Your ride today.... (part 1)

[welsh dragon]

Doug and @gavgav have finally got in the long talked about 50 miler.

We started off from Gav's dad's and headed south to start with and over the first climb of the day to Cardington then headed for Plaish and on to Hughley. This was new ground for us all and the first time GGav and Doug have ridden over Wenlock Edge. It was slow going but they did well on this climb, especially as the day was warming up pretty well by now.

Passing through Bourton the countryside is really nice and in this direction the gradient was in our favour so we were able to press on quite well to the next big climb near Monkhopton. I can find plenty of roads round here with gradient arrows but many of them don't have gradient signs to daunt you before tackling them, This was one of the exceptions (20% climb) so we had a drink stop before taking on the hill. It's steep but not long - not too bad really . Doug and Gav beg to differ.

Once over this climb the lane leveled out for quite a while before the next descent. As Gav started down the hill he disturbed a buzzard sat at the side of the road which took off and flew in front of him at about hub height for 100 yards before swooping off and settling in a tree. One of those occasions we wished one of us had a headcam.

The descent let to our next climb which made us puff a bit, especially Doug who was struggling a bit today due to a stomach problems that had come on during the ride. He persevered though and enjoyed the next downhill as much as Gav and I did (speeds up in the mid 30s mph)

Arriving in Bridgnorth we headed for the railway station where we had our lunch then carried on through Low Town following NCN route 45. This takes us onto the old trackbed of the Severn Valley Railway towards Ironbridge. This path has been resurfaced since I last rode it earlier in the year but they've used quite a coarse grade of stone which makes the track pretty rough and not very quick to ride on. During a pit stop on the way I was taking photos when I suddenly realised I was standing on an ants nest. Cue hilarity as I dance around throwing off my shoes and flicking ants off my legs.

As we went along the stops for water became more frequent 'til we reached Ironbridge where we settled at The Tontine for a rest and a beer (cider in Doug's case). This did perk us up so that we made steady progress back. The drivers had all been (mostly) pretty well behaved until Cressage where one chap stayed behind us despite having had a good couple of places to overtake. This was fine as far as we were concerned but wound up WVM behind him who we could hear revving his engine. As we turned off we could hear him screaming and shouting - fortunately far enough away that the words were incomprehensible.

Around this point I got bitten by something that had got into my top and Doug started to really struggle on the hills. Gav got ahead and waited so long for us to catch up he was wondering if we'd turned off without him.

Doug did perk up a bit but we were slow for the rest of the ride, fortunately there weren't many miles to go, unfortunately there were more hills so it was good to get to Ryton and th last couple of miles. Approaching one of the junctions, Gav suddenly tried to get his top off as something had flown in - it turned out to be a butterfly.. (I get the bitey ones & he gets the butterflies ) At this point he noticed that his phone battery had gone flat (charged this morning) so hadn't recorded the whole route on Strava.

We took most of the day but that first 50 is under their belts. (Shhhh, I've got the route lined up for their first metric century next )

I measured 53.1 miles at 10.9mph. (did stop and go back for a photo a couple of times) Doesn't sound especially quick but Doug's Strava reckons on around 3000 feet of climbing so I reckon that isn't too bad.

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Into new territory after Hughley. Notice the hill? That's Wenlock Edge and this road climbs over it.

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Later on and another hill to climb. This one gets a warning sign though.

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Doug makes it over the top.

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Watching the trains at Bridgnorth. "Small prairie" 4566 - one of my favourites. (Built 1924 - looking pretty good for a 90 year old)

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On route 45 along the old trackbed now. It's great to have about 7 miles of near traffic free riding but the surface was rattling our teeth out. Shortly after taking this photo I discovered the ants nest I was standing on.

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A glimpse through the trees of Blandings Castle Apley Hall.

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About to cross the famous iron bridge at Ironbridge.

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The view over the Severn at Leighton Bends.

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Very tired but happy at the end of the trip.

Well done phil and @gavgav . Great ride and write up as always from both of you. Congratulations on the amount of money you have raised.

 

[Saluki]

I rode earlier, in between work and lesson so only just posting.

