Your ride today....

[wafter]

Awoke in a sh*t of a mood with a weekend of work and lifetime of uncertainty ahead of me. Knowing I'd not be able to get out for at least two days (perhaps more on account of the weather) I forced myself out on a short "no expectations" ride on the CdF.

Just did a 15ish mile loop taking in some bridleways, woodland and tow paths as well as the usual roads. Discovered where a few roads ended up and found a few new little bits to add to future routes.

Did Foxcombe hill; in the saddle throughout and tried to maintain a steady cadence in one gear higher than I'd otherwise have selected; an approach I plan to continue in an effort to gain some strength. Unsurprisingly well off my fastest pace but the ascent felt manageable despite being into a fair headwind.

Got a little bit more bold through the woodland; hopping over some fallen branches and attacking a few ramps / undulating sections I'd otherwise have avoided; thankfully without incident. All stuff your average 15yr-old in a Halfords MTB would scoff at, but I'm not the most confident when it comes to bike handling.

The weather was glorious (I think it's going to kill me when winter finally arrives); stopped on the tow path to take some seasonal photos and after getting back and having a shower the world looked much better than it had a couple of hours before. I can't overstate how beneficial cycling has been to both my mental and physical health over the past six months and I'm so thankful for having been able to have got out as much as I have in such fantastic weather

 

[Old jon]

Large supplies of blue sky again and the bike that Bob made wants a ride out. There is a bit of breeze coming from an unusual direction, guessing north east or thereabouts, and when the wind does that it often feels worse than it is ‘cos on that road you never have the wind in your face, do you?

Anyway, it is only weather. Do the Holbeck Shuffle ( likely means something entirely different to what the song is about ) all the way to Office Lock and turn on the new toy. The old video camera has been behaving unpredictably, or not at all, for a while. The new one arrived on Thursday.



Ride up to and beyond Headingley, there were a heck of a lot of riders out today, all the way around. Good to see. Turn right to pedal past the church at Adel, and later left for the rising road that borders Golden Acre Park. Enjoy the descent to Bramhope, turn right and at the Dyneley Arms right again down to Pool. Cross the River Wharfe here and when the next left is reached, take it. And the left after that is a bridge across the Washburn.

And the road rises again. Gives me the chance to use some low gears and some lung capacity, and at the top is Farnley Hall. I think maybe they do not cater for visitors, but the road goes on to Otley. Downhill too. Stopped at the riverside park, banana. Carry on to Billams Hill and ride up to Weston Lane. Enjoy the views along here for a while, then the road turns and goes up the valley side. Low gears again, through the village and on to Askwith. The descent is great, the scenery similar. And Denton Bridge to return across the Wharfe after ten miles or so north of it.

And, deep breath, it’s time for the busy road. Surprisingly busy for a Saturday morning, and once the outskirts of Otley are reached, turn off to go through the town. And a slowdown. ‘Cos Leeds Road is next, the easier of the climbs back over the ridge that separates the two valleys. Back through Bramhope, on to Headingley and Kirkstall for the towpath again. Home, soon after Canal’s End, does that sound better than River Lock I wonder? Anyway, big grin, forty two miles and better than 2000 feet going upwards. Brilliant.

And the lumps,

 

[13 rider]

Apologies for the lateness this is a ride from Tues 15th . I've been on holiday near Matlock and have limited my internet use for a chilled break .
Weather forecast for the day was great so a family picnic was planned at Monsal Head the plan was for me to ride there so I could do the Monsal climb . I was up early so decided to ride to the papershop to get papers and eggs for breakfast . 3 lovely miles to the nearest shop got to the village and dropped down a steep hill . Oh dear I'm going back up that !! . Supplies obtained 100 yards turn left and up the climb ,Wahoo read 13% ! Retraced my route to the holiday home . This was the last time I fetched the papers . After breakfast I finally set off at 10.30 and it's already hot .Aldwark ,Pikehall a bit of the high peaks trail ,Parsley Hall ,Monyash ,Litton then drop down into the valley . Monsal climb 0.3 miles average 12% max 17%. A straight wall I had a rider about 10m in front of me and used him to pace myself up got to within a nice socially distanced 2m by the top . Located family at the car park were the picnic was all laid out . So 24miles done but another 26 planned . After a relaxed picnic it's back on the bike . Through Hassell and past Chatsworth house were the roads were busy onto Bakewell . I took the quiet road out on a climb called Manners Wood 1.3 miles average 8% max 11% dropped down again to Beeley and another climb 2.4 miles average 6% max 14% . Really enjoyed this one steep bit at the start in the woods then flattens out to a steady grade as you climb on to the moor land top . Steep descent into Darley Dale then back to Winster and back up the 13% for the 2nd time in a day . Had to do a couple of laps of the village green to pass 50 miles . Total 50.1 miles 5010ft of upness at 13 .3 mph . Really suffered in the heat towards the end is it Sept ?

