Your ride today....

[Dark46]

Well that was a different ride. I set off late as there was a problem with the down stairs loo. So I went the starting point knowing I was late.

I started the route on my Garmin, but unfortunately when you're off route it says of course and the screen in black. I don't seem to get the screen visible again until back on route or I stop the course.
Well I headed to Waterwells then to the A38 then across the Me towards Stroud. From there it was straight forward through Standish and into Stonehouse.
Out the otherwise I turned left into Cainscross then into Stroud.

I headed for the A417 where I waited a bit thinking I may have taken a short cut and may be in front of the group.

I sent a photo on the group messenger and I got a reply, but I thought the others were on the A46. I headed towards Cirencester passing the Glider club on the right. I carried on until I got to the sign for Sapperton. I decided to go through the village then head for Bisley.

It was about up and down around there and I was wondering when I was going to get back onto roads I'd been on before. Then I would feel more at home . At Bisley I went right then left to Stroud as I thought to Birdlip would take me in the wrong direction. But it turns out I might have met the KCC if had gone there.

Going down into Stroud it was down hill then all of a sudden I saw a sign that I dint like whole at full chat "Road closed ", so it was hard left then push again down the next Hill and down innovate centre of Stroud.

So I then took the normal route home through Cainscross and Stonehouse and Standish and back to the Coco lounge.

I waited about 1/2hour for the steady group to arrive before setting off with Dave on the way home.

All in all just over 41 miles but enjoyable.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Just a quick one today to test out all the fettling done on the Raleigh (write up of that herefor anyone interested). It was my usual test route via Condover, Pitchford, Acton Burnell, Longnor, Ryton, Condover again and home.

Straight away the bike feels great - partly the fettling, but mostly from a lack of wind and because I'm travelling light. This encouraged me to press on a bit which was rewarded by catching and overtaking a couple of roadies on the climb to Cantlop (to be fair they didn't seem to be trying, but I still got surprised looks out of them )

There's a quick bit after Cantlop then the long gentle drag up from Pitchford through Acton Burnell and up to Frodesley which was a lot easier than usual without the customary headwind. Longnor Show is on so I had to be a little wary of traffic pulling out from the show field, then I was onto the good bit - 7 miles of mostly downhill or flat ground where it's easy to keep the pace up (provided you don't meet any traffic on the lanes..... which I did).

A thoroughly enjoyable 17.1 miles in just over an hour giving me a new personal best of 16.92 mph average over this route.

No photos this time coz I didn't stop en route.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Second ride of the day, once I'd had a rest from being up at 05:00!! (That's very very early for me. <yawn>) to see the balloons take off just after 06:00 at Billing.

I wanted to ride via the town centre as I had to check something out for next week. Once finished with this chore, I headed out into the countryside via Brackmills and Houghton and on to Salcey Forest.

View attachment 100191

Unusually, for a weekend, it was fairly quiet so I popped in for a blackberry & vanilla swirl, with a flake, before heading towards Denton, Cogenhoe and Ecton.

View attachment 100192

Random photo of the CX and a letterbox.

The ride finished on 31 miles, in barely warm weather. Rubbish for August, but at least it was dry!

https://www.strava.com/activities/369485999

That would be a good one ( the post box one ) for the photo challenge Pete

 

[Stonechat]

40 miler with the cluuuurb. Made the mistake of having a maximuscle bar before I started, my stomach turned after 10 mile and I started throwing up mint chocolate. Not make that mistake again.

Apart from that I felt great and could have done another 20+ miles. The bike has a strange clicking from somewhere though ai I'll have to take a look when not doing "family time"

Are they protein bars - if so should be had after ride not before

 

[cosmicbike]

Nice family ride with the wife and kids this afternoon, down the local park to watch/listen to my Dad singing in the choir. Chilled ride, ice cream, very enjoyable.

 

[PeteXXX]

That would be a good one ( the post box one ) for the photo challenge Pete

I'll get it developed and post it this evening

 

[RMurphy195]

My regualr ride to Earlswood from Rubery this morning, via a roundabout route (about 19 miles).

AND I DIDN'T GET ONE, SINGLE EXAMPLE OF AGGRESSIVE DRIVING AIMED AT ME!

Has to be said though that I met up with the wife + daughter for a walk around the lakes, then took the bike home in the car. So the "danger road" on my route back was tken in the car, not on the bike!

Well, it's a start .....

 

[BrynCP]

Another 100KM+ today and my second longest ride.

Decided to take advantage of the lack of wind early in the day and set out to the coast, to Hornsea, and down the coast to Holmpton. Left Holmpton out to Patrington and then back to Hull via Sunk Island / Stone Creek along the Humber.

A nice flat 69 miles, at 16mph.

 

[Spartak]

Rode the Saddleback Sodbury Sportif today.

