Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Your ride today....
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
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- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Yesterdays ride: It looked like being the best day of the week so I got myself up and about early and headed out to do the March imperial century.
It was a bit grey and drizzly to start with which wasn't ideal, but on the other hand meant that there was no frost which was something that had worried me as it had been raining the previous day. My plan for this trip was to do a loop taking in Ludlow, Bishop's Castle and Montgomery, which I haven't done for a while and had been putting off as it's a while since I last did a hilly century.
I know that I generally need to add a bit of mileage to be sure of the 100 when riding this way so started off following my old commuting route to Upton Magna before turning southwards through Wroxeter, Cressage, Longville and over the climb of Wenlock Edge past Wilderhope Manor (which is the easiest route over the Edge in my opinion). On the way the grey conditions turned to proper rain and I got quite wet whilst riding towards a line of blue sky which eventually led to the rain stopping and the sun coming out.
Over the other side it was sunny but quite cool. There is still a surprising amount of snow at the side of the road in places and many of the villages in Corvedale must have been properly cut off at the start of the month. Stopping to take photos of snowdrops at the side of the road near Peaton I ended up chatting to a chap who asked about the ride, admired the bike (I hadn't the heart to tell him it's a cheap, heavy lump) and told me about the retired farmer who'd planted the snowdrops all along the verge.
From here it's a pleasant run into Ludlow as the road is nicely flowing, there are good views to the surrounding hills and there is little traffic. Unfortunately though this was where I encountered the worst driving of the trip when an overtaking Discovery came a bit closer than is polite and was already pulling back in to the left before they'd gone past (a bugbear of mine)......... THEN I realised they were towing a horsebox
. A jink to the left and I avoided it hitting me but I was not impressed and they got a gesture.
After an elevenses stop at Ludlow I tackled the big climb of the day into the Mortimer Forest. Having not ridden as much over the winter as I've been used to, the climb was rather a slow plod in a low gear but I paced myself alright and made it up without straining anything, then enjoyed the fast descent down the other side to Pipe Aston.
Usually when out this way I head for Leintwardine but this time tried a bit of exploring to Adforton (passing John Challis's place), Walford and Brampton Bryan then a back road to Bucknell and a detour to Hopton Castle, which I've never been to before, where I stopped for my lunch (dainty little castle, majestic setting among the rolling hills). The road surfaces have suffered generally over this winter but are especially poor round this bit of the country so I got rattled round a bit.
Back on track I passed the metric century somewhere between Kempton and Lydbury North and found myself flagging as I turned into the wind. Bishop's Castle was hard work to get through (being a steep climb through the town) and my chain came off when I tried to shift down to low range which is possibly a sign it's past its best (I've been putting off changing it 'til the weather improves)
Going in this direction you get the best of the gradients on the way to Montgomery and I got on much better than I expected. About here I realised that the alternative route earlier on had given me enough mileage that I could take the more direct route home rather than adding in the loop to Melverley I'd originally planned. This was very appealing this time as it cuts out a couple of energy-sapping climbs as well as reducing the distance so I went for that.
From Montgomery I had the wind helping most of the way back which made things go quite well, particularly after Westbury where I cruised along at around 20 for the couple of miles to Nox with little effort.
It also helped with the hills later on towards Lea Cross and Hunger Hill which was very welcome.
I added on an extra loop through Condover at the end to be sure of being over the 100 and when I got home collapsed into a chair for half an hour before I could find the strength to get up again and put the bike away.
102.69 miles for the day. 12.7 mph moving average (10 hours with all the stops added). 32.1 mph maximum speed (love those downhill bits).
At Atcham early on. The snow melt from Wales has brought the river up but doesn't look like it's going to flood this time.
Some snow still hanging round in Corvedale.
Past their best but the snowdrops still look good. There was a good couple of miles where they filled the verge like this.
Ludlow. The A board amused me.
View of Dinham Bridge and Ludlow Castle from my elevenses stop.
