Your ride today....

[wafter]

Looks like some cracking rides on this thread which I'll make an effort to look through when I get a bit more time

While I hate all this messing about with the clocks the extra hour of light in the evening really makes a difference and upon getting back from work last night the evening felt open and full of opportunity; unlike the dark little hole of misery, anger, nervous energy and frustration I've come to expect from school nights in the winter.

Since the weather was so nice I popped out for a little mosey on the Fuji; I'd planned a small loop of maybe 8 miles but ended up doing near double that. Mostly quiet roads with a decent proportion (maybe 25-30%) on bridleways, gated roads and other routes shared with minimal vehicular traffic.

I took it very steady due to already being tired and aching pretty much all over from rolling around on the floor at the weekend trying to sort the shafted brakes on the car. I'd left the panniers on the bike and stopped at the local shop on the way back to have a poke around - scoring some mixed veg and the last two Peronis.. by the time I'd got back it was pretty dark, but light enough to see and I'd had the forethought to leave the lights on the bike so I could be seen.

In total about 14 mile and 700ft at 10.8mph and 126bpm for about 650kcal burned. Nearly all zone 2 with the aim of low exertion and consistant cadence.. I took full advantage of the Fuji's excellent 26/34 granny gear; winding myself up the most punishing hill (that tops out at about 12%) without exceeding 70% of max HR

Things that I saw: A fox darting across the bridleway in front of me
Thing I didn't see: Any sodding broccoli in the shop for my dinner

As usual when I got home I felt fantastic for getting out, and it felt great to have done something with the evening other than dither and waste until I eventually felt tired enough to go to sleep. Feeling it a bit today though, so it looks like it'll be another one that requires obscene amounts of caffeine to ensure I last until the end of the day..

 

[Datum2]

Yesterday, 27th did a ride around east Suffolk with the start point in Bungay. As I'm interested in the historic built environment I decided a couple of years ago to collect Round Tower churches. This has now grown into collecting Pounds/Pinfolds and various other fixed items of historical note. So armed with a "Strava" route, a "what 3 words" list of locations I set off on a cold bright morning glad of 4 layers and gloves (it did sleet/hail for a bit)
On this ride I visited 9 round tower churches as they are thick on the ground in this area. Found the Pound in Beccles to be in good condition and cared for as an historic site. Absurdly you may think I also photograph and report where Pounds and Pinfolds used to be. Sometimes there are remnants of brick or stone walls laying about or they have been incorporated into existing structure or they have been totally eradicated with fields, houses, concrete or roads right over the top. Yesterdays non P or P's were at Ilketshall St John, a field edge near an old quarry pit and Wangford village at the appropriately named Pound Corner by the Veterinary practise.
Whilst in Bungay I did a quick walk round the town to see the Peace street signs which were flagged up in a recent Historic England blog "hidden in plain site"
The best reference for these long lost structures is by using the National Libraries of Scotland web site who host digital copies of all the earliest OS maps available. A great resource but takes some getting used to to refine searches.
A 50 mile bike ride passing through many villages and plenty of geography to reflect on.

Some useful links
Historic England
Old OS maps
Round tower churches
Pounds and Pinfolds

 

[derrick]

Had the sun come out Monday, so made the most of it. 58 mile loop out to Takeley , still a bit of a nip in the air, just good to be out on the bike.
https://www.strava.com/activities/8785775940

 

[C R]

It rained all morning, but it stopped at 12, so went out for my lunchtime loop. Quite a stiff headwind for the first five miles, but as I turned towards home I had mostly a tailwind, and was flying in places.

Good to be out.

 

[Cavalol]

Just the short (2.8 miles going, 3.14 retuning) commute today, weather had given rain but it was dry when I left. Thought it was time the second of the TdFs got a run out, preparation after 3 years of not being used was to blow the tyres up and clean/oil the chain.
The seat fell apart going in and the gears were a bit hit and miss, so I mostly just stayed in about 6th. No real hills as such going on, but coming home there's a bit of a ramp up to the Milllennium Path which I managed, albeit gingerly. The frame is a tad small for me and I didn't half feel the weight difference between this an a modern ali framed bike. Very enjoyable all the same, need to dig the much better condition one out (same colour) and give that a run out.

