Your ride today....

[colly]

After a morning and early afternoon of helping my daughter in law with some stuff I took a little time this afternoon for a spin out. I didn't get underway until after 4pm so the light was fading fast and the temperature was dropping faster. I heard that snow was the order of the day for the rest of the week so It was now or never. ( well now or not for a few days at least)
Local-ish of course and all very familiar roads too.
Towards the end of the ride I managed to get it wrong at an awkward junction and get in someones way. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking or attempting but it was definitely my fault. Fortunately the van driver wasn't a nobber and he just waited until I had finished whatever it was I was trying to do.
So back home eventually and once in I realised how cold it had become outside.

18.4 miles and 1100 ft. Fixed wheel.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/62146522

 

[AndreaJ]

Making the most of a bright sunny morning although still cold it wasn’t raining, snowing, windy or icy I decided to get February’s 50km challenge ride done. Took a long way into Wem via Northwood, Foxholes and Creamore, over the railway crossing to turn to Aston expecting the lane to be flooded by the small industrial estate which it wasn’t but it was definitely flooded further along, got through with no wet feet and carried on to Barkers Green, back towards Wem, Tilley, Loppington, Burlton having to stop at some temporary traffic lights where there were some road repairs happening. Crossed the Ellesmere road to Marton, Weston Lullingfields where you could see the snow still on the Welsh hills. There was a foal with its mum out in the field at the stud farm enjoying the sun on the way to Bagley where I turned to Lee, into Ellesmere where a man obviously not paying attention to where he was going walked straight in front of me, I managed to get round him and took the road up Swan Hill to Welshampton. Going down the hill towards Stocks which is usually covered in a thick layer of mud and farmyard thinking that the rain had done a good job washing it clean I realised that it would all have been washed to the bottom along with a surprising amount of the road surface which made progress a bit slow to Welshampton. Stayed on the main road to Northwood and home. 34.5 miles and a lovely sunny day, lots of snowdrops flowering now which are always a cheerful sight

 

[anothersam]

Modest, only 13 miles and 1070’ of climbing, or so the website tells me. I may not use a computer on the bike, but I don’t escape it. It’s always satisfying going over a ride again when I get home.

Nothing much of interest except Roger Daltrey’s house. Here’s the stalker’s entrance:

I zoomed in and caught the man himself:

 

[ianbarton]

Something was seriously wrong with the weather yesterday. It was sunny, with only a slight breeze and a promise that it would stay like that for the rest of the day. The forecast for the rest of the week was dismal, so I decided to make the best of the day.

I set off downhill towards Tittenley and then turned right up the steep hill towards Moreton Say. I was undecided whether to turn right and go to Whitchurch, or carry on towards the A49. I decided to cross over the A49 and follow the road to Prees Lower Heath. Following the B5065 I carried on into Wem and stopped to buy some food from the Coop. Cycling out of Wem up the hill towards Pym's House I was followed by a Loadall. It's only a bit wider than a single track road, but he patiently waited until I got to the top of the hill at Pyms House where I pulled into the drive to let him overtake.

From there, there is a short downhill section and then a long undulating road that leads to Whixall. The breeze was behind me, so I made good progress. From Whixall there was a short section along the B5476 before a right turn towards Prees. I just missed a good photo opportunity when train shot through about half a mile before I got to the level crossing. After a short steep pull up the hill from Prees I stopped in the churchyard to refuel. The snowdrops are one of the first signs of Spring. After my rest, I set off downhill and back home via Ightfield.

A total of
55km with 346 metres of climbing.

Resting in the churchyard at Prees.

First sign of Spring.

Followed me patiently up the hill. I pulled in at the top to let him pass.

Very quiet main street in Wem.

 

[Jon George]

In all my years of cycling, I think I get my metrological assessment completely wrong on about one or two days per year and consequently make a hideous decision about what clothes to wear. Today was one of those days. I was sensible enough not to put on my complete wardrobe of winter cycling clobber, but after about 15 minutes I stopped to remove as many layers as I could squirrel away in my range of pockets. I still arrived home thinking I'd have been about right if I'd done the ride naked.
I know most of you outside Suffolk would consider the county devoid of any hills worth noting, but Ipswich lies in a dip and for the last couple of weeks I've been exploring a route that incorporates as many of the short, sharp rises as I can.
This may explain the over-heating ...

 

[Archie_tect]

A frosty 15 miles yesterday evening just as the sun was going down... the ice just starting to form on the muddy tracks!
No-one about at 4 o'clock!

