Your ride today....

[Dark46]

Great 25 mile ride with @Donger and he's great company even though now he's no longer middle aged just old.

It was a ride that basically was in reverse to what we would normally do with a couple of lanes the I've not been down before.

 

[gavgav]

Well that temperature was a bit different!

From Tuesday 17:00 at 16c to Thursday 17:00 at 3c Stepped out of the house, to get the bike out and immediately went back in, for an extra layer and a buff.

My next door neighbour was having trouble starting her car, as I set off, felt a bit bad not offering to help her, but I was meeting up with Doug and didn’t want to keep him waiting in the cold. In fact we timed it perfectly, as he was just crossing the road to our meeting point, as I arrived.

We looped through Sutton Farm estate and then waited an age for streams of traffic to pass, before we could get out onto Wenlock Road. It was heaving with traffic all the way through Betton Abbots and along to our turn off onto, thankfully, traffic free lanes to Berrington, Cound Stanks and Pitchford. The downside was that the lanes were soaking wet (torrential rain mid afternoon which wasn’t forecast at all) and covered in mud.

Back out onto the busier road and there were constant streams of traffic, in both directions They included one prat in a rattling old Honda, who decided to give us, what I believe was a deliberate punishment pass. They came past with inches to spare and then moved out wider, afterwards. They got a hand gesture

We pulled off the road, at King Street, for a drink and rest, not long followed by an articulated lorry thundering past at ridiculous speed, trailer swinging around. He met a car at the top of the bank, where it narrowed and I was waiting for the bang, but he somehow stopped just in time. I was glad we were not on the road near him.

Final stretch was back through Betton Abbots and we parted ways at the lights to the estate. Next door neighbour’s car had gone and so she must have persuaded it to start.

13.1 miles and I lost feeling in my toes, about half way round the ride!!

 

[Jenkins]

After a grey, damp & windy morning the afternoon brightened up considerably, so what better than a little shopping trip as I'm running low on Weetabix. There's a Food Warehouse (an offshoot of Iceland) that does the big packs of 72 for only a fiver just outside Ipswich and, with a bit of a diversion on the way home, it became a nice couple of hours out on the Bootzipper.

Out alongside the A14 and then Strattonhall Drift to Levington, up and back down into Nacton and the back road into the estate where the shopping was done. Then cutting across a rough track to the Bucklesham Road to Foxhall to get to the single track roads through the wood to Kesgrave and the Longstrops bridleway where the turn for home was made. The bridleway is a long, open stretch leading into a bit of woodland and then comes Dobbs Lane which, in conditions like today's, becomes quite picturesque

After crossing the Foxhall Road and the short sharp rise at Hall Road it was back onto the normal roads through Bucklesham & Kirton to home for a mug of coffee.

 

[DCBassman]

My only ride yesterday was a 240-mile round trip to spend 35 minutes in an MRI scanner. Only half-decent day of the week, too...

Edit: for clarity, by car!

 

[Jon George]

Haven't posted on this thread for a long while, but as @Jenkins does a good job of informing everyone about our local area (I did the bridleway he refers to in his last report only a few days ago), I'm not going to feel too guilty!
A little 15 (?) miler on Patsy #1 The Carbon (the front wheel on Patsy #2 The CX was at my LBS being trued so that the new tan-wall tyres I purchased a month ago would fit correctly) that took me out to a hamlet called Culpho. Much colder than yesterday, but I'm now experienced enough - usually - to get the right number of layers on. Fabulous ride!
This just before the church.

 

[cyberknight]

Just rode home after a long shift , called 2 and a half hours overtime so by the time i got home i hadnt eaten for over 7 hours , headwind and raining
Meh !
had enough today .

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Rain all morning but the radar indicated dry after lunch. It was grey though and the headwind out over the common had me scrabbling for low gears. As usual the hedges in the lanes did a good sheltering job. Plenty of water about and liquid mud off the fields. Mudguards are a wonderful invention. It was so grey and gloomy I put my lights on. The rear light was temperamental and as I stopped to get it working it got darker. After a couple of fiddles I got it going. Just as well as the final miles do include those motor things. 35 smiles

 

[Dave 123]

Another mountain bike ride on dirty Devon lanes. Down to Puslinch th n along to Dunstone. Up the sodding climb to Bull and Bear and down to Holbeton.
I stopped at the green gate before taking the drive past Flete and up the long way to Westlake.
Back to Bull and Bear and down to Bridgend via Preston.
16 mucky miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/4369142479

 

[Old jon]

Sort of grey out there this morning, and it maybe looked a bit breezy as well. Dry, though, and it seems that is all the encouragement I need. Riding the fixed today and some thinking had been done about where to ride. So off I went.


