DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Same here, too wet 'n' windy...fair weather riderwell this weather has put a end to my cycling , back soon with some posts i hope
Your ride today....
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
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Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Just a short mtb ride of 12 miles today. Most of it was on road, but I still got filthy.
This week Lisa’s mum has had a knee replacement so we’ve been walking their dog, Bo.
On one of the routes I spied a bridleway.....
From here it went steeply down hill, into a swamp!
The river Yealm was coming onto the Road in places.
It looked like this on the other side....
Warm, wet and dirty. What’s not to like?
https://www.strava.com/activities/4266391680
This week Lisa’s mum has had a knee replacement so we’ve been walking their dog, Bo.
On one of the routes I spied a bridleway.....
From here it went steeply down hill, into a swamp!
The river Yealm was coming onto the Road in places.
It looked like this on the other side....
Warm, wet and dirty. What’s not to like?
https://www.strava.com/activities/4266391680
twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
The rain went through and the sun came out. But the wind just blew. I just had time to head into the shelter of the lanes for this one around the standard White Rabbit run. Even so it was the gloaming as I took the last few miles. 35 smiles
OP
OP
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
A quick sub 10 miler this evening as light falls and the rain has subsided. Nice temps and a mixed ride of urban, woodland tracks and country park.
An owl, probably a tawny based on it's dark colouring, spooked out of a tree above me, Mars and Saturn clearly visible to the east and south.
Lovely simple ride.
An owl, probably a tawny based on it's dark colouring, spooked out of a tree above me, Mars and Saturn clearly visible to the east and south.
Lovely simple ride.
chriswoody
Legendary Member
- Location
- Northern Germany
I managed to find some time today to get out into the forest and get some mud under my tires and fresh air into my lungs, it made a great change from spinning away in the cellar on Zwift. It's been raining a lot this week, but the temperatures are still very high, nearly fifteen degrees today, though it was grey and overcast.
I headed west into the forest and was soon bimbling along in complete solitude, a fallen tree blocking the path is a reminder of the recent high winds and storms.
One of the things i love about these forests is the mix of trees around and at no time is it more evident than in Autumn, when the leaves from the different species turn into different colours at different times. The Birch leaves are vibrant yellow against the silver bark, the Oak is a mix of brown and green and the Scots pine stays a vibrant green as it waits for the onset of Winter.
Today is a national bank holiday and everything is shut, so folk are out and about in the fresh air.The paths I travel are generally free of walkers, but there are still plenty of horse riders around and I take care to not spook the horses as I ride on through. Travelling through Stedden I turn onto the cobbles that lead me from the edge of the village to the water works, taking care on the treacherously greasy surface.
Crossing the river at the Hydro Electric plant, I pause to glance into an open door and look around the main hall at the old generators humming away. An engineer and his son are busy tending to a bank of instruments on the far side and I snap a sneaky picture before moving on.
There's a nice mix of gravel and forest tracks waiting on the other side of the river as I turn back towards home. The bike squirms and dances over the mud and reminds me how much fun I'm missing every time I'm holed up in the cellar on the Turbo. This section of forest is scattered with foragers out combing the undergrowth for mushrooms, they look up and smile at my mud splattered face as I rattle on by.
It won't be long now until these trees are completely naked and the forest settles down for Winter, hopefully the worryingly high temperatures will start to cool as well. Finally after 25km I guide my muddy body and bike back into my garden, ready for a good hosing down and a well earned coffee. A lovely Autumnal ride in one of my favourite patches of forest.
I headed west into the forest and was soon bimbling along in complete solitude, a fallen tree blocking the path is a reminder of the recent high winds and storms.
One of the things i love about these forests is the mix of trees around and at no time is it more evident than in Autumn, when the leaves from the different species turn into different colours at different times. The Birch leaves are vibrant yellow against the silver bark, the Oak is a mix of brown and green and the Scots pine stays a vibrant green as it waits for the onset of Winter.
Today is a national bank holiday and everything is shut, so folk are out and about in the fresh air.The paths I travel are generally free of walkers, but there are still plenty of horse riders around and I take care to not spook the horses as I ride on through. Travelling through Stedden I turn onto the cobbles that lead me from the edge of the village to the water works, taking care on the treacherously greasy surface.
Crossing the river at the Hydro Electric plant, I pause to glance into an open door and look around the main hall at the old generators humming away. An engineer and his son are busy tending to a bank of instruments on the far side and I snap a sneaky picture before moving on.
There's a nice mix of gravel and forest tracks waiting on the other side of the river as I turn back towards home. The bike squirms and dances over the mud and reminds me how much fun I'm missing every time I'm holed up in the cellar on the Turbo. This section of forest is scattered with foragers out combing the undergrowth for mushrooms, they look up and smile at my mud splattered face as I rattle on by.
