Your ride today....

[Rickshaw Phil]

Reminds me of that enormous tractor and trailer on our last ride but one.

I honestly thought you'd be scraping me off the road and trying to contact my next of kin.

Yes, indeed. That was quite scary. Not the best advert for the pleasures of riding in Shropshire.

 

[13 rider]

I do really enjoy your write ups @footloose crow . Good luck for the opp and wishing you a speedy recovery

 

[Pale Rider]

Yes, indeed. That was quite scary. Not the best advert for the pleasures of riding in Shropshire.

I could have been accused of pulling out in front of the tractor, having not grasped it was one of those 40mph ones.

But he didn't have to brake as there was nothing coming the other way, and he had the time to deliberately aim at me to teach me a lesson.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

3 March. Off to see The Lizard

I am not superstitious but I never like to see single magpies when I am setting off on a journey. It unsettles me and maybe that is how the 'bad things' works.... when you convince yourself that badness awaits, it probably does. Self fulfilling prophecy. Today is not going well so far. I have forgotten my helmet. I am wearing the wrong glasses and I cannot easily see the Wahoo or indeed where I am going. The bike is making noises; clicks and groans, and the brakes won't settle. I don't feel right today. It is the first long ride since December because of illness and holidays and 'stuff', mainly stuff, and tomorrow I have to have my gall bladder removed and I have just found out that it will be four weeks before I can cycle again. Today is the only day I can do a 50k+ ride in all of March but luckily the wind has dropped to gale force and the sky is a particularly cool blue. Too cool really and I am am not wearing the right clothes. Everything feels wrong.

I am trying to get a rhythm but the lack of cycling is showing and the thighs are hurting and the calves have joined in. Maybe a day at the climbing wall yesterday was a poor decision - shoulders and forearms are sore too.

I have a plan though. Start at Stithians lake and avoid the long drag out of Truro and that gets me a 45 mile route to the Lizard Point and back via the creeks and inlets of the Helford River and estuary. I have been planning this route for a long time but I wish I had looked at it last night and maybe would have been prepared for the amount of up and down. I can't tell you much about the first five miles as I have my head down, fighting the headwind and hills. I have heard cyclists discussing whether headwinds are worse than hills - come to Cornwall and you can have both.

The lane narrows between tall granite walls. I can see a white Range Rover approaching but I will enter the narrow section first so its my right of way. If I was feeling less grumpy I would have stopped but I didn't. And neither did the Range Rover. How could it stay so white on these dirty lanes? And why was it accelerating towards me. I mouth words like 'slow down'. It passes a few inches from my right knee as my left knees brushes the heather growing out of the wall. I am too shocked to stop. I get a glimpse of her face as she passes, determined, straight ahead gaze, hands firmly on the wheel. I had a text from my niece in London saying supermarket shelves are emptying - perhaps this lady has 'corona-panic'. It is highly infectious. She is rushing to get the last tin of beans.

Rolling on, heart still racing, running over what I should have said to the Range Rover driver and for the first time today I can see that the sky is looking good. After days of rain and low grey cloud there is a view. I stop to admire it and get my head together. I am supposed to be enjoying this. It isn't a race. Slow down Crowboy and look at the countryside.

View attachment 506868

The lanes descend from here, a long downhill to the creekside village of Gweek and I recover my breath. Some sections are steep, broken tarmac and long potholes after the winter rains, thin skeins of gravel ready to catch the unwary and if anyone could be described as unwary, it is me. 'Concentrate' I mutter and I do until another thought enters my head and I daydream again. I used to have this problem driving too. I think it was why I failed my test so often.

View attachment 506873

Gweek is one of my favourite places. I like the way the small stream valley I have been following suddenly becomes an estuary, lined with boatyards, full of over wintering yachts. The tide is out and all along the river edge, sagging off green and seaweed covered mooring ropes are old wooden yachts, waiting for the tide to return and bring them up and level again. It is best to keep wooden boats in the water all winter or the wood dries out, cracks open and the boat will sink when it is launched in the spring. Some of the boats have been there for years, slowly rotting.