The elevation profile . After tea I was talked into a 3 mile stroll went to bed with achy legs

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I turned up at the meet with Mrs 26. John G appeared soon after. We headed round the north of the Hills and on south by Coddington. John was speeding up the hills quite strongly. We crossed by Munsley with questions about coffee. Trumpet came next with the cafe.
Chats later John headed off down the busy main road for Ledbury while Mrs 26 and I rode the Marcle flanks to the memorial tree. Here we dispatched an apple before heading off on the standard route back by Bromsberrow and the lanes. Lovely outing on a super sunny day. 52 smiles

 

[13 rider]

Weds 16th ,13 rider attempts the Riber !! . The Riber climb is from Matlock up to the castle that sits on the escarpment above the town

The stats from Simon Warren's app he says it's 9 out 10 it will be Tough !!!
Out the door at 0730 heading straight to Matlock about 6 miles and the legs are complaining but on I go a bit of rolling terrain then a massive drop down an iffy descent into Matlock and then you see the castle high above I'm going up there !! . Through the town centre and on to the start of the climb a fairly steady 8% for about 3\4 of a mile then the left turn and it just kicks up the first hairpin is a brutal 25% . On the 3rd hairpin I was out of the saddle when the rear wheel loses traction as I sit down to regain traction I instinctively pulled on the bars causing the front wheel to leave the ground causing me to lose control so had to put a foot down . Had to walk round the hairpin before I could restart which was tough on a 20% slope . Managed to get going and grovelled to the top . That's a tough climb .Over the top down another steep descent to the river valley . Turned right for Matlock to see sign road closed ahead .,I should ok a mile later get to the closure and no pedestrian access . Options back on up over the Riber or up up the valley to the next bridge . Another steep climb that killed the legs finally downhill to the A6 to Cromford and more climbing home . Through the village of Brassington and long 10%er out of the village had me grovelling up barely staying upright I'm that slow . Home 27.7 miles with 2815ft of upness at a slow 12.9 mph . My legs are in bits after that one

The elevation profile ,Matlock is the flat bit at 6 miles . A late breakfast then we went out for the day walking round an old quarry looking for fossils which my legs really thanked me for

 

[Dave 123]

21 miles this afternoon around the coast, Through to Ermington , up over Westlake and back via Creacombe.

I have fitted a new internal battery on my Garmin, so it’s all back to power. It only cost 20 quid.

A chicken pitch invader, but it only just gets into the photo.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4082741889

 

[roubaixtuesday]

The route of the Fred Whitton, in glorious autumn sunshine, with #1 son and a couple of others. Amazing, awesome day. Now...

So tired.

Must. Eat.

Must. Sleep.

Make the pain stop!

 

[AndreaJ]

A change in plans for the day meant I had time for a quick ride this morning and I decided to go the “wrong “way round Whixall partly for a change and partly because the wind was blowing the wrong way. Set off to Horton,
Paddolgreen, Edstaston, Coton, Tilstock where I discovered the triathlon at Alderford Lake which I thought was tomorrow was in fact today, luckily I was going in the opposite direction and soon turned off to Alkington then down what is probably the best road for miles, recently resurfaced, no potholes and Shropshire Council seem to have forgotten to ruin it by surface dressing it, then back to normal standards of potholes up to Fenns Wood, Fenns Bank, back into Whixall with the scarecrows still in place, onto Northwood and home. Lots of cyclists and dog walkers out in the sunshine and more traffic than usual for some reason. 21.6 miles @16.1mph

 

[13 rider]

Thurs 17th awoke to find my legs aching and sore after the last two days efforts so the obvious thing to do was to have a day off . I tend not to do obvious so out the door at 0745 . I did have a plan for a recovery ride . 5 miles of rolling terrain to Pikehall to pick up the high peaks trail an old railway line so basically flat for round here . The surface is mainly compacted gravel so was fine to ride on the road bike . Rode 4 miles towards Wirkworths , Got to Middleton top and the old pumping engine house . To go further meant descending a gravel incline only to have to come back up it so I saved my legs that effort and retraced my route home . 18.8 miles with only 887ft of upness as flats as it gets here . The plan for the rest of the day was to walk round Carrington water I'm having such a relaxing time

 

[Mike_P]

Saturday - North via How Hill and Fountains on the Defy but with the wind my initial normal route via the A61 to Wormald Green was scrubbed for one with roadside vegetation more likely to act as act as a wind break. This meant going up Scarah Bank in a new PR for the first time in ages and it was windless bar the very top of the climb.

