Your ride today....

[Reynard]

Riding back from north Norfolk today- the plan: 23 mile ride from the Wells area to Kings Lynn station, train to Ely then 15 mile ride home. The reality, got to KL station and no trains. Bus replacement. No bikes allowed on buses. I may have sworn at this point.

So, no option but to just point the bike south and start pedalling across the bleak fens. Through Watlington, Downham, the unmissable Ten Mile Bank, Littleport, Ely and Wicken. A brutal headwind all the way, barely managed 9mph for much of it. Finally home by 6, instead of 3. So my usual 38 miler became a 71 miler- at least my October mileage is off to a good start.

Chapeau! It was bloody grim out this neck of the woods today - wet & mucky in the morning and blowing a hoolie in the arvo. I'd have more than sworn, btw xxx

P.S. Your route would have taken you a stone's throw from Casa Reynard

 

[Glow worm]

Chapeau! It was bloody grim out this neck of the woods today - wet & mucky in the morning and blowing a hoolie in the arvo. I'd have more than sworn, btw xxx

P.S. Your route would have taken you a stone's throw from Casa Reynard

Cheers, Yep the headwind was relentless! I was shattered by the time I reached Watlington. And I normally enjoy the lane between Denver Sluice and Littleport but when you're giving it everything and struggling to hit 9 mph it is hard work! Lots of v fast / close passing drivers too between Queen Adelaide and Ely didn't help. That road scares the wotsit out of me but it was the most direct today.

 

[Reynard]

Cheers, Yep the headwind was relentless! I was shattered by the time I reached Watlington. And I normally enjoy the lane between Denver Sluice and Littleport but when you're giving it everything and struggling to hit 9 mph it is hard work! Lots of v fast / close passing drivers too between Queen Adelaide and Ely didn't help. That road scares the wotsit out of me but it was the most direct today.

I bet you were knackered, it can be granny gears time when the wind gets up... I'm assuming you went along Padnal & Branch Banks? I don't mind it, but it's not one to do at commuter o'clock...

 

[Glow worm]

I bet you were knackered, it can be granny gears time when the wind gets up... I'm assuming you went along Padnal & Branch Banks? I don't mind it, but it's not one to do at commuter o'clock...

Yes that's it. I was glad to get onto the car free bit alongside the Ouse south of the A142 at Ely. didn't help with the headwind though!

 

[Reynard]

Yes that's it. I was glad to get onto the car free bit alongside the Ouse south of the A142 at Ely. didn't help with the headwind though!

If you want a quieter route, you could've gone through Littleport instead, down Black Bank Road, along California and picked up NCN 11 along the B1411 and headed off to Ely that way. In terms of distance, it's pretty much of a muchness. And there are some hedgerows to shelter from the wind.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

After waiting in most of the day for a phone call that didn't come, at about 4pm I thought "Oh, sod it" and went out for a ride instead.

I grabbed the knockabout bike and headed over Lyth Hill and in the direction of Oaks which is my go-to route for blustery days like today as it's a slow, hilly ride anyway and I get a long downhill section with the wind behind me later on.

On my last ride my much repaired Phaart Bleep rear lamp broke its mounting again. I glued it back together but today the repair didn't survive the rough track on Lyth Hill, so I either need to try a different method or buy a new lamp. (Fortunately the bike is fitted with two rear lights). Down the other side of the hill the wind was colder so a fleece was put on. I fear that the days of shorts and t-shirt rides have ended for another season.

Through Exfords Green and up Long Lane to Oaks I was riding into the wind so it was a slow slog. There was more low speed stuff to come with the couple of short but sharp climbs on the back road to Pulverbatch but once here I knew I'd have the wind in my favour the rest of the way.

The views from Wilderley were as good as ever and I had these lanes all to myself as far as the Picklescott - Dorrington road. From here to Dorrington is almost all downhill and with the wind helping I made very enjoyable progress. I was even catching a car up for a little while.

The A49 was quiet, so easy to cross and the good run continued past Great Ryton to Condover and stayed reasonably quick even though it was more of a cross wind after the village. There was another gap in the traffic for my second crossing of the A49 (very convenient) and along here I witnessed a van driver getting very irate with another motorist for daring to slow down a bit because of the lorry pulling out in front of him. So much anger over nothing!

An enjoyable 18.6 miles at 12.7 mph average.

On the way to Wilderley........

.....and a couple of angles of the view just before I start the descent to Dorrington

 

[PeteXXX]

Todays ride, posted today!
I was planning to do a longish road ride today, but with the breeze blowing, I thought that taking the Trek around the local reservoir would be a better option..
Still bloomin' windy though!

