Your ride today....

[lostinthought]

Alarmed by the thinness of the tread on the Vittoria Corsa’s currently on my bike, I swapped them for some lightly used Veloflex Masters (Back once again for the Veloflex Master / D4 Damager with the ill behaviour… )(sorry) which had been loitering in my meticulously organised heap of bike bits.

I’d forgotten how lovely these tyres are! Combined with modern light TPU tubes, they felt lively and sticky and all the good things. Mostly just a reminder that I fundamentally prefer slimmish high pressure tyres, I realise, having grown up with them, but still.

So shod, I headed out today on a usual 45km-ish loop. Feeling good on the way out, I decided to include the local Steep Hill, for the first time in maybe a year of sparse riding. It is short but bobs along above 18% for longer than you’d like, and is regarded as pretty fearsome.

20% bits in there! (road goes to the left)

Somehow making it over the top, whilst attracting worried looks from some dog walkers who may have been scanning for the nearest defibrillator, and turning toward home, I realised that I hadn’t actually body-swapped with Pogacar but had in fact ridden out with a tailwind. Which was now a headwind. Page 1, I know. So a bit of a slog ensued. Still, fun ride.

 

[HLaB]

My Sunday ride usually splits into two groups, a slow group and a really slow group. Only enough people turned up for one group though. So it was the short ride out to Upper & Lower Benefield. My hands were playing tricks on my mind so my cr@p descending was extra cr@p, so it's probably a good thing I didn't have a faster group to chase onto.

The cafe we stopped at is always busy (its in a country park) but in the summer there's a good decking, today 🥶 everyone was huddled inside.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Another chilly and grey day and another unimaginative route to get me out of the house. I had a bit of an annoyance climbing Lyth Hill when a driver decided to overtake me fairly quick while I was already passing a parked car. The A49 proved to be quite busy for a weekend and I had a bit of a wait to cross over. After that the ride got better as I headed through Condover and along Lyons Lane to Berrington, then Cross Houses, Atcham and through Attingham Park. I noticed that on the faster bits it felt like I was rocking my hips a bit when spinning the pedals so a few stops ensued as I tried to fine tune the set up en route through Upton Magna and on towards Uffington. I think I've got it fairly good now but as always the next few rides will tell. I'd only done a fairly basic set up after fitting the new cranks at the start of the month so I knew this would be needed at some point.

The old canal path was fairly quiet for a weekend so I got along as well as the surface allows. Sydney Avenue had a few people out walking, then I found that the riverside path has been reopened so I followed that as far as St. Mary's Water Lane where I climbed the hill and took a bit of a tour around the town centre and headed into The Quarry from the Victoria Quay end. There were plenty of people out walking and cycling but not as many as there would have been if the day was a bit nicer.

By Sutton Lane my legs were feeling quite fatigued - not surprising after the last few days - so it was a relatively gentle ride back along the cyclepaths to Meole Brace then home.

22.6 miles at 12.6 mph average showing on my speedo. Strava says 831 feet of climbing. I'm glad I got out - not sure when my next chance will be so the legs should have some time to recover. A decent number of other cyclists out around town this time but not that many out on the lanes.

View from the old bridge at Atcham.

The gate to Attingham Park.

A bit of activity at the Pengwern Boat Club. A bit of trivia for you: Carol Decker from T'Pau used to live in the flat at the top of the building. Several of the band's most popular songs were written while she lived there.

 

[Marchrider]

Cold and Grey, but the miles came easy, my mind doesnt care for the cold but my body/ energy levels have always loved it
+1 when I set off +1 when I got back, but no rain and dry roads - have not needed to clean the bike tonight - and that's always a bonus

went over the new foot bridge in Hawick (and that is their famous rugby ground behind)

not a hint of brightness all day - and that's them Eildon hills again on the right

48.1 miles in total, seemed a shame not to make it to 50, but I was late and .....

YTD 399 miles / Day 19 * 365 = 7665 / 6500 = 18% ahead

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Another cold and grey ride this morning, a couple of hours of random roads around Balerno and Kirknewton.

 

[Marchrider]

On the road again, there was a worrying incident on the border, then terrorist

started off OK, a barmy +5 today and dry roads, the perfect day if it had not been so dull

Then the TERRORISTS - a pair of them

some absolution sort from this wonderful little church at Branxton

now notice that mud splatter on the lens, well this happened the very moment I crossed the border, english mud no less - should I be concerned
And here is that very moment captured

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62HyizFMc1M

YTD 433 miles / Day 20 * 365 / 6500 = 22% ahead

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Cold and mostly grey today, 20 mostly offroad miles taking in the front from Cramond to Granton.

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

Happy New Year on the bike!

After 2 months of not riding I am back!

Time to try to get back in shape.

The HR was telling me a story there!

Average 151 bpm and a max of 179!!!

I earned my dinner!

 

[G-Zero]

Yesterday’s weather forecast for today was showing as four or five hours of sunshine, perfect for a 68 mile ride out.

Reality in SW Scotland turned out to be no sunshine, but plenty of mist and drizzle across the hills. Freezing fingers and toes on the downhills, but it was fantastic being out on the bike.

