Your ride today....

[bluenotebob]

I hope that there isn't anything seriously wrong with your leg

Thanks, Colin .. but I'm fine. I've stacked 2.5 tons of heavy logs since last Friday and as the pile rose, it became more difficult - and meant climbing up on a ladder and stretching to push the logs into position. Alongside ladder climbing, I've been out on one of my bikes every day cycling against a strong wind.

All my legs need is a rest - but they won't get one .. decent cycling weather forecast here for the next 14 days .. so I intend taking full advantage and I'm going to try to claw back some of the deficit I've run up over the last 14 days of wind and rain.

One final delivery of logs to come - Sunday or Monday - then that job will be complete. I'll post a photo of the finished pile in the 3x30 thread some time.

 

[ColinJ]

I've stacked 2.5 tons of heavy logs since last Friday and as the pile rose, it became more difficult - and meant climbing up on a ladder and stretching to push the logs into position. Alongside ladder climbing, I've been out on one of my bikes every day cycling against a strong wind.

Yikes. Yes - that does sound like hard work!

As is cycling in the recent strong winds... I have been dodging them most of the time, but they seem to have been blowing for weeks now.

 

[Landsurfer]

My daughter borrowed my truck last night so rather than playing musical cars I cycled over to her house to retrieve my vehicle .... Used the new cycle path network recently installed in Rotherham at a cost of millions ... and after 400yds left it and returned to the roads .... The surface of the new cycle paths is so rough to make cycling very unpleasant ... even with the pot holes the road surfaces are better to ride on ...

 

[ruffers]

Nice late afternoon ride today. Just me myself and I. Set off and headed to Bolton via bury and Bolton road. Then passed Darcy Lever and Little Lever on my way through Radcliffe. Back up Manchester Road through Bury and homeward bound. Just under an hour, was really good to get out in warm weather.

 

[bluenotebob]

I didn’t get out on the bike until 2.30pm – by which time the temperature had rocketed up to 24C. Loaded the bike in the van and drove to Mauron. Headed south down the V3 Voie Verte through Loyat and Ploërmel and dropped down to the Oust valley at the Pont-des-Deux Rivières. For the first time since last October the section of canal towpath towards Montertelot was open (but it remains closed in the other direction).

I had actually cycled this section of towpath in January or February believing it to have re-opened (someone had turned the ‘halage fermé’ sign through 180 degrees .. probably kids) only to find when I arrived in Montertelot that it was still closed with a diversion in place. It seemed exactly the same as two months ago – really quite rough in places, but my road bike coped (we went very slowly over the dodgy bits).

Continued on the towpath to the Pont-des-Hingleux at la Chapelle Caro then headed back up north. As usual, there were the normal problems around le chemin des hortensias north of Ploërmel .. it’s a pinch-point and four people walking abreast effectively blocks the passage … and the sunshine had brought them all out – plus dogs on long (ie 6, 7, 8 metre) leashes – so just when you think there’s a gap, the dog cuts right across you. Anyway, I navigated through all that nonsense – stopped for some vanilla fudge and a drink – then put my foot down. For the first time in over 2 weeks, I let the road bike fly … and I was back at the van in what felt like record time.

60.19km in 3 hours 32 minutes.

Some photos of Montertelot here (there’s a better one in ‘My Picture of the Day’).

 

[HLaB]

A nice relaxed EB’s today, the highlight being when my mate sprinted off to go to a local shop I didn’t know existed, He came back later with Asparagus in his back pockets, it was a farm shop/ honesty box and the farm grows asparagus. It was a bit of a fresh start but it warmed up nicely and I gave in to the temptation of the Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay beer garden

I only used up 2 of the 13 allocated by Strava Sauce though as I still had 12.7 miles to cycle home.

 

[ianrauk]

A rare one for me today. a shorter ride then the usual 100+ milers that I do.
A Kent local loop around Brands Hatch with a visit to the refurbished Speedgate Cafe for a bacon Sarnie, a bit of fabulous carrot cake and a cuppa.
Glorious weather for it. probably the first time this year it actually felt very warm as opposed to just warm.
100's of cyclists out and about today too. Great to see.

Bacon sarnie, carrot cake and a cuppa at Speedgate

Knatts Valley just outside of the M25. The brown and the green.

Travellers washing their horses in Eynsford

That London o'er yonder. (About 20 miles)

 

[Dave 123]

Nearly 12 miles, but I’m still not feeling it!

Swallows were flying and buzzards wheeling.

Early Purple Orchids just on the way…

I need my strength back!!!

 

[FrankCrank]

As today was unusually clement, thought I'd go a bit further afield.
First stop, a local mecca for MG fans/owners

Further along a stop at a railway bridge (1896) - the line from Reading to Basingstoke

And onto my destination for the day

The local church is well worth a visit too

And then the nearby Amphitheatre

A bit mushy to go into the arena itself. Didn't see any Roman gladiators, expect they're still on Easter hols, back first thing Monday morning.

I'll be back here again soon to do a proper walk around the old walls, when it's all dried out a bit.