The chapel at Pipe Aston.
Brampton Bryan.
Hopton Castle which is noteworthy for a five week siege and a massacre during the civil war.
Bishop's Castle. It is as steep as it looks.
Just a few miles from home and looking at the distinctive double hump of Pontesford Hill and Earl's Hill.
It was a bit grey and drizzly to start with which wasn't ideal, but on the other hand meant that there was no frost which was something that had worried me as it had been raining the previous day. My plan for this trip was to do a loop taking in Ludlow, Bishop's Castle and Montgomery, which I haven't done for a while and had been putting off as it's a while since I last did a hilly century.
I know that I generally need to add a bit of mileage to be sure of the 100 when riding this way so started off following my old commuting route to Upton Magna before turning southwards through Wroxeter, Cressage, Longville and over the climb of Wenlock Edge past Wilderhope Manor (which is the easiest route over the Edge in my opinion). On the way the grey conditions turned to proper rain and I got quite wet whilst riding towards a line of blue sky which eventually led to the rain stopping and the sun coming out.
Over the other side it was sunny but quite cool. There is still a surprising amount of snow at the side of the road in places and many of the villages in Corvedale must have been properly cut off at the start of the month. Stopping to take photos of snowdrops at the side of the road near Peaton I ended up chatting to a chap who asked about the ride, admired the bike (I hadn't the heart to tell him it's a cheap, heavy lump) and told me about the retired farmer who'd planted the snowdrops all along the verge.
From here it's a pleasant run into Ludlow as the road is nicely flowing, there are good views to the surrounding hills and there is little traffic. Unfortunately though this was where I encountered the worst driving of the trip when an overtaking Discovery came a bit closer than is polite and was already pulling back in to the left before they'd gone past (a bugbear of mine)......... THEN I realised they were towing a horsebox
. A jink to the left and I avoided it hitting me but I was not impressed and they got a gesture.After an elevenses stop at Ludlow I tackled the big climb of the day into the Mortimer Forest. Having not ridden as much over the winter as I've been used to, the climb was rather a slow plod in a low gear but I paced myself alright and made it up without straining anything, then enjoyed the fast descent down the other side to Pipe Aston.
Usually when out this way I head for Leintwardine but this time tried a bit of exploring to Adforton (passing John Challis's place), Walford and Brampton Bryan then a back road to Bucknell and a detour to Hopton Castle, which I've never been to before, where I stopped for my lunch (dainty little castle, majestic setting among the rolling hills). The road surfaces have suffered generally over this winter but are especially poor round this bit of the country so I got rattled round a bit.
Back on track I passed the metric century somewhere between Kempton and Lydbury North and found myself flagging as I turned into the wind. Bishop's Castle was hard work to get through (being a steep climb through the town) and my chain came off when I tried to shift down to low range which is possibly a sign it's past its best (I've been putting off changing it 'til the weather improves)
Going in this direction you get the best of the gradients on the way to Montgomery and I got on much better than I expected. About here I realised that the alternative route earlier on had given me enough mileage that I could take the more direct route home rather than adding in the loop to Melverley I'd originally planned. This was very appealing this time as it cuts out a couple of energy-sapping climbs as well as reducing the distance so I went for that.
From Montgomery I had the wind helping most of the way back which made things go quite well, particularly after Westbury where I cruised along at around 20 for the couple of miles to Nox with little effort.
It also helped with the hills later on towards Lea Cross and Hunger Hill which was very welcome.I added on an extra loop through Condover at the end to be sure of being over the 100 and when I got home collapsed into a chair for half an hour before I could find the strength to get up again and put the bike away.
102.69 miles for the day. 12.7 mph moving average (10 hours with all the stops added). 32.1 mph maximum speed (love those downhill bits).
At Atcham early on. The snow melt from Wales has brought the river up but doesn't look like it's going to flood this time.
Some snow still hanging round in Corvedale.
