Your ride today....

[colly]

Another early spin out to finish the year off. About 16 miles in all but done without electronics so no map.

Total for the year is 1590 miles. Which is pretty modest all in all but I am happy with it. NEXT year however should see the miles increase due to me stepping away from work. I did sort of semi retire a couple of years ago but in all honesty it's seemed no different. Later starts and earlier finishes and a few days off here and there but that's about it.

2020 will see a deliberate scaling down on the work front. I can't afford to kick it into touch completely but I'm OK doing a few smaller jobs here and there just to bring a bit extra in.

 

[Old jon]

Another cold one. The barometer is on the ‘r’ in ‘Fair’ instead of the ‘R’ in ‘Rain’, a very unusual thing to see around here. And of course a clear sky in December is almost a guarantee of a cold day. So why was I so surprised that it was cold? Pedalled away in about two degrees, almost shivering.

Warmed up in a few yards and started revising route options when I saw the first frozen puddle. Thought it might be a good idea to stick to the roads more likely to have been gritted. Not much traffic about anyway so wander through Holbeck and decide to ride away through Hunslet, up to John o’ Gaunts and down to the Oulton roundabout. Once the garthing puts a red line on it that is an oddly straight stretch of road, hmmm, do we credit the Romans I wonder? As long as they don’t present a bill they can brag all they want. Anyway, turn right at the roundabout.



Ride through the middle of Rothwell and straight on to Robin Hood. At the traffic lights there, the Halfway House is still a pub, it seems, carry to Thorpe on the Hill. It is on the hill too. Very noticeable on the fixed. Another right turn, still on the A654 out of Rothwell, and ride round the edges of Middleton for a while. It feels colder, right turn and find the Ring Road. Probably the biggest descent of the ride down to the Tommy Wass ( another surviving pub ) and turn right for the last stretch to home.

Fourteen and a bit miles which takes the years’ total to 3030 miles. I don’t often think of targets but some time earlier this month three thousand became one, when I saw how close I was.

And that oddly straight stretch . . .

 

[derrick]

Last ride of the year. 8 of us ventured out. A few turned back at the halfway point or just before. A bit nippy first thing. But had a bit of drizzle for the last 14 miles. Great ride with good company.
Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/kxQi3IW2R2

 

[roubaixtuesday]

First proper ride for a couple of months after being laid low with flu which floored me for weeks.

Managed 40 very slow but most enjoyable miles including over 1000m climbing, albeit carefully designed to avoid any steep gradients. Rather nippy and pretty windy on the tops too - hands kept warm with electric heated gloves and feet just about with waterproof socks over the top of thick socks (experimenting without over shoes). Also got stares from all the passing roadies by wearing a woolly hat rather than a helmet. Far more practical in the depths of winter IMO.

Now absolutely drained, but happy.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Last ride of the year turned out to be quite a pleasant one albeit over my well cycled route which I`ve pretty well kept to over the last half a dozen outings, just tinkering with changes here and there trying to keep clean. It felt a bit cooler than the temperature the car told me this morning (10 degrees) would suggest, due to the 11 mph ESE wind no doubt. Still, the sun was out (most of the time) there were not too many vehicles about. Even the two DPD delivery vans I saw were driving sensibly, hats off to them I say. I saw a couple of kestrels and one wren and that was about all. The ride was 23.9 miles at 17.4 mph average with 748 ft of climbing.
Although I had not set a target for the year, it was only at the beginning of December I set 3500 miles, well today I reached 3612.3 which is the most I have ever done in a year. I won`t set one again next year. I will just see what happens.
Happy New Year to all of you out there and happy cycling.

 

[Donger]

There’s nothing spectacular to note about the ride or the route- it was all familiar territory with little peel offs to grab squares and so this write-up will be concise but I will say the weather was lovely when the sun came out which did make everything so much more pleasant!

44.7 miles today.



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Looks familiar. Would that be Castle Mills near Castle Donnington? If so, my father-in-law grew up in the cottage at the far right end of that terrace (now a hotel).

 

[Noodle Legs]

Looks familiar. Would that be Castle Mills near Castle Donnington? If so, my father-in-law grew up in the cottage at the far right end of that terrace (now a hotel).

It’s the priest house hotel nowadays, perhaps it used to be called that, I don’t know.

 

[13 rider]

Looks familiar. Would that be Castle Mills near Castle Donnington? If so, my father-in-law grew up in the cottage at the far right end of that terrace (now a hotel).

I think it is the place your thinking off but I know it as King Mills

 

[Donger]

It’s the priest house hotel nowadays, perhaps it used to be called that, I don’t know.

That's the badger. You and @13 rider are both right. Mrs Donger says it was Kings Mills and is now the Priest House. A bit of a poignant spot for my father-in-law as that was where his little sister drowned back in the 1930s. Still upset him even in his 80s, but he loved to go back there anyway. I have no connection to the area whatsoever, and have only ever been there twice, so curious how I recognised it instantly from your photo.

 

[Basil.B]

25 miles done and dusted this morning.
Sun made a brief appearance when I got the bike out of the garage.
But soon disappeared, so dull as ditchwater on my ride.

 

[pawl]

I think it is the place your thinking off but I know it as King Mills

So do I.Used to be a regular venue for Loughborough CTC summer evening rides.
Went fishing there in the winter The local rivers and canal were all frozen up The river near Kings Mill remained free of ice as water was warmer due to the Castle Donnington power station cooling tower water flowing back into the river.

 

[geocycle]

Happy new year! First ride of the year taking advantage of some decent weather. Lovely ride through Trough of Bowland. Took a flask and Christmas cake which I ate at the shepherds church, Nether Wyresdale.

 

[Noodle Legs]

It’

So do I.Used to be a regular venue for Loughborough CTC summer evening rides.
Went fishing there in the winter The local rivers and canal were all frozen up The river near Kings Mill remained free of ice as water was warmer due to the Castle Donnington power station cooling tower water flowing back into the river.

That’s the River Trent, which forms the county boundary. Across the river is Derbyshire.

 

[13 rider]

So do I.Used to be a regular venue for Loughborough CTC summer evening rides.
Went fishing there in the winter The local rivers and canal were all frozen up The river near Kings Mill remained free of ice as water was warmer due to the Castle Donnington power station cooling tower water flowing back into the river.

A few years ago as Castle Donnington power station no longer exists . Funnily enough was talking to @Supersuperleeds on today's ride about fishing opposite the priest house and the nice warm water in the Trent

 

[ruffers]

Happy new year! First ride of the year taking advantage of some decent weather. Lovely ride through Trough of Bowland. Took a flask and Christmas cake which I ate at the shepherds church, Nether Wyresdale.


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Nice pics, flask and Xmas cake sounds bliss. What bike is that? Really nice setup