 

[cyberknight]

Riding home in an absolute deluge and got a puncture at the start so I'm trying to change the tube in freezing rain and the tyre is shredded so I'm facing an ,7 mile walk when a van pulls up and asks me if I need a lift! I accept as I'm stranded and my hands are already frozen ,turns out he lives in the same town .
Sometimes stuff restores your faith in people

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Riding home in an absolute deluge and got a puncture at the start so I'm trying to change the tube in freezing rain and the tyre is shredded so I'm facing an ,7 mile walk when a van pulls up and asks me if I need a lift! I accept as I'm stranded and my hands are already frozen ,turns out he lives in the same town .
Sometimes stuff restores your faith in people

A Like for the chap in the van, not for the shredded tyre.

 

[Gunk]

It was such a beautiful day here today that I managed to get out for about 40 minutes in-between meetings, I fitted a new saddle (this is the third one now) which was a big improvement. Just a few miles but the Van Nic is always special to ride.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Went out, got drenched, came home.

Overnight rain cleared and the day brightened up through the morning. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to get out then but took the opportunity after lunch, aware that I'd only have a couple of hours before more rain was forecast to arrive.

Heading out it was a contrast to the last few days, feeling quite balmy in comparison and with a bit of sunshine as I headed up Lyth Hill, dropped down to Exford's Green and headed for Plealey. Not much traffic out and just a few people seen walking once I got away away from the popular places to exercise. Turning off for Oaks and starting the climb there wasn't a soul about until after I crested the summit and got to Wrentnall.

During the climb a light shower went through and dark cloud was building to the west. More rain started between Wrentnall and Pulverbatch and from the look of the cloud I knew I'd misjudged it and the rain had come in a bit early. Heading back through Longden would probably be the shortest but would mean having to climb over Lyth Hill again. Heading for Stapleton would be a couple of miles of downhill then I could cut across to the Condover road and head home with the wind behind me. I judged that would probably be quicker.

I'd paused to put my waterproofs on and was really glad of it as the rain lashed down, the roads were as rivers and the people I passed out walking looked drenched. I did make some good progress on the way back thanks to the tailwind but got pretty wet despite the waterproofs.

17.6 miles at 12.1 mph average. Not quite the ride I had in mind but at least I got out.

The view to the Lawley and Caer Caradoc looked quite nice through the haze today. All the snow has gone overnight - if it has been similar in Wales, Shrewsbury may be back to flooding in a couple of days.

From the same spot looking towards Oaks. There is cloud over there but nothing that made me worried at this point of the trip.

 

[rockyroller]

Riding home in an absolute deluge and got a puncture at the start so I'm trying to change the tube in freezing rain and the tyre is shredded so I'm facing an ,7 mile walk when a van pulls up and asks me if I need a lift! I accept as I'm stranded and my hands are already frozen ,turns out he lives in the same town .
Sometimes stuff restores your faith in people

wow! lucky! buy a lottery ticket! I've been known to stay "luck is when preparation meets opportunity", but then there're situations like this, that don't follow that, & perhaps represent "pure" luck?

 

[Archie_tect]

All helps towards keeping up the 10000 steps a day regime to get fitter and healthier, which started in March last year. It's been a bit of a struggle to keep it going through January though!

 

[figbat]

I've been off the bike for a few weeks or so following a bout of back pain, followed by bad weather, followed by can't be bothered. Shaken myself out of it now though and back in the saddle - today was just a quickie grabbed between WFH meetings but it felt good - if not fast - and now I feel stupid for giving up on it. I went out on the home-brewed gravel bike which I continue to love to bits, despite being a lashed-together mongrel. Having been largely abandoned in the garage since last year I pulled it out, oiled the chain, pumped the tyres and went and it rode perfectly.

The ride was a mix of road, urban shared cycle/pathways and gravel. The main downside of the urban parts is the constant need for the bell, although admittedly everyone I came across was obliging and courteous in their reactions, as was I with my thanks.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Yesterday's Ride.

Snow on the Hills but a balmy 1 or 2 C down here. Out using the usual lanes which are pretty wet at the moment. No ice thankfully. I took the Hethelpit Cross run to dodge around Upleadon and to take the Strawberry Hill approach to Oxenhall. Lots of snowdrops on show. The lanes continued to be wet with sand washed off the fields onto the road in quite a few spots. I took the usual run back from Dymock but had tarmac-ing operations require me to dismount and walk on the verge briefly. No worries tho' as my lights went on over the last few miles. Nice wee drop of fresh air. 47 smiles

 

[Con]

Seeing as I'm in FORCED self isolation I've got this instrument of torture out. Done an hour a day for the last 5 days and I bloody hate it but it's the only ride I can do at the moment. I can't wait for Saturday when I get my freedom back.