Your ride today....

[lazybloke]

Was up early yesterday morning to finish some washing-up that I hadn't done on Sunday night. Standing at the sink I can see the developing sunrise, and the colours were rather nice.

This was the day a new access road to RHS Wisley was going to open, a key milestone in the M25/A3 J10 improvement works. It was bloomin' cold out though, so I didn't go out until lunchtime when temperatures were just into double figures (Kelvins?). My newest fleecy-lined winter jersey was pretty good, but the ride back was down to 8 or 9 C; I could have done with a jacket.
Riding to Wisley this year has meant using the A3; think of riding through motorway roadworks and you've got the right image. The new access road does away with that as there's now a new road bridge over the A3; with a nice wide cyclepath alongside too. Well I think it's a cyclepath, it wasn't signposted.

Later on, ANOTHER bridge is being added over the top of the A3. That's a 25m wide wildlife corridor or 'garden bridge' dedicated to horse riders, cyclists and peds only. That'll be great.

Anyway, a lovely ride of about 30km.

How much?

 

[geocycle]

The overnight rain passed through sooner than expected and presented a dry morning for a ride. With limited energy I pushed out toward Kirby Lonsdale. Lovely views across to Ingleborough, although the couple in the cab of the horse transporter were somewhat of a distraction. Let’s just say they’d been watching too much Jilly Cooper. I paused in KL to admire Ruskin’s view as painted by Joseph Mallard William Turner, probably the only artist named after a duck. From Kirby I headed into the hills and lunch at Kitridding, a farm shop with cafe in the middle of nowhere. Fortified, I headed further uphill along roads more grass than tarmac including a circuit of Farleton Fell with its gated road. The sunshine of the morning disappeared and cold rain framed the early afternoon ride homeward. 74 km with 971mof climbing.

Ruskin View and a view across toward the coast from the fells above Farleton.

 

[Spiderweb]

The usual 3 mile dog walk followed by a steady loop out to Naburn and back. A decent autumn day, 36 miles with an average of 14.6 mph.

 

[cyberknight]

club ride
only one group of very mixed abilities ranging from e bike riders to semi nutters like me , 25 miles to hoar park cafe including boot hill near atherstone then 20 back.
Lots of calls to ease up but we kept it together with planned stops at the top of bigger hills so everyone was happy
Just shy of 65 miles for me by the time i padded the ride to get the 100 km in and it was raining at the end so i was glad i had overdressed as at least i was warm

 

[HLaB]

Really slow out to the meet point for our ride this morning and given that I wasn’t expecting much. Only my mate turned up and that gave me a little more motivation for a blast round the older group ride route mostly into the wind at an IF of 0.75 for 18.5mph for me. At the cafe delightfully as we were about to leave another mate turned up for a coffee and by the time that came some other mates turned up (they’d been on a training session in the morning). We sat behind them for the 2nd half and whilst it was mostly tail wind they were comfortable and we were 19.2mph for just an IF of 0.63

 

[cyberknight]

Really slow out to the meet point for our ride this morning and given that I wasn’t expecting much. Only my mate turned up and that gave me a little more motivation for a blast round the older group ride route mostly into the wind at an IF of 0.75 for 18.5mph for me. At the cafe delightfully as we were about to leave another mate turned up for a coffee and by the time that came some other mates turned up (they’d been on a training session in the morning). We sat behind them for the 2nd half and whilst it was mostly tail wind they were comfortable and we were 19.2mph for just an IF of 0.63



View attachment 752810
View attachment 752811

thats a decent pace

 

[Windle]

It's a few weeks since I've done a decent length ride so given a decent day weather wise I decided to do my Saturday loop, West Auckland to Heighington Station & back via my usual set of cycle paths. I'd recently put new brifters on my Cannondale Synapse as well as fresh bar tape and after a look down to Richmond last week got it the promised new 28mm tyres from Arthur Caygills. It's the only bike that hasn't been round this favourite loop (apart from my turbo bike which isn't complete enough to go out on, coincidently a Caygill Alu framed bike and the first bike I got when I started riding again back in the summer of 2007). Despite being a carbon road bike I reckoned with 28mm tyres on it should be OK, given that most of the route is paved. It was apparently 8 or 9 degrees when I set off but with a cold wind. I headed out from West via the usual route but doubled back round to the car for full finger gloves and an extra layer as it felt a bit nippy. Back on route past the ever busy Tindale retail park, I did the loop anticlockwise with Redworth first after skirting the edge of Shildon then down to the station for a cake stop, before returning past Aycliffe station and Locomotion then back to Tindale & West Auckland. It was a bit bumpy in parts but an enjoyable run out, the bike performing faultlessly, gears shifting smoothly, though shamefully I never got out of the 34 ring! The new tyres are a bit more comfy and less twitchy on smooth tarmac than the old 23 mm ones that were originally on the bike, and unlike the 32mm hybrid ones I had on briefly don't bother the frames paint!
Heading up the Shildon bypass, the new 'washing line less' brifters and fresh bar tape improve the look of the bike, I put the original chunky flat top bars back on although their thickness meant the bar tape didn't go quite as far as I would have liked.