 

[Jenkins]

Yesterday, 27th did a ride around east Suffolk with the start point in Bungay. As I'm interested in the historic built environment I decided a couple of years ago to collect Round Tower churches. This has now grown into collecting Pounds/Pinfolds and various other fixed items of historical note. So armed with a "Strava" route, a "what 3 words" list of locations I set off on a cold bright morning glad of 4 layers and gloves (it did sleet/hail for a bit)
On this ride I visited 9 round tower churches as they are thick on the ground in this area. Found the Pound in Beccles to be in good condition and cared for as an historic site. Absurdly you may think I also photograph and report where Pounds and Pinfolds used to be. Sometimes there are remnants of brick or stone walls laying about or they have been incorporated into existing structure or they have been totally eradicated with fields, houses, concrete or roads right over the top. Yesterdays non P or P's were at Ilketshall St John, a field edge near an old quarry pit and Wangford village at the appropriately named Pound Corner by the Veterinary practise.
Whilst in Bungay I did a quick walk round the town to see the Peace street signs which were flagged up in a recent Historic England blog "hidden in plain site"
The best reference for these long lost structures is by using the National Libraries of Scotland web site who host digital copies of all the earliest OS maps available. A great resource but takes some getting used to to refine searches.
A 50 mile bike ride passing through many villages and plenty of geography to reflect on.

Some useful links
Historic England
Old OS maps
Round tower churches
Pounds and Pinfolds

View attachment 683458

I don't so much as collect them, but do try and plan any ride in that area to include one for the 'Your bike in front of a church' thread in the photo section simply due to them being unusual. I think my best was 11 in one ride starting out from Diss: https://www.strava.com/activities/2514581464

Edit - looks like I found 11 round tower churches twice: https://www.strava.com/activities/2984618938

 

[sevenfourate]

Yesterday, 27th did a ride around east Suffolk with the start point in Bungay. As I'm interested in the historic built environment I decided a couple of years ago to collect Round Tower churches. This has now grown into collecting Pounds/Pinfolds and various other fixed items of historical note. So armed with a "Strava" route, a "what 3 words" list of locations I set off on a cold bright morning glad of 4 layers and gloves (it did sleet/hail for a bit)
On this ride I visited 9 round tower churches as they are thick on the ground in this area. Found the Pound in Beccles to be in good condition and cared for as an historic site. Absurdly you may think I also photograph and report where Pounds and Pinfolds used to be. Sometimes there are remnants of brick or stone walls laying about or they have been incorporated into existing structure or they have been totally eradicated with fields, houses, concrete or roads right over the top. Yesterdays non P or P's were at Ilketshall St John, a field edge near an old quarry pit and Wangford village at the appropriately named Pound Corner by the Veterinary practise.
Whilst in Bungay I did a quick walk round the town to see the Peace street signs which were flagged up in a recent Historic England blog "hidden in plain site"
The best reference for these long lost structures is by using the National Libraries of Scotland web site who host digital copies of all the earliest OS maps available. A great resource but takes some getting used to to refine searches.
A 50 mile bike ride passing through many villages and plenty of geography to reflect on.

Some useful links
Historic England
Old OS maps
Round tower churches
Pounds and Pinfolds

View attachment 683458

Good stuff ! I’m local - and happened to be driving through Wrentham on the way to Southwold only a week or so ago - and noticed the pound in Wrentham looks to have had some sympathetic renovation (?) recently…..

Enjoyed your travels searching 👍

 

[wafter]

The usual pre-pub ride on the Routier was a stark contrast to yesterday's outing on the Fuji; having rained all day and remained pretty cold throughout. Went out ridiculously layered up, lost the coat and hat after maybe four miles. Nothing remarkable other than an inadvertant excursion into a muddy field - the Decathlon "gravel" tyres saving me from total loss...

