Your ride today....

[Old jon]

Is that road really as bumpy as it looks??

The camera never lies, we used to be told.
But aye, it is at least as bumpy as it looks. The pavements are usually worse, if they can be distinguished from the roads they are usually at the opposite side of the gutters, which are variable but always worse than any other surface you may see. I could likely write a book, but will possibly take some photographs sometime soon, and post them on here.

 

[TigerT]

Yesterday’s ride was a bit tougher than expected!

In the morning I had been into the reopening of my trainers fitness studio. 1) I wanted to see what it was like before I turned up to train and 2) I was promised cake!

Following on from that I wandered over to a bike sale. They have them regularly out here and there are hundreds of bikes at each. I’m half looking for something cheap that I can use for work. There were a couple of possibilities but I didn’t think they were good value, so I left them.

So having already had cake, I thought I’d better get out for a decent length ride. I decided to try something new. Head out to the German Border at Kaiserstuhl, then head along the border to Glattfelden and then follow the River Glatt back to Zürich.

I set out and found very soon that it was very windy. The ride out was pretty tough, There are a lot of short steep up hill parts and they are all quite exposed. Coming down the other side should be fun, but that was into the wind which was trying it’s best to push me back up the hill. I got to the border though and easily found the cycle route to Glattfelden. This wasn’r As pretty as I expected, just a lot of quarries.

On reaching Glattfelden I turned onto the cycle path and stayed on it all the way back to Obfelden. Here I changed route and joined the road. The cycle path goes all the way home but it’s gravel shortly after that point and I didn’t fancy it.

I didn’t know the road route but as I was trying to get to the airport and you can always see planes coming in to land, it was fairly easy.

I finally got to the airport and followed the main road home from there.

Not a particularly long ride, but the first half was tough and tired me out for the rest! The bit along the River Glatt was nice though. Another one to try again in Summer.

60kms - No pictures today, but here’s the map.

 

[colly]

8 of 100

Out into a cold, sunny, windy morning. Again not so very far but other things are lined up for today.

A ride through cross Gates and Scholes, back down the A64 to Seacroft and down the inappropriately named South Parkway and home.

9.8 miles and 576 ft of up.


View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/32520803

 

[Dave 123]

Out on the tandem today.

The wind coming from the usual south west, but I fancied a little change from Waresley GC...

So we went down the A1198 towards Wimpole. Old Wimpole hill or Arrington gate was the question.... Arrington gate was our answer. Wrong answer!

The drive through the Wimpole estate had been dug up in sections, add in some massive puddles, cow sh1t , cattle grids and junior park run meant a not so smooth ride!

We stopped at the stables for Jo to powder her wotsit

On we went through Orwell and up over the long side of Barrington hill. Down to Haslingfield and a stop at the Moringa Tree cafe. Nice coffee was drunk in the sunshine by the church wall

On through Harlton and the Eversdens, where a buzzard flew along with us for 100 yards or so.

Home with a tailwind from Toft.
25 miles, sunny and breezy.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2219316237

 

[gavgav]

What a waste of time that was.

I’d ummed and ahhhd all morning as to whether to risk a ride, wanted to get my challenge ride in for March, but there were some big black clouds about, which hadn’t amounted to much really, so I decided to risk it.

Set off through the estate, with the strong bitterly cold wind behind me, turned onto the old railway path and it started to absolutely bucket down with hail, to the point where about a centimetre of the stuff was lying on the ground.

Sod that for a game of Soldiers, turned round and battled against the astonishingly freezing wind and hail to get back home absolutely drenched and frozen. My face hurts!

2.1 miles which will be erased from my memory quick smart

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

What a waste of time that was.

I’d ummed and ahhhd all morning as to whether to risk a ride, wanted to get my challenge ride in for March, but there were some big black clouds about, which hadn’t amounted to much really, so I decided to risk it.

Set off through the estate, with the strong bitterly cold wind behind me, turned onto the old railway path and it started to absolutely bucket down with hail, to the point where about a centimetre of the stuff was lying on the ground.

Sod that for a game of Soldiers, turned round and battled against the astonishingly freezing wind and hail to get back home absolutely drenched and frozen. My face hurts!

2.1 miles which will be erased from my memory quick smart

A like for trying anyhow.

 

[13 rider]

Out on a ride today I spied a tandem in the distance thinking it could be @Dave 123 relations who live nearby and I have met breifly I chased them down only to discover it wasn't them . However I did discover tandems make good wind breaks into a headwind . Shortly afterwards a work colleague and friend were stopped at the side of the road having a quick break . Stopped for a chat were all complaining about a headwind and yet were travelling in opposite directions it was one of those days .Managed to get my Marchs metric century in 62.3 miles
.

 

[Dark46]

On Friday morning Wayne arrived about 09:30 and we decided to go towards Staverton airport.

So we headed out of the estate where I live and straight away Wayne turned into me as he thought we were going left but we were going right as Naas Lane was closed. So much for a good start, but no worries just clash of bars.

It was a good job as I led from then as apparently Wayne didn't know his way through the estates and out towards the Gloucester Business Park out on J11A.

The wind was horrible (really bad) , it didnt matter which we turned it was in our face, or so it seemed.

When Wayne got in front on the inclines the pace seemed to be really quick compared to what I've been doing recently, Wayne is a little bit of a racing snake compared to my hippo silhouette.

We really notice the wind once we got out the burbs and into the countryside.
The bike felt really good and my legs didn't feel too bad as I've already done more miles this year than in the whole of last year.

