Your ride today....

[Rickshaw Phil]

A couple of commutes to report: Yesterday I used the knockabout bike and with fresh legs due to not having ridden over the weekend and a bit of a tailwind enjoyed a nice fast run in to work during which I passed the 2000 mile mark for the year to date. There was the local cycle forum meeting to attend on the way home which meant having to press on a bit to get there in good time but again the bike seemed to scoot along pretty nicely and by the time I did get home I was showing a 14.5 mph moving average which is pretty good on this bike.

Today I used the Raleigh as it was nice and sunny out with a light wind and again set a good pace on the way in to work. By the time I headed for home the wind had picked up a bit and was an easterly which is a tailwind most of the way home. I chose to take the shorter route which has more traffic but is flat and with that tailwind meant cruising at 20 to 25 mph for the first 3 miels or so. After that it's a bit more lumpy and slower to ride before a mostly flat final bit where I can get the cruising speed up again.

Until today my personal best for this particular round trip has been just under 15mph and I've been wanting to get it over that figure, so it was quite pleasing to have completely blown away the previous best with a 16.5 mph average.

The legs are a bit tired now so I think it'll be back to the usual more sedate pace for tomorrows commute.

 

[Donger]

A non working day for me today, so I did a little (26 mile) loop in the sunshine to get my midweek cycling fix. Decided I needed to get some hills in, so I headed off up the A4173 Stroud Road up Horsepools Hill. Just before the crest of the hill another cyclist overtook me silently and shot off down the other side towards Pitchcombe. He could have his little victory. I was turning right and carrying on climbing up Rudge Hill and on towards Whiteshill. At Whiteshill, I thought the alpacas were looking a bit scrawny today. Looks like they've all just been sheared. I could watch them for ages.

Dropped half way down the hill before hanging a right into my current favourite place, Ruscombe and took a few pictures.

I can't believe I never knew the place existed until a few weeks ago. It is even nicer dropping down the valley than it was climbing up it.

Just before reaching the bottom of the valley at Paganhill, I got a good view of Selsley Church in the (hazy) distance. We will be climbing up to that next week when we host the Caerphilly CC for a return visit.

Bombed back through Stroud, getting through the traffic near the M5 with ease this time. (Can be horrible). Back home via the lanes between the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal and the River Severn. Predictably the swing bridge over the canal was open again for yet another pleasure boat when I got to Frampton.

This is one of the more automated swing bridges around here. You can see some of the cog and rail mechanism in this shot. Some of the others (on quieter roads) are still of the hand-cranked variety, and are quite laborious. This one has a road surface and a pavement on it, so I was able to ignore the "give way to oncoming vehicles" sign and sprint away over the bridge on the pavement, and I didn't get caught by any cars until I reached Saul, about half a mile away.
Back home and hosed now. Looking forward to my next ride already. Might just squeeze a little one in tomorrow.
Cheers, Donger.

 

[Goonerobes]

Manflu & a hideously runny nose stopped me going out on the bike at the weekend so yesterday I had a rare Monday morning ride around the forest just to get some air & clear a stuffy head.

It was only 26 miles but I did have the pleasure of seeing a one day old donkey who, whilst still a little wobbly on his feet, was attracting a fair bit of attention from anyone passing......

Today, & feeling a lot better, saw me go on a slightly different ride to my normal midweek sorties & go to the only Strava category 4 hill within 20 miles of home, in between Whiteparish & West Dean. The south side is straight forward enough averaging just 4% but for some bizarre reason upon arrival at West Dean I decided to turn back & do the north side which whilst only short peaks at 12% & my lungs, that had been coughing & spluttering all weekend, certainly let me know it wasn't a particularly good idea! (although I did set a PR on the steep bit)

Todays animal was this rather large pig seen wandering the New Forest.......

And I also found out that there used to be a canal running from Salisbury to Southampton which whilst now mostly overground was being guarded by one of the figures put out for next weekends West Dean carnival..

https://www.strava.com/activities/586417280/overview

 

[Alex H]

A short ride today - 19km, preceded by a long drive, 700km, to get here . We are in Freiburg-im-Breisgau in the SW corner of Germany and we have come to try out a Hase Pino tandem. Unfortunately the weather is not too good today and it starts raining as we make our way out of Freiburg into the hills to the South. It's the first ride on a proper bike in 2 1/2 years for my wife, who is recovering from a hip replacement. So I figure I'm probably doing 70% of the work and it shows . As you can see from the route profile below, it was a bit steep in places, but it gave the bike (and us) a good workout. We were so impressed with the bike, we have ordered one, but will have to come back to collect it (oh no!, not another holiday!)

Rainy hills south of Freiburg

Wet tandem

Route

 

[Levo-Lon]

Just had a superb evening ride out with son in law..18.5 miles and nearly all off road..everywhere is so dry.
run keeper said 1065 cals burnt so im having a chocolate chip muffin and a mug of tea to celibrate..
i felt a bit done in after a day digging yesterday and 100 slabs laid today..but i feel fantastic now..them endorphins are wonderful thingies..nettle rash galore..not so good

 

[biggs682]

A nice evening 20 mile ride tonight , up the mad mile along to Sywell down through Ecton then past Billing Aquadrome and up to Cogenhoe along towards Whiston where the A45 road club were just packing up .

