Your ride today....

[guitarpete247]

Didn't get out today as we had the granddaughters overnight and had to keep.then entertained. Saw a lot of riders around when we went to the garden centre and felt a little jealous. Won't get out now till week after next as have a lot on.

 

[hondated]

Well got out early at 6.30 but it ended up being a special ride as my 14 yr old grandson staying with us asked to come with me.Its the first time ever so special to me. I quickly fitted lights on his BMX my racer already had them fitted and we rode down the front and cycled along the beach front path. From there we ride over to Pevensey then Westham over to Langley and back home. We were out for about 90 minutes and he loved it. Given his bike it was a tougher ride for him than me but he never moaned at all. Unbelievably it was his first time of seeing the sun rise as well. Hopefully it's the first of many times as another year or less I can give him one of my racers.
Be great if he carries on his grandads legacy.

 

[13 rider]

Well got out early at 6.30 but it ended up being a special ride as my 14 yr old grandson staying with us asked to come with me.Its the first time ever so special to me. I quickly fitted lights on his BMX my racer already had them fitted and we rode down the front and cycled along the beach front path. From there we ride over to Pevensey then Westham over to Langley and back home. We were out for about 90 minutes and he loved it. Given his bike it was a tougher ride for him than me but he never moaned at all. Unbelievably it was his first time of seeing the sun rise as well. Hopefully it's the first of many times as another year or less I can give him one of my racers.
Be great if he carries on his grandads legacy.

Really nice write up glad you both enjoyed it first of many rides

 

[Donger]

I was hoping to do a 100km ride today, but I had too many beers last night (plus a bit of port)

Same here but, (whether wise or not), went for it anyway, despite our club dinner last night. An inauspicious start, when I locked myself out and lost the key (eventually found in the most obvious place!) .... then started my ride with @jembullo only to discover after a mile and a half that I'd forgotten my helmet. Had to add a three mile sprint to the start of the ride, while leaving Jem to take in the delights of the Gloucester Western By-Pass! Eventually blew away the cobwebs nicely!

Nice winter's day today ........... Castlemorton lanes ...............and took the Redmarley route to Ledbury........... over the Wyche .................Welland....... Hanley Swan ...........Guarlford....

Spooky! ..... Did Gloucester, Castlemorton Common, Welland, Hanley Castle, Great Malvern, West Malvern, the Wyche, Ledbury, Guarlford and Redmarley with @jembullo (pictured here in Upton on Severn) today. I wonder if our paths crossed?

That's the Metric Century a Month Challenge finished for another year. Woohoo! Only seems a few short months ago I first set out to Chepstow and back on New Year's Day, slightly daunted by the prospect. Thought it was an appropriate day to wear the Cyclechat shirt to commemorate the event. Here I am with the Malverns looming ever closer:

Stopped off at the Wyche for a moment to take in the views:

Then carried on to "The Kettle Sings" for a lovely caramel and pecan cake and a big mug of coffee. The cafe has great views into Herefordshire and the Black Mountains of Wales, and we were treated to the sight of a kestrel hovering right outside the window of the cafe at our eye level. What a great mild, sunny day for December. 68 miles in all (and about 900 metres climbed), and that's my four targets achieved for the year. (1) 3,000 miles, (2) my first imperial century, (3) 12 metric centuries and (4) 3 French Alps. Great company today, with @jembullo as my wingman (or the other way around). Loads of cyclists out, including two huge pelotons. I wonder if @twentysix by twentyfive was in one of them?
Cheers, Donger.

 

[Oxo]

Well got out early at 6.30 but it ended up being a special ride as my 14 yr old grandson staying with us asked to come with me.Its the first time ever so special to me. I quickly fitted lights on his BMX my racer already had them fitted and we rode down the front and cycled along the beach front path. From there we ride over to Pevensey then Westham over to Langley and back home. We were out for about 90 minutes and he loved it. Given his bike it was a tougher ride for him than me but he never moaned at all. Unbelievably it was his first time of seeing the sun rise as well. Hopefully it's the first of many times as another year or less I can give him one of my racers.
Be great if he carries on his grandads legacy.

That doesn't sound like a special ride, it sounds like one of those stand out moments that you'll both remember for a long, long time. A ride to savour.

 

[Racing roadkill]

A funny old day today. I got out with a much neglected ( on my part ) cycle club, I got complimentary tickets to a footy game ( courtesy of the Saints Foundation, for whom I'm leading a 180 mile ride next year). And I got 70 something miles done to boot. Happy days.

https://www.relive.cc/view/799965235

 

[derrick]

Did not ride the weekend, but we did do a little tour of London Friday evening, Was a good turnout we all met at Spitafields, at the Rapha shop. was a nice evening weather wise, taking in a few sights before stopping at Look Mum No Hands for a beer and pie, Leaving there at about 10-30 then heading towards a pub a bit closer to home, Finishing with a couple more beers before heading of home, Was a great evening with the best club in the country.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Spooky! ..... Did Gloucester, Castlemorton Common, Welland, Hanley Castle, Great Malvern, West Malvern, the Wyche, Ledbury, Guarlford and Redmarley with @jembullo (pictured here in Upton on Severn) today. I wonder if our paths crossed?

Quite possibly although perhaps not at the same time probably. I didn't see many out and about on my ride this time.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I wonder if @twentysix by twentyfive was in one of them?

I was with 5 others and after Ledbury two went off early so 4 of us over Hollybush.

You were very much riding around my stamping ground tho'. Lovely

 

[nickyboy]

Fancied a longer ride on Sunday. Forecast was cool, overcast and a bit windy (haha...more of that wind later)

Plan was 100km and for a distance like that I always worry a bit about going too fast early on and really paying towards the end. So it's a matter of knocking back the effort. Trouble is I'm out of the front door and....bang...straight into a big climb, down the other side....then a big climb, down the other side....then a big climb. Out via Chunal, Chapel en le Frith, Buxton, Longnor, Hulme End, back to Longnor via a different road, Buxton, Whaley Bridge, Glossop

Very few cyclists out despite it being a Sunday. I think most with any sense leave the Peaks behind and tootle around Cheshire in the winter. Got back to Longnor and popped into a café. Upgraded my hot chocolate to "luxury" and a whopping slice of ginger cake

Back outside and went to the church to look at the display on a Longnor resident who was a Telemark war hero...this was @Tail End Charlie recommendation. The church was shut unfortunately

Then the purgatory started. I'd already done about 60 very hilly km and the wind was picking up. The next 20 km to Whaley Bridge were into a blasting headwind. I don't mind hills. In fact I enjoy the sense of satisfaction in beating them. But headwinds? No, hate them. They make me want to get off the bike and throw it in the ditch. Plus spending ages hunched over the handlebars was making my back ache

Mercifully the wind eased and the run back to Glossop was just an issue of mounting fatigue. Made it home, 1,950m of climbing. My Garmin measures in miles so when I converted....it was 99.2km. But by then I was so knackered I couldn't get off the sofa, let alone do another 800m

 

[Donger]

I was with 5 others and after Ledbury two went off early so 4 of us over Hollybush.

You were very much riding around my stamping ground tho'. Lovely

Indeed. You are lucky to have a patch like that. We are planning to make it an annual Gloucester-Malvern-Gloucester ride some month when there are no 100km audaxes around here. "The Kettle Sings" has to be my favourite cafe stop anywhere.

I got sent this reminder of the ride by @jembullo :

https://www.relive.cc/view/799963105
I get the feeling we probably did the same route but in the opposite direction.

 

[Elybazza61]

Nice commute in despite not feeling too good this morning(either last night's bottle of red or I've got a cold coming);run down the A10 and then through Waterbeach to Fen Ditton;

https://www.strava.com/activities/801028929

Then a quick pootle through the city to work;

https://www.strava.com/activities/80102892

 

[dim]

Nice commute in despite not feeling too good this morning(either last night's bottle of red or I've got a cold coming);run down the A10 and then through Waterbeach to Fen Ditton;

https://www.strava.com/activities/801028929

Then a quick pootle through the city to work;

https://www.strava.com/activities/80102892

what's it like cycling on the A10 as far as car/traffic is concerned? ... I've never been on that road yet

 

[Aravis]

I am contemplating attempting 100 centuries (in miles) next year. There are factors not connected with cycling prowess which will have a big say in whether I can do this or not. But if I do try, one thing I would need is a way of notching a century with minimal effort on a day when the opportunity is restricted. So today is an experiment.

There is a stretch of dual carriageway (part of the A40) a couple of miles from my house, about 1.6 miles in length with roundabouts at each end. These are at Over and Highnam, very familiar I'm sure to anyone local, and neither has any pesky traffic lights to get in the way. The stretch is well lit for its full length, as is my route to and from the eastern end. There are usable cycle tracks on both sides, although I didn't use the southern one today. Starting just after 1am, I completed 21 circuits, returning home at about 5.45 having covered a shade under 71 miles. I then had a bath before driving over to Cheltenham to collect my wife at the end of her night shift. Today will be a normal day. OK, I'll probably have a snooze at some point. After taking my wife to work this evening I intend to return and complete my 100 miles for the day. I think another 8 repetitions should just be enough.

I realise that a ride which is split like this (there will be a gap of over 15 hours) doesn't fit everyone's definition of a single ride. I've always taken the view that my day's ride is what happens between one midnight and the next; importantly, this fits with the definition used by the Strava Yearly Century Challenge, which I hope very much will happen again next year. Most of my rides are more conventional!

Early on circuit three I had a lovely view of a barn owl. Early promise was not maintained, but all in all the experience was not unenjoyable. If I can complete what I've planned today, and still feel able to look at that piece of road again, I'll have a useful way of knocking out safe and easy miles at any time of night, should I need to.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I get the feeling we probably did the same route but in the opposite direction.

Similar @Donger. Seems you are happier on bigger roads than me tho'. I avoid British Camp these days due to traffic.
Here's our route http://www.dailymile.com/people/26x25/entries/36604610