I rode my beloved 'Is it a mouse' route. & whipped around in 41 minutes for 10.75 miles. It felt like a really slow slog but I averaged 15.6mph but it felt more like about 11mph.
I took my new Aftershokz Blues, bone conducting headphones and found out something really annoying about them. It seems it doesn't matter how much you turn the volume up, I can still hear that slight noise from my BB . They really are brilliant though. I could hear my music perfectly well, I could hear my tyres on the road, all cars approaching, birds tweeting and all the other noises that surrounded me. Awesome.

I've only 29 miles to do to hit my target now, I'll probably do a nice coffee and cake ride tomorrow and head over my target, if the sun shines.

 

[Stonechat]

Today was the day that @Rickshaw Phil, his brother Doug and I headed out on my replacement 50 Mile charity ride, in aid of the British Heart Foundation, due to me missing out on the Worcester event, following my Mum passing away. The reason we did it for BHF was that I was treated for a Heart condition called Mahaim Fiber Tachycardia in 2011.

Phil and Doug picked me up at 09:00, we loaded the bikes onto the roof rack and took them over to Dad's house, south of Shrewsbury. It was already feeling warm in the brilliant and so plenty of water bottles were filled and after a quick chat with Dad we set off in the direction of Ryton.

Ready to Start
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Good progress was made down to Longnor and then we began the first big climb of the day up to Cardington, where refreshment from the water bottles and lunchboxes was sought already.

Doug prepares for the strong Sun at the top of the climb
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From there we took the road to Plaish, and I always enjoy looking at the stunning Plaish Hall.

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We dropped down the lovely section to Church Preen and then turned onto new territory in Hughley, where we began the second big climb of the day, up Wenlock Edge to Presthope. It was hard going up there, but wound my way up and waited at the top for Phil and Doug, who caught me up soon after. I hasten to add that Phil had dropped back to make sure Doug was ok, otherwise he would have flown up!!

No danger of Ice in this weather!!
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From Presthope we dropped down nice lanes into Bourton. This was a poignant moment for me, as Mum grew up in the village, living there until she married Dad in 1973. We paused to take a few photo's and it was a nice moment, with a tinge of sadness as well.

Me in Bourton (and either Phil or Doug's thumb )
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There was more nice cruising down to Monkhopton, but here we began the biggest climb of the day and boy did it hurt. A 20% climb up for about a mile and I was glad to reach the top for a rest . It was getting very hot now, in the midday sun as well.

The view from the bottom of the climb at Monkhopton
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You're taking us up there!!!
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There was a bit more climbing, but then some nice flat ground across the top, near to Upton Cressett and I was pressing on quite nicely up here, only realising after a while that Phil and Doug seemed to have disappeared behind me . I waited at the next junction and they appeared within a couple of minutes, but Doug looked to be struggling quite a bit and was suffering with his Stomach, which was worrying at only 20 miles into the ride.

View from near Upton Cressett
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No more ride photo's from me i'm afraid, as my Iphone battery was struggling to cope with the pictures and Strava already! useless thing it is!

We pressed on though and rode what I think was the best mile of cycling I have ever had. There was a superb straight downhill section where I reached 37mph and also a Buzzard took off from the side of the road just and soared at head height for a good 20 seconds in front of me, before swooping off to sit on top of a Telegraph pole Simply amazing!!

We then joined NCN Route 45 and dropped down through Oldbury Wells into Bridgnorth, where we stopped at the Severn Valley Railway Station for Doug to buy some water, as we wondered if it was the Orange Squash he was drinking that was upsetting his Stomach. We had originally thought of lunch by the River in Bridgnorth, but we were all rather peckish and so decided to sit on one of the benches at the station and munch away instead. We had a chat to a couple who had cycled from Ironbridge, along the same route we were planning to head and they mentioned it was a bit rough in places..............

We were back rolling again and were looking to continue on the 45, but it isn't particularly well signed as you head down by the river and so a quick detour/wrong turn by me added a couple of hundred yards, before we decided it was actually a case of cycling across a playing field and then down the off road track, which used to be the Severn Valley Railway continuation. It was nice to be away from traffic, but in places it was very rough and uncomfortable!! The couple were right

We had a brief moment, when Phil stopped to take a photo and the next thing I see is Phil hopping around and his shoes being kicked off. He had been stood in a BIG Ants nest and they had decided to join him for a ride!! He avoided being stung and we pressed on along the track to Coalport and then Jackfield, where thankfully we rejoined the road again, all be it through some major roadworks where the road has been slipping down the hillside in the Gorge.

