Your ride today....

[wafter]

Some cracking efforts on here as always - especially @gavgav who seems to be smashing it out of the park


Some less spectacular progress from my part of the world; but progress all the same. After awaking bang on 7am after a particularly effective anxiety dream, it was clear that the day could only be anything other than utterly miserable if a ride was had to put a bit more distance between the black dog and I; and expend some of the grotty, carb-fuelled nervous energy I'd amassed since the beginning of the week.

By 10 I'd managed to drag myself out into the sunny outside; taking the same route as last time down the bridleway near the house and stopping to have a conversation with one of my neighbours; who apparently runs and old Surly of some description

The rain's been fairly heavy of late and unlike last time the fat Conti slicks really struggled at times on the slimy surface of the otherwise hard-packed mud; especially on off-camber bits which gave a few twitchy moments.

Once reached the tow path was uncompromisingly bumpy as usual, with additional "fun" provided by the aforementioned slimy, muddy surface and some areas that were so overgrown I had to push the brake levers forward from the rear to prevent the intrusive foliage braking on my behalf as it impacted upon / became entangled with the front of the bike.

Once I got off the tow path the weather had turned decidely overcast and muggy, but the (relatively) flat and consistent surface of the road and opportunity for comfortable, steady cadence once again was appreciated.

I extended the ride further than last time to include a few more villages and bridleways where possible; and while the bike as it stands makes these possible at all compared to a road bike, the tyre choice remains far from ideal and has encouraged me to put my hand in my pocket and build up the spare set of wheels with another cassette, disks and some more capable rubber on this terrain.

In numbers I managed about 27.5 miles at around 11.7mph; with only around 1300ft of elevation change; presuambly due to the tow path content. While things remain far from splendid as usual I feel both mentally and physically lighter and owe the bike a debt of gratitude for levelling me out and beating the malaise into submission for a day or two.

*EDIT* - a couple of photos having subjected myself to the ordeal of getting them off my hateful POS work phone.

It's also great to see the Croix de Fer massive well-represented in this thread

 

[ianbarton]

I did the usual practice by a wall so that you can’t fall before venturing into the garden ( for the soft landing on the grass😂) , managed to fall twice ☹️ before deciding it would probably be easier on the quiet lanes.

Try loosening the cleats a bit. Also always unclip one foot a few yards before it becomes essential. Nothing worse than trying unclipping right on a junction only to discover the cleat has somehow stiffened up and you end up sprawling on the floor. Same advice going up very steep hills. You can end up going so slow that you can't manage to unclip before falling over. I have all those tee shirts

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

As @gavgav has mentioned, I've been over at the coast with him for a few days so a bit of catching up to do again.

Thursday 2nd: I hadn't managed to get a ride in for a few days so when an errand needed to be run I decided to use the bike and make a ride of it afterwards. Having dropped off the item I needed to deliver I headed into the centre of Shrewsbury and through the Quarry which was busy with people enjoying a sunny Bank Holiday so was quite slow going. I then took the shared path alongside Smithfield Road before heading past the old prison and out of town via Castlefields and along the canal path. There were plenty of people around the weir but then it got quieter as I headed away from town.

It was a pleasant trip to Upton Magna, Atcham and Cross Houses. I thought I'd have a change from my usual route at Berrington and headed to Boreton. The ford was low enough that I could have ridden through it but I took to the footbridge as usual knowing that the ford is part cobbled and may be slippy.

The lane through Allfield made a change from going through Condover and allowed a view of the main road which looked a bit busy so I went over Lyth Hill.

An enjoyable 22.6 miles at 12.2 mph average. Very enjoyable, especially as I hadn't anticipated getting out.

Folk out enjoying The Quarry in some decent Bank Holiday weather.

Hercules has seen it all before.

Just visiting - honest.

Upton Magna.

Sunken lane between Berrington and Boreton.

Poppies near Condover.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Sunday: As @gavgav has already mentioned it was a damp start to the day. We waited round to see if the weather improved and headed out when it looked like things were drying up.

Neither of us had anticipated how cold it was and we'd gone less than half a mile before deciding that an extra layer was needed. As we climbed up into the hills on lanes that are completely new to me it started to rain lightly. It wasn't too bad at first but by the time we got to the viewpoint at Pen Yr Allt Fawr it was quite wet so waterproof layers went on and stayed on for most of the rest of the ride.