Past their best but the snowdrops still look good. There was a good couple of miles where they filled the verge like this.
Ludlow. The A board amused me.
View of Dinham Bridge and Ludlow Castle from my elevenses stop.
The chapel at Pipe Aston.
Brampton Bryan.
Hopton Castle which is noteworthy for a five week siege and a massacre during the civil war.
Bishop's Castle. It is as steep as it looks.
Just a few miles from home and looking at the distinctive double hump of Pontesford Hill and Earl's Hill.
Early AM jaunt out to clear the lungs.
A local loop climbing up from Roundhay Road and taking in part of Gledhow Lane which drops drops down into Gledhow Valley through the woods and back up the other side. Went up and down a few times and then made for home.
7miles 1000ft of climbing.
No where near as picturesque as @Rickshaw Phil 's ride but still quite nice on a cold but bright morning:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjvlXNaoLU0
Not my video clip by the way, just one I happened across.
A local loop climbing up from Roundhay Road and taking in part of Gledhow Lane which drops drops down into Gledhow Valley through the woods and back up the other side. Went up and down a few times and then made for home.
7miles 1000ft of climbing.
No where near as picturesque as @Rickshaw Phil 's ride but still quite nice on a cold but bright morning:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjvlXNaoLU0
Not my video clip by the way, just one I happened across.
i hate hills
Its my day to be brilliant
Back in the saddle today . Got a hospital appointment today but managed a cheeky 5 miler on the MTB . Cuppa at the Castle Centre were one can enjoy great views of the bird life out on the pond whilst trying not to make a mess of your trousers with the dribbling tea pot that i always manage to get...... Felt a bit zapped today if i'm honest . Long way to go before i get any decent bike fitness back . Just keep at it . Enjoying every minuite. Ride safe folks.
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Curious. I've never seen "Dead Slow" painted on the road before.
Lavender Rose
Specialized Fan Girl
- Location
- Ashford, Kent
Really happy with today's ride!!! I text @User21629 to see if she was free and thankfully she was! We met near my house and had a lovely ride! I was hoping for near 20 miles as I had allowed two hours from 3-5. I had a route in mind and we stuck to it! So so happy with the Allez, my hip and calves didn't play up till the end.
Hopefully having another girls ride on Friday after work
Hopefully having another girls ride on Friday after work
Attachments
twentysix by twentyfive
Clinging on tightly
- Location
- Over the Hill
Lovely mild and dry day today but the wind was blowing quite strongly as I headed out over the common. I had to dodge by Tunnel Hill to get into Upton because the lane is flooded deeply now. Jules H and Pete M were waiting patiently. The call was the fishing lakes at Ditchford Bank where an excellent value cafe feeds the hungry fishermen and us starving cyclists. So on we went through the traffic chaos due to the roadworks on the eastern side of the bridge for the quiet of the lanes by Kinnersley and Wadborough. The ford at Pinvin was well up. About as deep as we've seen it. The road was closed but we cyclists can use the footbridge so no worries. From there we chose to alter our usual lanes from Bishampton to go by Abberton. That lane is one we usually do in the opposite direction so it looked quite different from this new angle. Appetites were becoming noticeable as we dodged around Inkberrow and on to Flying Horse Lane. Now we had about a mile to go for the anticipated refreshments.
