Your ride today....

[Supersuperleeds]

Nice gentle ride out with @13 rider @Joobert and @tallliman this morning, was warm but a tad damp.

20mile ride to meet @13 rider and @tallliman at Cossington for 8:15, plan was to do roughly 16 miles and meet @Joobert

Couple of miles from meeting @Joobert we diverted to let @13 rider show us his climbing prowess on Old Gate Road. Got to the meeting with @Joobert on 41 miles, another 20 miles to the cafe stop for a much needed coffee and bacon butty consumed at Ellis Tea Rooms before we decided to take me to a new climb, Bond Lane were once again @13 rider disappeared up the road - sure he has a motor hidden on his bike .

By the time I got home I'd done 77 miles, bike now clean and about to make my third cup of tea.

Thanks to all three for the great company, don't think I would have gone out the door this morning otherwise.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1011133060

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Pure beefcake @Rickshaw Phil !

 

[booze and cake]

My Mum said her hankerchief tree in Wales was flowering, so I went looking for one in a south London park I'd never visited before, Maryon Park, which according to the Tree Register housed the tallest one in London at 17m.

I stopped off in Deptford High St to photograph this:

I get to the park and I'm seemingly the only person there

Alas I can't see any of the signature white flowers of the hankerchief tree after doing a few laps of the small park, further investigation required to see if the tree is still here. I do find a nice willow leafed pear, the fruit is apparently inedible.

And I had no idea Cadbury's Mini Eggs grew on trees

A nice park, I will visit again. I came back along the Thames past the barrier

And along towards the Dome, past Anthony Gormley's Quantum Cloud on a cloudy day, and the cable car across the river.

I continue along the river into town, along the Embankment cycle path, a water bottle refill in Hyde Park and back home for lunch. 35 very humid miles, still it beats being at work, time for an ice cream

 

[13 rider]

Planned ride this morning another Leicester cycle chat ride and this time we persuaded @Joobert to join us for part of the ride . Apparently my first job this morning was to charge my hidden motor . Out the door at 0745 into drizzle did considered turning back for more clothing as in shorts and short sleeves but how bad can it be ?. Straight to meeting point was going to do some extra loops but to my surprise @Supersuperleeds was already there stopped for a chat and soon @tallliman was also early ! So off we set for an hours ride before picking up @Joobert in Sileby the drizzle was not turning into rain and I was getting wet but being warm it wasn't to bad . Did a loop to Gaddesby in the opposite direction I normally do it and I prefer it this way . Heading back to Sileby we were early so the climb of old gate road got mentioned so off we went . I shot off like I do but I forgot how long the road is and was blowing at the end but top ten on strava that will do . Back to Sileby a couple of minutes late and @Joobert was waiting . After a quick chat its through the village to Seagrave and on to Wymeswold via Berrycott lane and Narrow lane . Prestwold ,Barrow ,Mountsorrel where the possiblity of doing Bond lane climb was mentioned but we spared @Joobert and headed to the cafe stop via my flat commuting route .Coffee and bacon or sausage cobs were consumed .The chat of how to get home took a strange turn when @Supersuperleeds said he was up for Bond lane !!! The hill avoider appears to be no more . Both me and @tallliman knew what was coming but @Supersuperleeds hadn't done it before .Out of the cafe feeling a bit chilly now back to Mountsorrel as a foursome @Joobert turned for home to avoid the silly climbing .Did another climb to the war memorial then onto bond lane . I managed a strava pr and @Supersuperleeds was second up and said it wasn't that bad !! At the junction @tallliman went right for home and me and @Supersuperleeds went left back to Cropston where we finally parted company . On to home 56.9 miles in the bag in rather damp conditions . Home with soggy shoes I definitely underdressed . Enjoyable ride in great company and nice to @Joobert back out riding with us

 

[tallliman]

I got a pb on Bond Lane too though I nearly suggested popping for some cake after that!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Ended less than 1000 metres from my front door when chummy, emerging from a side turning on my right and planting himself right on my back wheel, objected to my taking primary on the approach to pedestrian central refuge/end of stupid cycle lane, overtook with horn blaring, and mighty oaths, on the WRONG SIDE of the island, cut back across, stamped on his brakes in front of me, roared off, turned off into a car park, waited until I passed then came out and tried to use his car to force me into the kerb. W4nk3r. Operation Crackdown informed.

 

[EltonFrog]

A camping trip on a farm near Tiverton this weekend. We took the bikes and rode a twenty mile route to town and back along a lumpy road called the long drag. In the car it looked difficult but it was actually really enjoyable. Had a coffee in town then came back.


One thing of note, the road surfaces around there are superb compared to Oxfordshire.

Top speed 38.8 into a light headwind.

Base Camp

A bit of a hold up

The Fragrant MrsP at the bottom of the fast hill.

A view.

Another view.

The route and the lumps.

 

[Arjimlad]

Got out with my son and his best pal for my first proper off road adventure round the 7-mile

blue trail at the Forest of Dean. He kept on about how it was important to let air out of the tyres and held us up twice with pinch punctures.

He'd also left the spare tube in the car so we had 2 lots of 2 punctures!

Although I was slower and less confident than the boys with their suspension forks, I had a blast nevertheless and enjoyed seeing how my Giant Revolt coped with the rough stuff having reinstalled the 700*35 Smart Sam tyres. It's the most use the smallest chainring has ever had!

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.relive.cc/view/1011361665

I decided to say balls to the Bank holiday weather today, and go for a ride anyway.

The old bakehouse tea rooms in Beaulieu.

Toffee apple cake.. It is as good as it sounds.

Swans and Cygnets.

Ponies.

Water.

Lepe beach, the weather was starting to close in.

It started raining by the time I reached Hythe.

Beer time.

68 miles or there abouts and some rubbish weather.

 

[PatrickPending]

My ride yesterday, first time out east of Leicester since spending most of last summer in Leicester royal. Out to Eyesbrook reservoir, via lots of places ending in'...on the hill'. Great Glen - Houghton on the hill, cold newton. Tilton on the hill, Belton, the reservoir, great Easton, drayton. medbourne, kibworth...to home.
Nice ride

 

[13 rider]

My ride yesterday, first time out east of Leicester since spending most of last summer in Leicester royal. Out to Eyesbrook reservoir, via lots of places ending in'...on the hill'. Great Glen - Houghton on the hill, cold newton. Tilton on the hill, Belton, the reservoir, great Easton, drayton. medbourne, kibworth...to home.
Nice ride View attachment 354606

That would be a bit climby then did you go up Neville Holt from Drayton

 

[Buck]

The weather today was certainly not forecast to be as good as the last couple of days.

Mrs Buck was taking the offspring to see the latest "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movie so I had time to get out on the bike. I set off just after lunch when it was damp from earlier rain but no rain in sight and a relatively gentle easterly to deal with.

I was glad I'd put my long sleeve jersey on as the weather was certainly chillier than the last few days. A nice steady climb out of the village accompanied by a clicking from my crank (note to self to look at soonest). As I turned onto Penistone Road I realised just how misty it was - not only was there no views of the distant countryside but visibility on the road was quite limited. Front and Rear lights on for the duration of the ride.

I decided that since I had a couple of hours I would do a slightly longer ride than I am usually able to squeeze in so, once up on the tops I headed past the windmills on Whitley Road. It was quite surreal as I couldn't see more than 50m in front of me. Luckily I knew the roads fairly well but I was more concerned about obstacles and oncoming cars.

Up past the viewing platform and here you normally get beautiful vistas across the countryside. Today it looked like this: -

Never mind. Back on my usual route of Broadstone Road but at the brow I took a right down Windmill Lane and then a short stretch on the A629 before I turned off into Upper Denby and a nice descent to the Barnsley Road. Straight across and down the side of The Dunkirk (nice pub BTW!) - a nice rolling stretch of road and a right turn took me through High Hoyland before I then dropped down past Cawthorne Park and through Darton then going north on the A637 as it joins the Haigh Roundabout/M1 Junction.

The weather turned and what was just damp and mist was now rain and mist - at least I wasn't too warm!

I continued north up past Bretton Country Park and straight across through Flockton which is always a busy road and also very narrow so a couple of instances of me taking primary to stop any attempts at passing me on the narrow blind bends.

Thankfully through the village then a left off the main road and a drag up to Emley Moor and the mast (no pictures as you just couldn't see it!)

Rather than take the direct route home I took a left and headed through Lower then Upper Cumberworth before joining the usual A629 and back down into the village and home, a little damp but invigorated and glad of the 30+ miles.

https://www.relive.cc/view/1011501250

https://www.strava.com/activities/1011501250

31.5 miles 1,378ft of climbing

 

[Gravity Aided]

6.2 miles today, starting on the Schwinn Mirada and transitioning to the Trek 600 after some wheel issues, easily resolved, but holidays are for riding, not fettling, best saved for rainy days. Quite windy out there, enough so to scare most of the cyclists away (about 30 mph gusts) but warm and sort of sunny.
77F, 25C
Winds W20G28
Relative humidity 37%(!)
Barometer 29.90 in 1013.7mb
Nice day, with a forecast for narrower, lighter tires for the Mirada.

 

[srw]

After 8 hours in a meeting (only one more to go before I leave....) I needed a change of scene, so came out along the NCN 22 route before picking up a bit of the Downs Link. One day I'll get around to going all the way to the coast, but today I came off it at Wonersh and found a rather nice back road back into Guildford via a level crossing.

I think the council still ahve a bit of work to do....

This is a national cycle route?

 

[Arjimlad]

Took my son out for a 28 mile ride to Cromhall, Wickwar, Inglestone Common, Hillesley then back via the Somerset monument to Hawkesbury Upton, Horton, then along Mapleridge Lane, Iron Acton & home. He did very well. It started off a little damp but the shower soon passed and we ended up with a great sunny ride with a gentle cooling breeze - pretty much perfect !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1013006013