The lane heads uphill now, quite steeply, and I have a dustbin lorry following me up the hill. It makes me cycle faster, too fast. My breath gets shorter and I frantically pull at my zip to get some cooling air on my chest. I cannot stop as the lane is too narrow for the lorry to pass. Eventually there is enough space to get past and with a long blow on the horn it passes me, showering me in a fine spray of road mud and puddles. I have to stop, chest heaving.

Wahoo says go left. I look at the slope with dismay and sure enough it turns out to be 20%. It takes me onto a high lane that follows the estuary, dropping down to cross side creeks and then pulling uphill again. It is wooded and pretty and the views between the trees across the water and the hills beyond are enchanting but I wish it was flatter.

View attachment 506869

Once on the Lizard I have my wish. The Lizard peninsula is flat topped except where rivers have carved steep ravines down to the small fishing villages. I can see for miles across the gorse and heather moors to the space age bowls of Goonhilly. They are tracking the satellites that are currently tracking me. The contrast is stark between the ancient rocks of the Lizard and the largely medieval farmscape with the high tech dreams Cornwall has of making this the UK space hub. It is flat though and the wind is behind me and again I feel that I can enjoy this ride.

View attachment 506870

The remaining five miles to Lizard village pass quickly and then I can see a ribbon of sea beyond the fields, with ships passing. The lighthouse is closed today. It offers visitors a chance to blow the foghorn. That must be popular with residents in the village. For a moment here I am the most southerly cyclist in Britain. Apart from anyone on Scilly or the Channel Islands.

View attachment 506871

An alternative to LEJOG. The most southerly point to the most northerly? I think it's Cape Wrath. Fewer crowds, different roads. No one is here today. I saw a pasty shop in the village and I cycle back there. I am not supposed to have fat whilst waiting for the gall bladder to be removed but I am hungry and the biscuits I have packed will not compete with a proper pasty, warm and fresh.

'It's the most southerly pasty shop in Cornwall', I am told by the lady inside.

'You mean Britain?'. Always the geography teacher.

No' she scoffs, 'there ain't no pasties worth having beyond the Tamar'.

View attachment 506872

Now back north, but against the wind, on the same roads I breezed along in the opposite direction just a half hour ago. I try to stay on the big ring but my speed drops from 20mph to 14mph. A diversion offers itself from this exposed and straight road and I dive down into the seaside village of Mullion, quiet still until Easter, shops closed, streets empty. It is uphill again after a helter skelter descent to the beach. A quick pause to photograph the waves. Really it is a pause to get ready for the hairpins I can see up the steep hill above. It is as steep as it looks and I stop at the top to get my breathing under control again.

View attachment 506874

Wahoo takes me away from the main road now and along a broken lane that dips and rises as it follows the coast. My teeth chatter with the vibration from the road. I have to brake cautiously going downhill as I cannot see what is around the bend and the middle of the road has a bank of sand and gravel a foot high, potholes have joined forces and now offer a continuous ditch through the asphalt.. As for the uphill, suffice to say that I have to stop when Wahoo says it is 22%.

Now it is past Culdrose Naval Air Station as I join the main road again. Helicopters doing circuits. I guess new pilots being trained. I would hate to have to land one of those on a moving ship at night. Faster here and a cycle track alongside the road.

Through Helston, trying to get used to traffic and suddenly I am out of Helston and on another country lane, hedge trimmed, granite walls, views across fields to old engine houses and in the distance the shimmering band of sea, Mounts Bay. I am really enjoying this ride now despite aching thighs. The pasty has kicked in and fresh energy takes me along a rising road, nothing too steep, just height gained slowly with no downhills. Up onto the moors of West Penwith, the gorse bursting out into yellow flowers, waving in the wind.

