Your ride today....

[Landsurfer]

Rode from Aldi at Eastwood Rotherham along the Canal to Parsons cross / Chapeltown with a short diversion into the Oasis at Medowhell.
The Oasis was like a filum set .... not a sole ...apart from me and the security guards that came running up behind me .... the click click of my cleats was a giveaway, to tell me bikes are banned ... i pointed out that that was the least of their worries ..... they didn't smile ... i agreed to leave with my dangerous bike ...

Some shots of Sheffields urban wastelands .... sorry, regeneration areas ;;;;;

 

[AndreaJ]

An afternoon ride today in the spring sunshine to escape all the COVID19 stuff going on. Decided to stay fairly close to home by going into Whixall, Tilstock, back to Alkington, Fenns Bank, Fenns Wood, back to Whixall, Coton, Abbeygreen, Waterloo hoping that the last floods had gone unfortunately they hadn’t but had gone down enough for me not to get wet, Creamore, Horton past The Moatshed and back home. Living in a rural part of Shropshire I don’t usually have to try and avoid crowds of people but today they were everywhere, I have never seen so many people out on a ride, lots of families out on bikes and people out walking/dog walking, easy enough to keep a suitable distance apart though. Not sure if it was the sunshine bringing them out or if everyone is trying to escape the news, very little traffic about which was more unusual. 25.21miles on the cleanest, driest lanes I have seen for months .

Some primroses in Abbeygreen.

 

[Jenkins]

I didn't have any great plans for a ride today, just to drop my step brother's card off for his 50th birthday tomorrow and to mum's to give her a mother's day card having already had a natter on the phone this morning. As a result I took the Bootzipper so that I could do a couple of bridleways expecting to be out for around an hour.

Once i'd dropped of my step brother's card, I headed for Felixstowe seafront on the way to mum's and I couldn't believe how many people were walking or riding on the prom. As for the (well spaced) queues for the fish & chip shops... Having finished at mum's I aimed for Felixstowe Ferry and had a quick stop for a quiet moment looking up the Deben...

After that I headed back inland and along Candlet Track and the back road to Falkenham and Kirton where I decided to keep going up instead of heading home as intended. I followed my regular road route up to Newbourne & Waldringfield and then back home via Brightwell and Trimley St. Martin ending up being out for over 2 1/2 hours and 33 miles.

The most striking thing about today's ride was simply the number of people out for a walk or a bike ride - almost all of whom were in small family groups or solo riders/walkers enjoying what was a beautiful sunny day despite the strong & cold east or north easterly breeze in these parts.

 

[ColinJ]

I haven't been doing much riding for the past 4 months and am feeling very unfit. The sun was shining here today and who knows how long it will be before we effectively get locked in our homes? Time to get out on a bike while I still could...

I didn't fancy doing too long a ride and the interesting shorter routes involve going up long steep hills which I don't really feel ready for so I decided to stick to the local valley roads. I'd ride my singlespeed bike to offer a little bit more of a challenge.

I headed off up the A646 from Todmorden towards Burnley and soon discovered that I wasn't as unfit as I thought I was. The road from Tod to the traffic lights at Manchester Road (A682) has 2 long uphill drags with a slight descent to Walk Mill in between. Surprisingly, I made steady progress and it didn't feel too hard despite being stuck in my 72" singlespeed gear.

When I eventually u-turned and headed for home I found out why the outward leg had felt so easy - there was now a chilly headwind to contend with! Obviously my outward ride had been wind-assisted! I thought that it had been a gentle crosswind, but I hadn't realised that the bulk of the push from the wind had been from the rear. It felt as hard riding back on the downward slopes as it had been riding up them on the way out!

Oh well, if I can still get out this coming spring/summer I will build my fitness back up on the road. If confined to quarters, I'll thrash myself on the turbo trainer instead. I have an enclosed back yard which is a suntrap . If I am reduced to riding the turbo, I will take it out into the yard on sunny days so at least I will catch some rays.

 

[pjd57]

After a week staying in ( sore throat etc but nothing drastic ) I decided to cut the back grass.
To get the lawnmower out I had to move my bike.
So I decided on a few laps of our street. No stopping to talk, avoiding everyone.

Only 1.5 miles but it felt great.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Couldnt stand being indoors any longer so i went for a short spin. Just a little 16 mile sprint into city and back. Sunny but breezy ride. passed through a big park along the way and people are out playing football and sitting in groups chatting to one another like normal.

I wanted to see what sort of a ghost town Angel Islington turned into. Got lost and ended up in old street before finding my way and setting off home. Angel is not as bad as i thought. lot of businesses are closed but there are still a fair few open and people still about.

The headwind wasnt a lot of fun and a car almost pulled into me and knocked me off but i made it home in one peice. Not bad for just over 1hr.

 

[PatrickPending]

My ride yesterday 104Km down to Easenhall near sunny Coventry. Quiet roads so easy to maintain social distancing - think the closest I got to another living thing was a spider who used me as a taxi service. Blooming hard work though after 60Km - I think the 22km run 3 days before (61km for the whole week) didn't help ….but I made it back.

 

[welsh dragon]

Well I got out today. Due diligence on my part I practised social distancing or in my case doing my usual Billy no mates impersonation .

A tad on the Cool side, it was only 7 deg here. Even though we have bright sunshine. My gloves went in in only 5 minutes followed by my Wooly hat. Once i had both on I was toasty warm.

Only 13 miles today but it was so nice just to get out. I saw 3 cyclists and 1 car towing a caravan ( looked like they were taking notice of all the signs telling them to go home) .

 

[mjr]

Short ride today, but not as short as hoped. Went a mile to the corner shop in search of milk, but they only had 2 litre bottles, which I feel guilty buying because it would be far more than we need, so I continued north to the petrol station in the next hamlet, where they still had pints. Checkout assistant wearing gloves, standing well back from the counter - I don't blame her, as I stood there wearing gloves, standing well back from the counter.

On the way back, took a detour along a gravel road to the common, but the grass track section looked too wet, so I returned to the A10 cycleway and headed home again.

 

[EltonFrog]

It’s nice out today, bright sunshine, the wind has dropped quite a bit, the roads are dry! BIKE!

The Fragrant MrsP suggested that we go to Wantage, do some light shopping in Sainsbury’s, ( no email from Mike today), and come back the long way.

Road bikes out today and we set off via Harwell village, Rowstock down the A417 past Ginge and into Wantage, I waited outside the shop whilst MrsP bought a couple of things and I listened to a busker playing a Lute rather beautifully.

We set off again up Chain Hill and up and down the rolling countryside over The Ridgway and onto the Hamlet of Farnborough, it was mainly downhill on quiet country roads to West Ilsey the up the hill over The Ridgeway again then down to the A34 along it for half a mile to Chilton then home for a bacon sandwich and a cuppa.

A rather splendid 21 smiles if I may borrow Mr 26’s terminology.

Outside Sainsbury’s

The busker.

the Fragrant MrsP in the distance.

Over The Ridgeway.

The map.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Mrs 26 and I headed off around the Hill. Primroses, violets and wild daffodils were on show. Lovely spring day with blues skies and sunshine. At Coddington Cross we took the lane for Pegs Farm to turn to climb to Wellington Heath for a change. Mrs 26 showed me her "bench with a view" in the cemetery. Lovely spot for sure. Mrs 26 decided to take a shorter route back so I headed for Bromsberrow and decided to go by Whiteleaved Oak for a change. Some dodgy surface and steep sections this way but it is very picturesque. On the run back through the lanes Margaret and Graham PR came past in their car. That was a brief chat with distancing and attempts to match speed. Not a bad wee outing with a little extra climbing. 43 smiles

 

[delb0y]

Just once round the lanes, today. Can't go too far at the mo' because me knee is still playing up, but it was a lovely day out there. Might be the last one for a long while if the lockdown advice becomes mandatory stay-at-home law. On the bright side at least my knee might like the rest.

 

[Old jon]

Sun shining through thin cloud this morning, bird bath looking on the point of freezing, me believing the phone telling me temperatures will rise. Ride the fixed away.

Going through Holbeck, with the intention of riding eventually to Otley, I thought maybe the towpath would not be the cleverest route to the bottom of Cardigan Road, social distancing being all the rage these days. So let’s venture into the centre and see if I can find a different way. Not difficult, and I was happily surprised at the cycling provision along Wellington Street and Kirkstall Road. A bit of a faff turning right from the last bit but patience was rewarded. Up to Headingley then, and a right and a left to the A660 for more up all the way to Lawnswood. There was a bit of tree surgery going on just past the crest, no signs or lights, it was not until passing the (stationary) truck that I saw what was happening. Slightly careless, thinks I.



Pedal along the same road and reach Bramhope, realise there must be a tailwind and think ‘thank you’ to the weather. Then reach the lights at the Dyneley Arms and turn right for a sedate drop down Pool Bank. At least it felt sedate, but 27.4 mph on the fixed is pretty spinney. Maybe I am becoming accustomed to it after three years. Ride through almost all of Pool and turn left. The old friend, the A659. It stays fairly close to the river along this stretch, with no leaves on the trees it can be seen quite a bit of the way to Otley.

After a bite or two to eat, Leeds Road is next. Up all the way for a rather long distance but the views to the left today were a reward for the hard pedalling. Lambs and longhorns in fields near the road, Almscliff Crag crowning the north side of the Wharfe valley. All good. Bramhope again, and on the edge of the village turn left to wheeze my way up Kings Road. Choose the road down past Golden Acre Park and past Adel Dam then return to the A660 to ride on to Headingley. Kirkstall next, and back to the bike tracks. More of the town centre, never ridden these bits before, and then past the Dark Arches for the last miles home. A grin, thirty miles ridden and enjoyed on a gorgeous morning, things are not all bad, are they?

Squiggles . . .

 

[Gunk]

Out on the mountain bikes this afternoon (about 15 miles) with my 15 year old son who is now back to full strength after a nasty illness earlier this year. I struggled to keep up with him, he’s so bloody fit and 40 years younger!

Hopefully the photos will persuade any non mountain bikers that you need a MTB in your life!

 

[EltonFrog]

@Gunk where’s that then?