Your ride today....

[Windle]

A belated report (as usual) from last Saturday's ride. With a few hours free after dropping the wife off in Durham I headed to Broompark picnic area on the Lanchester railway path. I'd done a ride from here up to Stanley Crook and back down via Meadowfield a few weeks ago on the Kona but forgot to put the memory chip in the camera so didn't do a write up of that. This time I ventured up the Lanchester line all the way to Lydgetts junction and then onto the Waskerley path (eastwards) to and through Consett, past the Jolly Drovers pub, almost as far as Annfield Plain before turning back and re-tracing the route, back downhill. It was another dull day with a bit of drizzle but a good bit warmer than of late. Most of the route was busy with dog walkers, runners, ramblers and other cyclists, plus the odd horse.
The old Lanchester station building with obligatory sign ~ why is it always us that's told to consider other users?

Alongside the Terris Novalis sculptures just outside Consett, location of the compulsory pie stop.

A somewhat grand stone opening on a small path coming out next to Villa Real roundabout.

The Old Transformer sculptures just below the hill where Pontop Pike transmitter resides (where our telly comes from) on the way back.

Molten iron tippler waggon (Chaldron?) near Lydgetts junction.

A random old railway building on the track embankment west of Lanchester.

One side of the two span truss bridge over Smallhope Burn on the way out of Lanchester.

Another enjoyable railway path ride and the biggest of the year so far at 35 miles all in, with 1,240 feet of uphill-ness and I was feeling it by the end. Shame the weather was so overcast. Probably the longest ride I've done for about 13 or 14 years as well. The longest ride I've done before (when I started riding again last time in the early noughties, not when I was younger, by a long way) was a 40 miler which coincidently was over part of the route I did today, the bit round Consett. Who knows, maybe I'll do a 50 miler this year?

 

[wafter]

Flipping heck it’s wet today. I had to go to that London today, to see an ailing aunt in the Brompton hospital. Rode to Didcot station on the Brompton, train to Paddington, then rode to Brompton on the Brompton via Hyde Park, Knightsbridge etc., after the nephewly duties more or less the same journey back.
Had the weather been better I would have had a pootle about and taken some pictures, but it was absolutely precipitating down today. I think it’s only the second time I’ve been out on the B in the rain, however I was toasty warm and dry with full water proofs on.
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EDIT: just to add when I was 13, in 1970, I used ride an Dawes Kingpin all around that area delivering meat to various addresses from the local butcher.

Great work - I'm sure your mission was appreciated and it seems your usage of your little B is pretty much the epitome of how it was intented

I must admit, as much as I hate people and often find London hard to stomach, the thought of nipping in on the train, wafting around for a bit on the Brompton, sneaking in a few pints, making a nusance of myself and buggering off again does appeal. would be viable from Oxford, if sadly not from the boomer hell I currently endure.

Envious of your casual little adventure tbh - by contrast I've done naff-all today of a bicycley persuasion; other than disappointingly check the B's tyres to see how much air has escaped since Sunday (spoiler - quite a lot although not catastrophically-so)..

 

[wafter]

Minced and dithered over a ride today; anxiety and tiredness pulling me one way; the gloriously clear and sunny - if chilly - outside pulling me the other.

Eventually pushed myself into a short but extendable local loop; the Fuji dragged from the shed and pannier bags lashed on to facilitate my reward of a few beers from the shop upon my return. Plan was to head north and do an anti-clockwise loop, however the black clouds in this direction forced a re-think and I headed east towards the only bit of distant blue sky; hoping to creep round behind the rain and catch it unawares...

Turns out the wind was blowing from the SW (as the forecast would have told me, had I looked properly.. although in my defence it promised little rain). The ACW loop eventually turned CW to avoid the growing storm front to the north, bringing me back upon myself. I'd ventured down a bit of track during the loop back; a little ford en-route flooded forcing me to haul the bike over a small, narrow bridge with a very unhelpful stile at the end.

Nearly face-planted thanks to a loose root on the other side, then again trying to exit the muddly, sloping makeshift track when I stood on a load of barbed wire. Not sure if it's in anyone's job description to maintain this route; but if it is they need hanging from the balls until dead.