View attachment 506875

It has been a long time since I did a ride this long and I am more tired than usual. It makes me appreciate how important it is to get those winter miles in regularly, rather than sporadically. Since the 1 Jan I have done only only half the miles I managed in December. And now I have to wait for four weeks to begin the training again. Still spring is here in Cornwall although it is still cold. Maybe no more storms? I will just have to begin again in April. At this point in my musings I see two magpies watching me from the hedge, heads cocked, their unfathomable eyes gazing first from one side and then the other. Two magpies. Thats better.

The end comes quickly and the Stithians lake shines in the weak sunshine as I descend towards it. I lean the bike against the van and watch the clouds. The wind has dropped for the first time in weeks. I can feel optimism bubbling through. Time to head home for that hot shower.

View attachment 506881

A great write up as ever. I hope the op tomorrow will be a great success.

 

[Pale Rider]

A great write up as ever. I hope the op tomorrow will be a great success.

Agreed, and a nicely colour coordinated Cube bike as well.

 

[Mrs M]

3 March. Off to see The Lizard

I am not superstitious but I never like to see single magpies when I am setting off on a journey. It unsettles me and maybe that is how the 'bad things' works.... when you convince yourself that badness awaits, it probably does. Self fulfilling prophecy. Today is not going well so far. I have forgotten my helmet. I am wearing the wrong glasses and I cannot easily see the Wahoo or indeed where I am going. The bike is making noises; clicks and groans, and the brakes won't settle. I don't feel right today. It is the first long ride since December because of illness and holidays and 'stuff', mainly stuff, and tomorrow I have to have my gall bladder removed and I have just found out that it will be four weeks before I can cycle again. Today is the only day I can do a 50k+ ride in all of March but luckily the wind has dropped to gale force and the sky is a particularly cool blue. Too cool really and I am am not wearing the right clothes. Everything feels wrong.

I am trying to get a rhythm but the lack of cycling is showing and the thighs are hurting and the calves have joined in. Maybe a day at the climbing wall yesterday was a poor decision - shoulders and forearms are sore too.

I have a plan though. Start at Stithians lake and avoid the long drag out of Truro and that gets me a 45 mile route to the Lizard Point and back via the creeks and inlets of the Helford River and estuary. I have been planning this route for a long time but I wish I had looked at it last night and maybe would have been prepared for the amount of up and down. I can't tell you much about the first five miles as I have my head down, fighting the headwind and hills. I have heard cyclists discussing whether headwinds are worse than hills - come to Cornwall and you can have both.

The lane narrows between tall granite walls. I can see a white Range Rover approaching but I will enter the narrow section first so its my right of way. If I was feeling less grumpy I would have stopped but I didn't. And neither did the Range Rover. How could it stay so white on these dirty lanes? And why was it accelerating towards me. I mouth words like 'slow down'. It passes a few inches from my right knee as my left knees brushes the heather growing out of the wall. I am too shocked to stop. I get a glimpse of her face as she passes, determined, straight ahead gaze, hands firmly on the wheel. I had a text from my niece in London saying supermarket shelves are emptying - perhaps this lady has 'corona-panic'. It is highly infectious. She is rushing to get the last tin of beans.

Rolling on, heart still racing, running over what I should have said to the Range Rover driver and for the first time today I can see that the sky is looking good. After days of rain and low grey cloud there is a view. I stop to admire it and get my head together. I am supposed to be enjoying this. It isn't a race. Slow down Crowboy and look at the countryside.

View attachment 506868

The lanes descend from here, a long downhill to the creekside village of Gweek and I recover my breath. Some sections are steep, broken tarmac and long potholes after the winter rains, thin skeins of gravel ready to catch the unwary and if anyone could be described as unwary, it is me. 'Concentrate' I mutter and I do until another thought enters my head and I daydream again. I used to have this problem driving too. I think it was why I failed my test so often.

View attachment 506873

Gweek is one of my favourite places. I like the way the small stream valley I have been following suddenly becomes an estuary, lined with boatyards, full of over wintering yachts. The tide is out and all along the river edge, sagging off green and seaweed covered mooring ropes are old wooden yachts, waiting for the tide to return and bring them up and level again. It is best to keep wooden boats in the water all winter or the wood dries out, cracks open and the boat will sink when it is launched in the spring. Some of the boats have been there for years, slowly rotting.

