Your ride today....

[13 rider]

Been a rubbish week at work, starting with us being told the organisation is no longer sustainable and will be merged or taken over, meaning back office staff like me will be out of a job probably, finishing with our head of department pulling me onto a failing project that I have no experience of and my boss off it onto the area of work I am experienced in . I had planned some overtime this morning, but after telling them some home truths I knocked that on the head and decided bike ride instead .

Cold but no sign of the forecast fog, so I headed out on the Betton Road and then branched off to Berrington, Eaton Mascott and Cound. Took a left and then through Harnage up to Cound Moor and Evenwood.

Next was Acton Burnell and then the nice fast section to Pitchford and Cantlop, before looping through Sutton Farm estate and back home.

19.6 miles of much needed chill out time and far more enjoyable than being sat in an office for 4 hours of demoralising work

A like for the ride . Hope other issues sort themselves out

 

[13 rider]

Today's target was 50km to equal last year's points total in the half century challenge . Out at 1030 in overcast conditions .Anstey ,Cropston ,Rothley ,Cossington ,Sileby and onto Barrow and I decided to go up Paudy lane out of Barrow .A steep start and then a long drag uphill a total of 4.2 miles so a bit of a drag . Then headed down narrow lane into Wymeswold lovely descent then onto Burton on the wolds and back to Barrow then Quorn and came back the hilly way via wood lane then Swithland lane to Rothley ,Cropston and Home 32.5 miles in the bag in chilly conditions . Bowl of soup to warm up .Now to plan tomorrow's ride

 

[dim]

I spent all week plotting a route on ridewithgps ....

I wanted some decent hills on very quiet roads/lanes and worked out a route of 90km ...

waited for the fog to lift, and set off.....

nightmare! .... as I started climbing the hills, the fog got thick and lots of the narrow farm lanes were riddled with potholes as large as a dustbin lid ... got halfway and the road was closed, so set the Garmin to take me home ... my 90km route was reduced to 62.5km

at least I got to climb 544 meters. It's an excellent route for a mountain bike or cyclocross (the parts that I completed) ... I might edit the course and try it on my Surly LHT when I fit new 2" tyres .... it will be hard work as my Surly is a lot slower on hills

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

What a lovely turn out today. Steve E, Sara P, Mark L and me in the Green and John G, Margaret P-R and Pete M in Upton. Flooding in the lane at Upton meant the usual dodges had to be taken. No worries. The eventual decision was Fladbury so off we went on the fairly standard run by Strensham and Eckington. Steve was getting confused as to the way things are connected but yours truly kept him on the straight and narrow. So Bricklehampton and Cropthorne took us to Jubilee Bridge and the cafe at Fladbury.

John headed home early as we took to Hill Furze to round by Bishampton and the old airfield for the ford at Pinvin. Pete called a detour from Wadborough by Littleton where Sara headed off for very busy roads around Worcester. We took to Stonehall Common for Kinnersley Bank and our goodbyes at Upton. Mark and I took the longer run back to complete a super social outing with extra unexpected miles for a Saturday Crew ride. 56 big smiles

 

[cosmicbike]

Managed a couple of short utility rides today, one with my lad which included returning home with a fully loaded pair of panniers and rucksack too. 15 miles for the day, and I'm just 57 miles short of 5000 miles for the year, way more than I ever thought I'd achieve.

 

[Katherine]

A freezing ride around the Cheshire lanes this morning with Robbie and one of the Steves from the club. Stunning white scenery, a lovely piece of cake and a bacon butty at Red House Farm cafe near Dunham. Very glad of all the layers today with some new additions of winter Cat Ears on the helmet straps, fleecy liners in my shoes and Hot Hands foot warmers stuck onto my socks. It was so cold that frost formed on the bar bag and cables and on my gloves. They were Gore winter gloves with liners and my fingers only got painful after 2 hours , the last few miles to the cafe stop were hard. We stopped to take some quick photos but my phone turned itself off when I got it out as it was so cold. These are Robbie's pictures.

 

[kapelmuur]

A freezing ride around the Cheshire lanes this morning with Robbie and one of the Steves from the club. Stunning white scenery, a lovely piece of cake and a bacon butty at Red House Farm cafe near Dunham. Very glad of all the layers today with some new additions of winter Cat Ears on the helmet straps, fleecy liners in my shoes and Hot Hands foot warmers stuck onto my socks. It was so cold that frost formed on the bar bag and cables and on my gloves. They were Gore winter gloves with liners and my fingers only got painful after 2 hours , the last few miles to the cafe stop were hard. We stopped to take some quick photos but my phone turned itself off when I got it out as it was so cold. These are Robbie's pictures. View attachment 152620 View attachment 152621

Chapeau for riding today, fog and ice are not much fun.

