Your ride today....

[fossyant]

Went out at 12 for a couple of hours. Rather warm but there were strong easterly winds. Mix of gravel and road and stayed relatively local around Marple, Mellor and Charlesworth. Photos somewhere above Mellor. Manchester to the right of the fence post on second photo which was on the Pennine Bridleway. Absolutely blowing a hoolie at the top. Only 21.5 miles but over 2000 feet of climbing during 2 hours.

 

[Dave 123]

Only enough time for a 10 mile Battisborough loop on which i chased a pair of grey wagtails up the road at Collaton

https://www.strava.com/activities/9239764834

And now I’m sat at the pub with a beer!

 

[fossyant]

PS - I've mentally started to set my mind to take a photo on a ride - yes it slows me up and I have to 'unpack' the phone, but some of the views you get on a bike is worth preserving, even if only for my forgetful mind. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing.

 

[Alba Zeus]

Having never cycled a canal path I decided to park up at Kilsyth and head for the Kelpies out near Falkirk.

Easy going, lots of people out enjoying the weather so lots of stop start and slowing down.

Stopped at the Falkirk Wheel for a hotdog and carried along to the 30 metre high Kelpies.

Very nice cycle but found the canal path a bit boring as scenery was same same and no challenging climbs or exciting decents

 

[Mburton1993]

Formby beach, not Chester.

5:30 departure so nice and quiet on the A580.

Took a sillier return route.

My way.

Reduced front tyre pressure by 10psi, back by a little less, angled the seat forward and moved it forward, angled the handlebars up slightly and extra padding (added prior to my advice ask): Not too bad.

 

[gavgav]

I’ve had a week away at the caravan in Wales and from the moment we arrived on Monday, to leaving on Saturday, we didn’t see a cloud in the sky ☀️ So I have 3 rides to report on

Tuesday 6th June

I set out to do my half century challenge entry for June, in beautiful sunshine, but there was a keen breeze that was keeping things quite cool.

I followed the main road down to Barmouth, which was fine for a change and then dropped down to the promenade and stopped for a minute to take in the views

I’d had a headwind most of the way down to Barmouth and as I left the town and crossed Barmouth bridge, to join the Mawddach trail, that wind strengthened and veered to become an Easterly, so I had to battle it all the way up the track for 9 miles! That was hard going and really quite cold, I should have worn a jacket. Very dusty on the track, due to no rain for a month, but still the views are amazing. I stopped and had my lunch, in one sheltered place, which was fabulous.

I arrived at Dolgellau and looped around the Town, then joined the Cader road, which is a steep and long climb up to Cregennan Lakes. Out of the wind now and it warmed up considerably on the climb. I paused by the Lakes, after almost being run off the road by one daft woman who wasn’t stopping for anyone, in a Honda Jazz 😡

The descent to Arthog was as exhilarating as ever, then I had to pause at temporary traffic lights, immediately after joining the main road. I followed said road to Morfa Mawddach and then retraced my steps over the bridge and back into Barmouth, where I stopped for a well earned Cherry Blizzard Ice Cream at Flossies.

I set back out from there and the flags from a nearby pub confirmed that the wind had veered again and was now a North Westerly, so a headwind for the 3rd direction of the day, all the way back to the caravan!!!

After climbing up the very steep path from the promenade, I met a really nice chap on an E-Mountain Bike and we had a good chat for about 15 minutes. He lived up the coast and we exchanged routes that we’d found and gave each other some ideas of new ones to try.

The trip back up the main road was busy but traffic well behaved and I arrived back at the van with 33.19 miles done at 9.8mph avg speed, that wind really slowed me down!

 

[gavgav]

Wednesday 7th June

A shorter ride today, up to one of my favourites places, Cwm Bychan. That cool breeze was still there, but it didn’t seem quite as strong as I set out over the railway and onto the main road to Llanbedr. I paused to take a shot of the views over Shell Island and the airfield. They were setting up a crane with a big microphone on it, for some testing of sound from an RAF Texan, which we managed to see flying around Porthmadog on Thursday.

From Llanbedr I turned onto the lane that winds its way up to my destination. There are a few steep bits, but it’s generally not a bad climb, into the wind though again and so a bit chilly.

I arrived at Cwm Bychan and rode to the far end of it, not seeing a soul and enjoying the peace and quiet, then doubling back and having my lunch overlooking the Cwm.

The wind assisted descent back towards Llanbedr was great and I then took the route back to the caravan away from the main road. This starts with a steep climb up through Coed Artro and then along a gated road, before the exhilarating descent to Dyffryn Ardudwy.

