Your ride today....

[Rustybucket]

I'm getting jealous reading all of these lovely ride stories! Hurry up back and get better!

 

[Saluki]

Finished work, noon-ish then had a cuppa and something to eat. Took a couple of guitar school work type calls and managed to get out of the door for 2pm.
We decided to head out to Horsford, St Faiths and Coltishall and would see how we felt when we got there. Pretty good as it happened so we stopped at Wroxham McDees for a McFlurry and watched the grockles trying do drive day launches in a straight line. Always a giggle. Actually watching grockles trying to get in and out of day launches, let alone their moorings is always great entertainment.
We headed off to Salhouse and then turned left up by the Lodge (used to be posh now it's camping and caravanning) and headed off past the Woodfords Brewary (rubbish chips) and on to Ranworth where we shared a coffee and a cake. Hubster was going to get a pack of extra strong mints but baulked at paying 99p for a roll of them. Can't say I blame him. We get them from the wholesaler for £1 (inc vat) for 4 rolls.

From there, we went off to South Walsham, Panxworth, Hemblington and the Plumsteads before doglegging through the Heartsease estate, after a couple of near misses on the Plumstead Road. 4x4s who can't steer around anything and blaring on their horn types. Bless em'. We cut across the cycle paths through Mousehold and then doglegged across to Oak Street and picked up the Marriotts. We didn't stay on the Marriotts but took the road home as Hubster didn't fancy the maul up Marlpit lane today. We took the longer, but less lumpy route up the Bowthorpe Road and then cut across the estate to home.

37.1 miles in 20 seconds short of 3 hours. Not including icecream and cake stop. Very nice. I am planning to ride over to Felixstowe, to take my bike and am quite confident that I can do that happily. I have done my monthly target. 2 days to go, plus I have less than 250 miles to go for my annual target. Might add another 500 miles to that, I'll see how I go over the autumn/winter.
No Strava as my GPS decided not to wake up and record anything for the first 10 miles so data came from Hubster's Garmin. Riding time was probably about 5 minutes less in reality, but who cares. We beat the rain home and the laundry is in.

 

[Elybazza61]

Wishing you well @Elybazza61

Ouch, hope you are mended soon!!

Thanks

And this shows some of the damage,taken at the clinic this morning getting the dressings changed;

 

[EltonFrog]

Thanks

And this shows some of the damage,taken at the clinic this morning getting the dressings changed;

View attachment 102012

Eek!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Thanks

And this shows some of the damage,taken at the clinic this morning getting the dressings changed;

View attachment 102012

Oooh, Ouch! Hope you heal soon.

 

[Crandoggler]

Did 24 miles or so today after a week out. Felt good! Got a few PR's which was nice. No climbing whatsoever. So was nice to keep a high average speed.

No photos, but strava here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/380078435

 

[NorthernDave]

Thanks

And this shows some of the damage,taken at the clinic this morning getting the dressings changed;

Ouch! GWS.

 

[Dave 123]

Mrs Dave has had a virus for a week or so and has been off all last week, no cycling for her then. But for a change of scene she drove to the pub in Ashwell to meet me for a bit of food as she's been cooped up all week.
For a change I went up over Chapel Hill from Haslingfield to Barrington and from there for the next dozen miles I had a headwind that felt a bit stronger than the advertised 9mph! The saving grace was that the roads were quiet, the day was warm, so all ways well with the world.
There is a one way system in the village of Littlington, on my way through there was a car behind me not coming through for ages...... The penny didn't drop who it was. I turned right at the junction, a familiar voiced yelled "you're going the wrong way!", I turned to see Mrs Dave driving off in the opposite direction. I had 4 miles to Ashwell, she could go the long way. Half way there I stopped to take a picture of this memorial for one of the many wartime airfields round these parts-

Whilst taking the picture Jo drove by, I didn't see her.
So I got to the pub that I though we were meeting at. I'd said The Rose and Crown, but I'd meant The Three Tuns... Oops! I rang her, but she'd already got a drink.
We sat in the warm, sunny beer garden, she had soup, I had a fish finger butty( the menu said sandwich, but, I'm still Northern when it comes to that)

We left the pub and I had my team car on my tail for a bit before she sped off into the distance. At Littlington my plan was to go to Abington Piggots as I'd never been and the name sounded stupid, but I missed the turn,. No matter I thought, there is a turn for Shingay cum Wendy (even better) up here, but I missed that too!
So I got back to Meldreth and took a left for Whaddon, somewhere else I'd not been.
I didn't look at maps, but what could possibly go wrong....?
The mile and a half along the straight, fast A1198 wasn't my idea of a relaxing ride, just before the turn for Wendy a Red Kite went over the top of me lazily, maybe he was hoping to eat my tastier bits if one of the (fairly considerate) vehicles had me.
So I turned for Wendy and then up the 10% hill to Hatley. At the posh country estate I stopped to take a picture of the splendid Beef Shorthorn cattle-

