, apart from making two pedestrians jump out of their skin when I rode past. (I did ring my bell twice but they were too busy chatting). With business done I took full advantage of the shortcuts available to cycles and sailed past the crawling traffic, into the Quarry park and along the riverside as far as Greyfriars Bridge where the flood gate is still locked. I could have clambered over but decided to head out of town past the Abbey instead and cross into Castlefields via the footbridge to rejoin the riverside route there. Everywhere was looking quite nice in the afternoon sunlight so there were a few photo stops along the way.

The old canal path wasn't muddy today due to the mud being frozen (and very lumpy). I bounced my way along this path then headed back onto the road at Uffington and heading for Upton Magna. I'd timed it fairly well, passing the school in Upton Magna just after the rush, then on the road past Attingham Park it was busy but I was ahead of the main evening rush.

I found some unexpected ice on the road while climbing the hill at Cronkhill which caused the back wheel to slip and also had the one dimwit of the trip here who overtook me forcing the vehicle coming the other way to a stop.

The route over Lyth Hill was used again as I knew that the A49 would be busy at this time on a Friday (and it was).

22.1 miles at 12.3 mph average. Good to get out as the weather doesn't look very promising for the weekend.

Under the old market hall in the centre of Shrewsbury.

Looking across The Quarry to St. Chads Church.

The William Clement memorial at the other end of the park.

Shrewsbury Abbey. The pillar box is a rare early Victorian one.

View from Castle Walk footbridge.

Riding towards the sun as I cross the A5 and the railway near Upton Forge.

A couple of miles further on at Atcham and it sets over the River Severn.

En route to Condover and looking towards the Stretton hills as mist starts to form.

 

[gbb]

Busy at work, kinda busy at home with family so not much mileage for a week and a half so determined to get out tonight....ughhh it's cold. Just on the e bike in work clothes and a heavy coat, gloves but not windproof ones....fingers and hands were red and sore after an hour. Enough for sure but enjoyed getting out there.

 

[pjd57]

First day back after a week in Lanzarote.
Really cold morning in Glasgow but I had a trip to Paisley to make.
Hybrid , due to weather and need for pannier.
Decided against any of the cycle paths and stuck to bus routes there and back.
Maryhill, West end , across the Clyde then a straight run along Paisley Road West.
Sun was shining for the entire journey.
22 mile round trip.
Another 3 for Asda shortly afterwards.