Irritated by my detached, floundering inadiquacy in the face of my envirnment I hauled myself up the track and back out onto the road. I'd planned to track back west towards the village, however the sky now looked a lot more amenible to the north and I had no reason to go home, so I headed in this direction instead and completed the ACW loop I'd inititally envisaged, give or take.

Not really a pleasant ride; lots of close passes and associated shouting, temperature was tolerable once warm but I generally wasn't really feeling it - legs tired from some goblet squats last night and energy generally limited thanks to my renewed determination to cut my carb intake.

Stopped at the shop on the way back for some promotional Asahis, reduced mushrooms and spring rolls. Verbally abused some poorly-parked knobheads and got the eye off a woman outside the co-op; which was novel although I didn't pursue it further as I'm not a burden anyone should bear.

About 20-odd miles in the end. Feel better for getting out, but now the initial endorphine high has worn off, increasingly tired and world-weary. Best I can hope for I guess is that it's knackered me enough to facilitate a decent night's kip.

 

[HLaB]

That was a ride of two halves today!
After 16deg at the start of the week it was -1deg c at the start of today. The Garmin had it a -2degC in the freezing fog but I think it had started to rise above zero. After the cafe stop the fog had lifted at it was quite warm at 6deg C, and after the pub it was a mild 9deg C. Which was a good thing as part of the route back was still flooded in places

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The helmet rack under the bar is very useful


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[Dave 123]

After a morning beach walk in glorious sunshine I got on my bike at about 12.30, with a pounding headache.

By now big black clouds were coming in with big cold showers. I wimped it a little and just did the Battisborough loop. After all the rain there were lots of puddles including the Olympic rowing lake in Creacombe.

11 miles, the last mile cold and wet!

https://www.strava.com/activities/10826921334

 

[Alex321]

Finally recovering a bit of fitness after far too much time off the bike in te last couple of months (two crashes, a week witrh a heavy cold, and far to many very strong winds).

Decided to try and get a couple more in the ABC of Pubs & Cafes, which meant a ride through Pentyrch - which has no way to it without going up a significant (to me) hill. Had set out with the sameaaim a couple of weeks ago, but aborted that before reaching the hill up to Pentyrch as I realised my legs just weren't up to it.

This time, no issue at all, rode up to Pentyrch (taking photos of the two relevant pubs and a church - see photo gallery threads for photos), then up over the "mountain road" and down to Efail Isaf. I'm a lot more nervous on that sort of narrow twisty downhill now than I was before those last two crashes, and came down that hill pretty slowly as a result.

Still feeling good as I came to Talbot Green on the cycle path, so rather than just turning for home through Pontyclun, I extended on to Llanharan and then up through Llanharry and home by the back road from there.

Still only 23 miles, with 575 metres climbing, but I would really have struggled to do that a week or two ago.

Weather very pleasant, sunny and little wind, though quite cold (5-8C), apart from one heavy rain shower while on the cycle path between Efail Isaf and Talbot Green.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10828048238

 

[Ian H]

Friend Richard organised another of his breakfast rides yesterday. Nine of us set off at 9am, just as the last of the showers ceased. The route took us a very laney route up on to the hills to one of the old ridge roads and across to the York Inn without losing too much height. 18k so far.

J joined us having ridden from home. We had a leisurely breakfast. The tandem peeled off for home and we continued across the ridge to descend to Dunkeswell Abbey.

Richard's route then involved a couple of steep ups and downs. J left us for home. T was sort of doing his own route and coinciding with us here and there. The bikes were utterly filthy by this point, and so were couple of us, courtesy of a moron in a hatchback who took to a wide, muddy verge to splatter past us (with luck he'll have done some damage to his vehicle). We washed off some of the excess mud in a handy roadside stream.



Finally we reached the Thirsty Farmer (formerly the New Inn, but never mind) for liquid refreshment... which turned into a liquid lunch.

After several leisurely pints and conversation, we left to go our separate ways. Three of us rode the 18k back to the start just as the light was fading. 70k in total and 900m of climbing. [All photos: Graham]

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Took the tandem for a test ride after yesterday's fettling.

Lovely 20 miles in spring sunshine with a couple of hills to test out the gears (and legs!).

Twice had a weird clunk/ drive chain impact early on, as if one of the chains stuck then freed, but couldn't find any cause, and didn't recur, hopefully all is well.

