Your ride today....

[Elybazza61]

Oh, and they were frying at Corkers Crisps when I went past. Was really hard to stay on the road and NOT to take a left turn into their yard to see if I could nick some. The smell was absolutely amazing.

Smelt it when I went past as well;one of the guys who runs itRod Garnham) comes on our club runs sometimes.

 

[Elybazza61]

Whoopers most likely, especially given how cold it's been on mainland Europe. There were loads of them out past Coveney on Tuesday - seem to be far more of them about this year.

Thought they might be but couldn't really tell that far away(especially with contacts in).

 

[Salty seadog]

Finally got this month's 100k/Strava fondo done.

105km via three counties(Cambridgeshire,Suffolk and that Naarfolk),nice day with little wind; only blip was a totally wayward HRM which I just ignored after a bit(it was either reading really high after sitting at zone 2 and then cutting in and out before sitting really low or not reading anything).

Apart from that a good 100 considering I've not done a long ride for a while.

https://www.strava.com/activities/837227027

Plenty of wildlife about including two big flocks of Swans(dunno what ones they were) along Ten Mile Bank/Blackhorse Drove;

View attachment 334048

Also saw 5 Herons,2 Sparrowhawks and a Barn Owl plus some slightly bigger flying machines;2 re-fuelling tankers an AWACS doing a stop and go at Mildenhall,then 2 F-15's giving it some berries above the Mildenhall Rd to Littleport.

I've been to the Thetford Center Parcs a few times and you nearly always wake to the sound of jets flying about.

 

[Triple3]

60.4 miles today on the Fratello. Dropped in early morning for a brew at Arnside before heading out to Natland, Kendal, Burneside and Staveley for a brew & carrot cake at Wilfs cafe, Staveley mill yard. The Sun came out late morning and twas a lovely ride. The Garmin sent me on single track roads claggy, muddy, slippy and more suited to a Cyclocross bike but the Condor handled it all brilliantly. What a bike

 

[gavroche]

Well, the kids gave me a s**t day at school on Wednesday so I thought " Sod that, I don't have to put up with it so I will take the day off on Friday" and glad I did. Got up at 9.30 this morning ( nice lie in) and looked outside to wall to wall blue sky. Great, I said to myself, time to go for a ride, my first one this year as the last proper ride was on December 19th. I pumped the tyres on my Giant and had a lovely 16 miles , pleasant ride on the sea front. I even saw an old couple on a tandem coming the other way and a chap on an electric bike passed me up a slight incline. Cheeky sod! In all, a very happy day and good to be back on the bike instead of pedalling away facing a wall. Can't wait for winter to finish.

 

[Slick]

Amen.

 

[Smithbat]

Well, the kids gave me a s**t day at school on Wednesday so I thought " Sod that, I don't have to put up with it so I will take the day off on Friday" and glad I did. Got up at 9.30 this morning ( nice lie in) and looked outside to wall to wall blue sky. Great, I said to myself, time to go for a ride, my first one this year as the last proper ride was on December 19th. I pumped the tyres on my Giant and had a lovely 16 miles , pleasant ride on the sea front. I even saw an old couple on a tandem coming the other way and a chap on an electric bike passed me up a slight incline. Cheeky sod! In all, a very happy day and good to be back on the bike instead of pedalling away facing a wall. Can't wait for winter to finish.

I agree, I just want to shed layers, I am a big girl and with a base layer, top and fleece I do have a touch of the michelin man about me!

 

[GuyBoden]

It was a beautiful blue sky day, so I set off on a ride towards Delamere forest, but it was too misty/foggy at Pickmere, so I turned around and ended up on a convoluted 65 mile route to Jodrell Bank on my old Raleigh.
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/1012922/65miles-Jodrell-Bank-convoluted-route

My 1989 Raleigh with Jodrell Bank in the background, a great piece of engineering, yes, I mean the Raleigh.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.relive.cc/view/838329575

105 miles down to Bournemouth and back today.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but it was properly cold. There was ice all over the place.