I enjoyed exploring lanes I've never been on before round to Cwm Bychan and thought that the scenery was great despite the weather, although it would have been better still on a sunny day.

21.4 miles on my speedo at 9mph average.

Up at the viewpoint. We are enjoying it, honest.

Another view from Pen Yr Allt Fawr.

Waterfall where Afon Cwmnantcol joins Afon Artro.

Following Afon Artro up the valley.

Alongside the lake at Cwm Bychan.

Majestic scenery despite the weather at Cwm Bychan.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Monday: It was a drier and warmer day which was good for heading along more hilly lanes that I haven't ridden before on a route round to Harlech. As Gav mentions, we started off with shirts on but didn't risk shorts. The first stint on the main road was much as we would expect traffic-wise and we covered the first few miles a lot quicker than the previous day. Turning off in Llanbedr we headed onto the road that goes to Cwm Bychan but turned off just over a third of the way up the road, signposted to Harlech (with a pause on the way to adjust a rubbing brake).

As mentioned, we hadn't been climbing for too long before meeting the bin wagon coming down the hill on a lane that was much too tight a squeeze for my liking so we turned back to the nearest farm entrance.

As we climbed the hill it got cooler and more exposed to the wind so a fleece was wanted before we got to the highest point of the trip which had a great view to look at while we had a bite of lunch. I led when we moved on again and had enjoyed the descent until I noticed that Gav wasn't in sight. He was fine but taking it a little more cautiously than I had been so I followed him after that. It's a long descent with several gradient arrows on the map so I shouldn't really have been surprised by the strong smell of hot brakes from Gav's bike.

At the bottom of the hill we joined the B road into Harlech. This starts out flat and was really quiet initially so I enjoyed it. As it starts to climb into town the traffic picked up but was mostly well behaved. We enjoyed the ice creams from the shop near the castle (honeycomb for me). We'd passed the top of Fordd Penllech (the steepest street in the UK) and I was a bit tempted to try riding it, but not this time.

To avoid the main road there is more climbing to get out of Harlech then some nice descending. We made use of the cycle path alongside the main road this time but it was quiet enough we could have stayed on it, then we turned off onto another lane that runs parallel but is more hilly. While here, what I first thought was a bumblebee flew alongside me before I noticed that the body was too elongated and realised that it was a hornet. Big aren't they - wouldn't want to be stung by that!

We'd had enough hills for this trip so took the flatter main road to get back. Alright but the traffic wasn't all as well behaved as earlier. We turned off a junction too early but it was fine as it did connect to where we wanted to be and got us away from the traffic.

20.6 miles at 9.3 mph average.

A couple of shots from the climb after Werngron.

On our way to the summit.

The view from our lunch stop. On the far side of the estuary you can just make out Porthmadog in the distance on the left and on the right is Portmeirion (famous for 60s tv series The Prisoner).

A couple of shots from our stop at Harlech.

 

[Mike_P]

Same advice going up very steep hills. You can end up going so slow that you can't manage to unclip before falling over.

The one time I forgot to unclip going up a steepening hill it did will me on to make it to the summit where I unclipped and safely collapsed. Had an interesting incident at a roundabout of A roads when as I stopped I clipped back in accidentally and consequently practiced a track stand, thankfully just as that practicing was heading to terminal a gap opened up on the roundabout.
Stacks of eBike trips since last posting on here, all with some shopping or work element including a trip to Halfords on behalf of the car. Seems that's going to be the case for some time as whilst the foot pain had disappeared it was replaced by a more noticeable issue at the ankle which presumably was disguised by the foot issue. Saw the physio again who declared damaged ligaments, do plenty of walking and cycling but I doubt going up a steepish hill will be a good idea not on the eBike.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Tuesday: A much nicer day all round with sunshine and warmth. We headed off to ride along the Mawddach Trail to Dolgellau then up the long climb to Llynnau Cregennan before dropping back down to Barmouth.

We went for shorts and t-shirts which was a little on the cool side once we started moving but we soon warmed up. The main road traffic wasn't too bad then we dropped down to the promenade and into Barmouth. There had been a headwind on the way so we looked forward to having it helping on the way back.

It's been a while since I last rode over Barmouth Bridge and it does seem rougher since the restoration work done recently. I think it's because the new planks aren't the same thickness as the old ones.

We had a "pit stop" at Morfa Mawddach and it was galling to see Gav's bike just slip down the wall it was leaned against while I was stood just too far away to do anything to prevent it. The bike's first real battle scar I believe and it's a big one.