The last few inclines going up to Staverton were tough for me with a headwind and the fact I had slightly lost touch with Wayne but I know a rest was coming up. At this point we had done 13 miles and never without the wind.

Who knows what was going on at the airport (never managed to find out) as there were people everywhere with cameras. In all the years I have been delivering and as a customer here I've never seen the car park so full. The Aviator cafe must have been rubbing their hands together as it was a tad on the cold side. I still wanted to sit outside with the bikes , I didnt want to go in the warmth of the cafe and then get a nasty shock we coming back out to the bikes.

After the break for a black coffee for me and a Torque bar( other bars are available ) we set off just as it started to rain, but it didn't amount to much . Not that I can say for the wind which just seemed never to leave us alone. I may have mentioned it once

We headed towards the A38 and Norton
and then heading south towards Gloucester. We the headed toward St Oswald's and then down Bristol Road just to miss the dual carriageway and the heavy wind.

At the end it was just over 23 miles and just glad the ride was over because of the wind but it was really enjoyable.

 

[cyberknight]

VM club ride
two groups that met at the cake stop , felt like a bag of bolts all day tbh and struggled to hold the wheel, then hiding from a hail storm on the way home.

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'></iframe>

 

[Shearwater Missile]

After deciding not to go out in yesterdays wind I thought that I`d go this morning as it looked quite nice out. Wrong ! Whilst it promised to be sunny the clouds soon appeared and kept the temperature down with a windchill of about 3 degrees, windspeed 21mph from the west. Yesterday it was 28-30mph but oddly felt milder. Anyway, I ventured out on my hilly route and thought I`d play the wind at it`s own game and cycle the route in reverse. Of course where I usually pick up a tail wind I had a head wind and vice versa, still it changed the ride. Leaving Stowmarket to Stowupland, Old Newton and Haughley and then to Woolpit Green and Rattlesden and onto Buxhall. The last part was back past Stow Golf Club and on to Combs and then to home. 23.8 miles and 1276 feet of climbing according to gmap as I don`t do Strava. Average spd 16.6 mph so at least quicker than Friday on the same route clockwise. When will the wind ease for a good ride again ?

 

[8mph]

91 miles today. Started off at 6.30 am and by lunchtime every mile felt like a huge effort. Had a nap in a bus stop, which seems to be a perfectly acceptable thing to do here in India. Had a second snooze at about 5 and arrived in Ratlan at 8pm.
250 miles to go till Pushkar where I plan to take 3 or 4 days off at last.

 

[Mike_P]

Another shopping trip to Lidl on the ebike although went the long way round, firstly direct to the top of Harlow Hill and then dropped down to the Showground trying to use as many cycle ways as possible; the first was closed part of the way along due to, surprise, surprise, a new housing development although this one at least was not on farmland having previously been a BT depot. So an unexpected loop to pick up another cycle route and which looking at the map below I could have joined earlier.

Back on road I think I missed a sign and consequently had to turn right on a busy A61 rather than I presume joining it from the next road south and hence turning left onto it. So a left turn into Fulwith Mill Lane which is occupied by most of the most expensive houses in town, seemingly all accessed by electric gates and each with a forest of security cameras.

Back on a cycle way this one was definitely not road bike territory having three quite colossal speed bumps on the initial access drive section and then turned to compacted soil with odd bits of gravel crossing the railway. It ended as a T junction with a road and no dropped kerb.

Quickly onto a properly tarmacked cycle path the showground was busy with cars parking for some event or other. Then looped north to Forest Lane Head, the initial gentle curve on the map shows the old railway line origins of Railway Road (clue in there) while the cycleway beyond the A661 seems largely to be adjacent to rather than on the railway route.

Down the A59 to High Bridge over the Nidd in my fastest ever time - trying to work that one out as the motor was dead and the pedals had maxed out so maybe it was the westerly. Went directly along a very quite Knaresborough High Street, and amongst the purchases was a pack of five ratchet spanners (8,10,13,14,17mm) for I think £7.99, receipt seems have gone walkies.

Returned the long way round to High Bridge alongside the Nidd and then direct back via the Beryl Burton cycle wall, passing a bike being walked up it, and Bilton Lane with the westerly hampering progress.
18.26miles 1271 ebike ft

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Mrs 26 wanted an outing. That wind was cold tho'. We headed off on the circuit of the Hills. Shelter wasn't too bad but it was difficult to keep warm. We finished off over the Hollybush lane climb for a rapid descent over the common. Not an easy one this one due to the wind chill. Anyway Mrs 26 exercise duty done. 37 smiles.

 

[Stonechat]

Club run today and for a change weather ok, so off to Billingbear golf club.

Really hard ride out against the wind, still quite strong, but not crazy like a yesterday and before.

Nearly there when one of our party had a puncture, despite having gatorskins.
New innertube in, and it had a puncture too!
We were all throughly cold, and glad of something to eat and a hot drink at the golf club.

On the return, our leader seemed to be trying to find a new way. However eventually got back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2219768407/segments/56070662393
43 miles and only 14.5 mph, the wind never fully helped us as much as we hoped on the return
1250 ft climbed

 

[Edwardoka]

Second ride of the year for me today, 15mph tailwind for the outbound leg and headwind with showers of hail and heavy rain on the return leg.
Back on the Triban after a long hiatus, up to Eaglesham and across to Strathaven and back. 37.4 miles in 3:01 and 621m of up.

Immediately thought that turbo trainers really flatter to deceive, as I was struggling badly. It was only when the hail started after the turn that I discovered that my brakes had been rubbing the entire time.

I'm still fat, slow and unfit, and really can't blame the brakes for my climbing performance, but I'll take any excuse!