A very pleasant 18.23 miles with 1362 ft of climbing at 9.7mph avg.

 

[Dave 123]

16 sweaty miles through the lanes, but there were a few pockets of frigid air to cool me down.

I saw a stoat scoot across the road at one point.

I stopped by the river Yealm at New England to see if I could see a dipper, but I dipped out!

https://www.strava.com/activities/9245764156

 

[HLaB]

We met at 8am this morning in Elton to west of Peterborough for a slightly longer ride it also worked out to get some of the ride in before it turned too hot (Garmin still recorded an average of 25deg C on a ride that was shaded for a lot of the time.

The council in Elton were taking this gravel fad seriously and turned all the roads into gravel roads

From Elton it was mostly bridleways through woods to Kings Cliffe and Fineshade’s Ground Cafe, Through Wakeley Wood and across the A43 to Bulwick. The more bridleways to Brigstock. Through Fermyn Woods to the bridleway next o the Lowick Bypass. Then we took roads to Oundle and the Ashton Estate, before going off road to Warmington and another bridleway back to Elton for a pint. My Stats say I earned 15

so I need to have 13 more

That's how it works, right ?

Almost back at the flat and:

 

[lazybloke]

There have been some lovely rides in the thread recently.


Nothing too grand for me today; I've had a dodgy stiff knee all week, so wasn't sure if I'd be up to anything more than a gentle flat ride. Headed off out of Leatherhead on a cycle track past the sports club, over the river - where someone had been playing poohsticks with a tree, then onto the A24 cycle path south.

.

Reached the Mickleham Bends, and although I escaped a headache after a party last night, the noise of the motorbikes was doing my head in. Also felt very hot and exposed to the sun, and realised I'd fogotten to put any suncream on my legs - so I diverted onto, oops, a footpath, past the posh playing fields of Box Hill School (I had a boss who was educated there), then onto shady lanes.

At the bottom of the Box Hill climb my knee said "yes", so I went up to the top for a quick photo or two. The artwork for the Olympics is fading and covered with tyre marks, but has a few years of life left in it.

V Hot at the top, although plenty of greenery down in the valley: Notice the second bottle holder on my bike, where I usually keep a tool bottle. More on that in a minute.

Went a bit reckless down Box Hill - got up to 44mph and overtook a car; still no knee grumbles, so rather than the simple flat route back to LEatherhead I went up over Ranmore through the vineyard.
Today the vines grow on a stony chalky soil; but nearly 40 years ago when I used to do cross country running for school, we regularly had the thick wet clay suck trainers off our feet! Whoops, looks like I accidentally put a filter on this pic.

Climbed up through the baking vineyard, then in and out of the treeline to the top.

Unusual graffiti on the bridleway.

Past the church at the top, then a very brief stop at the ice cream van where I discovered I'd left my card AND toolkit (containing emergency
cash) at home. Huh, just realised I probably could have done the 'google pay' thing by phone.

More recklessness coming down frop the top of Ranmore; nearly got a face full of flapping bird whilst doing some no-handed photography.

Took a small lane through Effingham which was gridlocked by village day celebrations, so dismounted and strolled through a churchyard to see a famous grave.

Barnes Wallis used to live nearby. My grandfather used to deliver to his house, but several decades later he couldn't remember much about the man.

Then meandered back towards Leatherhead and home.
18 leisurely miles at an average 11.2mph with 1,342 ft of climbing.
Knee still fine.

Edit - hmm, almost identical to my previous ride!

 

[gavgav]

Friday 9th June

My final ride of the week and the weather had really warmed up to a stifling 28c and so what better than to do a VERY hilly route to Harlech!

It was straight up from the main road, with gradient arrows and a 900 ft climb up to Pen yr Allt Fawr. I was overtaken by a couple in a VW camper, just after I began the climb.

I wound my way up, enjoying the views out to sea and arrived at the summit. The chap from the camper, that had passed me, came and said hello, as they’d stopped to enjoy the view and we had a good chat. Another really nice guy and he’d also got a Genesis Croix de Fer, but hadn’t brought it along on his trip around the Welsh coast. We had a good chat about bikes, before I pressed on.

Views from the summit and on the climb

The descent down the gated road, to Pentre Gwynfryn was fabulous and also wind assisted, so cooled me down a bit after the hot climb.

I paused to take on water by the bridge over the Artro river

I then climbed up in the same direction I’d gone towards Cwm Bychan, on Wednesday, but this time turned towards Harlech and the steep climb up to the waterworks at Gaelan. A few gradient arrows up there, but great views

I took a right at the crossroads and climbed over the pass towards Goedog, where I paused for lunch and just enjoyed the astounding views to Snowdon and down the Llyn Peninsula.