 

[Salty seadog]

54 miles today. Out of town the other way, still up bloody hill though. Over to Folkestone where I stopped at Halfords for a cheap set of over shoes (Xmas voucher). Down to the coast and rode the sea wall to Hythe where you are forced back onto a busy road by the military firing ranges. Back on the sea wall as soon as I could. Down towards new Romney, I was again back on the road due to the mass of pebbles thrown up onto the wall path by the recent storm. Into New Romney and back on the coast road down to Dungeness, skirt the power station and on to Lydd and through to Rye, down to the harbour where the river Rother tips out into the sea. Then back to the town for a quick coffee and slice of coffee and walnut cake before joining the school kids on the train back home. They were pleasantly well behaved and pretty quiet.

Folkestone harbour waiting for the tide to return.

The royal military canal at Hythe frozen over.

Those who did @Hill Wimp's Rye ride last summer may recognise this shot from just outside Dungeness.

Derek Jarman's old house in the shadows of the nuclear power station.

The UK's only desert.

At the castle at Rye.

The castle.

Thank you for your time and bandwidth.

 

[Elybazza61]

I've been to the Thetford Center Parcs a few times and you nearly always wake to the sound of jets flying about.

Will be a bit less in the future when Mildenhall closes,will still get the F-15's from Lakenheath though and the F-35's in the future(and the RAF one's at Marham).

Bit blase here as we are under the Mildenhall flightpath so get to see(and hear!) a lot of stuff flying about.

 

[gavgav]

Apparently some "F" list "celebrity" is having a party over in the US and so it was a must to get out on the bike after work and avoid the TV coverage!!

Freezing cold out, but very calm and good view of the stars in the sky. Did my usual loop round town in a clockwise direction, out through the estate to avoid yet more roadworks that have sprung up nearby, then down to Meole Brace and the climb to Nobold.

Out through Radbrook and Copthorne, before dropping down into the Quarry and along the towpath. I was on the narrowest section, which is also unlit and saw a jogger approaching, with a head torch on, but just as I get to him I just about saw two eyes from his unlit dog that was off the lead and who veered straight into my path. I skidded and just about missed it, but god knows how. There was an apology, but that wouldn't have washed much if the dog or me had ended up in the river. If you cannot keep your dog under control then don't let it off the lead .

I pressed on through Castlefields and then along the cycle paths to Abbey Foregate, through Reabrook and along the old railway bed path and home.

13.2 miles

 

[The Bystander]

Today's was the third ride of the week. The first was a failed attempt to bag another 50km (I managed 22 miles and enjoyed very few of them). The second was a shorter loop (much more enjoyable). The third was another attempt at a 50km and I enjoyed most of them.

The weather was beautiful and, once I'd warmed up a bit, it was great to be out on the bike. There was a heavy frost but the roads were mostly dry and clear. I decided to tack a couple of local loops together to hit the challenge target. The first half took me to Harrington where I dropped down to the A6 roundabout at Rothwell and then crossed over the A14 and climbed back up towards Lamport.

At Lamport I turned to drop down towards Old and then to Brixworth via Scaldwell. Rather than going through Brixworth I elected to take the direct route to Pitsford Water on the A508 Harborough Road. Skirting around the western edge of Pitsford Water, crunching through frozen puddles and then into Pitsford Village I was still enjoying the ride but soon after I was heading north east into a headwind.

On a warmer day it would barely register but the cold seemed to sap the energy from my legs. So it was a laboured slog back to home via Holcot and Orlingbury.

 

[booze and cake]

I managed to get out before it got dark to bring a bit of colour and light to the usual grim January proceedings. Past the Channel 4 building

Then into Hyde Park, this water fountain was not working today. The low winter sun makes London look like its just been hit by an atom bomb.

As it was so bright and clear I thought I'd schlep up Primrose Hill to get a view across the big smoke.

Weaving across town I go through a sea of pastel in Kelly St, which reminded me of Port Meirion.

I then decided to dash over to Canary Wharf to check out some of the Winter Lights Festival that is running until the 27th January. Unfortunately my phone camera takes rubbish pics in the dark, so these were the only vaguely passable ones.

My bike resisting the urge to go full disco

I was losing sensation in my fingers and toes by now so head back to the warmth of home. Sunglasses required day and night today, not bad for January.

 

[cosmicbike]

My continuing efforts to maintain 17 miles a day today, and I lose daily miles as a result of working nights so needed to get some in this morning. Shopping on the cards, lots of it too. Returned home with both panniers full and a hefty rucksack to boot. A mere 11 miles, but with the 8 miles done coming to work tonight that'll do.