Your ride today....

[Buck]

The wind today was terrible but I was 'grounded' anyway as Mrs Buck was out with one of the Buck juniors and I was home with the other!

I decided that I'd give my new Tacx turbo a whirl. I used it with the Tacx app on my iPad as my old laptop isn't powerful enough to run Zwift

I managed just over an hour which was 18.6 miles

The screen grab from the app looks like something from a life support machine!

At the start of the first climb I ended up stopping as Mrs Buck rang to say they'd missed the train and could I come come and pick them up which being the dutiful husband I did meaning it was a ride of two parts!

I liked the ride and it's so much better on your own bike rather than one of the generic gym machines IMO. The Tacx was also great at automatically adjusting the resistance relative to the inclines.

The only down side was that my backside felt the saddle a bit more despite padded cycle shorts. I'm thinking it's because I was sat down a lot more than when I am out on the road?

Next challenge is to get a PC to run Zwift and put a spare 32" TV we have on the wall (Here's hoping!)

 

[galaxy]

Went for a walk instead, wind was horrendus.

 

[Gravity Aided]

7.2 miles my ride this day, was planning to do more, but a fog bank was approaching and I feared it might bring temps down as well, causing freezing fog, so I cut things short and headed for home. Weather can change for the worse quickly here in the winter.
42F
5C
Wind S9
relative humidity 88%
barometer 30.53 at 800 feet
Sunny
10 degrees cooler than National Weather Service forecast high.

 

[derrick]

A little 30 miler with the girls this morning, Still a bit windy but nice and mild, Ended up at the coffee shop.
https://www.strava.com/activities/445211614

 

[MikeW-71]

After the storm that was yesterday, including having to get my Dad to hospital. Today is calm.

Well, 20mph wind is relatively calm by comparison. I popped out on the bike to see how things looked.

Can't get out that way....


Or that way....


Turned back and got into the city centre by the only route that would be open. It was jammed with idiots in cars driving in to try and shop. They were going nowhere as the car parks are inaccessible..


Nobody was coming through here..


Or from the other end..





Went home again for lunch.

 

[Dark46]

A grim day for a ride. Only 4 people on the KCC morning group chilled ride. @Donger is out injured.

Well some of tge route today I gad not been on and when I got dropped coming out of Stroud I went the wrong way. There was a choice of 2 roads and I picked the wrong one lol typical.

It didn't stop me enjoying the ride and it was good your get out ob a Sunday morning again. It just worries me when people might be waiting for you and your on the wrong road.

So just over 31 miles but definitely better than staying indoors sat on my ass.

Weather certainly could have been better but have been through MUCH worse.

 

[hedder2212]

The bike was sat there staring out the window just begging me to take it out.........

so obviously i had to...

Down the canal into Brownhills, Then heading back the same way, going over the......

Then headed over to aldridge where i was getting blown about by the wind, it got so bad at one point i just got off the bike and walked for about a mile and a half.

The weather got worse so i decided, one last break then im gunning it home. seven miles, im cold but happy

 

[gavgav]

The weather had improved a bit (at least I thought it had) so set out with the intention of getting my 50k ride for the month in, as there will only be 1 other day I can possibly get it done in December........

I'd been keeping an eye on the forecast and other than what looked like a line of light showers around 12:30 it looked at least bearable out there.

Set off along the cycle paths towards Harlescott and within 3 miles it started to rain and rain and rain and get heavier and heavier into absolute torrents!! So much for the light rain MET Office.

Was completely drenched from head to toe and so aborted the 50k, rode down to the river to see how full it was (very - but dropped a bit since the end of the week) did a circuit through Castlefields and came back home, dripping wet and having hated every minute of the 9 mile ride.

Someone has stolen the weir

 

[Deleted member 23692]

My ride had a similar theme to @MikeW-71: see how they city had fared overnight.

Please note folks that this is just Carlisle. If you can name a town or village in Cumbria, then they are probably experiencing something very similar, and in some cases far worse, at the moment

Straightaway I discovered my usual route was blocked...

So I tried nipping over to dog-shite bridge (which was open again) to pick up the Dalston cycleway. The weir on the River Pettrill was looking a bit angry...

However it soon got a bit inundated. This is where it runs inside of the flood wall, at the back of Lidls

I then took to the roads and headed along West Walls, which gives a good view into the car par below

.