Probably the best 'British' Sportif I've ridden, great organisation - marshalls, signposted, friendly & well stocked feed stations with a hot meal and 'free' event T-shirt at the finish.

After a tough first 15 kms inc. the aptly named climbs - Hawkesbury Howler, Alderley Grunt & Tresham Tester ! It then rolls thru some very quiet Cotswold lanes before heading South thru the Berkeley Vale.

Only took one picture ....

All proceeds were in aid of Rotary Club.

https://www.strava.com/activities/370223695

Elevation profile of today's ride ..

 

[ColinJ]

Are they protein bars - if so should be had after ride not before

ANYTHING that makes you throw up during rides should be had after ride not before ...

Or not at all!

 

[Katherine]

Sky Ride. 42 miles. Wythenshawe Park to The Anderton Boat Lift, where we had some good coffee and cake and a quick look at the amazing piece of industrial heritage. Lovely day, hot from the start, very few hills as we made our way through the Cheshire countryside. There were about 20 of us and the super ride leaders did a great job trying to keep us together and guide us safely through the junctions. Friendly group.
So, round Altrincham, through Ashley, through Tatton Park, Over Tabley, Heyrose, Great Budworth and cafe stop at The Anderton Boat Lift. Back via Dunham Massey, West Timperley, Sale, Northern Moor.

That was my second Sky Ride and I'm booked on another one next month from Bolton, another hilly one, I think.



.

 

[Mike_P]

37 miles into the Vale of York
Time to look at another cycle route in the area.

In the above photo NCN67 heads to the left to Ripley and to the right to Harrogate, as well as a spur to Starbeck as previously posted. Straight on is the 'Beryl Burton' Cycleway to Knaresborough. This starts off by making use of a closed as a through route road which has some good sections and some pretty rough sections

The near compulsory V barrier exists around halfway along the "road" section, albeit it also has a low barrier midway across the road giving the option of lifting the bike over. The road comes to a T junction with another lane but the cycleway continues straight on along a path hardly wide enough for two bikes to pass. I waited in a recess in the overhanging foliage for the approaching cyclist. The second photo below shows one of two cattlegrids on this section with an overlarge direction sign beyond. Further on there is a zig zag through a pair of metal obstructions

There is the seemingly compulsory cliff edge section with nasty drop to one side for anyone wanting to do an impression of Geraint Thomas and the cycleway ends opposite the entrance to Mother Shiptons Cave

Crossing the Nidd their are two options - to turn down the riverside road which on days like today is full of tourist who are deaf to cycle bells or to weave up the hill through the seemingly constant queue of vehicles. I picked the latter option but it was a bit tight at times.

The objective today was to find the "path" I managed to avoid finding last Sunday. This turned out to a bridleway with surfaces in various conditions. As anyone who has ridden NCN688 east of Boroughbridge they will know the route takes a V shape to the village of Bishop Monkton, the bridgeway forms that into a Y and hence provides a useful link into NCN688 from Copgrove and hence Knaresborough. I followed NCN688 through Boroughbridge

and onto Great Ouseburn. Then heading back west I decided to try to find a "gentler route" a Mountain Biker at work had told me about that links the B6265 Roman Road to the A168/A1(M) corridor. Seemed to have got it wrong as I ended up in a farmyard with no obvious way forward

Continued below

 

[Mike_P]

Returning to the Roman Road I headed south and discovered a bridleway. Quickly it became apparent that the "gentler" route was questionable as this climb looked far more severe than by following the road and then the way ahead was blocked by the only seemingly road worthy vehicle in what appeared to be a scrap yard

Suddenly a man appeared to move the lorry - did wonder if that would happen by anyone approaching from the other direction. The route thereon was rough beyond belief with a downhill section of loose material and progress was very slow

The nice tarmac of the A168 was gratefully reached!

 

[Thomk]

I tackled the Great Shakespeare Ride Sportive today, my first 100m of the year and it was nearly too much for me to be honest. It included some of Middle England's iconic climbs - Fritz Hill, Tysoe Hill, Larkstoke Hill, Loxley and the mother of them all Sudely Hill with a maximum gradient of 25% - my Garmin claims over 7000 ft of climbing! I'm proud to say that I made it to the top of them all without stopping or dismounting but it was not what you'd call super fast! Unlike other Sportives I've attempted I noticed a much larger proportion of younger "serious" riders and I'm beginning to realise why

http://dynamic-assets.mapmyfitness.com/routes/view/459565062?host_canon=mapmyride.com

 

[Berk on a Bike]

My first long Sunday ride in weeks and weeks it seems. Did a familiar loop through Horbury and Denby Dale, Holmfirth and Huddersfield. Smashed a few PRs and might have had more if my frigging GPS hadn't wigged out on one long uphill section (see if you can spot it). Hey ho. 47 and a bit miles with 2,300 feet of up. Felt ace in spite of cracking on a bit.