It won't be long now until these trees are completely naked and the forest settles down for Winter, hopefully the worryingly high temperatures will start to cool as well. Finally after 25km I guide my muddy body and bike back into my garden, ready for a good hosing down and a well earned coffee. A lovely Autumnal ride in one of my favourite patches of forest.
The day began with yet more ambivalence about waking up at all, then a thoroughly miserable trudge to the shop and back in the rain (along with the priviledge of having to queue again - more panic buying on the cusp of lockdown 2.0 perhaps..).
By late afternoon I was sick of vegetating on the sofa so elected to explore a bit of town I wasn't yet familiar with and check out an area with a few houses I can't afford. Unfortunately as half- suspected the route I'd planned to take turned out to be a narrow, very muddy footpath; so that was out on my chosen mode of transit. Back down Cumnor hill I went, the headwind that'd blighted me on the way up apparently reversing direction with me, and again as I doubled back at the bottom of the hill
Out-of-reach-housing bothered I turned around and headed back towards the pile of bricks and mortar that will, for the next month serve as a testament to my failed hopes and dreams.. Thankfully by the time it came to turn off my mood had improved and I carried on into town and out the other side before wiggling about on NCN5 en-route back.
Definitely a necessary ride for my mental health and one that yet again drove home the immense value of the simple bicycle; my humble £30, 10-speed Raleigh proving nearly as enjoyable to ride as my more expensive gear and actually feeling more capable on the deep, wet leaves thanks to its budget Decathon "gravel" tyres.
Looking back it's amusing that the first time I rode the bike after fixing it my overwhelming desire was to sell it straight away thanks to its dire brakes, clunky gears and skinny bars. Now, after maybe 500 miles I've grown accustomed to all of these and while the brakes are still routinely mildly terrifying it does't seem nearly as inferior to my other gear as it once did.
20-odd very necessary miles that have left my lower body feeling quite worked-over on the back of a 2-3hr walk yesterday. With lockdown looming once more I think it can only be even more important to keep hammering myself on the bike; weather permitting of course!
By late afternoon I was sick of vegetating on the sofa so elected to explore a bit of town I wasn't yet familiar with and check out an area with a few houses I can't afford. Unfortunately as half- suspected the route I'd planned to take turned out to be a narrow, very muddy footpath; so that was out on my chosen mode of transit. Back down Cumnor hill I went, the headwind that'd blighted me on the way up apparently reversing direction with me, and again as I doubled back at the bottom of the hill
Out-of-reach-housing bothered I turned around and headed back towards the pile of bricks and mortar that will, for the next month serve as a testament to my failed hopes and dreams.. Thankfully by the time it came to turn off my mood had improved and I carried on into town and out the other side before wiggling about on NCN5 en-route back.
Definitely a necessary ride for my mental health and one that yet again drove home the immense value of the simple bicycle; my humble £30, 10-speed Raleigh proving nearly as enjoyable to ride as my more expensive gear and actually feeling more capable on the deep, wet leaves thanks to its budget Decathon "gravel" tyres.
Looking back it's amusing that the first time I rode the bike after fixing it my overwhelming desire was to sell it straight away thanks to its dire brakes, clunky gears and skinny bars. Now, after maybe 500 miles I've grown accustomed to all of these and while the brakes are still routinely mildly terrifying it does't seem nearly as inferior to my other gear as it once did.
20-odd very necessary miles that have left my lower body feeling quite worked-over on the back of a 2-3hr walk yesterday. With lockdown looming once more I think it can only be even more important to keep hammering myself on the bike; weather permitting of course!
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Archie_tect
De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
- Location
- Northumberland
A sunny, mild but gusty long loop round the airport today... lots of people out and about despite the strong wind... 16 miles - tired but happy start to November!
philtalksbx
Über Member
- Location
- Oxford
More big river shots with the rollers at Parson's Pleasure flowing. They don't normally do that, it generally goes down the nearby weir on the right, which is itself blocked by a big fallen tree from last year.
First time out for the RRA with the new Tiagra groupset - lovely!
First time out for the RRA with the new Tiagra groupset - lovely!
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Blocked by a tree from last year?
philtalksbx
Über Member
- Location
- Oxford
I think so yes - we canoe on that stretch and haven't been able to go down the weir slope for ages. We had some big storms last year and I think it came down then. It's not blocking a river passage (except for a few adventurous canoeists!) so it seems to have been just left there.
It is blowing a bit out there, and my back garden is pretty sheltered. So a good guess at the weather would be showers and sunshine. That recipe is fine by me, pedal off riding the Bob Jackson.
And enjoy the tailwind. The ride via Oakwood to Slaid Hill had the breeze from a few directions, often carrying some rain but not a lot. Mostly downhill to the far side of Wike and then up through East Keswick before reaching the A659. And all of a sudden there was more traffic.
Cross the River Wharfe to Linton, quieter roads to Wetherby and leave on the B1224 but not for long. There is a right turn before crossing the bridge over the A1(M). Ride around the southwest of the town then aim for Wattle Syke and it’s collection of roundabouts. Then West Woods Road to Bramham. At the end of this, turn right to ride to Thorner, but Wothersome is before that.