The lane heads uphill now, quite steeply, and I have a dustbin lorry following me up the hill. It makes me cycle faster, too fast. My breath gets shorter and I frantically pull at my zip to get some cooling air on my chest. I cannot stop as the lane is too narrow for the lorry to pass. Eventually there is enough space to get past and with a long blow on the horn it passes me, showering me in a fine spray of road mud and puddles. I have to stop, chest heaving.

Wahoo says go left. I look at the slope with dismay and sure enough it turns out to be 20%. It takes me onto a high lane that follows the estuary, dropping down to cross side creeks and then pulling uphill again. It is wooded and pretty and the views between the trees across the water and the hills beyond are enchanting but I wish it was flatter.

View attachment 506869

Once on the Lizard I have my wish. The Lizard peninsula is flat topped except where rivers have carved steep ravines down to the small fishing villages. I can see for miles across the gorse and heather moors to the space age bowls of Goonhilly. They are tracking the satellites that are currently tracking me. The contrast is stark between the ancient rocks of the Lizard and the largely medieval farmscape with the high tech dreams Cornwall has of making this the UK space hub. It is flat though and the wind is behind me and again I feel that I can enjoy this ride.

View attachment 506870

The remaining five miles to Lizard village pass quickly and then I can see a ribbon of sea beyond the fields, with ships passing. The lighthouse is closed today. It offers visitors a chance to blow the foghorn. That must be popular with residents in the village. For a moment here I am the most southerly cyclist in Britain. Apart from anyone on Scilly or the Channel Islands.

View attachment 506871

An alternative to LEJOG. The most southerly point to the most northerly? I think it's Cape Wrath. Fewer crowds, different roads. No one is here today. I saw a pasty shop in the village and I cycle back there. I am not supposed to have fat whilst waiting for the gall bladder to be removed but I am hungry and the biscuits I have packed will not compete with a proper pasty, warm and fresh.

'It's the most southerly pasty shop in Cornwall', I am told by the lady inside.

'You mean Britain?'. Always the geography teacher.

No' she scoffs, 'there ain't no pasties worth having beyond the Tamar'.

View attachment 506872

Now back north, but against the wind, on the same roads I breezed along in the opposite direction just a half hour ago. I try to stay on the big ring but my speed drops from 20mph to 14mph. A diversion offers itself from this exposed and straight road and I dive down into the seaside village of Mullion, quiet still until Easter, shops closed, streets empty. It is uphill again after a helter skelter descent to the beach. A quick pause to photograph the waves. Really it is a pause to get ready for the hairpins I can see up the steep hill above. It is as steep as it looks and I stop at the top to get my breathing under control again.

View attachment 506874

Wahoo takes me away from the main road now and along a broken lane that dips and rises as it follows the coast. My teeth chatter with the vibration from the road. I have to brake cautiously going downhill as I cannot see what is around the bend and the middle of the road has a bank of sand and gravel a foot high, potholes have joined forces and now offer a continuous ditch through the asphalt.. As for the uphill, suffice to say that I have to stop when Wahoo says it is 22%.

Now it is past Culdrose Naval Air Station as I join the main road again. Helicopters doing circuits. I guess new pilots being trained. I would hate to have to land one of those on a moving ship at night. Faster here and a cycle track alongside the road.

Through Helston, trying to get used to traffic and suddenly I am out of Helston and on another country lane, hedge trimmed, granite walls, views across fields to old engine houses and in the distance the shimmering band of sea, Mounts Bay. I am really enjoying this ride now despite aching thighs. The pasty has kicked in and fresh energy takes me along a rising road, nothing too steep, just height gained slowly with no downhills. Up onto the moors of West Penwith, the gorse bursting out into yellow flowers, waving in the wind.

