Your ride today....

[Biff600]

Not too bad an effort considering I was on the beer last night and didn't get home until 2am this morning, drunk as a man can be !!

https://www.relive.cc/view/793214871

 

[NorthernDave]

Well, it's been 15 days since my last ride, due to a wildly inaccurate weather forecast that predicted apolocalypto, but delivered nothing of the sort the Sunday before last (but by which point I'd already committed to doing something else) and then an absolute steamer of a cold (borderline manful) last weekend, which is still lingering.

Anyhow, alarm set early this morning planning to get out as it got light, but through a combination of snooze button presses and general faffing about it was gone 9am by the time I got out on the Road Comp.

By 'eck it was cold. I'd layered up but was still feeling it. A familiar furrow today, local roads to warm up then up Leeds Road to Scholes, huffing and puffing already. I decided to take it easy at this point as I had all morning.
Got to the Coronation Tree just as a club ride whizzed past, so followed them up the rise and then the gentle descent to Barwick but they soon dropped me.
Onto Long Lane for the run to Garforth, which is mainly downhill but still has a test for the legs in the climb up under the railway bridge.
I was huffing and puffing again at this point and decided I'd clearly gone too far with my layering, so look the outer one off, while pondering for a moment just how much snot one nose could produce...
The climb up to the M1 roundabout and on towards Aberford passed eventually, then straight on under the A1(M) and past Lotherton Gates and the muddy farm entrance (reported again) before the delightful descent down to the Crooked Billet and then the right turn up that sharp little hill and into Saxton.
Through there and on to Barkston Ash where there was a cyclist fettling at the side of the road - he said he was OK so along long straight to Church Fenton, through the village and on the back road to Ryther.
Left in Ryther and through Ozendyke to Ulleskelf and left back to Church Fenton, completing the airfield loop where I passed another cyclist stood spinning the wheels on his Trek. He said he was OK too, so carried on and retraced my route back through Barkston Ash to Saxton where the guy on the Trek whizzed past with a quick hello, then turned left onto Coldhill Lane and stopped for some Haribo and a couple of photos:

Another marathon nose blowing session and I was back in the saddle and off onto Copley Lane where I spotted my third roadside fettlers of the day - they were also OK, so on and past Lotherton Gates, before taking the right down to Aberford and I'll be honest , freewheeling on all the downhill bits. Into Aberford and onto Cattle Lane for the lumpy road to Barwick.
Up the hill from the bridge at Cock Beck, through Barwick and still climbing and I was starting to struggle a bit by this point.
Eventually reached the downhill to Scholes and then down Leeds Road, before local roads up to home.

33.6 miles (54.07km) in 2h 24m at an average of 14.0mph, with 1,414ft climbed.
Great to get my half century in for December and complete the challenge, but that was a blooming hard ride today. The lingering effects of this cold, combined with two weeks off the bike made me wonder at one point if I was going to have to bale out, but I'm so glad I stuck it out.

There were a lot of cyclists out today, which was great to see given the low single figure temperatures. The one thought that will stick with me though is how much mucus one set of nostrils can produce...

 

[biggs682]

Just a quick n early 25 miles yesterday then drove down to Bournemouth with my other half .

In the afternoon we walked from our hotel to the central Pier and then along the prom to the Sandbanks end and back again great one way hard work coming back in to a strong head wind , loads of cyclists out all sorts ie bso's , hybrids , mtb's , cruiser's and roadies .

Today we walked from Boscombe pier towards Hengistbury head before turning around into the wind and back toward the central pier and the lower gardens again loads of bikes some were not worth riding others were top notch and worth more than i would even think of spending .

Bournemouth people look to enjoy there cycling and i cant blame them great location

 

[tallliman]

After yesterday's metric ton, I felt compelled to keep up my run of weeks containing 100miles of riding. Only one missed since February and that was planned.

Rode up to East Midlands Airport. Caught by the traffic lights halfway down through Castle Donington then turned into the Easterly wind heading up toward Clifton along the side of the A453. Nice little route with a short 12% descent! Might have to do it the other way soon. From Clifton, I pootled back to Loughborough along the lanes. Rather a nice ride and finished the week at 101 miles!

 

[dim]

The ones that get all the negative vibes, but I've been running them on this bike for the last 3000 miles during the winter weather and the only time I felt any slippage was when I went round a left turn and onto a steel drain cover and the front wheel started to slip. I managed to stay on so it wasn't a big deal
23mm Gatorskins...

LOL .... I thought that they were Schwalbe Marathon Supreme in 2" wide... you can just see the tops in some of the pics

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Slightly delayed report: Yesterday I finished off the metric century challenge for the year by getting in an imperial century in cold but otherwise pretty favourable conditions for the time of year.

I was up early and on the road by seven, then back at the house ten minutes later to pick up my wallet that I'd left behind. Getting going again it was out on my normal commuting route to start with then heading from Upton Magna into Shrewsbury and through The Quarry before heading out of town for Montford Bridge, enjoying the quiet roads at this time of the morning. This roundabout route gives me a few extra miles to be sure of the century (and then some).

I decided to take the way through Shrawardine to Pentre, which was a nice change if a little undulating and muddy. On this road and for the rest of the way to Melverley there was lots of evidence of the recent storm damage (we had a serious squall line go through in mid November with 80+ mph gusts recorded) with downed trees still littering the hedgerows.

From Melverley I headed through Westbury and southwards to Montgomery which with light winds was a pleasant ride at a reasonable cruising speed. I'd made good time and paused for my elevenses there prior to heading for Bishop's Castle. I was heading into the wind now and with this section being the start of the undulating bit wasn't as quick any more.

I grabbed a couple of photos at Bishop's Castle then headed out of town only to find the road to Lydbury North that I intended to take was closed. The alternatives would involve extra climbing/extra mileage that I hadn't planned for so I decided to chance it and ignore the signs hoping that, as is usual locally, there would be access provided through the closure for pedestrians and cyclists. There was and being the weekend there was nobody working so I didn't even have to get off and push my bike through.

The plus side of this closure was that there was hardly any other traffic for a long stretch. Just me, a handful of locals and three other riders who were stopped fixing a puncture (I checked and they said they were fine).

After Purslow the road becomes a little more lumpy and I decided to stop in a gateway with a view (which I also happen to know has a rare phone signal) to eat my lunch. Having a view meant also being exposed to the wind and I got surprisingly cold while stopped so was glad to get going again.

Passing through Leintwardine I was now onto the road through the Mortimer Forest on the way to Ludlow and a fairly big climb which I plodded at slowly but enjoyed the even bigger descent the other side.

I didn't go into Ludlow this time but took the bridleway through the Oakly Park estate to Bromfield then headed through the racecourse and onto the road through Culmington and headed for the next climb over Wenlock Edge via Seifton Batch and Westhope.

Normally, having reached Wall under Heywood I'd ride along through Longville and Hughley on the way home, which is a little flatter. That way is longer though so this time even though I was flagging a little I climbed up to Cardington then over Folly Bank and took the old roman road to Longnor then the lanes to Condover.

Not many cyclists out this time. I passed a handful in Shrewsbury then only five in the whole of the rest of the trip.

109.05 miles for the day at 12.6 mph moving average (almost exactly 10 hours in total including stops)

Condover Hall all lit up early in the ride.

About to cross the old bridge at Atcham.

On my way to Melverley. What was once quite a majestic tree has been humbled by the wind. Just one of many on this section of the trip.

Montgomery. This is a locally-famous old fashioned ironmongers still going strong.

Nice views across the valley en-route to Bishop's Castle.

Bishop's Castle

My lunch stop near Hopton Heath.

The classic view over Ludlow with the Clee Hills in the background.

Crossing the racecourse.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Just a swift 2 hours in between the usual Sunday jobs, and the weather was too good to pass up; So out through Hitchin to the south passing St Ippolyts, turning west through St John's Walden and on to Whitwell, and climbing up to King's Walden and then Preston before a descent into Gosmore... A quick coffee at Kinetic Cycles in Hitchin where they were building a nice S Works Venge, and time to head home as the low sun started to fade.
Just short of 20 miles.

 

[PeteXXX]

Around the houses again, today, but extended it to 2.2 miles - just to raise a belligerent two fingers to the damaged ribs, the Rorschach bruises and the mild chest infection I now have. From the renewed twinges around my groin and hip, I suspect I may have overdone it.
The bigger debate, however, is do I do the sensible thing and sink into the sofa for the afternoon, or demonstrate a new level of machismo by going to the pub for a couple? I'll let you know ...

A medicinal pint or two sounds like a good plan

 

[GGJ]

LOL .... I thought that they were Schwalbe Marathon Supreme in 2" wide... you can just see the tops in some of the pics

That would be the ultimate tyre with the state the roads are in now, potholes and rough surfaces that look like the surface of the moon, plus all the coo muck and hawthorn cuttings, it's a tough world out there

 

[nickyboy]

I'd planned a nice 100km ride today as the forecast was good. But first thing this morning some work stuff came in that couldn't wait so I had to deal with it this morning.

Come early afternoon and work was dealt with but no time for 100km. So I resurrected "Nickyboy's one hour challenge". It's a loop of 25.6km with 500m of climbing. I've managed an hour and two minutes in the past but I haven't done it for quite a while. So out I went and gave it the full gas. It was cold (about 2 degrees) and a blustery easterly

An hour and five minutes. Well that was disappointing. I can offer all sorts of excuses of cold weather, windy, not 100% over a cold etc etc....but actually maybe I'm just starting to get a bit slower. That's a frightening thought.

Gonna lose some weight and crack the hour. I'm not ready to get old just yet

 

[PeteXXX]

What a lovely day for a ride today!
After a visit to No1 daughter and family to drop some stuff of this morning, the rest of the day was mine. I'd already arranged to meet a friend in the early afternoon and get a few miles in.
With a latish start time, I took some lights with me as I suspected I'd not finish in daylight!

After about 8 miles of tarmac, we met up, then headed up the Brampton Valley, past the old railway station, until the uphill muddy bit onto the hill into Brixworth.

The 'Santa Express' was running today..
After a few miles, we were back on tarmac until the dam wall over Pitsford Reservoir where we did half a circuit before dropping into the cafe for a coffee and sausage roll (plus some ginger cake I'd baked yesterday evening.)

There's a bridleway near Brixworth that I've ridden in the past, but had forgotten where it went, so we did a mile or so there and back to check it out. T'was highly slippery in places, but good fun!

Once away from the cafe at Pitsford, we aimed back to the old railway line as a quick route towards home. We went our separate ways by Kings Heath as I wanted to get the road through the town done before the sun went down.

By the time I was back on the riverside path home, it was getting quite dark, and, with an easterly wind blowing in my face, decidedly chilly! The temperature had dropped to just below freezing, but with the wind chill, a tad less than that.
I must confess that I was feeling a bit knackered by this time, as I've not done a lot of miles recently, and stopped a couple of times to rest my legs and get a Mars Bar down my neck. I was warm enough, apart from my toes, but didn't really want a cold headwind for the last bit of the day. Still, such is life....

By the time I was through my gate and in the garden, it was fully dark.

Back home on just under 40 miles in sunny, frosty weather, totally ready for a steaming hot hot cuppa!

https://www.strava.com/activities/793566002

 

[Jenkins]

I had planned a quick out and back to my sister's to drop off a card and, being a soft uncle, a cheque so that she could get my niece a new race suit for a major swim meet just before Christmas plus a new pair of football boots for my nephew. It should have been a 30-35mile round trip, but the good weather, and a comment by my brother in law saw the ride being extended out to just over 50 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/793503363

 

[Glow worm]

A nice ride over to Burwell Fen (near Ely) today.

White Fen- bicyles/ walkers only- lovely. ( more please as its only a half mile long)!

Further along, some spindle, caught my eye in the sunshine.

It's in a hedgerow and quite rare hereabouts as I think it is host to a pest that attacks sugar beet so it's been grubbed out around here in sugar beet country. Shame- it is a beautiful native shrub.

Just one huge idiot today - a jolly, bobble hatted, space lemon, high viz felllow on Tubney Fen, who seemed to think it was a good idea to walk right through the roosting wigeon / teal etc at dusk - a few hundred yards from where I was. I gave the half wit a few choice phrases, mainly beginning with f and c. Funnily enough the gormless bobble hatted bastard moved on fairly quickly but only after plenty of wildfowl had been spooked sadly. Hopefully they'll find their way home.

Tubney Fen hide near Reach village. A good spot when free of idiots.

A lovely little owl on the way home perched on a hedge, made up for it all as the temperature dipped to 29 degrees f.

 

[Jon George]

I am extremely envious of all the people who are making use of the sunny weather and getting their various qualifying December rides in for the various CC challenges and I'm having to resist trying for my 50km until I've been checked over again, this afternoon. (Apparently a suspected chest infection with a fractured rib is something to keep an eye on.) Whilst I decided against adding more to yesterday's meagre total by cycling to the pub - I reclaimed my childhood and watched a Sunday afternoon war film DVD instead: The Bridge at Ramagen with the late, great Robert Vaughn - I pushed it marginally today and risked 2.7 miles to the post office and back.

 

[cosmicbike]

More time spent turning garage into a spaceship this morning meant an afternoon pedal for me. I haven't been out through Wraysbury to Eton for a while, so figured this and back via Old Windsor would do me 18 miles or so. Very nice weather today, and at each point when I should have turned for home I decided to take the slightly longer route. The planned 18 miles turned into 31.6 miles Still warm enough for a cap and fingerless mitts. Celebrated the longer ride with a jammie Wagon Wheel, which was nice.