Oddly given the wind direction the NE ride to How Hill was also a PR then north in a zig zag fashion pass Fountains to Aldfield where I intended to fix a creaky bolt on a cleat adaptor but no bench to be found so a creaky ride north west through Low Grantley and north via Kirkby Malzeard to Grewelthorpe where a bench was sourced. A passing villager, fatefully as it transpired soon afterwards, queried where my support car was!
On the climb on the road towards Masham a flying bike was spotted.

Shortly thereafter I got a rear wheel flat despite the inner tube having sealant in it Wheeled the bike to a field gate and inflated the spare slightly using a CO2 canister valve, fitted it and then found it would not inflate. So two flat inner tubes and both CO2 canister used up in the attempts to get the spare to inflate Wheeled the bike further along the road to a farm entrance and gratefully accepted the offer of a pump from a passing cyclist but still no luck, so even more gratefully also accepted the offer of an inner tube Why when being watched fitting an inner tube does it take for ever? Conscious that I had used up a lot of the helpful cyclists time pumped it up enough to what I thought was a lot more than a flat. Set off, crikey it was rough so waved down another couple of cyclists for use of a pump to get it fully pressurised.
Now back to health, with the 2.64 mile Strava segment having taken 65 minutes, descended towards Masham in the valley of the river Ure,

where a large agricultural vehicle was having difficulty negotiating parked cars.

East up a lengthy climb on the B6267 before turning off on a single vehicle width lane to the second letter alphabet village of Well, where Well Bank is a notable climb reaching a max of 14.2% apparently although the outside of the bend looked nasty and I stayed towards the middle of the road.

South to West Tanfield and the A6108 to Ripon, direct to Bishop Monkton, then Knaresborough and along the old railway from Starbeck that the ebike could not see in the week.
Once home fitted the new pump, that I had not bothered to fit due to the sealant inner tubes, and discovered that if the saddle bag is void of CO2 canisters and adaptor there is space for an extra spare inner tube.
48.01 miles @ 13.3 mph avg 3409ft climbed.

 

[Gunk]

I decided to use my CB today instead of the Brompton to run some local errands, it sits at the back of the garage and I'm ashamed to say that I really don't use it enough, what a lovely bike! with a pannier clipped on it managed to carry two bottles of BBQ gas and a heavy bag of shopping, the old Campag 5 speed was perfect. No rattles unlike the Brommie and so much faster!

I must do some longer rides on it, the ergonomics are perfect, it fits me like a glove.

 

[guitarpete247]

My first ride since June, when I dislocated my right elbow. Was quite nervous about how it would take the vibration and stress. So only planned a short ride 5 1/2 miles. Arm was aching when I got back but nothing to have been worried about. I don't work Mondays so I'm planning another short, but a little longer, ride.
30 mins. was enough for my first ride.

 

[cyberknight]

The usual sunday club ride to cobwebs in abbots bromley. a shorter route today and a bit breezy .

 

[oldfatfool]

Why does the wind veer into the opposite direction to my travel? Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/KIYtjg6XV9

 

[13 rider]

Fri 18th last full day of the short break so another ride planned and another hill to climb . Out the door at 0730 up to Longcliffe and then an absolutely Fabulous 3.5 mile descent . Had a rider in front with a rucksack on so I presume he's commuting and knew the road so I could follow his line as we plunged down . The only downside to going down is you know your going to have to gain the elevation back . Finally turned off my commuter route and across the border into Staffordshire . Through the village of Thorpe and Ilam and onto today's targeted climb Ilam moor 1.5 miles avg 7% max 15% . The steep ramps are at the bottom then it's flattens to a steady climb . Stunning scenery on this one through Limestone outcrops . I think this has become my favourite climb ever .Back into Derbyshire . One more big climb before home a long 10%er from Parwich to Pikehall. Took the high peak trail back to Longcliffe and home 27.1 miles with 2736ft of upness
Stats for the 4 days 130 miles ,12179ft of upness ,2 of Simon Warren's 100 climbs Monsall head and the Riber ,3 more of his Midlands list Manners Wood ,Beeley Moor and Ilam moor . If you don't mind climbing you will love this area . Quite roads and we'll behaved traffic. I was very near a working quarry with lots of tipper trucks ,no incidents with these over the 4 ride ever pass was nice and wide and they waited on the climbs