I then took a little cut through to The Gransdens I'd not used before, so I missed Gamlingay today.
Back through my familiar local roads for 12 miles and home, 50 odd very nice miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/380025594

 

[Mike_P]

Local 21 mile route which turned out to be the hilliest yet with an average of 66 1/4 ft per mile - still it puts me 75% of the way up Everest for the second time since the end of May. As I crawled up the little used lane which means I'm the

quickest on Strava (managed to knock half a minute off but still

) it looked like a nice sunny afternoon

and looking down into Nidderdale that looked sunny as well

however to the west a dark cloud loomed

That cloud won and I quickly donned my Sportsful HotPack rain jacket (first time its been used in anger) and headed east, however approaching Birstwith it got heavier and heavier and braking for a left turn resulted in the bike skidding all over the place before coming to stop upright.

Shelter under a nearby tree was taken until enough cars had gone pass with windscreen wipers stationary. A short distance to the east the roads were dry and it stayed that way but playing safe I resorted to the long way home using the dedicated cycle route section of NCN67. Heres the River Nidd in the gorge immediately east of NCN67 crossing Bilton Viaduct.

 

[RedRider]

@RedRider

Good stuff! That brings back some memories - many years since I have been to Rochester/West Malling - about 20 years in fact. The castle's not changed much!

I was born in Dartford - West Hill Hospital which I believe has now been demolished!

That's my kind of diet btw.

Just for you, here's a snap I took whilst eating my health food in west malling. What a fine street...

Good route that. Know and have cycled most of that route. That second pic is taken from the old Aylesford bridge.

Good to know. It was a great route with plenty of memorable moments tho at times I was cursing the the rwgps masochist who took it up yet another sharp incline. Want you was it?
Regarding your ride report, it really is astonishing how much great countryside and how many quiet roads and places there are within striking distance of London. The first time I went down that knatt's valley it was almost spooky. It's the cyclist's secret!

 

[Gravity Aided]

9 miles my ride this day, as I went for my usual shake-down ride after I fitted longer drop bars and mudguards to the Schwinn Impact 26" Tourer (modified from a mountain bike). Excellent weather,
77F
25C
Winds S 7
79% relative humidity
30.01 Bar, slow fall.
threat of rain, but little precipitation since this morning's cloudburst.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Local 21 mile route which turned out to be the hilliest yet with an average of 66 1/4 ft per mile - still it puts me 75% of the way up Everest for the second time since the end of May. As I crawled up the little used lane which means I'm the View attachment 102035 quickest on Strava (managed to knock half a minute off but still View attachment 102035 ) it looked like a nice sunny afternoon
View attachment 102034
and looking down into Nidderdale that looked sunny as well
View attachment 102037
however to the west a dark cloud loomed
View attachment 102033
That cloud won and I quickly donned my Sportsful HotPack rain jacket (first time its been used in anger) and headed east, however approaching Birstwith it got heavier and heavier and braking for a left turn resulted in the bike skidding all over the place before coming to stop upright.
View attachment 102032
Shelter under a nearby tree was taken until enough cars had gone pass with windscreen wipers stationary. A short distance to the east the roads were dry and it stayed that way but playing safe I resorted to the long way home using the dedicated cycle route section of NCN67. Heres the River Nidd in the gorge immediately east of NCN67 crossing Bilton Viaduct.
View attachment 102036

Loving your ascent/mile precision.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just for you, here's a snap I took whilst eating my health food in west malling. What a fine street...
View attachment 102040


Good to know. It was a great route with plenty of memorable moments tho at times I was cursing the the rwgps masochist who took it up yet another sharp incline. Want you was it?
Regarding your ride report, it really is astonishing how much great countryside and how many quiet roads and places there are within striking distance of London. The first time I went down that knatt's valley it was almost spooky. It's the cyclist's secret!

@RedRider

Thank you - the paving is new since I was last there. Good to see these places on here as it is a trip down memory lane. We rarely get back down south although we did get to T.Wells a couple of weeks ago where we used to live.

@ianrauk

Lovely Wife now needs some Orpington-ish pic's (her home town).

 

[biggs682]

First time out for a week due to holidays. Headed off out through Orlinbury and then across to Holcot and on to Moulton past Sywell airport and watched a couple of hot air balloon's go up and then home all in all 23 nice miles

 

[Hill Wimp]

Just for you, here's a snap I took whilst eating my health food in west malling. What a fine street...
View attachment 102040


Good to know. It was a great route with plenty of memorable moments tho at times I was cursing the the rwgps masochist who took it up yet another sharp incline. Want you was it?
Regarding your ride report, it really is astonishing how much great countryside and how many quiet roads and places there are within striking distance of London. The first time I went down that knatt's valley it was almost spooky. It's the cyclist's secret!

Kent is the best kept secret and if you were to have dropped further down into East Peckham, Yalding, Marden and beyond you would have realised why we don't shout about it