 

[EltonFrog]

My gold sparkle Dawes Kingpin, affectionately known as the BLINGPIN, had been neglected in the shed since 2022. Today, I decided to give it some attention. After a quick tune-up, including fixing the rear brake and tweaking a few spokes, I took it for a test ride. Initially, I noticed a noise from the crank, only to discover that the brand-new Sturmey Archer arm was loose. After tightening it and checking other nuts and bolts, I realized the rear wheel nuts weren't set evenly, so I corrected that. With the tyres inflated and everything in order, I ventured up the hill, exploring different routes, enjoying some off-roading before returning home through the village. Surprisingly, riding down the fast hill into Blewbury I reached a speed of 40 miles per hour on rims that were 50 years old and that I had rebuilt. A satisfying ride of just under 9 miles.

Looking towards Didcot.

A bit of off roading

Field of Gold

 

[lazybloke]

Wanted to head out for 40 miles today and opted for "bike out/ train back" so that I didn't have to to a loop on the usual tediously familiar roads. Well, still had to get out of Surrey, but was soon in delightful rural lanes south of Horsham passing bucolic views, lovely cottages, quaint villages lakes, woodland, bluebells, wild garlic, penstemen, camelias, possibly a rhododendron, and quite a few...er , yellow flowers. I can't know all of them!
And all to a symphony of birdsong and lungfulls of fresh air; it was glorious.

Ideally I wanted to get to Arundel, the roads don't link up through the river valley so you have take either the A29 or the B2139 up the North face of the South Downs. No thanks. I scoped out a footpath that does link up between lanes in the river valley, but the ground was too wet to explore. Next time. Back-tracked North to the nearest station and found my way home.

50.3 miles done, at a very unhurried pace.

Highs - 1) riding a few miles alongside a chap on an absolutely gorgeous fixed-wheel Flying Gate. A funky metalic blue with the lugs all hand-detailed. Turns out it was his first time out on it! 2) A convoy of about 50 lambretta (or similar) . Mmmm, the smell of two-stroke!
Lows - 1) Getting lost and realising I now need glasses to read my Garmin. Bit of a problem for cycling, because my distance vision is just fine. 2) I think I've caught the sun!

 

[Landsurfer]

My gold sparkle Dawes Kingpin, affectionately known as the BLINGPIN, had been neglected in the shed since 2022. Today, I decided to give it some attention. After a quick tune-up, including fixing the rear brake and tweaking a few spokes, I took it for a test ride. Initially, I noticed a noise from the crank, only to discover that the brand-new Sturmey Archer arm was loose. After tightening it and checking other nuts and bolts, I realized the rear wheel nuts weren't set evenly, so I corrected that. With the tyres inflated and everything in order, I ventured up the hill, exploring different routes, enjoying some off-roading before returning home through the village. Surprisingly, riding down the fast hill into Blewbury I reached a speed of 40 miles per hour on rims that were 50 years old and that I had rebuilt. A satisfying ride of just under 9 miles.
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Looking towards Didcot.

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A bit of off roading
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Field of Gold
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Some more details of the bike please .

 

[HLaB]

A nice recovery ride on the gravel bike today for me today. It was 95% off road on bridleways or shared path and I found my self near a cafe in Fletton near the town centre. I probably could have looped round through Fletton but I stuck to what I knew and doubled back on the off road route. It was supposed to cloud over but still hasn’t 3hours later so I went for some loops on the gravel paths in the estate.


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For the first time this year the gravel bike is cleanish after a ride, so it can wait until after the Amstel Gold

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[cyberknight]

chilly at the start so i wore thicker jersey and gloves , after 20 miles i was too warm so stuffing the gilet in the back pocket and the jersey zip was down so i was a bit like a sail.
Good job i had a ride mate today as the zip on the saddle bag failed , i did lose the c02 inflator head so stuffed the rest into my spare water bottle storage cannister and binned the bag
It was the 1st ride on the best bike this year and only the second one since i changed the groupset so i had to tweak the gears 3 times to get it sweet as it never is perfect on the road compared to the stand.
around 35 miles we had a cake stop at canalside greater haywood where there were a lot of like minded lycra freaks including the old club i rode with.
Rode back retracing my route in the vain hope of finding the inflator but no luck, i did find a gel someone had dropped then popped into halfords for a new inflator.
nice steady paced 65 miles followed by sunday roast , now im typing one handed as im icing my wrist tendonitis atm, riding doesnt aggravate it.

 

[13 rider]

chilly at the start so i wore thicker jersey and gloves , after 20 miles i was too warm so stuffing the gilet in the back pocket and the jersey zip was down so i was a bit like a sail.
Good job i had a ride mate today as the zip on the saddle bag failed , i did lose the c02 inflator head so stuffed the rest into my spare water bottle storage cannister and binned the bag
It was the 1st ride on the best bike this year and only the second one since i changed the groupset so i had to tweak the gears 3 times to get it sweet as it never is perfect on the road compared to the stand.
around 35 miles we had a cake stop at canalside greater haywood where there were a lot of like minded lycra freaks including the old club i rode with.
Rode back retracing my route in the vain hope of finding the inflator but no luck, i did find a gel someone had dropped then popped into halfords for a new inflator.
nice steady paced 65 miles followed by sunday roast , now im typing one handed as im icing my wrist tendonitis atm, riding doesnt aggravate it.
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Hope the gillet was firmly pushed into your back pocket you wouldn't want to lose it 😁, you had all your luck finding that you were never going to find the inflator head