Your ride today....

[gavgav]

Today was the 4th and final ride of our week in the Lake District and we woke again to lovely sunshine. It was a shorter ride today, as the legs were struggling a bit from all of the climbing this week.

We set off down the main road to Lakeside, enjoying some fast downhill sections which meant our avg speed was 12.7 mph when we got there, pretty much unheard of for us up here! We enjoyed the lovely views up Windermere and had the slightly bizarre experience of a group of Chinese tourists wanting their pictures taken, one by one, by Doug's bike . I was a bit concerned, as one tried to get on his bike, that they were going to end up in the lake, but no harm was done!

Lakeside

We pressed on to Finsthwaite, using some roads that we hadn't ridden on before and it was lovely cycling country. We then started the climb up to Satterthwaite, where we stopped at The Eagles Head for a nice pint of Loweswater Gold and a Beef Sandwich .

The cloud had rolled in, whilst we were having lunch and it had gone quite cold as we continued the climbing up to the Grizedale visitor centre, and then on up to Moor Top, which was a hard slog.

The final mile was a nice descent back to our holiday cottage and it rounded off a fabulous week of cycling, in much better weather than we had feared.

19.4 miles with 1583 ft of climbing today.

 

[Glow worm]

A couple of days ago now, but a slow saunter across the fen, Wicken Fen to be precise.

Deserted. And lovely. Miles of empty tracks which I'm making the most of until they become too muddy to ride on in a few weeks or so.

 

[delb0y]

Just a gentle 40 miler round the lanes this morning. Need to come up with a new target to work towards.

 

[Buck]

Out this morning for a ride in what was reasonable weather - a little bit blowy but compared to Sunday's ride it was calm!

I started out heading down Stone Wood Lane - the showers through the night meant it was wet and a little slippy through the lane but I was soon down the dip and up the other side.

A left turn towards Fulstone and I was passed by a JCB digger which did cause a little moment when I was following him up one of the climbs and he came to a sudden stop and had to select a lower gear. I managed to keep on the pedals and apart from getting going again, no harm done.

Once through Fulstone it was a nice descent to New Mill, joining the main road and then a right through Brockholes and onwards to Honley. A double left at the lights had me heading back on the Woodhead Road to Holmfirth.

Once through Holmfirth I headed into Hinchcliffe Mills before taking a left then starting the long climb on Dobb Lane and Acre Lane. It was amazing just how quickly you feel to climb above the valley and the views were breathtaking - we even had the odd bit of sun poking through. Victoria Tower and Castle Hill were visible across the valley.

The climb is about 3 miles and 900ft of climbing and has a real mixture of steep ramps and relatively flat sections (c.3%) I continued onwards before the penultimate steep ramp levelled off somewhat allowing me to admire the views across Digley Reservoir and towards Holme Moss.

I passed three cyclists who looked as though they had a mechanical but assured me they were OK so I continued up the hill and crossed the Dunford Road and the last 6 miles home.

20.4 miles and 1762 feet of climbing
https://www.strava.com/activities/1186176729

https://www.relive.cc/view/1186176729

 

[Stonechat]

Due a ride yesterday and various factirs gaving led to nothing too long for a while did a bit more

A variation around one of my regular loops, via Frimley, Yately and Winkfield

Feeling good again so pushed up the speed a bit

A rolling course

46.74 miles @ 17.1 mph with 1417 feet of climbing

Pleasing to see steady improvement

https://www.strava.com/activities/1184879062

 

[Dave 123]

Bloody rubbish! I set out in light rain, within a mile it's p1ssing down monsoon style. I decide to go home.
5 miles, soaked to the skin.
Within a minute of being stripped off in the kitchen it stops raining.

 

[welsh dragon]

Bloody rubbish! I set out in light rain, within a mile it's p1ssing down monsoon style. I decide to go home.
5 miles, soaked to the skin.
Within a minute of being stripped off in the kitchen it stops raining.

A like for trying to get out anyway.

 

[NorthernDave]

It's definitely getting cooler isn't it?
Today saw me don 3/4 bibs and a proper long sleeved top for the first time in a long while, along with full gloves instead of mitts and I was still a bit chilly for the first couple of miles

I'd got the time to do a metric half, but with the cooler temperatures and the northerly wind, would I have the commitment?