 

[wafter]

The bright morning goaded me to do a little utlity ride to the next village, so off I set eventually on the Fuji.

The sun made the trip out very pleasant, if my legs were less enthusiastic after yesterdays exertions. Got the necessary done and caught up with a few folks, then onto the return leg. This time it was into a headwind and increasingly overcast skies; certainly feeling the cold more than on the way out.

I took a less direct route along a gated road to avoid having the hammer my legs up a massive hill, which added a couple of miles and was very pleasant. It was nice to have a gate held open for me by a dog walker too - one of a few pleasant interactions, while the tiny, near-deserted rural roads made a nice contrast to the fast, 90's-era-Bagdad-airfield-surfaced A-roads and knobheads that spoilt yesterday's outing.

Scored some eggs on the way back and a couple of beers from the shop... which I'll try to avoid consuming this afternoon before I've (hopefully) got some work done.

About 13 miles today bringing this week's recorded total to around 85 miles; the most I've done since December and probably the 6th or 7th most distance covered in the last year.

I went out fasted and haven't eaten yet; I'm hungry but it feels perfectly manageable thanks to the reduced carb intake, so that seems like progress. Looking forward to the lowish-carb fry up awaiting me once the sausages have finished slow cooking in the oven..

In other news the novelty of the Fuji still hasn't worn off and I'm constantly reminded of how much pleasure and utility this relatively modest and inexpensive bike has given me

 

[chriswoody]

Headed out on the mountain bike today determined to get a few kilometres in. Started as usual by heading north and into the forest. It's not long until I hit an area that's been really chewed up by forestry work, luckily I'm not heading into it, though as I turn aside I do see a large forestry machine with a driver clearly annoyed by my presence, though it's Sunday, so what an earth he's doing working is beyond me.

It's a lovely ride though as I go further into the forest, I soon leave all the forestry work aside and I'm surrounded by peace and solitude. The kilometers slip easily by.

After 20 odd kilometres I emerge onto the climb up onto the Teifental, a large area of heathland. It's quiet up here today, not many walkers about and I head onto some of my favourite single track. We really don't have much here on the Northern German Plain and I happily take what I can get. The trail snakes over the heath before dropping down into a small dell and rising steeply on the other side.

From the open heathland I'm soon back under the cover of Scots pine and heading over rough sandy trails back South. Before long I'm back into the deep forest and away from walkers and other folk. The forest here is a working one though and aside from the ever present logging, there are also numerous hunters shelters, ranging from tall permanent structures to more quirky temporary ones.

The trail alternates from firm gravel fire roads to rooty single track. All around the trees are changing from more natural Scots Pine to closely packed rows of Spruce. Another clearing opens up with a small patch of heathland either side of me, typical for round here.

I soon reach the sprawling Oak at Reberllah and stop for a bite to eat. From here, I I turn West and soon hit a barrier across the trail barring entry, I decide it means for cars and ride around the side, though it is odd to see one here. I'm soon back on a rough rutted trail and the sun has come out bathing the forest in a beautiful light.

It's here I make a mistake and fail to take my intended turn, not normally a big deal, it's easy to re join my route further on. What I'd not banked on was the forestry work. Normally this section is a delightful fast gravel fire road, after one of the wettest winters on record, combined with heavy forestry work, I'm confronted with a trail that resembles a WW1 battlefield.

The next 4 kilometres are really heavy going and I really struggle to gain momentum or traction, it's a frustrating time punctuated with frequent walks. I breath a huge sigh of relief as I reach the end, my legs tired, I disappear into a firmer section of forest for the last few kilometers.

I emerge onto some quiet roads at last and wend my way through the last kilomtres back home to give the bike a quick hose down and grab a welcome coffee. Overall 51.6 kilometers on a nice day out.

 

[geocycle]

Late winter sunshine beckoned me toward the Dales. I waited for the frost to disappear and tentatively headed up into the hills. Through the villages to Ingleton and all was ice free apart from Ingleborough itself, so picked up the road to Thornton in Lonsdale then the steep climb into Kingsdale. This is a wonderfully empty valley with a gated road and just one farm. There was a surprising number of vans indicating that the cavers were active. Chatted with a fellow cyclist and sent him on ahead while I watched for birds. Curlew and buzzards were the most notable. The valley floor kicks up steeply and I was dismayed to find the other cyclist fixing a puncture but he seemed well prepared. Finally reached the top at 450 masl. then plunged down the steep descent into Deepdale leading to Dentdale. Fortunately the wide tyres and disc brakes of the elan inspire confidence. Lunch in Dent before the steep 20% climb out of the valley to Barbondale. The ride through Barbondale is one of the best cycling roads as it is empty with very little traffic. Home via Kirby Lonsdale. 90 km with 1150m of climbing.

