Your ride today....

[nickyboy]

A picture is worth a thousand words

A couple of days ago the forecast was pretty good for Sunday. Well, you Met Office idiots, thanks a lot. It was a hard enough ride anyway (51 miles, 5,500ft of climbing) but for at least 2 hours it was 1 degree C and raining.
Route was Glossop - Snake Pass - some climbs around the back of Hathersage - Sir William Hill - Tideswell (cheesy chips!) - Chapel en el Frith - Glossop

Very little wildlife, the Peaks are tough this time of year. A few hardy wrens calling on the hillsides. And a red grouse sitting on a dry stone wall by the road...which made me start thinking about a glass of whisky later

I planned to just have a coffee in Tideswell but it was freezing, forecast was crap. So I added a piece of Millionaire's shortbread and those smashing cheesy chips. Still had 18 miles and 2000ft of climbing to do so I think I can justify it.

As always on rides like this, there are times out on the road you wonder "what the hell am I doing out here?". But home, hot shower, fleecy 'jamas...and it's more a case of "I'm glad I got out there"

 

[Oldfentiger]

At last it's stopped bloody raining.
Gave it a while this morning to let the frost/ice disappear.
Up and down Pendle. The descent to Downham was a bit hairy due to all sorts of crap being carried onto the road during yesterdays torrent.
Between Chatburn & Clitheroe I met approx 40 Santas on bikes coming the other way.
Stopped for a coffee in the Green Jersey, Clitheroe.
Took the longer less extreme route home via A59, Read, A6068.
24 miles, 1665' climbed.

https://www.strava.com/activities/449489208

 

[Dave 123]

Nice one @Supersuperleeds !

After last nights works curry I was up early (though I did roll over a few times!)
Breakfast and out the door before 7 into steady, light but still wet rain.
With this century a month challenge I'm always trying to think of new routes, but I didn't fancy straying too far this time. My last 2 weekend rides have been the Gamlingay loop, 25 miles bang on- quiet, pretty roads, a few ups and downs, a few shops and a garden centre should I need it, perfect.
Within the first mile I was ready to turn round and go back to bed as it was cold and horrible but I soldiered on. I may have seen 3 cars on the first loop.
On the second loop I felt awful, it was a real struggle. I'm aware of how your mind can turn against you and give you a hard time, and that's all it was, mind games and self flagellation. I was fully aware that that's all it was and I found it quite funny really!
In the third lap I was full of beans. The rain had stopped, and my little, simple brain was yelling "the next time you do this it'll be the last one today!"
I stopped at the Co-op in Gamlingay and bought some chicken & stuffing sandwiches and a big bag of wine gums, there were loads of black ones! Excellent!
On I rolled in the gloom, Cambridgeshire looking more like Devon today in this weather.
Then it was the final lap. Although I was running out of gas for bits of it, I managed it in a positive frame of mind. Even the long, sloping, draggy roads were OK.
At the top of the hill out the back of Gamlingay the road comes up from Hatley.....

It's either been a bit windy or somebody didn't see the give way!
On my return to Hardwick I stopped to take a pic of what is now a village tradition, constructed by the evangelical church nutters, the life sized nativity. I'm sure it devalues houses by £50,000!

I'm not sure that Bethlehem had phone junction boxes in those days, and the orange netting is ultra bizarre. And then there's the cow....

Anyway, 100.02 wet, glum miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/449512696

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Nice one @Supersuperleeds !

After last nights works curry I was up early (though I did roll over a few times!)
Breakfast and out the door before 7 into steady, light but still wet rain.
With this century a month challenge I'm always trying to think of new routes, but I didn't fancy straying too far this time. My last 2 weekend rides have been the Gamlingay loop, 25 miles bang on- quiet, pretty roads, a few ups and downs, a few shops and a garden centre should I need it, perfect.
Within the first mile I was ready to turn round and go back to bed as it was cold and horrible but I soldiered on. I may have seen 3 cars on the first loop.
On the second loop I felt awful, it was a real struggle. I'm aware of how your mind can turn against you and give you a hard time, and that's all it was, mind games and self flagellation. I was fully aware that that's all it was and I found it quite funny really!
In the third lap I was full of beans. The rain had stopped, and my little, simple brain was yelling "the next time you do this it'll be the last one today!"
I stopped at the Co-op in Gamlingay and bought some chicken & stuffing sandwiches and a big bag of wine gums, there were loads of black ones! Excellent!
On I rolled in the gloom, Cambridgeshire looking more like Devon today in this weather.
Then it was the final lap. Although I was running out of gas for bits of it, I managed it in a positive frame of mind. Even the long, sloping, draggy roads were OK.
At the top of the hill out the back of Gamlingay the road comes up from Hatley.....
View attachment 112644
It's either been a bit windy or somebody didn't see the give way!
On my return to Hardwick I stopped to take a pic of what is now a village tradition, constructed by the evangelical church nutters, the life sized nativity. I'm sure it devalues houses by £50,000!
View attachment 112647
I'm not sure that Bethlehem had phone junction boxes in those days, and the orange netting is ultra bizarre. And then there's the cow....

Anyway, 100.02 wet, glum miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/449512696

well done on completing the challenge

 

[tallliman]

40 odd miles for me today in pure missle. Just wished it would've rained and be done with it. Not feeling my best the last couple of weeks but at least I'm getting out.