View attachment 506875

It has been a long time since I did a ride this long and I am more tired than usual. It makes me appreciate how important it is to get those winter miles in regularly, rather than sporadically. Since the 1 Jan I have done only only half the miles I managed in December. And now I have to wait for four weeks to begin the training again. Still spring is here in Cornwall although it is still cold. Maybe no more storms? I will just have to begin again in April. At this point in my musings I see two magpies watching me from the hedge, heads cocked, their unfathomable eyes gazing first from one side and then the other. Two magpies. Thats better.

The end comes quickly and the Stithians lake shines in the weak sunshine as I descend towards it. I lean the bike against the van and watch the clouds. The wind has dropped for the first time in weeks. I can feel optimism bubbling through. Time to head home for that hot shower.

View attachment 506881

Great write up.
Love your bike too.
Best wishes xx

 

[pjd57]

Spring has arrived.

Went across the Clyde to Barrhead to meet my mate this morning.
We headed to Lugton in East Ayrshire then on to Lochwinnoch. Coffee stop at the visitor centre then along the NCR route to Paisley.
Renfrew, Clyde Tunnel and a loop round the west end and home along the Kelvin.

Best run of the year so far.

 

[Jenkins]

A bit late with the write-up, but having Monday off work meant I had time to get out for one of the monthly challenge rides. After a short shopping trip into Felixstowe in the morning, I finally got out properly a little later than planned - especially as I'd still need to have a rest, shave & shower before heading out to Norwich Arts Centre in the evening.

It started out as so many others have this year - cloudy and dull - but at least the winds were a bit lighter. The first twenty miles consisted of my usual route out to Stutton, the other side of Alton Water, but instead of carrying on to Brantham & East Bergholt, I turned off and cut across the reservoir at Tattingstine where it was evident how much the levels have been returned to normal after the wet winter- no banks visible.

From there I joined the A137 to the Bentley turn off and along a little back road that eventually brought me out alongside the A12 at Capel St. Mary. It was along this back road that the sun finaly made an appearance...

Cutting under the A12 and back along a cycle track the other side, eventually brought me out int Washbrook and then Sproughton and carrying on into Bramford for a quick check of the river levels along Paper Mill Lane (on a par with the worst back in December)

Having made good time and with the sunshine continuing, I made the decision to extend the ride a bit so that the planned imperial 50 became the metric 100 by heading home via Westerfield, Rushmere St. Andrew and a Foxhall instead of the more direct route. In the end a total of just under 63 miles and I still made the Marika Hackman gig. One final picture showing yet more evidence of the mild winter - berries in Bentley Church grounds

https://www.strava.com/activities/3147913706

 

[ianbarton]

3 March. Off to see The Lizard

I am not superstitious but I never like to see single magpies when I am setting off on a journey. It unsettles me and maybe that is how the 'bad things' works.... when you convince yourself that badness awaits, it probably does. Self fulfilling prophecy. Today is not going well so far. I have forgotten my helmet. I am wearing the wrong glasses and I

A bit of old country lore. If you say "Good morning kind Sir", it negates the evil presence of a single Magpie. Of course, I don't believe in this gobbledegook, so I have to mutter it under my breath.

 

[EltonFrog]

A utility ride to the shops today, rain was forecast, so hybrid ride, except it had a flat. I was going to use the new Domane, but I didn’t fancy that for shopping so I got out the Dawes Kingpin, put a bit of air in the tyres, and off I went, first outing for the KP this year as the ground was mostly dry and there was a bit of sun. Just the normal route out and a slight detour back to make it more interesting. 7.08 miles . Started to rain as I got home.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Rain was forecast for the day so I took the chance to get out before it was due to arrive. Lyth Hill, Condover, Atcham, Upton Magna, Uffington and back via the town centre this time.

Pretty straightforward at the start and the main road was quiet when I needed to cross it. Climbing out of the dip near Allfield I came up behind another rider and we chatted for a bit - he's 81 and still getting regular rides in.

