Your ride today....

[nickyboy]

I went for a ride Good Friday and since then I've sat around watching cricket on the TV and eating chocolate so Easter Monday was the planned date for the next ride. Forecast was ok-ish. About 7 degrees, a bit windy with some rain about 2pm

So when I got up and saw the snow on the hills I was like.....WTF??? I was sorely tempted to can it and mess about at home for another day but out I went about 11am. Plan was a 55 mile loop over Snake Pass, Strines and the finally back over Dunford Bridge to Glossop.

Here is the top of the Snake. It was my 100th ascent of the Snake on Strava so maybe I should have taken some champagne. Hot chocolate would have been more appropriate. It was a lot colder than 7 degrees

Fast tailwind descent towards Sheffield then off onto the Strines. That's when it started to get nasty. The heavy rain started, gusty winds. It's the middle of nowhere so there's no shelter at all. It was 1 degree according to the Garmin. In the end I decided that it was just too horrible and turned around and headed back to Glossop. The climb all the way up the Snake into the 20pmh headwind was a real challenge.

On a "normal" bank holiday there would be loads of cyclists out. I saw two others on the whole ride. As it was I managed 40 miles and 3,600ft of climbing despite bailing on the ride. Got home, hot shower, hot drink....but still cold. Banged the heating on and slowly thawing out

 

[Goonerobes]

With the tail end of storm Katie still blowing & plenty of rain overnight I decided that today would be a good day to dust off the hybrid for the second time this year & do a few more of the forest trails & some of the muddy lanes that I don't usually take the road bikes on.

The weather was reasonably fine as I left home & spent half an hour or so on the forest trails around Woodlands before heading onto the forest lanes. However, I was heading towards a very dark cloud which firstly started to rain on me & then throw down some stingy hailstones, fortunately a motorway bridge came to my rescue & I sheltered for a few minutes before resuming & half a mile later the roads were dry again & the sun was back out.

The rest of the ride consisted of muddy lanes, a chat to a farmer about cows, a tree blown down overnight in the storm & 24 miles of not seeing another cyclist!

https://www.strava.com/activities/529029164

 

[DCLane]

The sun came out at lunchtime and I decided to go to Holmfirth. Which led to a ride up Holme Moss, in the snow, hail and wind (can't link Strava pictures unfortunately but there's snow on the ground ...)

I must be mad!

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/529103866

I went for a post Easter, post Storm Katherine ride. I did a mix of routes all stuck together. Some of the things that had come down and ended up in the road were . I nearly hit a downed tree on a sharp downhill bend, at nearly 40 mph. That would've hurt. All in all, a pleasant ride, with some horrendous cross winds to keep it interesting. I stopped at a Weatherspoons and had a pint of 'triple chocoholic porter' It sounds , but it's actually.

47 odd miles and a couple of scary moments.

 

[gavgav]

The overnight heavy rain and snow had moved through, leaving just the strong winds to contend with. We had escaped the worst of it up here in Shropshire, with the Met Office suggesting 25mph wind, gusting to 34mph, which still felt ruddy strong when I was cycling into it for the first half of my ride this afternoon!!

I did um and ah as to whether to attempt a ride, but with alternative being slobbish in front of the TV eating chocolate all afternoon, it didn't take me long to decide!

After the relatively flat ride on Friday, I went for hills today, with 1200ft of climbing in the first 11 miles of my 23 mile ride.

Struggled against the wind into Bayston Hill, crossing the A5 which had 2 solid lanes of traffic queueing for miles, on their journeys back from the Welsh Coast. Climbed up Lyth Hill, dodging the dog walkers who were everywhere, and then descended to Annscroft, before some more gentle climbing to Plealey. From there I began the stinker of a climb up to Oaks, but at least the wind was behind me here.