Some chat later we headed for Gallows Green to take the loop over the canal and railway twice at Oddingley. There's an unexpected steep little bank before Crowle which has one reaching for low gears and gets the heart pumping. The continuing southwards into that wind took us to White Ladies Aston and on the cross our outward route. Here the option to take a different route back took us to Defford and the ramp for Strensham before we had to do battle with the pre-bridge traffic chaos. Jules parted just before that and Pete parted in Upton leaving me to take the Tunnel Hill flood avoidance route to Clive's Farm. The water was sufficiently high that I opted to go through the farmyard to stay dry. It just remained to complete the usual run back with a slight detour to top things up to the round number. Over those last 2 or 3 miles I ran out of gas so just cruised slowly in. Longest ride of 2018 so far today. 70 smiles
Some chat later we headed for Gallows Green to take the loop over the canal and railway twice at Oddingley. There's an unexpected steep little bank before Crowle which has one reaching for low gears and gets the heart pumping. The continuing southwards into that wind took us to White Ladies Aston and on the cross our outward route. Here the option to take a different route back took us to Defford and the ramp for Strensham before we had to do battle with the pre-bridge traffic chaos. Jules parted just before that and Pete parted in Upton leaving me to take the Tunnel Hill flood avoidance route to Clive's Farm. The water was sufficiently high that I opted to go through the farmyard to stay dry. It just remained to complete the usual run back with a slight detour to top things up to the round number. Over those last 2 or 3 miles I ran out of gas so just cruised slowly in. Longest ride of 2018 so far today. 70 smiles
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Fixed the power meter and thus today’s “ride” was alas only a virtual one- 1)the weather is just shocking and 2) we have a nice lady coming round to value our house so didn’t want to venture out then have a mechanical and miss the appointment!
A good challenging session which will warm me up for Sunday’s CC social around southern Leicestershire with @13 rider @tallliman @Lilliburlero and @Supersuperleeds..... apparently the forecasted apocalypse has now been down graded so fingers crossed all good to go!
@Chris Doyle, I think the apocalypse is back on!
30km on a nasty ass day ..
One of them days you don't feel like going but when you get home you're buzzing ..
Rained towards the end but didn't dampen what was a thoroughly enjoyable ride along the coast on the country lanes ..
Coffee with beans on granary toast now ..
One of them days you don't feel like going but when you get home you're buzzing ..
Rained towards the end but didn't dampen what was a thoroughly enjoyable ride along the coast on the country lanes ..
Coffee with beans on granary toast now ..
galaxy
Guru
- Location
- Middleton On The Hill
I`m 7 miles from Ludlow, next time your out that way give me a nod, your welcome to a Brew .Yesterdays ride: It looked like being the best day of the week so I got myself up and about early and headed out to do the March imperial century.
It was a bit grey and drizzly to start with which wasn't ideal, but on the other hand meant that there was no frost which was something that had worried me as it had been raining the previous day. My plan for this trip was to do a loop taking in Ludlow, Bishop's Castle and Montgomery, which I haven't done for a while and had been putting off as it's a while since I last did a hilly century.
I know that I generally need to add a bit of mileage to be sure of the 100 when riding this way so started off following my old commuting route to Upton Magna before turning southwards through Wroxeter, Cressage, Longville and over the climb of Wenlock Edge past Wilderhope Manor (which is the easiest route over the Edge in my opinion). On the way the grey conditions turned to proper rain and I got quite wet whilst riding towards a line of blue sky which eventually led to the rain stopping and the sun coming out.
Over the other side it was sunny but quite cool. There is still a surprising amount of snow at the side of the road in places and many of the villages in Corvedale must have been properly cut off at the start of the month. Stopping to take photos of snowdrops at the side of the road near Peaton I ended up chatting to a chap who asked about the ride, admired the bike (I hadn't the heart to tell him it's a cheap, heavy lump) and told me about the retired farmer who'd planted the snowdrops all along the verge.
From here it's a pleasant run into Ludlow as the road is nicely flowing, there are good views to the surrounding hills and there is little traffic. Unfortunately though this was where I encountered the worst driving of the trip when an overtaking Discovery came a bit closer than is polite and was already pulling back in to the left before they'd gone past (a bugbear of mine)......... THEN I realised they were towing a horsebox
After an elevenses stop at Ludlow I tackled the big climb of the day into the Mortimer Forest. Having not ridden as much over the winter as I've been used to, the climb was rather a slow plod in a low gear but I paced myself alright and made it up without straining anything, then enjoyed the fast descent down the other side to Pipe Aston.