Another contextually long one at 16-ish pretty steady miles; there was the odd spark of inner peace but the ride as a whole was a bit sub-optimal. I was glad to get back as conditions weren't great and I was knackered by the end of it; on top of yesterday's ride and two less-than-well-rested, long caffeine-fuelled days at work. Still felt better for getting out though

 

[wafter]

Most of yesterday was spent horizontal in recovery after yet again being totally wrung out by work... by late afternoon the guilt of ignoring the bright sun and warm breeze outside became too much and I got out for a waft on the Fuji.

I only did the same 14 mile loop of Monday night; none of which felt particularly joyful to my knackered, aching, allergic, wheezing carcass but it was better than staying inside. Weather was variable; I managed to avoid the threatening clouds for the most part but eventually got caught in a proper downpour at the bottom of one of the valleys near the end of the ride - thankfully no big thing due to the warm temperature and proximity to home.

The Fuji got a compliment from a passing fellow cyclist, which was nice

I think this will be the last one for a while as the weather's looking crap for the next few days while I remain totally exhausted with the usual insurmountable mountain of tasks to complete in the house...

 

[sevenfourate]

Couple of hours on Hire-bikes - with the wife round Fuerteventura. She wasn’t keen on:

Any hills, going off-piste on City bikes 😳, other people, wind, the heat, the bike we hired her. Or probably the company 🤣 I really enjoyed it 👍

 

[Dave 123]

After work yesterday I had a short ride that was very nice in 50mph winds. To hide from a headwind I opted for the very steep Darkie Hill

https://www.strava.com/activities/8808986766

Today I had a ride interrupted by calls from my friend Will and my son. Twas nice to hear from them both.

After riding lanes and a bit of bridleway I went for a good chunk of south west coast path, then went to The Ship to book a table… and to have a cheeky pint!

https://www.strava.com/activities/8814053673

 

[gavgav]

We’re up at our caravan in North Wales, for the first visit of the new season and what better place to get my April half century challenge done on the 1st day of the month.

It was fairly mild, but mostly cloudy and light winds as I set off to Talybont and then down the main road to Barmouth. Traffic not too bad considering it’s the school holidays.

I then dropped down to the promenade and dodged the various debris on my way down the seafront. A couple of weeks ago a very high tide destroyed lots of the inner wall and dumped rocks and sand all over the road, with locals saying it’s one of the worst they’ve seen.

I then climbed out of the town and crossed Barmouth bridge, which was also very quiet. The holiday makers hadn’t yet arrived.

Some metal barriers have been erected at the start of the Mawddach Trail, to try and stop the motorbikes using the bridge illegally. I’m not sure they will do the job as they seemed too far apart to me.

I then joined the trail, which was very wet and quite muddy, indeed there were lots of flooded sections and it’s probably the wettest I’ve ever seen it, in 8 years of going up there. There were a few cyclists and walkers about, but not many.

I splashed my way up to Penmaenpool, pausing for a comfort stop and the finally refurbished toilets, which have taken about 18 months! They are a world away from the previous smelly offering though.

The sun has now come out, as I reached Dolgellau and sat having my lunch by the cricket pitch, it felt really pleasant and Spring has finally arrived. I passed through the town and then began the long steep climb up towards Cregennan Lakes. It didn’t feel too bad though and I think I’m feeling the benefits of stronger legs from the Lake District miles last month.

I paused by the main lake, for a chocolate bar and a few minutes taking in the breathtaking scenery.

The descent down the hairpins to Arthog is exhilarating. I timed it right to have the gate half way down opened for me by a cyclist climbing up the hard way. Just after I found what I assume was his wife, walking the bike up. They weren’t even at the steepest hairpins section yet and so that didn’t bode well. She didn’t look happy!

I joined the main road down to Morfa Mawddach, where I retraced my steps back across the bridge and into Barmouth, which was busier now, but still not what I expected at the start of the Easter holidays.

What had also arrived was a much stronger northerly wind and of course I was heading into it for the rest of the ride. It was a job to get any speed up at all along the promenade, but the view was great. Bizarrely there was a whole chilli on the ground at the end of the sea wall, where I took this photo from!

The journey back along the main road to Talybont was not much fun, really hard into the constant buffeting wind and busy with holiday traffic arriving, so I was glad to get back to the caravan.

Great to be up here again and always one of my favourite cycle rides.