Lovely views from Oaks

Just after Oaks I came behind a lady on a horse and after ringing the bell we had a very friendly exchange and a big thanks from her for the use of my bell

After Oaks I made a bit of a booboo and missed the turning I wanted and so ended up on the main road to Pulverbatch, which I had intended to avoid, and it meant climbing into the wind again, which wasn't much fun. At least there is a nice fast downhill section before the turning to Wilderley, which I took. Bit more climbing up the farm and then a lumpy section before the turn towards Dorrington. There is an absolutely fabulous view at the turn off, which I never tire of and you see for miles to the Welsh Mountains (heavy snow has fallen again overnight on them) the Cheshire Hills, the West Midlands and the Wrekin.

With the wind now behind me, the descent towards Dorrington was pretty exhilarating, apart from having to negotiate a deep and fairly long flood. It was on a flat section and I had a fair amount of speed gathered and so I lifted my legs and went for it ......the water came up to axle height but I just made it through without having to dip the feet in the water .

I managed to find a gap in the traffic, to cross the busy A49 and then continued to Condover, Betton and home.

Hosed the bike off once home, as it was filthy again from the lanes

23.1 miles at a snail pace of 10.8mph avg (it had been 8.9 at Oaks!)

 

[Katherine]

I usually would, Only time I usually dont is when theres naff all behind me. But for some reason this time around I had a feeling about this guy and had to move to the left. My riding style when riding a bicycle is hugely different to when im on my motorbike, with how slow I am at the moment Im not confident enough to take lane positions like I would on motorbike.

It's definitely worth trying to take the lane when you are going the same speed as the traffic and you don't want to be overtaken. I also always take the lane at roundabouts after a near miss at a roundabout when a car turning left came from behind as I was starting to go straight on. I think he was looking to his right rather than in front and I had to throw myself into the verge to avoid being run over.

 

[Pale Rider]

A correctly predicted up turn in the weather this afternoon gave me the chance of a short ride to visit my favourite puddle.

It's on the path on the south side of the Wear to the west of Sunderland - it used to be the C2C route until a better path was built on the north side.

Said puddle has been there for months, its size varying with the amount of rain.

I think we might have what could be termed a drainage issue.

It was as big and as deep as I've seen it today, but I was on my Cannondale MTB, which is the best tool I have for the job.

The underlying surface is reasonable, so it was a case of select a lowish gear, try to avoid the death grip on the handlebars, and most importantly keep the pedals turning.

I got through - and back - but at the cost of two wet feet.

The water was just coming over the front of my shoes at the bottom of the pedal stroke, which equates to a depth of no more than six inches, but still plenty deep enough for me.

There were a few biggish, but not visible, stones on the path which gave me a couple of 'this might be about to go badly wrong' moments.

As a cautious cyclist, that crossing is about as extreme as I get.

Good fun splashing through the shallower puddles on the way back, but at the cost of muddy water all over me and the bike, and a cleaning and laundry job when I got home.

I could never be a proper mountain biker.

On the way out:

And on the way back:

 

[13 rider]

Waited for the rain and hail to pass and the wind to become acceptable . So out at 1500 for an hour headed for the shelter of the hills of Charnwood forest .Up though Newtown Linford headwind all the way up to Ulverscoft lane and on to the climb of Polly Botts lane slow drag up but at the right hand bend near the top where it kicks up I rounded the corner straight into the headwind which nearly stopped me in my tracks managed to stay upright and just about moving forward winched myself to the top and carried on climbing up Whitcroft lane then right at the top and right again and a lovely tailwind and I'm flying realised I was climbing a steady incline at 22 mph don't you just love Tailwinds. Right at Beacon Crossroads down past the golf course and left to Swithland through the village and over the reservoir .Passed a Dad and son who'd been MTBing and were very muddy but the lad was smiling madly I think he'd enjoyed it .Right at Rothley Station and the drag into Cropston headwind again went right over Cropston reservoir where the crosswinds were brutal round the back of Bradgate park and a short hail shower which was fun !!! .Then the climb up Warren hill to old John as always Warren hill proves itself hardwork .Then the descent of Sharply hill into Newtown Linford and Home . 18.4 miles done at 15.9 mph in very windy condition but apart from the hail shower weather wasn't too bad .Very few riders out today but did spot a tandem in Newtown

 

[PeteXXX]

I stopped at a Weatherspoons and had a pint of 'triple chocoholic porter' It sounds , but it's actually.