A gate shot from the cycle path adjacent the Heighington to Aycliffe industrial estate road, looking over to the rapidly expanding Merchant park industrial estate, a new 'shed' just visible through the trees.

The original station building, apparently threatened and needing to be saved! I can't imagine the worlds first purpose built railway station building would ever get demolished but you never know these days. The Locomotion pub housed in it is long closed.

A newish bit of cycle path up through the estate with a random bunch of month appropriate bloomage at the foot of a lamp post.

Location of the former Masons arms crossing in Shildon, the 'signal roundabout'.

A decent 21 mile run with 773 feet of climbing although the average speed was a bit cack . It was getting dark towards the end too, luckily I always have lights on but could have done with the big light on the front for the darker parts of the cycle path.
Now I need to go back and catch up with what rides & tiny rides everyone else has been doing.

 

[8mph]

I tried but didn't manage to complete this Komoot mountain bike route yesterday.

I managed 16 miles but with a clicking front bearing and phone battery getting low I bailed and did 8 miles back to the car by road.

The route itself was tough and my average speed at the point of bailing only 6mph, which, looking at the stats for this ride is actually good. I bailed at Hisley Bridge, headed towards the shop at Lustleigh and then back through Manaton.

 

[sevenfourate]

Lovely Sunday Morning ride via Lowestoft, Hopton, Gorleston sea-front, skirting Gt Yarmouth, then Burgh Castle, Breydon Water, the Norfolk Broads, Hopton on Sea and home.

27 miles of enjoyment; 60 plus % of that (?) off road in varying degrees of grass, mud, sand and gravel.

I see Strava says 5 degrees C……feeling like -2 when we left. Certainly was fresh !!! 😳

 

[lazybloke]

Out early this morning as a guest of a club i'm considering joining. The only club riding i've done is with the Friday Night Ride to the Coast, so it was odd to be in a group in daylight!

It was a circuit in Surrey involving Leatherhead, Stoke D'Abernon, and then skirting south of Esher to Hersham on a lovely wide cycle lane.

Alas, the cycle infrastructure then vanished completely, and traffic was building so i didn't enjoy the Walton-on-Thames section; it's entirely too urban in that area, but the Marina seemed a decent exception. Sadly that wasn't a scheduled cake stop 🍰.

Weybridge town centre seemed more quaint, right up until a small child let go of her scooter, letting it roll off the dropped kerb and straight out into the road, right in front of me!

Not exactly a high adrenaline moment, nor the Porsche driver who tried to door several of rhe group; still, it was a relief to depart the tarmac and use a very nice tow path alongside the River Wey and Wey Navigation.

There were swans, ducks, herons, walkers, dogs, boaty people with oars/paddles, boaty people with engines, and strange men with poles, all enjoying the water on a stunning morning; sheer perfection.

Then back onto tarmac at Pyrford and continued via Wisley, Ockham and to a cafe stop at Effingham. Alas i had things to do, so made my excuses and made my way home.

53 km. Gentle speed of 19 kmh.


This one of those disconcerting canals where the adjacent road was (or seemed to be) below water level.

 

[Dave 123]

I can’t decide if it’s me that needs replacing or my mountain bike….. one of us feels knackered.

But if I replace the bike it will be with an emtb. I’m getting fed up with slowly trudging up hills.

I’ve been battling with this quandary for a year or so.

On today’s ride it felt rubbish. Although I’ve now got new tyres on both ends I get the feeling that the bike is done! I’ll still keep it though.

Local lanes and Bridleways today, but with a good old climb up to Westlake from Ermington thrown in for good measure. I was roasting, but luckily it was spitting at the top so I was cooled somewhat.