 

[Marchrider]

First dozen miles was tough going, it was cold and damp and foggy, I guess -2 ish?

and then as I began to climb I could see bits of blue appearing, then I was out in the sunshine

then it was just mile after mile of perfect cycling, still had to concentrate on minor roads, in places where road had stayed in shadow all day, it was lethal with black ice, plenty of bits on this section I just got off and walked on the verge, couldn't even stand up on it

but then other bits was just perfect cycling, probably best ride of the year so far

and there was this wonderful carved seat at blainslie, isn't that just fantastic

YTD 475 miles / Day 22 * 365 = 7880 / 6500 target = 21% ahead

 

[sevenfourate]

View attachment 759828

Some nice pics of what looks like some fresh - but enjoyable rides in some really nice scenery.

Is the above Titled: "Stuck in a rut"

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Cold and grey again here, a loop through the Dalmeny estate this morning, mostly offroad.

 

[bluenotebob]

The original plan for yesterday’s ride was to start cycling around 2pm and head south against the wind for at least 15km and do a loop of about 30km. I got out earlier than expected – I was cycling by 12 and the wind wasn’t as strong as I’d feared. Original plan scrapped and replaced by an HMCAM ride of around 56km. That idea was dropped after an hour’s riding and replaced by a Lunacy Distance ride of 84km .. after two hours that was changed to a Lunacy Distance ride of 89km.

The rain arrived after I’d passed Ploërmel but I was trialling an old cagoule that I’d dug out of the back of a cupboard a few weeks ago. I was dry and warm and, although slightly visually impaired and struggling to hear anyone behind, it didn’t bother me much as I was on the Voie Verte with no traffic and virtually no-one else about. One cyclist ‘belled’ me near la Touche Carné as he came up behind very fast – for which he got a ‘bonjour and a thanks for the warning’.

I was doing an average of 14kph on a wet surface and against a strengthening wind – but that’s OK: I’m not in a hurry and getting back to the van before nightfall is no longer a problem, as Katie-Mae (my gravel bike) is now fully equipped with decent lights.

Passed the old railway station at Pleucadeuc (42.5km on the road) and decided to keep going for a few more km. I had a vague memory of reading a note I’d made to myself saying that I needed some Lunacy Distance rides this year over 88.6km so I decided that 89km would be a decent result for the day.

Turned round a few hundred metres after the D149/V3 junction SW of Pleucadeuc and nibbled a bit of sponge cake and a cube of vanilla fudge. Started off again and my God, the difference – to finally have the wind behind me and giving me a push was such a good feeling. The bike and I flew back north for 25km or so and I decided to have another short break down by the lakeside at Grancastel, just north of Ploërmel.

Rested here for 5 mins – still raining but so what? – finished the sponge cake and then onto the final 20km back to the van. Night started to fall after I’d passed through Loyat so my lights were on. There was absolutely no-one out – it was quite eery – a solitary jogger near Kermagero but otherwise I didn’t see a soul for what turned out to be the last 14km of the ride. Pitch black when we got back to Mauron – we carried on for a few km – enjoying the quiet and the increasingly warm air. I think the bike would have quite happily kept going for another 15/20km (I’m starting to suspect that she just doesn’t know when it’s time to quit) but I called a halt to the fun and enjoyment after 92.6km of riding.

By the time I’d stowed the bike in the van, changed my shoes and indulged my craving for a roll-up, it was 7pm – so almost exactly 7 hours since I’d started out.

Having recently acquired good lights for the bike, fitted her with a sacoche (saddle bag) so no day bag causing my shoulders to ache after 6 or more hours of riding, and wearing a cagoule as a top layer (meaning that I was as snug as bug in Stanley’s rug), all meant that a longish wet and windy ride in January was as stress-free and comfortable as I could have hoped for. I intend to repeat the exercise in early February – and possibly extend the time riding in the dark (as long as there’s no risk of frost).

The descent towards the Nantes-to-Brest canal south of Ploërmel

The mid-point of my ride, just south of the D149 road between Pleucadeuc and Molac

The old station master’s house at Pleucadeuc

The confluence of the muddy rivers Ninian and Oust at the Pont-des-Deux Rivières

By the lakeshore at Grancastel

 

[HLaB]

Not really the ride I had planned today. It was 2deg but a feel like -3deg. With a sunny (max of 8deg) forecast I thought I'd be okay by the time I got to the country to meet some friends. I was wrong I never even got that far. Rather than going straight to the country lanes and cycling 5 miles in the country, I headed to town first which only sees 2miles in the country for the same distance. The roads seemed nice and grippy but rather than tackle the last roundabout which crosses over a dual carriageway with no deflection on the approaches, I took a shortish shared use contraflow shared use path (not short enough). I met a runner on the cycleside and despite my lack of speed and the very slight change of balance and the curve in the path put me down on a slight patch was icy. Probably the only patch of ice on route 👎 I took a wrong turning on the way back so it was a slightly longer ride back.

 

[Spiderweb]

A lovely ride in North Yorkshire this afternoon. Cold but a beautiful sunny day. 45.3 miles with an average of 14mph.