Special mention for the guy in the land rover covering me in mud on a 1 car wide road (part of the ncn) and forcing me to stop as he was doing 50 mph. Lovely.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Just a wee potter out this morning in the grizzle. Well grey and damp and murky. No wind for a change. Couple of good pals in attendance. A superb sighting of a kingfisher flying along a little stream the lane followed. Lovely splash of colour on a grey day. Nice bowl of soup in the cafe and a gentle potter back through the lanes for home. It's always better out than in

 

[Glow worm]

7.2 miles my ride this day, damp, but not rainy, and a fine warm day in December.
67F
/QUOTE]

67 degrees?! That sounds remarkably warm for your part of the world in December. I'd imagine Illinois would normally be knee deep in snow by now!
(Mind you they're predicting 60 degrees here next week so it's a funny old winter over here too.)

 

[Racing roadkill]

The weather cheered up, so I went for a tyre test.

https://www.strava.com/activities/449555854

 

[LarryDuff]

Waited for the ice to go away and got rained on for 36 of 37 miles. Pretty wet when I got home but I was glad to have got out.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Another load of wet today.

It builds character.

 

[steveindenmark]

Its been gorgeous in Denmark today. Jannie and I did a 12 mile ride to pick up a bottle of mead from a. Beekeeper friend of ours. Winners all round

 

[NorthernDave]

No rides for me since last Sunday (although I have got through 6 episodes of CSI:NY while on the exercise bike this week).
I had hoped to get out yesterday but it was grim, non-stop rain and blowing a gale so that didn't happen.

Up early(ish) today and out just after 8:30 on the hybrid - the temperature was sat at 0 degrees C and the cars were still frozen over so I wasn't going to risk the road bike and it's semi-slick tyres. Besides I'd just swapped the tyres on the hybrid for a pair of Schwalbe Land Cruisers so I wanted to try them out.
Started out up Coal Road, not because I particularly wanted to go that way, but I wanted to see if the traffic lights were picking up bikes yet (I'm having a protracted email conversation with the council about this, who insist that they are...). Anyway, there was too much traffic about, so after hanging around in the cold for 5 minutes waiting for a suitable gap I gave up and looped round and back towards home, passing my front door and heading on towards Cross Gates.

It was blooming cold. There is no other way to describe it.
I was wearing thermal bib tights, two pairs of socks (one of them Seal Skins thermal socks), a compression base layer, a merino layer, merino arm warmers, the new Altura thermal jersey Mrs ND bought for my birthday, Altura Nightvision windproof thermal gloves, a neck buff and a helmet liner. And it was still cold.

Anyway, at least I was out on the bike!
At Cross Gates I did a quick loop around Manston, then in a sudden flash of inspiration decided to do an old route but in the opposite direction for (I think) the first time.
Over the railway bridge and up Austhorpe Lane, then onto Barrowby Lane (still climbing at this point), before joining the bridleway / NCN R66 onto the Thorp Park development. Followed the diversions around the site as there is a lot of building work going on (can't have too many generic office buildings with negligible public transport links can we?) and there was a lot of standing water from the recent rain. Off the development and the climb up to the bridge over the M1.
It's funny when you do a well known route in the opposite direction that seemingly insignificant descents become uphill slogs isn't it?

Anyhow, over a very quiet M1 and into the woods for the run down to Garforth. Despite the cold it looked very picturesque with a low lying mist over parts of the Aire Valley and the sun just starting to come through, so I stopped for a photo:

Anyhow a quick drink (now that was cold!) and back on the bike for the rest of the downhill run through the woods, followed by the gentle climb back up to Barwick Road, passing a solo female cyclist heading up the hill.
Left under the railway bridge and I had intended to go left again on Nanny Goat lane and take the bridleway under the M1 back to Manston Lane - however, the road was slick with ice and after about 10 yards I decided to change route. Good luck if you were going to the stables up there today.
So, back on Barwick Road, I headed over the M1, round and across a very full Cock Beck onto Long Lane and took the left at Ellis Lane past the farm shop and the bridleway over Garforth Golf Course.
Even with semi-knobbly tyres on, crossing the golf course was hard work. No golfers out today, but the recent rain had made the bridleway very muddy in parts, added to the ice it made for slow going. At one point there was a runner ahead of me and I swear he was pulling away from me!
Eventually back onto firmer ground I caught and passed the runner and after breaking through the ice on a series of muddy puddles climbed back up onto Manston Lane and found that too was covered in frost with lots of icy patches. With no real alternative at this point I carefully carried on. Eventually made it to the turn for Pendas Fields where the road was clearer and got going on the run down to Barwick Road. I was about 100yds from the turning when a peleton of at least a dozen riders on road bikes flew across and up the hill towards Scholes.
From there it was a quick run up to home, with my feet now resembling blocks of ice.

12.93 miles (still not very good at this am I?) in 1hr 9m at an average of 11.2mph. No records today given the conditions, but frozen feet aside, it was great just to get out on a bike again and the new tyres seem just the job.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

.......

12.93 miles (still not very good at this am I?) in 12hr 9m at an average of 11.2mph. No records today given the conditions, but frozen feet aside, it was great just to get out on a bike again and the new tyres seem just the job.

View attachment 112666

You need to join in this https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-slowest-10-mile-bike-ride-challenge.188610/post-3948225

 

[NorthernDave]

You need to join in this https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/the-slowest-10-mile-bike-ride-challenge.188610/post-3948225

Oops - edited to correct that to 1hr 9m!

 

[steveindenmark]

NortherDave....i stopped worrying about time and distance a long time ago. As long as you get out, take a few photos, see some things and enjoy cycling. Who cares about time and distance?

The World is obsessed in going somewhere fast.

I have a Cat Eye computer on my bike. Touring speed is about 15kph. If I am riding at 25kph, I force myself to slow down. :0). I dont see the point in timing myself if I am going to stop and admire the view, take photos, chat to cyclists and have coffee and cake.

Do what I do. Try and make a ten mile ride last as long as possible. It is so much nicer.