Or do I just need a new bike without the battery?

Help!

https://www.strava.com/activities/12922816033

 

[HLaB]

The first chilly weekend scared off a lot of riders from my Sunday group ride, so we merged groups again and thankfully more of the faster riders turned up and it was a flat fen route so the couple of slower riders decided to give the faster group a go. It would have been freezing if we had to go their pace. Did I mention it was flat 275ft in 54 miles!







After lunch I went for a short ride on the Gravel bike. I wanted to test it out having rotated up the bars.




I think it was a partial success instead of the whole hands going numb only the tips of the fingers numbed and that might just be my peripheral neuropathy as I was barely going 60%

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

One from Sunday:
After getting some good mileage in the previous week I found myself disappointed when life got in the way and prevented a repeat, so when @gavgav asked if I was free for a ride on Sunday I wasn't going to say no. The plan was to get over to Ironbridge then Broseley which neither of us has been to for a while.

Getting out on a freshly cleaned knockabout bike I met with Gav as planned at 9.30 and we headed to Weeping Cross then south towards Berrington. The main road wasn't too busy but there did seem to be a bit of traffic about on the more minor roads, probably trying to avoid the temporary lights on the A49 following the lorry crash I've mentioned elsewhere: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-picture-of-the-day-wheres-yours.117414/post-7302783
There were a good number of cyclists about too which I always like to see.

We headed along familiar roads to Atcham and Berwick Wharf then turned towards Upton Forge, which Gav hasn't ridden to in quite a while and I've only revisited fairly recently. We enjoyed the resurfaced lane and when we got to Wroxeter had the usual stop by the Roman ruins before continuing along the mucky lane to Eyton on Severn then crossing over the B4380 to some lanes I haven't ridden in a very long time.
Again, lots of mud along here which made Gav revise his planned route so we dropped into Eaton Constantine and took a left through Garmston and into Leighton.

The climb out of Leighton is quite steep and on a main road (B4380 again). The drivers treated us alright though and once over the crest we enjoyed some good fast riding with the gradient and the wind in our favour for a while. Reaching Ironbridge we didn't stop for too long in the town before crossing the famous bridge and starting the long ascent into Broseley. We took the least steep route available but also the one the most traffic uses. It was mostly fine but one or two drivers could have been better behaved. After going through the town there is a great descent followed by more climbing before we turned off using the lane to Wyke.

A wide verge seemed good to pause to eat our lunches and we set off again following a group of riders. At our next turning they were going the same way but stopped in the junction to wait for a couple of stragglers so we got ahead again. This lane probably had the most mud we'd found so far - they could have ploughed it and planted crops, but we managed alright. So much for having cleaned the Hawk.

We lost the group just before the next junction when they turned off to follow a path along the old railway. Gav and I were joining the main road for a bit here before we turned to head for Homer and Wigwig. There is a great descent through Homer which was enjoyed. I spotted a Green Goddess in one of the garages that we passed.

We were both flagging a little by the time we got to Harley so it was steady progress through Harnage Grange and Cound Moor to Acton Burnell. We were a bit slow on the hills but enjoyed the descents to Pitchford, Cantlop and Betton Abbots before finally getting back to Weeping Cross and retracing our steps from the start of the ride. There had been a threat of rain in the forecast and I did get a bit wet in the last mile. I'll take that - it could have been a lot worse.

44.9 miles at 11mph average on the clock. 2833 feet of climbing on Strava. Enjoyed getting out in good company.

A pause overlooking Viroconium.

The view to the hills after climbing out of Eyton on Severn.

Lanes I haven't ridden in ages.

We've reached Ironbridge.

Some views on and around the Iron Bridge.

Broseley.

Yes, they are real places.

Heading through Harley.

 

[lazybloke]

Thought all the apples were stored in the shed, so either we missed or this squiggle is a burglar.

A few weeks ago we kept finding apples balanced on top of the fence; now i know who was doing it.

EDIT: Why did I put this photo in this thread? @Moderators - can you move it somewhere more appropriate pls?!

 

[Dave 123]

What a difference a week makes. Leg warmers on, views of a snowy Dartmoor.

Even though I was along the balmy south Devon coast it were a bit parky!

It looks wet for Saturday and Sunday….🙁

https://www.strava.com/activities/12959080384