Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Justiffa]

One word WOW. Amazing sight all those riders. That must have have been a great experience to be a part of such a massive throng of cyclists. Thank you for sharing. All the best Mike.

Yup, it was quite a ride with so many riders on the road. There were also tricky parts especially when we hit the hills/slopes and everyone started slowing down... it did take a lil bit of maneuvering to get ahead lol.

Thx Mike... and you'll soon notice I love sharing pics, like they say a picture's worth a 1000 words (maybe less but still lol)

 

[Alex H]

It's at last! (more on the way)

So a slow 24km to get back into it after the winter.

Here's International Paper at Saillat-sur-Vienne. Employs 500 people on site and indirectly 4000 in the local area. Rumour has it that people that live in the village do not have to pay Habitation tax (bit like council tax but based on the size of your house) because of the smells from the plant

The Vienne is next to the plant and is slightly higher than usual - no flood troubles here.

This shop is in the middle of the village and I have no comment to make

on to Rochechouart and the church with the twisty spire

back home via the flowery roundabout which has been replanted for Spring

 

[Glow worm]

38 miles here today, the return leg from near Wells in Norfolk. The first 23 to get the train at Kings Lynn were fine and dry if a little blowy. Then for the last 15 miles from Ely, all hell broke loose. It took well over 2 hours- a real battle in vicious winds and heavy rain. I could barely manage 4 mph at times and was slightly concerend about being blown off the flood bank into the River Ouse and heading back to Lynn the really slow way! lMost of this route is car free which was good as I could barely manage to keep straight.

Near Barway, another bedraggled cyclist asked me for directions to Upware which I gave him as I passed. I felt bad though for not stopping as I was heading that way too - he looked a little out of his depth. I stopped for a drink a mile or so further along and there was no sign of him following. Hopefully he got there OK.

Great to finally reach home after that lot. Bike's had a hose down and is now spotless again, I've had about 40 cups of tea and all's well with the world again. Mrs G just got in- 'I don't know why you didn't just take the car' she said - Non cyclists really don't get it do they?! Needless to say, no pics today, just think bleak, and that sums it up!

 

[Combi]

"Sunshine! I swear I see sunshine!" That's what I told my wife on my way out the door this afternoon. A quick jaunt over to my favorite hills for some high intensity stuff (it's more a desperate attempt to keep my weight in check than a quest for legs of steel). Two hill intervals later and suddenly I noticed the dark clouds that snuck up on me and felt the first of the sleet. I thus got to ride back into the freezing needles of sleet, huffing and puffing to get home before it got worse (I did ask for intensity, didn't I?)

Only an hour, but I got 30 minutes of riding in sunshine. That should hold me for a day or so.

BTW, thanks to all who post pictures from their rides! It is truly inspiring to see the crud other people are willing to ride through.
I try to "like" as many as I can, but time and attention span don't always permit.

 

[potsy]

Nipped out for a short ride on the river trail, sun was shining, wind was blowing a little (nothing like yesterday though) and more importantly the bike was still filthy from the last one so opted to use that rather than get the road bike dirty too

There were one or two interesting new obstacles to navigate, this one looks ok from one side but a bit trickier looking the other way

Sun was peaking out from time to time @coffeejo

A few more of the sights

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Just back from the ride/commute over to my parents and back. Going out was interesting. Bright blue skies, a strange yellow object in the sky, no clouds! and somewhere in amongst all of the debris and flood water on the roads was an added hazard of ice! Otherwise the roads going out were remarkably quiet and most of the clear up work had been done, but our doctors surgery was missing rather a lot of its roof tiles. (We got electricity back around 6am after 12hrs without.). The tally going out was (something to do on what is getting to be a rather boring route)

• trees down affecting the roads = 15
• trees spotted down not affecting the roads directly = 18
• road accidents = 1
• telegraph poles only being held up right by electricity cables = 3
• strange objects in the road on a country lane that eventually transpired to be last seasons giant puff balls blown out of a near by field (they looked like perfectly round football sized balls of concrete from a distance ) = 5

Coming home I somehow managed to miss the rain and instead had blue skies with clouds and sunshine. Somewhere around 20 mins out I realised I had not texted my OH my departure time (so he could have tea reheated) and also came across a nice patch of sunlight so decided I had an excuse to stop and photo the light and text my OH at the same time - shame he mis-read the message and thought it said "leaving in 20 mins" rather than "left 20 mins ago!"

Caught someone trying to slipstream me on the way home, hadn't thought I was really fast enough or that, but apparently I was!

