Your ride today....

[DCBassman]

Three laps of Burrator reservoir today. Easily the flattest ride nearby that I can do any mileage on, will do four laps one day!
Busy today, not that many cyclists though. One guy doing the full aero bit with TT bars, all good, with a loud portable speaker about his or the bike's person, not at all good. Certainly the ponies didn't appreciate it...
Intermittent overcast ( our house-speak: peepy sun ), pretty much zero wind.
This is fast for me!
Earlier on during the first lap, I saw another guy doing the full aero, rear disc wheel, approaching me like the clappers. A vehicle behind tried to overtake him before I got to him, but he was going only slightly slower than the vehicle, something the driver just didn't seem to grasp until he had to duck back in. This guy was motoring!

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I went out with the intention of exploring some of the Icknield Way path after I realised recently (by looking at a local ordnance survey map) that it can be accessed only about 2 miles from my house. After joining it at Wilbury Hills and following it for a few miles down to Ickleford it became broken and hard to follow, so I just carried on riding random bridleways, out through the farmland to Pirton and then up to Shillington. Actually much of the ride was on bridleway with very little road.
18 miles total.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Riding with wife and kids at nearby NT park - 10 km ride (south side of park), picnic at the car, 10km ride (north side of park).

Nice, steady kids speed with bursts from my daughter trying to get out in front of my son. Rode the Carrera MTB for a change - it's a good hardtail bike, but very heavy.

 

[Mark pallister]

apologies I thought you were someone else. 👍🏻

No problem 👍🏻

 

[gavgav]

First ride for 10 days. Last ride had been a nightmare, with chain issues, subsequently diagnosed as a fractured chain link, by @Rickshaw Phil and he kindly popped round to expertly fit the replacement, last night. Gear changes were much better than they’ve been for a long while and it felt much better to ride, again.

The sunny morning had become quite a gloomy cloudy afternoon, but it was still warmish (really not feeling like July though) as I set out through Betton Abbots. Joined the lane to Condover and then Wheathall, Ryton and Longnor.

Very little wind today and so it was pleasant riding in all directions, as I continued on through Frodesley, Acton Burnell, Pitchford, Cantlop, Betton and home.

After recent bad driving experiences, on rides, today was the complete opposite, as all drivers gave me courtesy and plenty of room, including 3 articulated lorries, who gave exemplary passes when they overtook me.

19.99 miles (didn’t realise until I looked at Strava, after locking the bike away, otherwise I would have rounded up to 20!) at 13.8mph avg

 

[JPBoothy]

Bit of xc up to parkhead station today
nippy start and a bit gusty but plenty of wildlife about View attachment 537274

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The trains must been small to get under that last bridge! Lovely range of photos though

 

[Mike_P]

Two fine evenings, if a bit windy on Monday, but after Sundays 109km the comfy sofa aka ebike was more attractive so a pair of shopping rides. Monday to Morrisons the long way round via Bilton Lane where once out of suburbia I had woken up enough to record a new ebike PR on Gardeners Arms Climb and 15 seconds quicker than I have managed on the Defy. An unexpected purchase of some frozen food being sold at 75% off lead to a quick ride home. This evening to a M&S Simply Food where I found a new variety of fruit and nut bars to line a cycling jersey back pocket with, Almond Blueberry & Cranberry in a pack of four for £2.50. On the return, taking a different route to the outbound I came to a junction that always baffles me which way go, – right then left, er wrong, U turn, should have been left then right. Back on course and the wrong way on the UCI Circuit, down Cornwall Road and up Penny Pot, with a fair number of cyclists going, largely slowly, the right way. Turned off early due to TTLs to pass through the local Country Park for the first time since early lockdown. 10.38 miles with 646ft up, and 7.78 miles with 581ft up.

 

[Mark pallister]

The trains must been small to get under that last bridge! Lovely range of photos though

Never thought of that 🤔

 

[GetFatty]

Same place but I quite like this particular photo, it seems to have come out well. No sign of Mr "Wear a Hat" today though.