I hopped over the fence for a pedal around the overflow system. (The main track is over the top of the castellated bridge)Avoiding the broken glass from various BBQ's and visits from the local night life, I took the opportunity to ride up and down some of the obstacles, and manged to not fall off on any of the big steps

With the water level being very low, possibly due to the work being done on the embankments, the original pre-flooding road, that I've never seen before, was emerging from the depths of the water.

After a circuit and a half, I popped into the Willow Cafe for some of their wedges. Darn tasty, and most welcome!!

Back home via Moulton village on 25 miles in very blowy conditions, but still warm enough for shorts..

https://www.strava.com/activities/1211806509

 

[Reynard]

[QUOTE 4982105, member: 9609"]First taste of true Autumn tonight, it is a while since I have been out in a wind like that - pretty dam exhilarating all the same. Just love it when you start to run with the wind, 20 / 25 mph little effort quiet and peaceful.[/QUOTE]

It's when you head the other way that the problems start...

 

[Jason]

The car needed a service,so bike in the back and a nice 10 mile ride home.
Ride there Tuesday morning to pick her up

 

[Fonze]

Just back from a long weekend in Geneva so back to my normal route.

 

[13 rider]

Todays ride, posted today!
I was planning to do a longish road ride today, but with the breeze blowing, I thought that taking the Trek around the local reservoir would be a better option..
Still bloomin' windy though!

View attachment 376659

I hopped over the fence for a pedal around the overflow system. (The main track is over the top of the castellated bridge)Avoiding the broken glass from various BBQ's and visits from the local night life, I took the opportunity to ride up and down some of the obstacles, and manged to not fall off on any of the big steps

View attachment 376660

With the water level being very low, possibly due to the work being done on the embankments, the original pre-flooding road, that I've never seen before, was emerging from the depths of the water.

View attachment 376662

After a circuit and a half, I popped into the Willow Cafe for some of their wedges. Darn tasty, and most welcome!!

Back home via Moulton village on 25 miles in very blowy conditions, but still warm enough for shorts..
https://www.strava.com/activities/1211806509

I take it that's the cafe next to Pitsford cycles with the small cake portions

 

[PeteXXX]

I take it that's the cafe next to Pitsford cycles with the small cake portions

Yep ... that’s why I had the wedges! £2.10 a bowl

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Still waiting in again today but I ran out of patience earlier so headed out for a ride at about 3 o'clock.

Knockabout bike again since that's the easiest to get out and I headed on a flattish route to Condover, Ryton, Longnor, and Acton Burnell before taking the turning to go past Concord College and out to Cound Moor, Harnage and Cound.

I was heading out as the local schools finished for the day so there was a gauntlet to be run but everyone was fairly well behaved and I've seen it a lot worse.

It's still a bit breezy out but being a westerly it helped more than hindering as far as Cound Moor. Turning towards Harnage though was different story with that wind in my face and quite blustery. Stopping to take a photo in Harnage was good timing as a coach came the opposite way on the narrow lane just after I'd pulled over.

On the straight descent from Harnage to Cound I'd usually get up to about 25mph (I want to hit the 30 limit at 30mph one day) but today I only managed 18 into that wind.

As you might expect there is a lot of farm activity at this time of year with ploughing and sowing of the winter crops so it was nice to come across a farmer cleaning mud off the road not long after Cound Stank. He even stopped the machinery briefly so that I wouldn't ride into the cloud of dust being stirred up.

The rest of the ride back through Cantlop and Condover was pretty much all into the wind but I'd made better progress than expected so didn't lose too much time.

22.4 miles this time at 14.4mph average. Quite pleased with that really.

What it says on the sign.

Looking towards Haughmond Hill from Harnage.

The summer crop has long been harvested and ploughing is under way for the next lot.

 

[gbb]

No story of epic proportions from me today..(not that I do anymore now anyway) ...just an after work ride of 11 miles on the hybrid, across tracks and trails over old brick pits etc...and how Peterborough is changing...a route over old pits which werr deserted...now I see there are hundreds of houses I didn't know they'd built (the new Hamptons i assume) and that was a small part of the pits as a whole..
Ortons, over the old Orton pits round to Hampton onto Crown Lakes at Farcet, down to Amazon, through to Woodston and home.
One large Jay , spooked up from a field as I passed, lovely rust coloured back and white rump..flew into trees and started a hullabaloo of calling that seemed to spook loads of other birds .
No epic tales...just an enjoyable ride through countryside.

 

[cosmicbike]

I'm recovering from man flu (read cold) and haven't been commuting for a few days, I resorted to taking the van the last 4 night shifts. Being static is not good for me and tends to get quite painful, so after an afternoon of pain yesterday getting out on the bike was a must.
Nothing exciting, a simple not quite 10 mile loop out to Chertsey and back by the Thames. Bit blustery but really quite pleasant in the sunshine. Legs tired but a pain free afternoon so must have done something right.