As is so often the case the ride started with a familiar blend of Coal Road, which now has a mini-roundabout at the Skeltons Lane / Red Hall Lane junction (there used to be one here ages ago and it was removed due to a number of crashes - I guess the Highways Dept have forgotten about that...), Red Hall lane, and the A58 before getting onto Whin Moor Lane, which eventually becomes Gateland Lane as it arrives in Shadwell.
Up then down on Main Street before starting the climb towards Slaid Hill lights, only to have someone pull off their drive straight in front of me - fortunately I'd anticipated what was about to happen and backed off, but really...
Right at the lights and a brief run through the dip on Wike Ridge Lane, before another right onto Tarn Lane and the run along the top, down Ling Lane and onto the A58 again for the descent into Scarcroft where it was right again and still downhill, before the first big climb of the day "Hellwood" up Scarcroft Hill.
Eventually at the top and onto Milner Lane for a blast along the ridge to East Rigton and onto Compton Lane and staying on the ridge to Jewitt Lane and the plunge down the hill into Collingham

Along School Lane parallel to the A58, before crossing the main road and Linton Road, across the recently re-opened bridge and through the ups and down of Linton and on to Wetherby, where a tootle around the town centre saw me descend into the Wilderness car park and a quick breather down by the river:

The sharp but short climb out of the car park saw me eventually onto Walton Road, across the A1(M) and back out into the countryside heading for Thorp Arch, with the obligatory detour around Dowkell Lane and Church Causeway, before the drop down onto and across the bridge and then back up the other side into Boston Spa.

After a few hundred yards along Main Street, I turned right for Clifford, past the sadly closed chip shop and onto High Street up the hill followed by the descent into Bramham - and the only way out of Bramham is up, so I chose the toughest climb of them all and battled up the Col de Town Hill , completed the segment and then looped back round onto Paradise Way.

The northerly wind had been largely dodged by using sheltered roads on the outbound leg, but now I was heading pretty much due south with the wind at my back on open roads and I made the most of the push down to the Bramham Cross Roads, back across the A1(M) and the run down to Aberford.
Not only was this immense fun, but I also clocked a mile section at an average of 27.5mph (topping out at almost 37mph), which is frankly bloody remarkable by my usual standards

Anyhow, fun over, it was back to the grind up from Aberford to the M1 roundabout at Garforth, before the mainly downhill stretch into Garforth itself, before using the bike lane to filter past all the queuing traffic at the lights and get onto Barwick Road, under the railway and over the M1 and up Long Lane into Barwick itself up the hill and into the wind.

From Barwick the bike really should know it's own way home by now, the long steady climb up almost to Scholes, before the drop into the village and onto Leeds Road, where a plum in a Peugeot was so upset at having to wait for me to pass the end of their drive that I was the unwilling recipient of a punishment pass a quarter of a mile later on the descent to Cock Beck, which was so close I'd have been able to open their nearside doors had I not been otherwise engaged. They then had to slow for traffic and I wondered if I'd be able to catch up and have a quiet word, but they got a gap and were off - which was probably for the best all round...

From there it's local roads up to home and another metric half completed for the challenge.

34.14 miles (54.94km) in 2h 27m at an average of 13.9mph and with 1,932ft climbed.

Another good ride and one I'm not going to allow an embarrassment of terrible drivers take the gloss off today (I've purposely not mentioned more vehicle based nobbery as it only seems to encourage them). Maybe I will buy one of those Fly6 clones from Aldi in a couple of weeks..?
Idiots aside it was good to get out despite the drop in temperatures and that tailwind (which the Met Office suggests was a mere 13mph) made a welcome change between Bramham and Aberford where the wind normally seems to be in your face.
It would have been nice to crack 14mph for the average speed, but I'll live with not quite getting there given the amount of climbing today.

And to end, the all important map:

 

[cosmicbike]

Getting the heating working took priority today, but did manage to convince SWMBO that we should pedal into town after lunch. Nice to get out with Mrs CB and mini Miss CB. A hugely unsuccessful trip to town as didn't find her hat, or my jeans, but we did get wet on the way home which was entertaining. 6.8 miles at an average of 6.8mph...

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Once through Fulstone it was a nice descent to New Mill, joining the main road and then a right through Brockholes and onwards to Honley. A double left at the lights had me heading back on the Woodhead Road to Holmfirth.

Once through Holmfirth I headed into Hinchcliffe Mills before taking a left then starting the long climb on Dobb Lane and Acre Lane. It was amazing just how quickly you feel to climb above the valley and the views were breathtaking - we even had the odd bit of sun poking through. Victoria Tower and Castle Hill were visible across the valley.

View attachment 373772

The climb is about 3 miles and 900ft of climbing and has a real mixture of steep ramps and relatively flat sections (c.3%) I continued onwards before the penultimate steep ramp levelled off somewhat allowing me to admire the views across Digley Reservoir and towards Holme Moss.