 

[itboffin]

I’m in training sessions all day for the rest of July so i have an hour at lunch, so its the same 30 out back route with longer rides at the weekends, i wouldn’t want to do that all the time but actually its okay mostly because i know in one direction i will 100% have a headwind and then a tailwind, when I’m doing my normal loops of 30 ish miles it feels like 100% headwind, i put it down to the twisting hilly roads don’t give you long enough facing in one direction to feel the benefits.

Tailwind back yesterday and i was pumping out 28 mph on the flat, which is unheard of for me at least :-)

I think the ideal ride would be wait for a super strong wind, point your bike with the wind on your back and ride like that for as much road as you can find then call the support car for a pick up.

 

[Mark pallister]

I’m in training sessions all day for the rest of July so i have an hour at lunch, so its the same 30 out back route with longer rides at the weekends, i wouldn’t want to do that all the time but actually its okay mostly because i know in one direction i will 100% have a headwind and then a tailwind, when I’m doing my normal loops of 30 ish miles it feels like 100% headwind, i put it down to the twisting hilly roads don’t give you long enough facing in one direction to feel the benefits.

Tailwind back yesterday and i was pumping out 28 mph on the flat, which is unheard of for me at least :-)

I think the ideal ride would be wait for a super strong wind, point your bike with the wind on your back and ride like that for as much road as you can find then call the support car for a pick up.

That’s what the kom chasers do

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Time to reacquaint myself with some far flung lanes and explore some new ones. So first I had to get over there using the straight forward standard run out by Bromsberrow and on over to Much Marcle. The standard theme continued over to How Caple and onto the River Wye at Hoarwithy. Now I was aiming at some known but under ridden lanes. Llanwarne has a ruined church and is still in England despite the Welsh name. Then over Orcop Hill for the nicely named Saddlebow Hill. The views over to the Welsh mountains were stunning. I reached the Monnow at Kentchurch and followed the up and down valley by Garway. Here it was a new lane to Skenfrith and then more new stuff following the River. My picnic spot overlooked the valley. Lovely with Buzzards and Ravens soaring. I followed the valley for a while but decided to cut a corner off to get back to the Wye. That was a tough climb out from the Monnow for sure. Approaching the Wye at Goodrich I paused to rehydrate at the Cross Keys. Lifesaver as I was gasping. Now on very familiar roads it was across at Kerne Bridge and on in lanes to Ross-on-Wye. I take the Brampton Abbots escape from Ross these days to avoid a dangerous round about and the fast traffic on the bypass. So just the standard run back by Kempley and Ryton to complete a long day out in the saddle.

 

[JPBoothy]

Same place but I quite like this particular photo, it seems to have come out well. No sign of Mr "Wear a Hat" today though. View attachment 537398

We have a large 'now ex' RAF base near to me and whenever we passed in the car when I was a child I would stare in awe at the Spitfire mounted in the air just like that one. Sadly it has now gone and the base closed and most hangars demolished. The barracks are still there but the parade ground is now covered in weeds and bushes. It makes me feel sad everytime I ride past it 😟

 

[Mike_P]

Looking at Strava this evening I discovered I had stripped L**ce Armstrong of an ebike KOM last evening
Was half in the mind to use the indoor trainer today but then realised I needed some apples so the ebike on a shopping trip again, this time a miniscule 2.74 miles round trip to Aldi. Just 74ft upwards on the outbound ride. The return in contrast was 101ft more with all but 2ft being the forced climb of Harewood Road to avoid TTLs and and one I avoid normally but then when on an ebike
Its a smidge over a quarter of a mile and 6.9% average but turns sharply up just before the summit to 13.5% and ends still climbing at an often busy T junction – a right turning car driver into the road waved me out this evening

 

[GetFatty]

We have a large 'now ex' RAF base near to me and whenever we passed in the car when I was a child I would stare in awe at the Spitfire mounted in the air just like that one. Sadly it has now gone and the base closed and most hangars demolished. The barracks are still there but the parade ground is now covered in weeds and bushes. It makes me feel sad everytime I ride past it 😟

Unfortunately Biggin Hill would be quite a trek for you (although not impossible, I have ridden from SE London to E Lancashire in the past ) . There is also a museum and chapel there but they are shut when I'm there. It is a functioning airport too with mainly private jets but occasional airshows are put on too.