Very quiet roads, so I took a shortcut to Crown Point. Which took longer ‘cos some traffic lights were, well, you know, traffic lights. Anyway, eventually up to the Oakwood Clock and a surprising Farmer’s Market. Pass the spare park gates and turn onto the cycle route along Wyke Beck. Cross Easterly Road and stay on the bike path for some imminent confusion about which of Seacroft’s Parkways I am riding up.


Found the village green, turn right and ride down the erstwhile A64 to Barwick Road. Yup, a different way to the same old. And soon to be more different, there was a lot of earthmoving machinery scattered each side of the road, before reaching Scholes, guess it is to do with the East Leeds Orbital Route. One sometimes wonders . . .


Anyway, down through Barwick, take the right fork after the maypole and finish the descent by crossing Cock Beck. The only way is Aberford, turn left at the end of Cattle Lane and go back across the beck. The road north tends to rise a bit, almost all the way to Bramham Crossroads. There is still a couple of miles to the village itself, and I did enjoy the last of the tailwind. Until I turned onto Thorner Lane, and the wind was not behind me any more. There is that nice drop into the village though.



Sandhills again to leave Thorner behind, and they took a bit of climbing. Must be the temperature. Or the old frame, mine, not the bike’s. All easy from now though, back past that Farmer’s Market and down into Leeds’ more or less centre. More roadworks inspection before finally reaching home shortly after thirty miles ticked up. A big grin, the rain just started falling as I turned into the street. Pretty good ride.

Not much difference . . .

 

[gavgav]

I’d re-arranged my ride with my mate Paul, from last weekend, due to the poor weather, to today at 13:30. Woke and looked at the forecast, to find the potential of light rain from 14:00 and so, after a text to Paul, we brought it forward to an 11:30 start, which was just about possible after I finished being on call for work.

Quite gloomy out and a very keen south westerly wind, as I set out up the cycle paths, to Radbrook, where Paul lives. We were heading for Baschurch and began by meandering out through suburbia and along Calcot Lane, onto the main road to Montford Bridge, with a couple of dodgy moments on the fast descent, with the strong wind blowing through gaps in the hedge.

We turned onto the lanes, which were busy with lots of cyclists and quite a few cars, to Little Ness, Prescott and Baschurch. It started to rain lightly, as we approached Prescott, but not enough to warrant a waterproof. Paul was wearing one and experiencing boil in the bag!

From Baschurch we turned East and along the lane to Yeaton, before joining new territory to Grafton, Fitz and a surprisingly hilly section up to Leaton. The only downside of this section, was the amount of traffic, on roads that are known as being rat runs, for traffic trying to get to the North of Shrewsbury. All well behaved though.

We paused, before joining the main road towards Berwick, for Paul to remove his waterproof, which had made him too hot. The road surface is dreadful on the section before the rat run turns left, but we then lost the traffic and had a nice quieter run past the sprawling Berwick estate grounds, to the West Mids Showground and Coton Hill, in Shrewsbury Town Centre.

We dropped down to the railway bridge and then crossed onto the shared cycle/pedestrian paths, along Smithfield Road and into the Quarry. I have never seen so many people out walking and cycling through there, which made it very slow and careful going. Almost had a moment, when we came up behind a dog, that looked like it was off the lead, but was actually on one of these stupid extendable things, it’s owners on completely the other side of the wide tarmac! Just about stopped in time and had an apology off the owner, which pacified the annoyance.

We got to Greyfriars and decided to get off the busy towpath, as it wasn’t fun trying to avoid the hordes of people and head up Longden Road, where Paul took his route home through Kingsland and I continued on towards Meole. I’d just been thinking how good the traffic behaviour had been on the ride, when a nobber in a white Polo came past me with inches to spare, squeezing past whilst a car came the other way. There is always one!

Home with 23.9 miles on the clock and plenty of catch up chatting with Paul. Good fun

 

[Grant Fondo]

Must have started raining 10 seconds after i started out, then didn't stop. Have I sorted out a decent rain jacket yet?. Nope. Got drenched and cold, but it is November right?

Quick pic on way home, it was much murkier than it looks, lights would have been a good move. Just next to walls in Chester near canal weirs. Cut short the ride in the end to 12 miles, planned around 25.
Bloody nice to get out of the house though

 

[a.twiddler]

This week's rides.
Probably not worthy of the name "rides", more like "ridelets" but here goes.

16/11/20
Out to the Post Office on the tourer. Only a mile all in but it was really enjoyable even in the slight drizzle. Maybe I should invest in a cape? Finding a traditional cape is the tricky bit.

