Your ride today....

[gavgav]

My ride yesterday. I normally play cricket on a Sunday, but we played on Saturday as a one off this weekend and so that left the day free for a bike ride.

The morning rain passed through, leaving a muggy but quite breezy afternoon. The wind was from the north west and so I took advantage of that to head South initially, through Meole, Hook a Gate and Annscroft. I normally turn off there, but today I stayed on the main road through Longden and Longden Common, to Pulverbatch. There are 4 nasty climbs along there, so it’s a good work out.

The descent from Pulverbatch to Stapleton, makes up for it though, but it’s a bit narrow to really let go fully. I stopped off at Dad’s and had a couple of hours there, with my Brother and his partner also joining us. She’d made a Strawberry Pavlova, so a piece of that went down very nicely.

I set back off home, firstly to Gonsal, taking an age to cross the very busy A49, then a lot of traffic leaving an event in Ryton, but it quietened down after Condover, to Betton Abbots. The wind was a challenge on the last few miles, but a good enjoyable ride that.

19.39 miles at 13.0mph avg

 

[DCBassman]

Test ride on the Trek. 0.12 miles...
I've done something wrong, chain unships in little ring.
Rats.
Edit: I'm guessing this is where I tweaked the mech to work with the Mavic wheel from the Marin. Damned spacer would account for the error exactly.

 

[skudupnorth]

Cracking ride to Liverpool on my Boardman Fixie. Used the Trans Pennine from Altrincham to Hale near Speke airport. Popped into to see the aircraft collection based on the original Grade 2 listed airport complex which was a first for me. Headed back out towards the shared path from Garston docks to the Albert docks and all the attractions around the waterfront.
Now for the pain ! I wanted to try out the Leeds -Liverpool canal tow path for the return leg of the trip….. bad idea on a road bike with 23 profile tyres, worst 35 miles of my cycling life !! It wouldn’t be a problem on larger profile tyres such as 35’s but my poor hands and bike suffered badly until I got to Wigan and then on the the Leigh branch of the canal which was super smooth and wide.
Just over 93 miles done and I am now in dept with my good lady for letting me have a pass out 😆

 

[Andy in Germany]

Riding into work:

Riding back:

 

[DCBassman]

OK, having failed miserably with the Trek earlier this afternoon, I regrouped, and with fingers crossed set out on the Marin Pine Mountain. I was expecting to have the same sort of disaster, but no. It all worked really well, and was a great ride. What a relief...
While bimbling along, I figured out what I'd done wrong with the Trek. Like Einstein and relativity, I thought of it while riding my (other) bike!
At my usual first drink stop, just north of Gem Bridge, there was an older guy with a nice Brompton being quizzed about it by an equally old but quite startlingly beautiful lady. He demonstrated the fold. She was very impressed, in an "I'm going to think about buying one of those" kind of way.
Later in the ride, we passed each other here and there. No clue what model of Brompton it was, but he did say it had titanium bits in it somewhere...
Tried in vain to spot any remaining bits of my suicidal rear mech from the previous ride, but to no avail.
So, all good. There's more to do. I should really strip it and service hubs, headset, bottom bracket if possible. Treat the rust. Find a canti brake cable stop for the headset, so I can change the stem...The list will undoubtedly go on. And on.
Weather lovely.

 

[Spiderweb]

Yesterday was my first ride back since a road trip to Lake Como 🇮🇹 and Covid while is was there🤢
Morning ride to work of 6.7 miles with an average of 16.6mph followed by an extended ride home of 35 miles with an average of 15.6mph. Feeling tired but really great to be back on my bike👍

 

[buzz22]

My goal for today was to crack 100km, the plan being to ride for at least 100km south and then to the nearest train station to take me home.

First stop was Bald Hill, my happy place.
I looked south to the Sea Cliff Bridge, looking forward to riding over it for the first time on a push bike.
My bike of choice was my 1997 Raleigh 2500RS. I've fitted it with 36 spoke double walled rims and road tyres, it also has a 12-32 cassette on the rear and great brakes so was better suited to the mainly bike path route than my road bikes.
Sea Cliff Bridge was as spectacular as I thought it would be...
Looking south

Looking north

I kept heading south, getting into a good rythym. The views were beautiful around most corners and I powered on towards Wollongong, Sydneys biggest neighbouring city to the south.