From there headed home towards Earls Barton , Mears Ashby and back in to the boro

 

[derrick]

A nice little loop of essex and Hertford with a mate, weather was a little nippy this morning,the roads were a bit busy as we set of at 8am, catching the rush hour. but once out of Waltham cross the traffic eased, onto the essex lanes out towards Epping then to Ware across to Hertford up to Potters Bar and home.Trying to get a few miles in this week. total so far about 96 miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/587374614

 

[derrick]

Did you pass a slow cyclist in a black jacket going south on the A1000 out of Potters Bar? He was riding a blue Bob Jackson? It would be just before 11.00am.

Yes we did going up towards the Duke of York. I did say good morning. Did not realize it was you.

 

[derrick]

I was daydreaming and said hello but didn't realise that it was you either. I thought about it and nearly turned into Drury Road where you seemed to have stopped - but I was feeling cold and decided to carry on through Barnet.

I'm sure we'll see each other again soon

Had to stop as the phone rang. Thought it was the wife. turned out to be someone selling wills. Sure we will bump into each other one day.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Same 2.3km urban commute on the streets and cycle paths of central Copenhagen as every working day.

As above.

This could get boring, given I've been doing it most working days since mid-summer last year, apart from occasional trips to Malmo and Stockholm

 

[Old jon]

A cooler morning than recently, but its only weather, infinite supplies of that stuff, so off south of Leeds I pedalled. South means I get the delightful ride through Hunslet before the climb up to John O’ Gaunts. Only slightly tongue in cheek, at ten a.m. there is very little traffic in Hunslet, OK the view is not the best, who gets everything? So, Woodlesford, Swillington, Garforth, I was not looking forward to the cliff but it was soon over. The wind was becoming a bit of a nuisance, and I could not make up my mind about the rest of the route. The lazy grey cell won, I turned off the A 63 for Micklefield, rode through there and turned right on the B 1217 to pass Lotherton gates.



The showers started about now, so left turn for Aberford, a right and a left to point towards Barwick, Scholes and my average navigation to reward me with a quick WHIZZZZ !! down Boot Hill. A whole thirty one point six miles in the day, and if I was not smiling at the end, blame the rain.

Smiling I was.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

As above.

This could get boring, given I've been doing it most working days since mid-summer last year, apart from occasional trips to Malmo and Stockholm

tbf, at least in the evening I'm going the other way and about 300m is a different route.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Time for a longish one so off I went. But crikey it was cold. There was a brisk blow from the North East and the sky was grey. Nothing for it but to get on with it. Fortunately my route kept the wind to one side most of the time as I took the standard run over to Childswickham. Now it was time to face the music as I turned North and took the wind on along the draggy road towards Bidford. The plan was to turn east again and so I did but was beginning to struggle a bit on the ups. Soon tho' I could see Stratford over the way and I knew I was close to Clifford Chambers and the cafe.

Refreshed I looped back to Welford and crossed the Avon to take on some lanes which are unfamiliar. Lumpy they were and the lane by Exhall was a lovely find. All too soon I was back in known territory but with some assistance from that wind. Legs were beginning to notice the ups now although I surprised myself by cresting Kinnersley bank fairly easily. Just the standard run back from Upton meant a bit more headwind before I checked my average speed. Not a bad pace (15.6 mph) for a longish one (87 miles) methinks. Well for this old codger anyway.

 

[PeteXXX]

Yesterday, I went out on the full suss for an off road ride in the general direction of Salcey Forest.
After heading through Billing Aquadrome, I wiggled the bike through a silly iron gate at the back of the site t get over the River Nene and up to Little Houghton. Instead of my usual left or right turn there, I rode up a no through road that had been cut off by the bypass. Having not been up there before, I was pleasantly surprised to fine a cracking bridleway going in the general direction of coffee and cake!

It was actually quite a good surface to ride, but some parts would be a claggy after much rain. Yesterday, however, was reasonably warm and dry.

Apart from one short stretch, the trail was easy to follow, but I did end up on a footpath across a wheat (I think) field for a 100 yards or so, into Hackleton. From there, it's only a mile or so to Salcey via Piddington.
Before refreshments though, I did the 5 mile circuit and found yet another new bit on a bridleway I've only ridden a short way on due to excess mud at the time.

The amount of times I've been round there and I've never found this bit!

I've never understood this 'eating cake with a fork' thing... Still, it worked

Back home on 30 enjoyably warm miles, with very little muck to wash off the bike, and some new places discovered.

https://www.strava.com/activities/586464133

 

[EltonFrog]

Yesterday, I went out on the full suss for an off road ride in the general direction of Salcey Forest.
After heading through Billing Aquadrome, I wiggled the bike through a silly iron gate at the back of the site t get over the River Nene and up to Little Houghton. Instead of my usual left or right turn there, I rode up a no through road that had been cut off by the bypass. Having not been up there before, I was pleasantly surprised to fine a cracking bridleway going in the general direction of coffee and cake!

View attachment 129631

It was actually quite a good surface to ride, but some parts would be a claggy after much rain. Yesterday, however, was reasonably warm and dry.

Apart from one short stretch, the trail was easy to follow, but I did end up on a footpath across a wheat (I think) field for a 100 yards or so, into Hackleton. From there, it's only a mile or so to Salcey via Piddington.
Before refreshments though, I did the 5 mile circuit and found yet another new bit on a bridleway I've only ridden a short way on due to excess mud at the time.

View attachment 129635

The amount of times I've been round there and I've never found this bit!

View attachment 129632

I've never understood this 'eating cake with a fork' thing... Still, it worked

View attachment 129634

Back home on 30 enjoyably warm miles, with very little muck to wash off the bike, and some new places discovered.

https://www.strava.com/activities/586464133

It looks like you've got some really good off roading where you are, one of these days I'm gonna come up there.