19/11/20
Out to post Christmas cards on the Linear. Thought I would get them out early this year rather the usual panic at the last minute. With modern electronic communication methods maybe it is quaint and old fashioned to be sending them by post. Yet shops are still stuffed with them at this time of year, so many must still send them. Some showers today but I took advantage of a dry spell to pop out. Initially it felt off puttingly chilly but once I got rolling it was fine. I seem to have done as much pondering as pedalling today. I took a roundabout route. No cyclists seen about. Passing a parked builder’s van I surprised a chap repointing a wall and heard him say, “what the hell is that?” to himself. Stopped at the Post Office to post the cards.

Not much traffic up to now but as soon as I got ready to go again, vehicles appeared from all directions. I scuttled across the road with the bike to get a better view but the traffic was relentless. Also, I felt under observation from the small queue outside the Post Office. I had one of those confidence draining moments -no audience = perfect launch. Audience, bound to make a pillock of oneself. As it happened, I made a perfect lift off between bursts of traffic. Too much thinking again, Twiddler. Just do it!

I carried on, through my local uphill traffic lights then to the roundabout on the A54. I followed the A54 West as there was a nice bit of downhill, bike computer showed 24 mph so no speed records today, and turned left at the next roundabout. Left at the next T junction then sharp right to a long level stretch.

A man and a boy were strolling along in the direction I was going. I passed them at about 13mph and the boy shouted,”Wow! That’s the way to go!” I pondered on the effect I was having on passers by. Many years ago when I used to do the school run with my son we used to see a recumbentist most days. I must have said at some time that I wouldn’t mind having a go on one of those. He certainly remembered me saying it. Despite that being so long ago and him being a hulking great engineer nowadays he told his mum that I’d always wanted one of those, after I’d acquired this one.

So perhaps I am sowing the seeds for a future generation of horizontal bicyclists? Though I’d be pleased just to encourage more future riders out on any sort of bicycle.

I turned left soon afterwards and started up a long gradual hill. There were mums and primary school kids about but not much traffic. On the near pavement ahead a couple was jogging along wearing matching black running gear. The woman had a small dog on a lead running alongside. They were going at a good speed, and being uphill it took me a while to catch them.

I had time to ponder how different male and female humans look, and how differently they move, and the nature of gender dimorphism. In some species, such as birds, males and females look very different, yet in the majority of life forms on the planet it is often hard to tell them apart. The man was quite bony and angular, his longish hair bouncing straight up and down in time with his strides. His heels also moved vertically as he ran. His companion was a bit plumper and had a pony tail which flicked from side to side, while the soles of her shoes moved in little circles. They were running almost in step. They looked like they did this regularly. The dog seemed to be enjoying itself too.

I suspect the three of them were fitter than me. I was doing more puffing than pondering by the time I came level with them, just as they turned sharp left and jogged off down a footpath.

A bit further up the hill I came to a T junction, turned right and after a short stretch was able to enjoy a freewheel. Halfway down this hill I turned off left and after a mile or so of up and down came to my back gate. Only 4.5 miles altogether, feeling a bit flaccid and unfit today with the poor weather keeping me in most of this month. Average speed was 10.6 mph so that was a bit better than usual. Looking forward to doing some longer rides if/when the weather improves.

I have noticed that I can jump on the tourer after even a long break from riding it and it just...fits. With the recumbent I have to keep at it or I lose that edge until I have ridden it a bit again. Must get out more!

 

[DCBassman]

I went out in the wet.
OK, it wasn't very wet, but still...

Another mountain bike ride on dirty Devon lanes.

And wasn't it just. I'll be getting the Revell up and running for this type of ride, as it has mudguards!
Just the normal run out to the car park above Clearbrook. Lots of walkers and cyclists, no great speed possible. And anyhow, there's endless acres of the dreaded wet leaves on this route, north of 60% of the ride. Wet leaves. Brrrr....
Stats:

 

[Dave 123]

A very close call this afternoon.

out from home to Creacombe, then I decided to go down Darkie Hill. Brakes on, muck, gravel and diesel on the lanes. At the bottom is a left hand bend. As I went round there was a car... I had nowhere to go!
My bike was skidding but I managed to wedge it and myself between the car and the hedge bank. Bike at 45°, me still on it!
The people in the car were really concerned I’d hurt myself, but other than a small cut on my left little finger I was fine! Lucky.

After that I tv was a drizzly, yucky ride.

10 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4374821797

 

[Spiderweb]

Out on the Tricross at 10.30am for a leisurely ride into York for a takeaway Cappucino. A bit nippy but a lovely day with loads of cyclists out. 34 miles with an average of 13.6 mph.