It was the shorter but hillier way to Atcham as the road from Cross Houses was still flooded this morning, then after crossing the river on the old bridge I took the scenic detour through Attingham Park where a coach driver was finding the car park difficult to negotiate in his size of vehicle.

Getting into town I bypassed Sydney Avenue as the closure signs are still up but from the other end it appears I could have ridden it without getting the tyres wet. The towpath by the weir though is still well under water so I went past the old gaol, along Smithfield Road and into the Quarry instead. Victoria Avenue is clear but there is standing water in places which show how bad it's been

Crossing from St. Julian's Friars to Longden Coleham the clean up continues with sandbags still in evidence and skips in the parking bays. I took the quieter but longer way out of town via Betton Street.

The forecast rain started lightly while I was in Coleham but stayed light until I was home..

21.8 miles at 12.3 mph average.

At Atcham the flood water has greatly receded but isn't gone yet. The met office forecast shows more rain in mid Wales over the next few days.

In Shrewsbury the water level is only just below the function room at The Boathouse. A few days ago it was inside it.

The Pengwern Boat Club has a tidemark on the walls giving an idea of how much higher the water has been.

Looking to Town Walls and Shrewsbury Cathedral - there is still quite a bit of standing water to drain away by the tennis club.

Signs of the ongoing clean up in St. Julian's Friars.

At Meole Brace; I'll leave others to tackle the underpass.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

The forecast said a chance of rain to the south so I headed north for the dry. I took my usual route to avoid Worcester traffic. The lane at Bransford still has puddles from recent floods but they were no obstacle today. On by Wichenford I missed my turn at Ockeridge but realised quite quickly. I climbed along Camp Lane to go down and up at Abberley. Just the run along the lane left before the drop into Stourport. I thought I was avoiding the wet today but Mr Damp had shown up a few miles earlier. I decided a quick bite to eat would be sensible so I visited the cafe at the canal basin.
Onward I took to the sandy lanes. They are no where as sandy as they used to be. However the lane at the River end is in a dreadful state now. Unrideable. I climbed away from the River which is still very high. Back into the lanes I went by Martley and on to Knightwick to climb away from the Teme. Just the usual run back left now to complete a fairly pleasant ride despite Mr Damp's puny attempts to spoil things. 57 smiles

 

[Donger]

"28% chance of light rain" said the BBC weather forecast of the two hour period we were set to ride. Odd, then, how it rained 100% of the time we were out. Cold, cold rain. Never mind, still managed an enjoyable 29 mile ride in the good company of @Dark46 and our mutual friend Claire. After warming up in the cafe at Saul Marina, it was a bit of a shock to have to put cold, wet hat and gloves back on and hit the road again in the still cold rain. The bike that I'd pressure washed just yesterday was filthy again by the time I turned off into my own road and said my goodbyes. As Claire and @Dark46 rode off, I was treated to the sight of muddy brown stripes up the back of their kit. You could have grown seeds on the back of their jackets the mud was so thick.
Cheers, Donger.
(P.s. Good luck with your operation @.footloose crow. I shall miss your ride reports. You really should save them up and write a book)

 

[Ashimoto]

Got out for a nice 14 mile ride today. Weather settled slightly so quite a nice ride. No strong winds.

 

[snorri]

Out for a run round a regular circuit today, nearing home on a narrow road just wide enough for two cars to squeeze past, when I saw a woman with a dog ahead of me and walking in the same direction in the middle of the road. I always find myself in a bit of dilemma in this situation. Do I ring my bell once from a good distance so as not to alarm the pedestrian? Or leave it until I am closer when I might scare them but know that they will hear the bell? Or do I reduce speed and pass silently, but on which side do I pass?
Anyway, today i rang my bell from a distance but got no response from the pedestrian, rang again when quite close, but again no response. I adjusted speed and positioned myself to pass with a good margin of safety, Just as I passed her the pedestrian said "Oh!" so obviously got a bit of fright, then said "Ah, it was you that was ringing the bell"
I gave a friendly wave and said yes.