The Mawddach Trail is always a good ride but particularly so with the scenery looking fabulous in the sunshine. There were a good lot of people about although we couldn't help noticing how many of the walkers looked as though they weren't really enjoying themselves. Possibly they hadn't realised how long the trail is?

At Dolgellau we paused by the cricket pitch for our lunch then tackled the climb out of town (signposted Cader Idris) which is steep right from the off. Further up it does become a bit more rolling as it heads through some great scenery. There was hardly any traffic on the way which was good as it gave us the chance to chat but when three German registered motorbikes came past not far from the top it was a good chance to pause for a drink before tacking the last bit.

At Llynnau Cregennan it was as busy as I've ever seen it, but not surprising given the sunny weather. Once we'd enjoyed the view we started on the descent which also has great views from the top then becomes interesting as we lose all the height we'd gained in only about a mile down a twisty gated lane.

We rejoined the Mawddach Trail, retraced our steps to Barmouth Bridge and had a slow crossing due to so many other people walking and cycling. We'd got most of the way across before I noticed the sound of engines behind us which was (I believe) the same three German registered motorbikes we'd seen earlier. Not cool guys! I know we all make mistakes but you must have realised at some point before the bridge that this path wasn't intended for your chunky touring motorbikes.

We enjoyed an ice cream on the promenade (mint choc chip this time) before heading back to the main road which was a bit busier than earlier so prompted us to take the narrow shared-use path rather than being hassled by traffic.

33.1 miles at 10 mph average according to my speedometer. A great way to finish the visit before I had to head for home.

Barmouth Bridge.

A look back towards the bridge now that we've joined the Mawddach Trail.

Headed along the trail.

At Penmaenpool.

Climbing up into the hills.

One of the vistas en route to Cregennen.

Further up the valley and looking back where we have come from.

Up at Cregennen Lakes.

Looking towards Barmouth before we start our descent. We're roughly 800 feet up at this point.

 

[Spiderweb]

This was a ride from last Saturday. A lovely ride in The Yorkshire Dales starting out from Middleham where my friends, Martin & Gaynor had come to stay for the jubilee weekend.
28.8 miles with an average of 14 mph.

 

[Spiderweb]

My regular morning commute of 6.7 miles on Tuesday with an average of 16.6 mph followed by an extended ride home of 28 miles with an average of 16.1 mph. Fab ride and a beautiful early evening.

 

[Spiderweb]

Todays regular morning commute of 6.7 miles with an average of 17.3 mph followed by an extended ride home. A slightly different route out to Askham Bryan and Copmanthorpe on the outskirts of York, 25.6 miles with an average of 16.3 mph. No ride photos today just a pic of my dog who has got into the habit of jumping on the kitchen unit to greet me when I arrive home!

 

[buzz22]

Another sunny day in Sydney, 13 degrees and windy so I chose to duck into Royal National Park again and do some hill work.
The thing with having 11 bikes now is the need to make them all a bit different so I can justify keeping them all. That is how my Giant CFR 3 came about, I bought it purely for the frame and with some parts from my spares stash it was built for climbing.

I headed down the hill, the RSX brakes on Mavic Aksium rims doing a great job of slowing for the corners on the roughly 4km descent.
Once down the bottom I had a quick break:

I headed about 3km back up the hill to the entry station and was feeling strong so decided to give the hill another go.

Another quick break down the bottom and time for the long climb back up.
It was a good mental boost to do the extra climb and still feel strong, all up 46km with some decent climbing at an average just over 20km/h.
The 1 x 7 drivetrain (42 front and 28-12 rear) suits the purpose well. I could probably go slightly smaller on the front but then I'd run out of gears up high so I'll just train harder.

 

[Alba Zeus]

Still geting back to fitness after COVID so relativley flat bimble along a local bike path.

Nothing exciting but nice to get out.

Have some time off next week so have North Arran route planned.

 

[Alba Zeus]

@Spiderweb Where did you take your strava picture from in your post? Is it a screenshot from the app etc?

 

[Spiderweb]

@Spiderweb Where did you take your strava picture from in your post? Is it a screenshot from the app etc?

Hi, yes just a screen shot from the app. Click on the share (top right square with arrow) then reduce the size from image below to show just the map with the ride info.

 

[Alba Zeus]

Thanks mate