Three rides to report on.
Monday: I only had a couple of hours free in the afternoon so took the Raleigh out for a quick run around my usual Condover, Longnor, Acton Burnell, Harnage, Berrington, Condover loop.
Having got the Galaxy set up nicely it made the saddle position on the Raleigh feel off so I paused about four miles in for a small adjustment which felt good for the rest of the ride. Reaching Longnor I realised I probably would have been better off riding the route in the opposite direction due to the easterly wind but I got along fairly well through Frodesley, Acton Burnell and Cound Moor regardless.
Flag of the day at Cound was the official Shropshire one. I found the A458 a bit busy due to the time of day so got off it onto the lane straight to Berrington. Having a tailwind on this lane made it much easier to ride than I'm used to and I'd probably have been quite quick if not for meeting a few people out walking.
It was nice to have a police vehicle unexpectedly pull in to let me by on Lyons Lane - most drivers aren't looking far enough ahead to notice the oncoming cyclist
before they get to the point where the hedge obscures what is round the corner.
23.9 miles at 15.2 mph average. A nice ride on a reasonably warm afternoon. I enjoyed that.
No photos from this one as I forgot to take my phone with me.
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Thursday: I'd missed out on rides Tuesday and Wednesday as what I was doing took way longer than expected. On Thursday I needed to drop into town so took the chance to make a ride out of it and grabbed the knockabout bike as it was convenient.
In contrast to the previous few mild days it felt like almost a return to winter with grey skys and a chilly wind. I only got half a mile before needing to put on a second fleece. Once my errand was run I headed across Castle Walk footbridge and did a loop along the riverside through the Quarry then along Smithfield Road and back to Castlefields before heading out of town along the old canal path to Uffington. With the schools having gone back The Quarry wasn't nearly as busy as it has been the last couple of weeks which made progress easier.
I had a pretty clear run to Upton Magna although a bit slow with the wind against me. There was a largish group of cyclists outside the Haughmond Inn so not everyone is back to work. Not too much traffic on the way to Atcham but the road to Cross Houses seemed oddly busy. Having been working against the wind earlier I thought it might have been helping on the way to Condover but it didn't feel like it. I got to Condover at about the time the schools were finishing for the day so decided to head over Lyth Hill to avoid the worst of the traffic. I had to wait a while to cross the A49 so I think I made the right choice this time.
22.7 miles at 12.6 mph average. Nice to be out but I wanted the weather to be more spring-like.
Just the one photo from this ride: Looking downstream from Castle Walk footbridge.
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Yesterday: A much nicer start to the day so I headed out as soon as I was free after lunch to do a longer ride on the Raleigh. I thought I'd head out to Cardington this time and set out to Condover and Longnor into a bit of a headwind but with the thought that it would be nice when it was behind me later on.
From Longnor to the start of the Folly Bank climb I had the roads mostly to myself. Although I wasn't in danger of breaking any records the bike felt better up the climb than it has for quite some time, making me hopeful that I have finally found the right saddle position. On the way up the climb I changed my mind about the route so, at the crossroads, took a left and carried on climbing to Yell Bank. The views from the top are great and it also climbs to just over 1000' above sea level which is a nice bragging point.
From here I dropped down through Chatwall before taking the lane to Broome and Church Preen. A left in Church Preen took me towards Kenley, bouncing along a lane that could really do with some proper resurfacing. I carried straight on at Kenley through Broomcroft and worked my way round to Harnage Grange. It's been a while since I've done a ride with lots of climbing so the legs were feeling a bit tired by the time I got to Harnage. I'd expected to have a tailwind here but seemed to be heading into it instead on the descent to Cound. Flag of the day was that of Sierra Leone.
I still seemed to have a headwind on the run up to the A458 which just didn't seem right at all and it made the run into Cross Houses slower than I'm used to. I'd just got off the main road when my phone buzzed and I had a text from
@gavgav to say he'd just seen me from the car.
Heading along Lyons Lane started out slow but after the dip by Allfield I made better progress into Condover. If the wind direction had stayed as it was wen I started I should have had a nice tailwind to finish with. As it was, the run to the A49 wasn't as quick as I'm used to and the last mile or so was a bit of an effort.
30.1 miles at 13.5 mph average. Enjoyed that in spite of the wind seeming to taunt me.
Almost at the summit of Yell Bank there is a gateway with a view of the Clee Hills.
A little further on this viewpoint gives a great vista over the Shropshire Plain.
Some friendly locals.
En route to Church Preen.
High Fields farm with another view of the Clee Hills in the far distance (left to right: Brown Clee, Titterstone Clee and Clee Hill)
Bluebells between Church Preen and Kenley.
Not far from Harnage Grange.
Just noticed a good impression of part of the ebikes frame on the back of the leg.
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