Have you tried lobster gloves? They are excellent when temperatures are around zero.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.relive.cc/view/786241512

A Jolly up to Salisbury today, then back via Fordingbridge, the New Forest and Totton.

I nearly took leave of my senses and went up Blissford hill ( 25% climb ), but I thought better of it and carried on on the ( slightly better ) telegraph hill. It was raining at the start, was foggy at the end, exactly what the Met said.

Anyway, a nice hilly 84 miles done.

Christmas in Salisbury.

 

[Ian H]

After our four-day tour, meandering through Berks, Hants, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset and (finally) Devon, my old friend and I were both on the Breakfast in Bampton 100k today. Here it is, including the ride there.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

View attachment 152575
Blue sky, straw bales in the fields. It can only be... November?

We had mist, & 150yards visibility mid-morning, when I was driving to Haworth
Once we'd got off the M606, & were climbing into Wibsey, it was like leaving a cloud - as though we were on an aircraft

All up through Queensbury, it was glorious sunshine, & at Haworth itself, it was warm (some were out in shirt-sleeves)

 

[Katherine]

Chapeau for riding today, fog and ice are not much fun.

Have you tried lobster gloves? They are excellent when temperatures are around zero.

I have some Aldi ones but I haven't tried them yet.

 

[bruce1530]

Eventful trip today.

10 miles north along the coast road at lunchtime. Then on a mad impulse turned inland up the moor road.

I've never yet managed it to the top of the hill without stopping, but I came closer today than I have done before. Very pleasing. Continued on down the gentle side of the hill, then stopped to check train times on my phone- do I take the road that heads directly home, or go the other way and catch a train back? Lots of options.

Back on the bike, and round the next bend. Couldn't have been doing more than 10mph. A ditch was blocked and was overflowing across the road. 20 yards of sheet ice.

Down I went.

The bike took some damage, but nothing that can't be repaired. Broken rear light, broken mudguard stay, and it'll need new bar tape.

I fared less well. Currently an inpatient at the local orthopaedic unit. X ray inconclusive, CT scan in the morning, suspected hip fracture.

 

[Diggs]

Saturday, when you don't even need to hit the snooze button.....Cold but sunny.
Days like these ❤

Is it autumn?

Don't say we don't have fun

Diggs goes all Rapha ad style (no MAMILs suffered in the making of this picture)

 

[13 rider]

Eventful trip today.

10 miles north along the coast road at lunchtime. Then on a mad impulse turned inland up the moor road.

I've never yet managed it to the top of the hill without stopping, but I came closer today than I have done before. Very pleasing. Continued on down the gentle side of the hill, then stopped to check train times on my phone- do I take the road that heads directly home, or go the other way and catch a train back? Lots of options.

Back on the bike, and round the next bend. Couldn't have been doing more than 10mph. A ditch was blocked and was overflowing across the road. 20 yards of sheet ice.

Down I went.

The bike took some damage, but nothing that can't be repaired. Broken rear light, broken mudguard stay, and it'll need new bar tape.

I fared less well. Currently an inpatient at the local orthopaedic unit. X ray inconclusive, CT scan in the morning, suspected hip fracture.

Can't give that report a like ! Hope it's not too bad and you heel quick .

 

[Mrs M]

Eventful trip today.

10 miles north along the coast road at lunchtime. Then on a mad impulse turned inland up the moor road.

I've never yet managed it to the top of the hill without stopping, but I came closer today than I have done before. Very pleasing. Continued on down the gentle side of the hill, then stopped to check train times on my phone- do I take the road that heads directly home, or go the other way and catch a train back? Lots of options.

Back on the bike, and round the next bend. Couldn't have been doing more than 10mph. A ditch was blocked and was overflowing across the road. 20 yards of sheet ice.

Down I went.

The bike took some damage, but nothing that can't be repaired. Broken rear light, broken mudguard stay, and it'll need new bar tape.

I fared less well. Currently an inpatient at the local orthopaedic unit. X ray inconclusive, CT scan in the morning, suspected hip fracture.

Ouch, sorry to hear that
Good luck for tomorrow and wishing you a good recovery.
xx