Here a few around town that are similar to Mike's above



West Coast main line

City Council Offices

An unpleasant view of the Castle

Somewhere in there is the River Eden and the main Road Bridge

I then headed east of the City to the area called Warwick Road, which was devastated in 2005, and looks to be hit really hard again. There's no photos of this area as the folk in those parts have enough on thier plates without me and a camera adding to it.

This is the other end of Warwick Road - about a mile away for the shot above

From the top of the flood defence to the rear of the Toby Inn - upstream of Carlisle

And Tescos under water, which along with an inundated Sainburys means that food shopping is not gonna be easy for the next couple of weeks

A meanderous 13 miles, on a perfect day, under very somber and sobering conditions

[/img]http://ridewithgps.com/trips/full/7257497.png?secret_hash=028839c9cc4267e83eb4f31aba5df756bbb27ee0[/img]

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/445383253

I switched the Triban into full winter mode ( spare wheelset, 25 mm GP4000 tyres ) then set out on a 60 miler, then the winter arrived, those tyres are exceptional in the wet, and very comfy on the crappy road surfaces.

 

[13 rider]

Not sure what just happened had to force myself out today just not feeling it mate bailed again so just billy no mates again .But wanted to get a 50 km ride to complete the half century challenge . So set of at 11.30 hoping to miss the rain . Out through Newtown Linford which was chaos due to an xmas fair in the park .Fought my way through the traffic up Sharply hill then the legs just kicked in and I was flying . Out to St Bernard's Abbey , Diseworth, Hathern, Zouch, Sutton Bonnington, West Leake, East Leake, Wysall ,Willoughby on the Wolds .That was 50km done in 1hr 45min my fastest every so now pressing on to do 50m . Being trying to do that distance in under 3 hrs for months so today I realise its on so hammer down . Just as I was approaching the bridge under the A46 it started to rain then hammering down so stopped under the bridge for some shelter.10 min rest on with rain jacket and off again down into Barrow ,Quorn ,Mountsorrel, Rothley ,Cropston . On the road between Cropston and Anstey I passed 50 m in 2hr 57min so home 51.7 miles done at 16.8 mph and I didn't get to wet .Quite a few riders out today including Santa or a guy on a MTB in a Santa suit . so if your presents are late its because Santa on a MTB with knobbly tyres he's never getting round the world on that thing.

 

[LarryDuff]

At last a sunny day with no gale force wind or torrential rain. Got out for a quick hour circuit first thing this morning. It was a pleasure.

 

[Saluki]

https://www.strava.com/activities/445493400/segments/10710961841

New 18 mile loop for me today. Seems most of it is a Strava Segment of it's own so, a regular route for the locals. I'm 3rd amongst the ladies. Might pop around there soon, on my roadie, to see if I can improve the time. Roadie being faster than the CX and all.

Took Hubster with me today so an average of 12.7 is not too shoddy.

 

[Dave 123]

I was planning to do my December century today but after a particularly savage Friday evening circuit training with evil Matt I knew that my little legs needed a rest.
So I did exactly the same route as last weekend, only this time it felt great as opposed to awful. Maybe it was because the boy wonder was with me on the new tractor...

The Trek cross rip. This will save his Madone from the ravages of a winter commute.
He has a day off tomorrow and he's planning on getting it dirty....

Lots of fieldfares and kestrels about today plus a few horses and riders. One of them even smiled!

On the first little hill of the day the long legged little bugger cruised past me, but on the second hill I heard him drop a gear... I let him get level, then I was off! I'll never tire of it!

I was his domestique today. Just as we were going out we realised he had no bottle cages, so I was the donkey, then I was the mechanic as I had tools to tinker with the saddle. I have a dogs life.

https://www.strava.com/activities/445479342

 

[andytheflyer]

Seeing @Ffoeg's photos of Carlisle (and well done for putting some perspective on the dire situation up there) I took advantage of having got over a chest infection, done a big decorating project, managed a kitchen refit, and done some woodwork and general house fettling, to get out on the recumbent for the first time in a a month, and went over to Bangor on Dee to see what the Dee flooding looked like. Very unspectacular, and the river level about a metre lower than I've seen it previously. The level of the Dee is controlled by a movable weir at Bala lake, so Hyder obviously think they don't need to let much water go at present.

So, 18.5miles at a lowish average - but at least the chain got Mickled and the wheels got turned, and a passing dog-walker praised me for the quality of my lights in the gathering gloom of a gloomy December day! (Cree T6 on low, a Fenix on standby and a flashing single LED up front, and a couple of Cateyes at the back, one on flash, one steady).