The descent down to Llechwedd is amazing, but needs good brakes, with multiple double and single gradient arrow sections. At the bottom, I came round a bend to startle 2 sheep in the road who had that look of “we’ve been rumbled” and they legged it over the wall, at the second attempt!

The main road into Harlech, up Llechwedd Hill didn’t seem too bad a climb, after the steepness of the previous ones, but it was properly hot now at 28c and I was baking by the time I got to the centre of the village and so what better to do than have one of the award winning Harlech ice creams 😃

I was refuelled and ready to continue the climbing up out of Harlech, to Llanfair and then the descent down to the A496 and the cycle path that runs alongside it to Pen-Sarn. From there I joined the lane back to Llanbedr, NCN route 8 and then for some bizarre reason I decided to keep following it and up the shockingly steep hairpin bend road to finish myself off! I was glad to reach the junction and a level section through farmers fields, cows well away today as they do like to get inquisitive up there!

The descent back to Dyffryn was good and wind assisted.

Back at the caravan I was hot and shattered but had enjoyed an epic ride of 24.29 miles and 2705 ft of climbing, with 4 good steep climbs done.

 

[Dave 123]

An evening ride for me. I’m fed up with riding up Bridgend Hill, its pot holes and cars…

I went via the little hamlet of Luson, near the top of Holbeton and once in Battisborough I realised I’d be going up Bridgend bloody Hill, or would I?

Out around the Warren again. I flushed a sparrowhawk and a big old hare along the path, but more rare than that was a few raindrops!!!


I took a picture of Warren Cottage. Apparently it’s owned by an artist, but I’ve never seen anyone there.

Just at the mouth of the Yealm the sun came from behind the clouds.

Once back in Noss I could see that the Newton Voss was clear…. Result! No Bridgend after all!

14.5 warm miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/9253541769

 

[Jameshow]

PS - I've mentally started to set my mind to take a photo on a ride - yes it slows me up and I have to 'unpack' the phone, but some of the views you get on a bike is worth preserving, even if only for my forgetful mind. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing.

Just leave it on the wall!
No phone no coffee, no cake, no beer!😢🤣😢

 

[Chislenko]

Despite going out at 8 a.m. my ride today was pretty warm 🌞🌞🌞

 

[gavgav]

Back to reality after a weeks holiday and 2 days of work is enough to necessitate a chill out ride. So I headed out in the hot late afternoon sunshine, on the Carbon. The chain issue has been sorted, with a new one replacing the old cracked one, however a new set of shifters is also required, but they’ll have to wait until after pay day and so I will have to put up with some jumping gears in the mean time.

I set out and saw the first of many bits of evidence of last nights massive Thunderstorm cell that hit the county. There were multiple large branches down from nearby trees, following the tornado like winds that got up in seconds, most in or blocking the cycle lane.

I went through Meole village and then followed the main road through Hook a Gate, where temporary traffic lights have appeared and on to Annscroft.

The breeze was fairly strong this evening and the Union Jack on the crossroad’s confirmed it was an Easterly and so would be a headwind for a good proportion of the remainder of the ride!

It slowed me a bit through Exfords Green and onto Dad’s. The lane was littered with gravel and large stones that had been washed off fields in the deluge from the storm as well.

I had half an hour sat in the garden with Dad and my brother and his partner also came home from work, so had a chat to them. I set back out and the wind had dropped a bit, which was nice. The nearby lane to the A49 was covered in sand and gravel, again from the storm, which made that a tricky half mile on thin tyres.

I then headed for Condover, with my my first test of the newly surface dressed section, that had needed doing for about 5 years. To be honest, I think the local primary school could have done a better job. Whilst it is a bit better, it’s still rough in places and they appear to have laid the chippings too thinly, in my view and have missed whole patches in places, plus not bothered to fill in potholes amongst them either!

From Condover I followed Lyons Lane, dodging part of a tree that obviously came down last night and then went through Betton Abbots and home. Had a karma moment, when a pillock overtook me at a speed well in excess of the 30mph limit, because he couldn’t wait the 5 seconds to let me pass the junction he wanted to turn into, so he decided to turn across the front of me instead. What he hadn’t thought about was the massive speed humps at the junction and there was a loud graunching sound as he grounded the bottom of his car on one of them. I so hope he’s done some expensive damage and it might teach him a lesson about patience and speed.

A very hot but enjoyable 14.9 miles at 13.4mph avg speed.