After a while the lighthouse at Flagstaff Point came into view, indicating that I'd made it to Wollongong and time for a lunch stop.

By this stage I'd done 60km and was feeling good. The calamari went down a treat and was the perfect choice for a sunny lunch by the beach.
Wollongong is nicknamed Steel City as the steelworks is the regions main employer along with coal mining and the port is dominated by industry.
It has a rich history which is celebrated with some beautiful displays of equipment from times gone by.
The Steel works:

The Battery, a gun emplacement for port defence during WW2:

I kept heading south, hugging the coast on a bike path most of the way. The path wound along through suburbia and coastal towns until eventually my destination came into view at almost exactly the 100km mark, the pretty town of Kiama and it's famous landmark The Blowhole. It's the point located to the far left in the distance and I figured I'd come all this way, why not go and have a quick look.

A few kms down the road and I was there, 105km over 6 hours and some photo stops:

I'm now sitting on the train home reflecting on a great day and a wise choice of bike for the trip.
Despite being a fairly basic rigid mountainbike the Raleigh was the perfect companion- it's no lightweight (but either am I), the flat bars and trigger shifters made choosing the right gear easy, the V brakes were excellent and the 26 inch wheels with slicks were solid and trouble free.
The rack and bag combo allowed me to carry everything I needed and would easily hold enough gear for an overnight trip.
Now to get home for a much needed shower...

 

[ruffers]

Hi all, decided to go out on my hardtail mtb this afternoon. Have the Bolton to Bury, or Bury to Bolton 🤔 trail a go. Tried it to see if is ok for me a my lad to go out on next week. Nice little route to be fair. Overall did 14 mile. Was nice to get out and about for abit.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Yesterday: With the afternoon free I thought I'd get the Raleigh out and do a local loop. I headed into town to start with and worked my way round to The Quarry. The marquees are still going up and although the place wasn't packed there were a reasonable number of people out enjoying the warm weather. I saw my brother at work and waved to him but unfortunately he didn't spot me.

Carrying on along the towpath, there were enough people walking to make progress a bit slow until joining Sydney Avenue after the weir. The old canal path was a bit busy too. The bell got a fair bit of use - one with a friendly tone does make a difference to how people react.

From Uffington the road to Upton Magna was pretty quiet which turned out to be because the road in the village centre was closed. I walked the bike through to show willing, but there didn't seem to be any work in progress.

Heading for Withington next I was getting along a lot better (a tailwind helped). I took the most direct way to Walcot then found the headwind as I climbed up Bluebell Lane, heading for Uppington then Eaton Constantine. I enjoyed the fairly long descent to Cressage and didn't do too badly on the drag out of the valley along Shore Lane. The headwind stayed with me through Acton Burnell and Frodesley so progress was steady. I'd hoped I'd pick up a good tailwind after changing direction at Longnor but it seemed to have shifted round to the west a bit so although it was helping it wasn't as much as hoped and after Condover was a blustery crosswind which wasn't any help at all.

34.4 miles at 13.8 mph average. Despite my bit of a moan about the wind I did enjoy the ride. Nice to see a few other riders out and about too.

A couple of snaps while riding through The Quarry.

Upton Magna.

The Wrekin viewed from Rushton.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

A cheeky extra ride after a lovely day out with Mrs T (which included a fabulous 20 mile ride and a swim itself).

A search for Swiss backroads revealed an option which looked good and didn't disappoint.

After a short flat run-in, a brutal steep start in 30+ degree heat, feeling the road radiating like a furnace. The route rose up a ravine in and out of shade, while sweat poured off me like an alpine thunderstorm.

The heat eased at about 1000m, and after stopping for a litre or two of water, I turned off to a tiny back road. Being Switzerland, not only was it impossibly beautiful, winding through the meadows in soft evening light, but surfaced like a velodrome.