Usually when out this way I head for Leintwardine but this time tried a bit of exploring to Adforton (passing John Challis's place), Walford and Brampton Bryan then a back road to Bucknell and a detour to Hopton Castle, which I've never been to before, where I stopped for my lunch (dainty little castle, majestic setting among the rolling hills). The road surfaces have suffered generally over this winter but are especially poor round this bit of the country so I got rattled round a bit.
Back on track I passed the metric century somewhere between Kempton and Lydbury North and found myself flagging as I turned into the wind. Bishop's Castle was hard work to get through (being a steep climb through the town) and my chain came off when I tried to shift down to low range which is possibly a sign it's past its best (I've been putting off changing it 'til the weather improves)
Going in this direction you get the best of the gradients on the way to Montgomery and I got on much better than I expected. About here I realised that the alternative route earlier on had given me enough mileage that I could take the more direct route home rather than adding in the loop to Melverley I'd originally planned. This was very appealing this time as it cuts out a couple of energy-sapping climbs as well as reducing the distance so I went for that.
From Montgomery I had the wind helping most of the way back which made things go quite well, particularly after Westbury where I cruised along at around 20 for the couple of miles to Nox with little effort.
I added on an extra loop through Condover at the end to be sure of being over the 100 and when I got home collapsed into a chair for half an hour before I could find the strength to get up again and put the bike away.
102.69 miles for the day. 12.7 mph moving average (10 hours with all the stops added). 32.1 mph maximum speed (love those downhill bits).
View attachment 399943
At Atcham early on. The snow melt from Wales has brought the river up but doesn't look like it's going to flood this time.
View attachment 399944
Some snow still hanging round in Corvedale.
View attachment 399945
Past their best but the snowdrops still look good. There was a good couple of miles where they filled the verge like this.
View attachment 399946
Ludlow. The A board amused me.
View attachment 399947
View of Dinham Bridge and Ludlow Castle from my elevenses stop.
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The chapel at Pipe Aston.
View attachment 399949
Brampton Bryan.
View attachment 399950
Hopton Castle which is noteworthy for a five week siege and a massacre during the civil war.
View attachment 399951
Bishop's Castle. It is as steep as it looks.
View attachment 399952
Just a few miles from home and looking at the distinctive double hump of Pontesford Hill and Earl's Hill.
Stornoway to Tarbert and back 117km, my first 100km+ ride since last July. Head wind out tail wind back. Stopped at the Harris Distillery for soup, a roll, a brownie and a pot of tea for lunch
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Absolutely stunning scenery , must be a joy to ride such a route !
Jon George
Mamil and couldn't care less
- Location
- Suffolk an' Good
Another 50k in the bag! I did the double loop from last week (Ipswich - Coddenham - Ipswich - Levington - Ipswich) on Patsy #3 The Hybrid as the weather seemed a tad inclement and the bike has mudguards. Back light fell off and broke, so a read of some relevant threads might be in order. 
In my childhood, I believe I was often accused of being a 'scamp' and a 'bad influence'. It seems some things haven't changed ...
After dodging the bullets, there was a brief pause at Coddenham.
In my childhood, I believe I was often accused of being a 'scamp' and a 'bad influence'. It seems some things haven't changed ...
After dodging the bullets, there was a brief pause at Coddenham.
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Oh joy....
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Nice quick 25 miles Wednesday afternoon, set the Garmin and the Wahoo to navigate the route. have had a few problems with the Garmin of late, so i bought the Wahoo, did a factory reset on the Garmin, then loaded them both with a route taken from Ride with GPS. Was really pleased they both worked flawlessly, With the Garmin i had always used Strava routes, Not sure what the difference is between Ride with GPS and Strava maps, but from now on i will be using Ride with GPS, Apart from that had a really good ride, then back to the pub for a couple of beers and a nice portion of chicken and chips.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1452786952:okay:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1452786952:okay:
