ianbarton
Veteran
I think you are right. However, round here it doesn't usually flower until late May/early June. Many people plant mustard as a cover crop, but it has a much shorter stem than crop in the field in my photo.
Your ride today....
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Shearwater Missile
Veteran
My dear mother always used to call it mustard and I was brought up thinking it was, until I found out and then told her. She said in her defence "it looks like mustard". Could`nt argue with that.
Sunny spells said the BBC weather app, light westerly at 10, light easterly at 11 so with bib shorts and a long sleeve jersey on out on the Defy to make use of the changing wind direction. Normal route to Ripley then surprised the bike by heading directly to Knaresborough along the undulating B6165. Not a route I would normally do by choice immediately from Ripley as the road narrows at a left bend and thereafter goes up hill which with vehicles doing 60mph on it. I normally only use that bit westbound but, whilst not absent, vehicles were reasonably scarce today. TTLs on Knaresborough High Street resulted in an an attempt at an up grade sprint which did achieve getting through them non-stop. Further on a queue had formed on the pavement to get into a Tesco Express. The clouds had rolled in and the remainder of the ride stayed overcast. Turned down Briggate, 16.2% max
Then over the Nidd and up the other side of the gorge to Calcutt, 12% max.
South-West along Forest Moor Road and then south along Forest Lane to its junction with Wetherby Road. Normally there would be a queue of traffic here and it is virtually impossible to go straight on or turn right but no problem today – right and north-west along Wetherby Road crossing the Stray in Harrogate.
The road originally carried straight on but was diverted with a sharp bend when Empress Roundabout was built. On the right hand side of the road is the Grade II* listed St Johns Well dating from c.1842. At the roundabout turned west along the north side of the Stray and it was along here that I realised I had forgot to charge the Wahoo up as it suddenly died. North onto West Park, the Stray still being repaired following the problems caused by the sheer volume of rain during and after the World Championships last year.
Problems of a more current theme readily evident with the Oxygen cylinders in front of the Grade II* Royal Hall for the Nightingale Hospital in the Convention Centre.
15.37 miles 1039ft climbed. Cobbled together map – Wahoo and missing bit plotted so green start is that of the missing bit
Had noticed some slipping of the chain on the cogs when on the smaller chainwheel and this afternoon as the sun returned for a few hours I discovered the cause was a sticky link in the chain. Hopefully fixed now.
Then over the Nidd and up the other side of the gorge to Calcutt, 12% max.
South-West along Forest Moor Road and then south along Forest Lane to its junction with Wetherby Road. Normally there would be a queue of traffic here and it is virtually impossible to go straight on or turn right but no problem today – right and north-west along Wetherby Road crossing the Stray in Harrogate.
The road originally carried straight on but was diverted with a sharp bend when Empress Roundabout was built. On the right hand side of the road is the Grade II* listed St Johns Well dating from c.1842. At the roundabout turned west along the north side of the Stray and it was along here that I realised I had forgot to charge the Wahoo up as it suddenly died. North onto West Park, the Stray still being repaired following the problems caused by the sheer volume of rain during and after the World Championships last year.
Problems of a more current theme readily evident with the Oxygen cylinders in front of the Grade II* Royal Hall for the Nightingale Hospital in the Convention Centre.
15.37 miles 1039ft climbed. Cobbled together map – Wahoo and missing bit plotted so green start is that of the missing bit
Had noticed some slipping of the chain on the cogs when on the smaller chainwheel and this afternoon as the sun returned for a few hours I discovered the cause was a sticky link in the chain. Hopefully fixed now.
Last edited:
tribanjules
Guru
- Location
- Birmingham
60km from bournville along canals, tunnels, through/under spaghetti junction as canal predates road and rail then to Sutton Coldfield water Orton and swoop through cannon hill park. M42 deserted !
itboffin
Guru
- Location
- Marlborough, Windshire
I set out this morning with the intention of exploring when possible, not easy when you've been riding the same lanes for almost 15 years but anyway I still managed to find a few new roads, which made me very happy as my earliest memories of cycling in Windshire was just how remote and green (rain) it is.
Today I can claim was the quietest bike ride i've ever had with the exception of a few deep snow days, a handful of speeding cars and a sprinkling of family walkers, that was it.
But first one must fuel for the adventure.
Hello is there anyone out there .....?
That's Devizes white horse far left and out of view Alton Barnes white horse on the right.
Nearly three hours of human free riding, just bees and butterflies oh and some sheep/cows
Today I can claim was the quietest bike ride i've ever had with the exception of a few deep snow days, a handful of speeding cars and a sprinkling of family walkers, that was it.
But first one must fuel for the adventure.
Hello is there anyone out there .....?
That's Devizes white horse far left and out of view Alton Barnes white horse on the right.
Nearly three hours of human free riding, just bees and butterflies oh and some sheep/cows
Donger
Convoi Exceptionnel
- Location
- Quedgeley, Glos.
Some regular readers of this thread will recognise this picture as one of my regular stops close to home on the banks of the River Severn at Stonebench:
It is one of the places where you can get a decent view of the Severn Bore, a sort of tidal tsunami that hits the river twice a day during the spring tide seasons. I had it down in my calendar to "chase the bore" one day this last week, as I have done a few times before, but not since 2018. The idea is to watch the bore go by, then ride along the lanes fast enough to catch it 3 or 4 more times before the weir at Maisemore. My personal record is 4 viewings on one tide. I shall miss doing it this year. This was a well-timed shot from a few years ago, when I chased the bore with a girl called Bernie and our mutual friend @Dark 46. They got wet as I stood back to get my photo at Stonebench:
....And here they are, dripping wet afterwards:
Guess I'll have to wait until October or November now to have another go at bore chasing .... but for the uninitiated, some decent drone footage appeared on the local paper's online site today, showing the bore at this exact spot. The little lane running alongside is the one where @Dark46 and I recently ploughed our way through a flood and ended up with soaking wet feet:
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co....x_vhpMVH4oobtDu6qVHkyeKNZRD0JEdTliujxeriLoIeg
No ride today, as I had the pleasure of a walk along the canal bank with Mrs Donger instead.
Stay safe everyone. Cheers, Donger.
It is one of the places where you can get a decent view of the Severn Bore, a sort of tidal tsunami that hits the river twice a day during the spring tide seasons. I had it down in my calendar to "chase the bore" one day this last week, as I have done a few times before, but not since 2018. The idea is to watch the bore go by, then ride along the lanes fast enough to catch it 3 or 4 more times before the weir at Maisemore. My personal record is 4 viewings on one tide. I shall miss doing it this year. This was a well-timed shot from a few years ago, when I chased the bore with a girl called Bernie and our mutual friend @Dark 46. They got wet as I stood back to get my photo at Stonebench:
....And here they are, dripping wet afterwards:
Guess I'll have to wait until October or November now to have another go at bore chasing .... but for the uninitiated, some decent drone footage appeared on the local paper's online site today, showing the bore at this exact spot. The little lane running alongside is the one where @Dark46 and I recently ploughed our way through a flood and ended up with soaking wet feet:
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co....x_vhpMVH4oobtDu6qVHkyeKNZRD0JEdTliujxeriLoIeg
No ride today, as I had the pleasure of a walk along the canal bank with Mrs Donger instead.
Stay safe everyone. Cheers, Donger.
i hate hills
Its my day to be brilliant
Following my first ride out on Friday i was back out today again . Jesus it was hard going , thought it might have got a bit easier but no . Out on the MTB . Stuck mostly to the cycle paths , which were busy with walkers , for the first part of the ride then switched back on to the roads which were a joy as they were quiet . Had a few bench stops on a afternoon where it would have been rude not to bimble . On the spin back home i encountered a cold headwind and the weather gods even managed to provide me with a spot of rain . Just steadily working my way back into this as been a while since i was out often . I'm furloughed for 12 weeks and have no idea what will happen after that . So going to try to make the best out the situ and try to get back into cycling . Today showed me that despite doing well on Fridays ride , i struggled today in spells and my fitness level is off the scale ( not the good end of the scale ) However small steps . We will get there . Ride safe folks .....
delb0y
Legendary Member
- Location
- Quedgeley, Glos
As I'm not able to contribute to this thread at the mo' (walking the dog is my daily exercise) I will have to make do with a little addendum to Donger's post just a few posts up. This is eight years ago today:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJW38qxrgD0
Derek
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJW38qxrgD0
Derek
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
An afternoon ride around the coast to Battisborough, through to Ermington and Ivybridge, then up to Cornwood.
quite a few folk out on bikes who didn’t look like they did it regularly!
A nice warm, sunny ride of almost 25 miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3289810563
quite a few folk out on bikes who didn’t look like they did it regularly!
A nice warm, sunny ride of almost 25 miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3289810563
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Nice ride out to Cromer with the other half. She is struggling a bit at the moment, not sure why but she did it, got caught in a shower an hour away from home, But then the sun came out again, we where more or less dry when we got home, so we had a nice beer in the garden before a nice hot shower. https://www.strava.com/activities/3289693071
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
Perfezione.
Hugh Manatee
Veteran
@tribanjules you can't get your head around it can you? That photo from the bridge over the A42 is crazy. I drive that junction so often on my way to Coalville. Haven't ever seen it like that! Hopefully I'll still have a job at the end of all this and I'll get to make the journey again.
tribanjules
Guru
- Location
- Birmingham
my gob was well and truly smacked !
Same in town on main routes midweek.
After spending most of the day fruitlessly trying all manner of things to make a decision on my new bike sizing dilemma (spoiler, still havn't got a clue) I'd become sick of bike-based misery and decided it was time for some enjoyment - after all, that's what the bloody things are there for, isn't it?.
The fantastic weather combined with the fact I'm becoming increasingly sick of the sight of my new bike (and the farce / dilemma it represents) trumped my somewhat reluctant legs (thanks to daily jaunts on one bike or other) and general knackeredness; so I elected to do a sedate, well-trodden 20-ish miles on the "proper" road bike, with the possibility to extend it a bit if I felt like it.
So it was out west, through Cumnor, Eaton, Appleton then out towards Brighthampton.. at which point I decide to go off-piste and hang a left out toward Bampton. This took me to Carterton through Clanfield, Black Bourton and a few others.
I passed a sign touting eggs and knowing I was critically low on this precious resource I turned around and moseyed on down the farm track to find a couple tending their home crop. Five minutes of small talk and welcome actual-human-interaction later I was off again with half a dozen of their finest in my bag (I'd have taken 12 but the box situation was not conducive to the necessary bag-tetris).
Upon reaching Carterton I was tempted to go to Burford just for the crack (since it exists in my mind as somewhere only accessible by car), but thought better of it. I carried on past Brize Norton through Curbridge and Ducklington, back along the (usually hellish and best avoided, yet) gloriously deserted A415. Then it was off to Hardwick, Stanton Harcourt and Eynsham, over the A40 and past Long Hanborough, through Bladon, down through Yarnton, across to Kidlington and finally into town from the North and back home.
Coming through Sutton on the way to Eynsham I happened across a couple of bike that have been for sale outside someone's house for a while - if anyone's interested we have a largish Raleigh Pioneer (saddle was about the same height as mine, which is set with its top around 74cm from the crank centre for my 85cm-ish inside leg) and a smaller, more BSO-ish looking Marin effort. Tbh I'd have been tempted to have taken a punt on the Pioneer had it been smaller and the living quarters of the house already hosting more bikes than I'm allowed!
Today's ride ended up being a little under 53 miles, for my first half-century of the year. Considering the distance it wasn't at a bad speed for me either (15.5mph) and at a very low heart rate (about 25% zone 1, 60% zone 2, and 15% zone 3 for a mean of 124bpm). I think this one let me off easy since it was fairly flat, there wasn't a lot of wind and I had excuse to stop a few time to adjust the saddle amongst other things. The slow start also helped with pacing, making it easier to cover what for me is a pretty substantial distance. I'm under no illusion that I won't feel it tomorrow though!
All in all really nice to get out in the glorious weather and on the unprecedently deserted roads. My experiences echo that of others who've posted today; with very few cars encounted and lots of cyclists (only about a third of these being "friendly"
).
I also thought it was quite ironic that having just bought a "gravel" bike because I'd grown increasingly sick of riding on the roads, the tarmac's now a lot more appealing than all the packed bridleways, tow paths and other rural routes. A good job I suppose, since I won't be riding the gravel bike any time soon
The fantastic weather combined with the fact I'm becoming increasingly sick of the sight of my new bike (and the farce / dilemma it represents) trumped my somewhat reluctant legs (thanks to daily jaunts on one bike or other) and general knackeredness; so I elected to do a sedate, well-trodden 20-ish miles on the "proper" road bike, with the possibility to extend it a bit if I felt like it.
So it was out west, through Cumnor, Eaton, Appleton then out towards Brighthampton.. at which point I decide to go off-piste and hang a left out toward Bampton. This took me to Carterton through Clanfield, Black Bourton and a few others.
I passed a sign touting eggs and knowing I was critically low on this precious resource I turned around and moseyed on down the farm track to find a couple tending their home crop. Five minutes of small talk and welcome actual-human-interaction later I was off again with half a dozen of their finest in my bag (I'd have taken 12 but the box situation was not conducive to the necessary bag-tetris).
Upon reaching Carterton I was tempted to go to Burford just for the crack (since it exists in my mind as somewhere only accessible by car), but thought better of it. I carried on past Brize Norton through Curbridge and Ducklington, back along the (usually hellish and best avoided, yet) gloriously deserted A415. Then it was off to Hardwick, Stanton Harcourt and Eynsham, over the A40 and past Long Hanborough, through Bladon, down through Yarnton, across to Kidlington and finally into town from the North and back home.
Coming through Sutton on the way to Eynsham I happened across a couple of bike that have been for sale outside someone's house for a while - if anyone's interested we have a largish Raleigh Pioneer (saddle was about the same height as mine, which is set with its top around 74cm from the crank centre for my 85cm-ish inside leg) and a smaller, more BSO-ish looking Marin effort. Tbh I'd have been tempted to have taken a punt on the Pioneer had it been smaller and the living quarters of the house already hosting more bikes than I'm allowed!
Today's ride ended up being a little under 53 miles, for my first half-century of the year. Considering the distance it wasn't at a bad speed for me either (15.5mph) and at a very low heart rate (about 25% zone 1, 60% zone 2, and 15% zone 3 for a mean of 124bpm). I think this one let me off easy since it was fairly flat, there wasn't a lot of wind and I had excuse to stop a few time to adjust the saddle amongst other things. The slow start also helped with pacing, making it easier to cover what for me is a pretty substantial distance. I'm under no illusion that I won't feel it tomorrow though!
All in all really nice to get out in the glorious weather and on the unprecedently deserted roads. My experiences echo that of others who've posted today; with very few cars encounted and lots of cyclists (only about a third of these being "friendly"
).I also thought it was quite ironic that having just bought a "gravel" bike because I'd grown increasingly sick of riding on the roads, the tarmac's now a lot more appealing than all the packed bridleways, tow paths and other rural routes. A good job I suppose, since I won't be riding the gravel bike any time soon
Last edited:
Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Having seen the number of people out and about on Friday & Saturday, I decided not to go out until mid afternoon as it appeared to be quieter then. The Bootziper was used as all I wanted was a slow, local ride involving back lanes and most of the bridleways/tracks from the 2km challenge ride I did 10 days ago.
Starting off with a short trip out to Kirton and across to Falkenham before picking up the first bridleway where, despite the very wet winter we've had irrigation using water guns was being carried out as there's been no appreciable rain for some time (there was more evidence of this later on in the ride as well)
Once in Felixstowe I took the cliff top route and down through the seafront gardens and along the deserted prom
to the other end of the town near the docks where I headed back inland and the series of connected tracks that runs from a container storage yard all the way to the far side of Trimley St. Martin (pic from Saturday's walk on the same track in the same coditions)
From there it was back on road for a short bit before picking up the off road track to home over the new rail crossing bridge and a footpath that has been re-designated as a retricted byway due to the closure of other rail crossings.
Given the weather forecast for tomorrow, the morning's commute is going to be a bit of a comedown after the past few days!
Starting off with a short trip out to Kirton and across to Falkenham before picking up the first bridleway where, despite the very wet winter we've had irrigation using water guns was being carried out as there's been no appreciable rain for some time (there was more evidence of this later on in the ride as well)
Once in Felixstowe I took the cliff top route and down through the seafront gardens and along the deserted prom
to the other end of the town near the docks where I headed back inland and the series of connected tracks that runs from a container storage yard all the way to the far side of Trimley St. Martin (pic from Saturday's walk on the same track in the same coditions)
From there it was back on road for a short bit before picking up the off road track to home over the new rail crossing bridge and a footpath that has been re-designated as a retricted byway due to the closure of other rail crossings.
Given the weather forecast for tomorrow, the morning's commute is going to be a bit of a comedown after the past few days!