33.16 miles at 10.2mph avg and 1497 feet of climbing, 800 of which are the 4 miles of climbing to Cregennan.

 

[Alex321]

A ride a bit away from my usual haunts today. Took the bike over to Llanelli, where Ed Laverack was arranging a group ride. Wet all morning, but an enjoyable ride all the same - at least the wind wasn't like yesterday.

There was, unfortunately, one hill where I had to get off and push for a couple of hundred yards - though Ed said as he passed "You're not the first to get off there", and even with that pushing I was 111th out of 207 on Strava.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8812893616

 

[Jameshow]

We’re up at our caravan in North Wales, for the first visit of the new season and what better place to get my April half century challenge done on the 1st day of the month.

It was fairly mild, but mostly cloudy and light winds as I set off to Talybont and then down the main road to Barmouth. Traffic not too bad considering it’s the school holidays.

I then dropped down to the promenade and dodged the various debris on my way down the seafront. A couple of weeks ago a very high tide destroyed lots of the inner wall and dumped rocks and sand all over the road, with locals saying it’s one of the worst they’ve seen.

I then climbed out of the town and crossed Barmouth bridge, which was also very quiet. The holiday makers hadn’t yet arrived.
View attachment 683938

Some metal barriers have been erected at the start of the Mawddach Trail, to try and stop the motorbikes using the bridge illegally. I’m not sure they will do the job as they seemed too far apart to me.

I then joined the trail, which was very wet and quite muddy, indeed there were lots of flooded sections and it’s probably the wettest I’ve ever seen it, in 8 years of going up there. There were a few cyclists and walkers about, but not many.
View attachment 683939

I splashed my way up to Penmaenpool, pausing for a comfort stop and the finally refurbished toilets, which have taken about 18 months! They are a world away from the previous smelly offering though.

The sun has now come out, as I reached Dolgellau and sat having my lunch by the cricket pitch, it felt really pleasant and Spring has finally arrived. I passed through the town and then began the long steep climb up towards Cregennan Lakes. It didn’t feel too bad though and I think I’m feeling the benefits of stronger legs from the Lake District miles last month.

I paused by the main lake, for a chocolate bar and a few minutes taking in the breathtaking scenery.
View attachment 683940

View attachment 683941

View attachment 683942

View attachment 683943

The descent down the hairpins to Arthog is exhilarating. I timed it right to have the gate half way down opened for me by a cyclist climbing up the hard way. Just after I found what I assume was his wife, walking the bike up. They weren’t even at the steepest hairpins section yet and so that didn’t bode well. She didn’t look happy!

I joined the main road down to Morfa Mawddach, where I retraced my steps back across the bridge and into Barmouth, which was busier now, but still not what I expected at the start of the Easter holidays.

What had also arrived was a much stronger northerly wind and of course I was heading into it for the rest of the ride. It was a job to get any speed up at all along the promenade, but the view was great. Bizarrely there was a whole chilli on the ground at the end of the sea wall, where I took this photo from!
View attachment 683944

The journey back along the main road to Talybont was not much fun, really hard into the constant buffeting wind and busy with holiday traffic arriving, so I was glad to get back to the caravan.

Great to be up here again and always one of my favourite cycle rides.

33.16 miles at 10.2mph avg and 1497 feet of climbing, 800 of which are the 4 miles of climbing to Cregennan.

Nicer roads to ride on than Devon!!

 

[13 rider]

Out the door at 10.15 for my standard 50km Wymeswold loop .Bit chilly to start with with but the sun came out in the end and I even thought about removing my leg warmers but didnt . About a third of the way round as I approached a junction 2 rider were waiting for me to pass ,I recongised one of them as a guy I went to school with who happens to be the dad of April Tacey a pro rider with Lifeplus Wahoo . He soon caught me up and had a nice chat for the next few miles . He told me April is riding De Ronde today then Paris Roubaix next week . He told me April has an advantureous plan if it happens you will see her on the TV . Good luck April . I have riden a bit with her before and have attempted to follow her when she did a 5 minute effort , I didnt do the 5 mins , I blew up long before that . Partied company before home . Straight in home GCN app fired up watching the mens Ronde before the Womens coverage starts
Go April