View attachment 123048

I'll give that one a miss, if I may...

 

[PeteXXX]

After the storm passed over, the rain cleared but the wind stayed decidedly strong and gusty..

Still, it was fairly mild, and I was getting fed up looking out of the window rather than checking out some of the local bridleways. They were a tad mucky in places, and The Washlands were still a bit of a swamp from the floods a few weeks ago.

It's amazing what got washed downstream and deposited at the high water margin!

Even though the lake, an old gravel works and now flood defence area, is fairly small, there was quite a chop going on due to the winds blasting across at 30 / 40 mph.

Still, the sheep don't care...

After The Washlands, I cut through Riverside retail park where the car park was heaving with people driving in circles looking for somewhere to park and starting to get annoyed!
The cycle path was lovely and quiet though
With the tailwind assisting me, I decided to pedal a few more miles through Billing Aquadrome to Cogenhoe (pronounced Cookno), for a mile or so, then

down towards the riverbanks, where this lovely old sign is screwed to a wall. The bridleway to the old bridge was another bit of swampland to pedal/paddle across before riding up the hill to Ecton and back home via Cut Throat lane.

A pleasant, though muddy, 17 miles on a day when I though I'd be stuck indoors watching the rain stream down the windows.
With the bike hosed down and dried a couple of hours ago, I'm now off out to the shed to give the bike wipe over with a GT85'y rag for a final clean up.

https://www.strava.com/activities/529120269

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

The storm was easing and the rain had passed. The wind was still blowing tho' so it was a struggle out over the common. I reached shelter at Redmarley but that's where the hills begin. At Brand Green the Wood Anemones have started but the Bluebells have too. What a bizarre situation.

Down the road the Ell Brook was swirling onto the tarmac and the Leadon had burst its banks. That storm in the night had dumped some water. The air was quite clear so I climbed to Woolridge. The Cotswolds and the Severn and Avon valleys looked stunning but over to the west dark clouds and a rain shower were coming my way. Even so the Black Mountains showed black on the horizon.

I dropped to the Hams and stopped at the bird hide to see what was about. Wildfowl, Egrets and Reed Buntings to summarise. With the wind now assisting it was a fast and easy ride north. More water on the road here and there but no show stoppers. The run back must have made up for the slow ride out so I was quite surprised to find my pace was so good. Oh - and that shower didn't catch me!

 

[contadino]

23 miles at noon on Easter Monday. Saw 3 cars. Disgraceful.

Temps hit 20 degrees but I'm still wearing long trousers and 2 layers up top.

 

[Dave 123]

Just a quick 11 mile loop with the boy late this afternoon after the wind had eased to about 20mph.
This was our last opportunity to get out for a ride together before we go to Mallorca on Thursday. I'm getting excited now......!!!

https://www.strava.com/activities/527116039

 

[Diggs]

I hope this is allowed but after 4 hours of travelling I am back in pancake flat Essex, I've washed the bike and have access to a computer and am checking pics and videos from the weekend in Yorkshire (see ydays post) for Clifcross - please remind me never to enter anything described as "Ultra" again


The route

And a few more pics

Me

My old school pal Dave take on the cobbles!

 

[13 rider]

I hope this is allowed but after 4 hours of travelling I am back in pancake flat Essex, I've washed the bike and have access to a computer and am checking pics and videos from the weekend in Yorkshire (see ydays post) for Clifcross - please remind me never to enter anything described as "Ultra" again


The route
View attachment 123087

And a few more pics

Me
View attachment 123088
My old school pal Dave take on the cobbles!
View attachment 123089

View attachment 123090

So you doing next year then
Did you do on a road bike ?