Pictures of seat before Kingsdale, the view up Kingsdale, waterfall in Dentdale and Barbondale.

 

[EltonFrog]

Ended up soaked on my Brompton adventure in Seville! Unpacked the bike, discovered a wonky main frame clamp bolt (totally my fault), but decided to roll with it anyway. Cruising through the cobblestone streets, dodging phone zombies and church gazers, until the rain hit—gentle but relentless. Refused to let it dampen my spirits, so I embarked on a soggy quest for a restaurant, only to surrender and retreat to the apartment, a triumphant 6.84 miles under my belt.

 

[HLaB]

I went out with another group today as I wasn’t sure about going off road with so much of the area flooded we made it most of the way without coming across a severe flood then we hit:




That lake is usually 500m away.


Just out of shot, in the distance where the road dips, that flood had spilled over the lower part of the road for about 20m. After watching a few cars going through it we decided not to go through it ourselves. Some folk went back through the flood I went through yesterday, as that was the quickest way back, but with it having warmed up to a nice day a couple others and I decided to go round by Oundle.

 

[lazybloke]

After a severe frost on Friday night, I was out on my bike Saturday morning for my very first audax, 100km.
Blimey it was cold, not sure temperatures went above 5 C. And rain. Lots of rain.


In between prolonged showers there were some nice bits & dry moments; I went over a canal that my father-in-law helped to restore/reopen. Blossom in trees. Cows. Calves, in this weather! Clumps of crocuses and narcissi. A polo field. A jousting field! A man out for a walk with his Bengal cat!

But the rest of the time there was a great deal of very cold, heavy rain. I'm a solo rider generally, but on this occasion I fell in with another rider and spent the day gassing. It was slower than I like to ride, but it helped pass the kms. We were riding slowly.

WE knew we were out of time before we got to the 3rd checkpoint. Yep - closed. We decided we'd hit a warm cafe instead, but with a few navigational confusions that took an hour to find. Both of us had numb fingers, but I think my core temp had dipped too - it took my a good 20-30 minute to feel comfortable, and we spent nearly an hour recovering in that cafe.

Then back on the road but at least the rain had stopped. We were off course, so plotted a slight short-cut to the end.
We still had an hour to go, but gloves were warm and dryish (from the cafe radiator) and we were on the home straight. I started to feel happy again as we passed through farmland in the beautiful late afternoon sun. Mist was forming above the fields; and after a long and difficult day, the sunset was rather rewarding.

Finished with 97 km on the clock, and a DNF.

Cold. Wet. Awful. Yet somehow fantastic!

 

[Elybazza61]

Yesterday went on the Ely clubs reliability ride, decided to do the 85km standard route rather than the epic 125km.
Nice early on and view on the way to the start in Coveney wasn't bad;

Also on the way there was some Hooper swans (I think) feeding up before they head back to Iceland;

Actual start to the ride was stalled by a Garmin glitch with spooked the HRM and lost all contact with the power/cadence meter

Still ,went ok after that and rode mostly solo while tooing and froing with other bods.
Typical ride in the Fens with the winds varying in direction, early sun gave way to thick fog and back to sun finally ending overcast with a strengthening wind.

Also typical views with big skies, long straight roads , long straight rivers/dikes and unusual vernacular.

Finally got around to Welney where the full scale of the flooding could be seen; actually spoke to a Wildfowl trust bod who was on a quad bike distributing corn in various places for the swans.

People actually still try and drive through this despite the warning and barriers and there have been a few vehicles (and people)needing to be 'rescued'.

Finished back at Coveney with 93k on the Garmin so after coffee and cake at the HQ decided to do a loop of Ely to bring up the 100k

https://www.strava.com/activities/10834009729

Good first major ride of the year and the Endurance training on Zwift seems to have paid off.