Naturally, further brutal climbing followed, topping out at 1400m with views of the Jungfrau through the clouds:

The descent was rocket fast on a wider road, though I could have done without the post bus holding me up.

A swim in the lake completed things to perfection.

 

[FrothNinja]

My goal for today was to crack 100km, the plan being to ride for at least 100km south and then to the nearest train station to take me home.
View attachment 655344
First stop was Bald Hill, my happy place.
I looked south to the Sea Cliff Bridge, looking forward to riding over it for the first time on a push bike.
My bike of choice was my 1997 Raleigh 2500RS. I've fitted it with 36 spoke double walled rims and road tyres, it also has a 12-32 cassette on the rear and great brakes so was better suited to the mainly bike path route than my road bikes.
Sea Cliff Bridge was as spectacular as I thought it would be...
Looking south
View attachment 655345
Looking north
View attachment 655346
I kept heading south, getting into a good rythym. The views were beautiful around most corners and I powered on towards Wollongong, Sydneys biggest neighbouring city to the south.
View attachment 655347
After a while the lighthouse at Flagstaff Point came into view, indicating that I'd made it to Wollongong and time for a lunch stop.
View attachment 655348
By this stage I'd done 60km and was feeling good. The calamari went down a treat and was the perfect choice for a sunny lunch by the beach.
Wollongong is nicknamed Steel City as the steelworks is the regions main employer along with coal mining and the port is dominated by industry.
It has a rich history which is celebrated with some beautiful displays of equipment from times gone by.
The Steel works:
View attachment 655357
The Battery, a gun emplacement for port defence during WW2:
View attachment 655359
I kept heading south, hugging the coast on a bike path most of the way. The path wound along through suburbia and coastal towns until eventually my destination came into view at almost exactly the 100km mark, the pretty town of Kiama and it's famous landmark The Blowhole. It's the point located to the far left in the distance and I figured I'd come all this way, why not go and have a quick look.

View attachment 655363
A few kms down the road and I was there, 105km over 6 hours and some photo stops:
View attachment 655364

View attachment 655365
I'm now sitting on the train home reflecting on a great day and a wise choice of bike for the trip.
Despite being a fairly basic rigid mountainbike the Raleigh was the perfect companion- it's no lightweight (but either am I), the flat bars and trigger shifters made choosing the right gear easy, the V brakes were excellent and the 26 inch wheels with slicks were solid and trouble free.
The rack and bag combo allowed me to carry everything I needed and would easily hold enough gear for an overnight trip.
Now to get home for a much needed shower...

Used to love going to the Blowhole during Christmas hols when I was in primary school - long drive from Brissie too

 

[cwskas]

Great posts, @buzz22, @Rickshaw Phil & @roubaixtuesday!

I need to work on my heat tolerance and so planned a 100k route today and didn't leave until 830am with a temp of 77F.

The wind was out of the south and gusty. For the first leg, I took TX6, a state highway which has moderate traffic most of the time, but wide shoulders. On occasion it morphs into a 3 lane road by adding a passing lane, taking in most of the shoulder on that side. Since I need about 40" for my trike, there is not enough room when there is a passing lane and I have to move across the annoying bump strips and use the far right of the main lane. Drivers tend to be quite accommodating and I watch my mirrors closely and don't feel at additional risk.

This huge place on quite a few acres has an interesting history, I will look it up and come back with a link. Most recently it has been a hunting lodge and now is an animal rehabilitation and animal chiropractor.

It was a beautiful day except for the heat. Many of the animals were taking refuge in shade, but I was able to snap a few.

About 20 of today's miles were roads that I have not ridden, so that was a bonus. I have driven them all numerous times, but not had a chance to cycle on them yet.

I always like amusing names on the gate.

I took a rest stop in Iredell and the temp was up to 85F. After the brief rest stop, I left TX6 and crossed a nearly dry Bosque river. We are in a serious drought here. I really should have stopped to take a picture, but I decided to press on since I had just had a break.

The new road, FM927, has no shoulder and is chip seal, but was not too annoying in most places and the scenery was very nice. FM stands for Farm to Market. Some Texas roads are designated RM or RR which stand for Ranch to Market and Ranch Road respectively. These are the bottom tier of state maintained roads and are usually pretty good for riding except near a large city which has spread out into the formerly rural areas. They are paved, often with little or no shoulder, normally light traffic outside of early morning and after school but with well maintained right of ways on each side. It is usually possible to find a nice shade tree when needed. I have been known to pull under a nice shade tree and take a short nap on the trike.

By the time I reached my next stop in Walnut Springs, i had about 33 miles behind me, but the heat was already at 95F and I was really feeling it. I did not get any more photos because I didnt want to take the time. I made a few tweaks on the trike while sitting in the shade eating some peanut butter crackers with a nice breeze.

FM 927 continued on to Morgan and I took another break in the shade this time with a popsicle. All of these small towns have at least one small grocery and usually allow me to get ice for free from their soda fountain. One of them today did charge me 50 cents for each bottle. When it is this hot, I normally fill with ice and then add cold water.

From Morgan I head back into the wind on FM174 to Meridian. I have ridden this road many times. It is much more fun going the other direction, downhill and with the wind. It took very little time to dry the water I had poured on my head and down the back of my jersey and I diligently took water at regular intervals.

This might be a good time to add this screenshot I took showing the 10 mile laps. There is starting to be a regular drop off in speed for some reason! If I recall correctly, I had 43 miles behind me when I left Morgan.

It was about 9 miles to Meridian, where I took my last rest stop in the shade of a large tree at a gas station. Since the sun was near directly overhead, there was very little shade to be had. More ice and water in my main water bottles. A small snack and off I set for the last 12-14 miles on another often traveled and mostly flat road, FM1991. The last 4 miles had quite a bit of climbing and I was struggling at times, reminding myself regularly that I was nearly home. By now it was 104F.

It was a challenge, but I enjoyed the majority of the ride quite a lot and feel quite satisfied with how I managed the elements up until the last little bit. The whole ride was in Bosque County, which only has about 18,000 people.

 

[buzz22]

No wonder you slowed down a bit in those temperatures!

 

[geocycle]

Having a few days off so got the train one stop up the line to Penrith. Has to be one of the best locations for varied cycling country. Today I went through the lovely Eden valley villages to Shap then onward through some tiny roads to Haweswater. One called the concrete road was laid as part of the reservoir construction and is not generally open to motors but was a brilliant cycle route. It is a longtime since I’ve been along Mardale, the name of the original valley before Haweswater reservoir was built so roadup to Mardale head. The level of the reservoir was down revealing some of the flooded village roads. Then back to Lowther Castle for an ‘understated’ cafe stop! Suitably refuelled I rode over the hill to Ullswater which was lovely if busy. Big climb through Dockray to pickup the C2C route back into Penrith. 102 km or 63 miles with 1550m of climbing.

pictures of Brougham Castle, Mardale x2, Lowther Castle cafe stop and Ullswater.

 

[AndreaJ]

It was warm, sunny and windy in Shropshire this morning and I managed not to get rained on for the first time in a few weeks although everywhere is looking much greener again after all the rain.
I wanted to get a 50km challenge ride done for August so set off with a vague plan to Bettisfield and through to Hanmer with a nice tailwind most of the way then turned past Hanmer mere to Breaden Heath. A possible answer for @RickshawPhil’s question in his ride report is that some of the signs are in Wales and some in Shropshire and maybe there’s a Welsh spelling and an English one, my OS map has Breaden Heath 😊. Took the lane to Welshampton hoping that the road closure on Stocks Lane was further back which it was and crossed the road to follow the lane to Lyneal and around Colemere. Had a pleasant surprise when I discovered that the previously awful road surface has had some repairs and actually looks like a road now rather than a gravel track! Carried on to Brown Heath, English Frankton and through Loppington to Horton and onto Whixall to make the miles up by taking alternating left and right turns before heading back home. 34.6 miles in the sunshine.