Anyhow the usual 68.8km in a reasonable winter time with an average of 19.4kph (not great, but I had a headwind in both directions which is just not playing fair in my book)... http://www.strava.com/activities/113063153

 

[coffeejo]

After rain, hail, sleet, snow and yet more rain this morning, I thought I'd make the most of the unexpected sunshine and blue skies this afternoon and go the long way to the shops. I was quite happy pootling along, the sun on my face when instead of making the usual traffic checks over my right shoulder, I looked over my left to admire the view. And promptly decided to go the not-so-long way:

I didn't quite make it to the shops before that lot let rip but was glad I'd gone to Plan B as shopping with squelching shoes isn't my idea of a good time. The weather gods got their own back though and sent me a headwind full of hailstones for the return leg.

 

[cosmicbike]

The sun was shining, and I had a new bargain jersey to try, so off out about 0930. Given that there is rather a lot of flooding locally leaving many roads closed, I avoided it all by heading off, perhaps unsurprisingly, to Virginia Water and the surrounding Royal Landscape. Always nice, and more so for the sunshine. For the first time in ages I did a circuit of the lake and up the hill at the Polo Club. This was really easy in June last year, but now tough for me while rebuilding. I try to do a bit of hill work each time out so I suppose in time things will become easier. I had a couple of stops today, the first at Cow Pond. This was originally built in the 18th century but became overgrown and forgotten. Recent renovations have seen it returned and it was completed in 2012. Lovely place, you can't cycle round it but I stayed on the compacted path just to get a pic.

At this point half the Haribos got eaten, and the cadence thingy stopped working. Had a quick fiddle but it's a moved magnet so one for back home. Continued on for 2 laps of Savill Gardens/Polo Club before a coffee stop by the Obelisk, before heading off through Englefield Green where the hail got me! Nice to know the Altura Varium keeps the wet off, but I hid under a tree until the worst cleared. Then home via the A30 and Halfords to look at a derailleur hanger for the boys bike. Turned out to be a non starter, but now I know what I need thanks for a fellow forumite, and fair play to Halfords Staines for allowing my mucky wet bike through the door, and for being open (they are on the Thames with a flooded car park, but have not yet closed their doors).
Broke the 20 mile barrier that I've been struggling with recently, managing a whopping 24 miles in 2.5 hrs.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

What a big fish you posted @potsy !
Anyhow, my ride today: volunteering to help chaperon a group of primary school kids to relay the Glasgow Commonwealth games baton to another primary school, about 5 miles away.
The wee ones done well, youngest one being only in primary 2, poor soul had to take a taxi back, the bitter cold wind was too much for him
Discovered that riding with teachers is strenuous ... none of them was paying attention to the ride leader
With an added errand, total milage for the day 40 miles usual soaking applies
No pics 'cause I didn't have permission.

 

[PeteXXX]

I got the chance to pop out for a local ride this morning before the main belt of rain blew in but it was still wet & windy most of the way round.
Across Sywell and round to the res was quite 'in ya face' for a few miles but not as bad as it has been recently!

The snowdrops are out in the gardens of a ruined house now. Very pretty under the apple and plum trees that I raid in the summer!

I had no real plan of where to ride so just followed my nose down to Sywell Res (no bike riding allowed) and then through Billlng Aquadrome (actually not flooded! It frequently does) and over the River Nene near Cogenhoe.

More snowdrops, with Clifford Hill Iron Age fort in the background. I went to the top once. Nothing there but a nice view if the weather's good.

Random bit of wet stonework near Sywell Res..

Back home in time to de-mud the bike, post this, shower, eat and go to work. There were actually people out playing golf in this weather! Who would be stupid enough to do that?

About 18 miles in all.

http://www.strava.com/activities/113205687

 

[cosmicbike]

There were actually people out playing golf in this weather! Who would be stupid enough to do that?

Madness. You know I saw some bloke out on his bike in this weather too, crazy

 

[PeteXXX]

Madness. You know I saw some bloke out on his bike in this weather too, crazy

Yeah.... who'd be stupid enough to do that !!

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Nothing exciting to report, no vans on fire this ride
A quick (for me) just under 20ml in windy and later wet conditions over Renfrewshire back roads and last few on Route 75....its a minefield trying to avoid potholes and any puddles of water but more than glad I got out. I even ...shock horror ...got some hill work in.You try cycling up hills at near 18st on the bike

 

[Arjimlad]

My wife asked whether I'd be driving or riding to work this morning as we got up. I had thought, looking at the forecast of heavy rain and 50mph winds, to drive.
However, when she asked me I thought, no, sod it, I am going to ride into work after all. Waterproofs on and off into the wet.

Endomondo kept saying odd things to me through my coat pocket and when I looked at the enjoyable if wet ride, it thinks I did over 12 miles on a 6.6 mile route. It has plotted my route all over the place ! GPS seems to have gone very wrong on my phone.

Glad I rode though, even if the ride home looks set to be very blowy.

 

[Peteaud]

My ride today was in a trailer attached to a tractor. It was the only way out of work as the river burst its banks. We all had to leave early and pile in the trailer to get us through the water before it got even higher.

Got covered in god knows what but at least i didnt get marooned at work.