View attachment 373773


20.4 miles and 1762 feet of climbing
https://www.strava.com/activities/1186176729

https://www.relive.cc/view/1186176729

Not bad climbing per mile
Just as a parallel, in the same area, a few years ago, I tried out of curiosity, the Holme Moss Fell-Race
That year (2010), it was a round of the English Championships, I knew I'd be nowhere near the front, but wanted to experience the difficulty/distance
'We' covered 18 miles, with 4,000 feet of ascent!!
Barring a very short distance, at the start, the only time we touched tarmac in the 18 miles was to cross the top of the 'Moss, in both directions, by the car-park
As for the scramble up Laddow Rocks..............

This was the route, but we had a different 'back'
From the top of the 'Moss, we returned, as per the 'out', not along Ramsden Lane, by the reservoir
http://racemaps.org.uk/holmemossfellrace.htm

 

[Glow worm]

An interesting 16 miler here in Malta today.

They have a hire bike scheme which I thought I'd have a go at and it worked pretty well, dodgy bottom bracket, loose brakes and slightly poor gear shifting aside!

The dots in the air are herons. I'd hoped for honey buzzards or booted eagles but herons I didn't expect. Two groups passed by near Bugiba.

Some interesting graffiti.

Some bay or other.
I'd just had a slight 'disagreement' with an armed hunter. These tw*ts blast all sorts out of the skies as soon as they make landfall -especially now during migration. I made it clear I didn't appreciate soft lad's 3 large dogs rushing up to me. I had binoculars so suspect the half wit thought it was funny. I did tell him to fark off so I felt better after that!

Interesting choice of surface for the cycle path. So crap, I'm sure the Brit cycle path designers will be taking notes.

Finally into Valletta. I thought I could just follow the coast road into town but it was nowhere near that simple. Hilly too. Busy roads but a few dodgy drivers aside I had no problems.

Headed back to the hotel via this lovely building in time for...

Fireworks. They love them here, even during the day. I suspect they simply just love explosions/ blowing up/ shooting stuff for the hell if it. As a holiday destination, it really is an ethically questionable one. So Clacton it is next year.

I had a bit of difficulty checking the bike back in but generally it was fine. 16 hilly miles in 90 degree heat, the cold beer at the end of the ride went down very well.

 

[booze and cake]

@Glow worm oooo I know you are on your hols, but I love those graffiti/street art pics, and it would be great to add another country and have an entry from Malta on my street art thread, https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/street-art.221565/

I'd be super grateful if you could post that pic (you've not got any close ups have you?), and any other good ones you see on your travels on the above thread, if you have time. Many thanks and enjoy the rest of your holiday, not surprisingly its looking a lot sunnier there than it is back here in the UK.

 

[Glow worm]

@Glow worm oooo I know you are on your hols, but I love those graffiti/street art pics, and it would be great to add another country and have an entry from Malta on my street art thread, https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/street-art.221565/

I'd be super grateful if you could post that pic (you've not got any close ups have you?), and any other good ones you see on your travels on the above thread, if you have time. Many thanks and enjoy the rest of your holiday, not surprisingly its looking a lot sunnier there than it is back here in the UK.

Sure no probs- it's quite some work of art. I'll wander up there and get a closer pic before I leave and will upload that pic to the site a bit later -( loafing by the pool today!).

 

[Dave 123]

A dry ride for a change, on my Cube.
It was decidedly autumnal with a bit of foggy mist. There was a time trial starting in Hardwick, so all the skin suit boys were out, and it was all boys.

It was just s loop to Gamlingay, the highlight was a flock of 50+ goldfinch, the low point was my chain coming off the chainring again.... I'm taking it to the doctor tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1187988331

 

[Stonechat]

I have been neglecting the Surrey Hills somewhat
The Club were having a 25 mile TT today so decided to head south
Through Row Town and Ripley, up Hungry Hill, a short leg on the A26 to take me to the Start of the lower slopes of Newlands.
After the descent, left and up the tough ascent of Combe Lane (Combe Bottom) and sharp right at the end of the descent to take in Crocknorth
Did the 3 hills with no stopping

Back through Effingham, reached Ockham and made the wrong choice, arrived at the A3 so doubled back and took road to Cobham.
From there back via Weybridge, roads there a bit too busy for me

Pleased my improvement in form is still showing. Did not race up the hills but the speed for a touger ride was pleasing

46.30 miles @ 16.0 mph with 2123 feet climbed

https://www.strava.com/activities/1188048785