Up through Sandhills next, and it occurred to me that the wind had been very kind today. Apart from a blustery bit on Street Lane, way back, it had not been a problem. And then it hit me on the right turn to Skeltons Lane, the first really open bit of country on this morning’s trip
Wind in my face made a subdued whizz down Boot Hill, all the way to the bottom of Eastgate this was noticeable, but the further downhill, the less wind. And crossing the Aire at Crown Point felt dead calm. Not a great distance home from there, two thousand feet of climbing and 35 miles of pedalling pasted a grin on my mug, and the sun was shining!
Back above sea level for today's wander . . .
And enjoy the tailwind. The ride via Oakwood to Slaid Hill had the breeze from a few directions, often carrying some rain but not a lot. Mostly downhill to the far side of Wike and then up through East Keswick before reaching the A659. And all of a sudden there was more traffic.
Cross the River Wharfe to Linton, quieter roads to Wetherby and leave on the B1224 but not for long. There is a right turn before crossing the bridge over the A1(M). Ride around the southwest of the town then aim for Wattle Syke and it’s collection of roundabouts. Then West Woods Road to Bramham. At the end of this, turn right to ride to Thorner, but Wothersome is before that.
Up through Sandhills next, and it occurred to me that the wind had been very kind today. Apart from a blustery bit on Street Lane, way back, it had not been a problem. And then it hit me on the right turn to Skeltons Lane, the first really open bit of country on this morning’s trip
Wind in my face made a subdued whizz down Boot Hill, all the way to the bottom of Eastgate this was noticeable, but the further downhill, the less wind. And crossing the Aire at Crown Point felt dead calm. Not a great distance home from there, two thousand feet of climbing and 35 miles of pedalling pasted a grin on my mug, and the sun was shining!
Back above sea level for today's wander . . .
twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
Steve E and Margaret PR turned out as did John G who wasn't feeling it so went home. Bit of a breeze was helpful on the way out. Just the standard route by Eckington Bridge to Bricklehampton and on to Cropthorne. The cafe at Fladbury was unexpectedly closed. So we retraced to The Anchor in the village for a cuppa. Then up the wee hill to Bishampton and over the old airfield. At Pinvin we took the ford crossing on the foot bridge with the river quite high. Then Wadborough for Kinnersley Bank and the run back to Upton. I took a little detour on the way home for OCD's sake 
.
57 smiles
. 57 smiles
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
After taking the dogs to the beach I went out in the murk on my mountain bike. It was a 100% road ride, but some of the lanes I went down were bloody filthy!
The Yealm flows by
cows In the murk
they came to say hello
then I spotted a monkey
and some red horses
Martin the pine
at the same time last week I had a wee and a mini nervous breakdown, this week I just had the wee
more mucky lanes
and home via Bridgend
almost 15 lovely, mucky miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/4272215776
The Yealm flows by
cows In the murk
they came to say hello
then I spotted a monkey
and some red horses
Martin the pine
at the same time last week I had a wee and a mini nervous breakdown, this week I just had the wee
more mucky lanes
and home via Bridgend
almost 15 lovely, mucky miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/4272215776
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Today's cycling shenanigans brings up 120 months in a row of Imperial Century rides, or to put it another way, 10 years. Where did the time and miles go?
A great Kent ride to the beautiful Bedgebury Pinetum, only soured a little by drizzle most of the morning and a few very poor drivers, but we did see sunshine, only briefly but we saw it. It appeared, and then it disappeared. Thankfully it was fairly mild temperature wise.
I rode in the fantastic company and leadership of @Trickedem, who come up with the route, so it had it's fair share of ups and ups and ups, and some glorious downs.
So, scores on the doors. A tad over the 100 miles. Imperial Century #14 for the year, month 120 in a row.
1 more to go for a new gold star.
The last 10 years rides have mostly been in the company of Tim, along with rb58, who was on his own ride today. So thanks chaps. Legends the both of you.
A Stag and it's Doe, Alpacas, a black rabbit and a suicidal Pheasant.
A great Kent ride to the beautiful Bedgebury Pinetum, only soured a little by drizzle most of the morning and a few very poor drivers, but we did see sunshine, only briefly but we saw it. It appeared, and then it disappeared. Thankfully it was fairly mild temperature wise.
I rode in the fantastic company and leadership of @Trickedem, who come up with the route, so it had it's fair share of ups and ups and ups, and some glorious downs.
So, scores on the doors. A tad over the 100 miles. Imperial Century #14 for the year, month 120 in a row.
1 more to go for a new gold star.
The last 10 years rides have mostly been in the company of Tim, along with rb58, who was on his own ride today. So thanks chaps. Legends the both of you.
A Stag and it's Doe, Alpacas, a black rabbit and a suicidal Pheasant.