We arrived at Ironbridge and decided it was time for a pint, especially when I saw that the Real Ale list at the Tontine Hotel contained 3 of my favourite beers! I opted for Shropshire Gold and we had a nice pint in the glorious hot sunshine. We were joined by another cyclist, who was down from Stafford. He was a really nice chap and we had a good chat about our routes and his recent trip to watch the 3 UK stages of the TDF. Hello if you are on here by any chance?

Next was the trip out of Ironbridge, to Buildwas and Leighton, where there is another brute of a climb, but some nice downhill as well, and onto Cressage, where a couple of cars/van behind us seemed to miss about 3 places to pass us on the main road, but neglected to take them. As we reached the junction at Cressage for the A458 I heard somebody shout something from behind us. Doug informed me that it was the van driver, but we weren't sure who he was shouting at. I hope it was the car driver who made a meal out of things and not us, as I was not pulling in on a main road for him to pass us!!

We crossed the A458 and began another hard climb up onto Cound Moor. Doug was really struggling now and I reached the T-Junction and waited there for a least 5 minutes, with no sign of Phil or Doug. I started to get a bit worried that they had taken a wrong turn or that something had happened, but they appeared soon, after Phil had been bitten by something and Doug had needed to pause.

Next were lanes to Acton Piggott and Acton Burnell, where we came across a very big lorry that took up the whole road, just after riding through a Ford. From Acton Burnell it was a gentle climb up to Frodesley and then we turned off back in the direction of Ryton, with another final brute of a climb to get up, just before I reached the 50 mile mark for the 1st time ever

We arrived back at Dad's shortly after, very hot and feeling the legs a little bit, but having thoroughly enjoyed one of my best bike rides ever.

52.5 miles (First half century for Doug and I)
3094 ft of climbing (easily the most I've done)
10.9 mph avg speed
£520 raised for the British Heart Foundation so far (www.justgiving.com/gavin-taylor4)

Made it!!
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Having done the Londo to Brighton for BHF, many congratulations to all

 

[CharlieB]

A day off yesterday (Friday) to do some final training for the Brompton World Championship on Sunday. The plan was to do a few mods to the trusty 5 year old commuting Brommie to get some weight off it.
So three rides around the same circuit - a hilly and almost exact 12½ miles around the Chilterns (Chesham-Cholesbury-St. Leonards-The Lee-Chartridge-Chesham) with 200m of ascent.
Circuit 1 on the Colnago to get a fast control timing. Came in at a very respectable 45'32"and 16.42mph average.
Circuit 2 on the unmodified Brompton, 52'44", 14.2mph average is what I'd expected.
OK, home again and time to give the bike a makeover:
Mudguards off. Marathons swapped for new Kojaks. M520 SPDs replaced with lighter M540s. Steel seatpost and Brooks saddle out - Ti seatpost and much lighter Planet X Ti-railed saddle in. Rear light off, Brompton reflector on (don't want to get disqualified on the day for not having one). A CLEAN.
Two hours later, and the temperature now in the mid-20s, off we go on Circuit 3.
B#gg#r me. Came in at 44'46", with a 16.75mph average. That really wasn't expected.
Nonetheless, a useful testing process - all I can do now is see what happens on the day.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Nice gentle 50 miler this morning, very misty in places, but once that burnt off it was glorious weather. Saw some huge bird of prey must have been at least 4 foot wing span, flew along the rode in front of me before going over the fields. No idea what it was looked eagle like, might have been a big owl, Bill Oddie I ain't.

http://www.strava.com/activities/170987463

 

[nickyboy]

Very smart looking bike, and looks great VFM, I'm strangely drawn to it.

The guy I rode with to Llandudno had a £2K bike and it had exactly the same drive train (Campagnolo Centaur) as the Mach 720 which is £700 less. Not a cheap bike of course but seems good VFM

 

[threebikesmcginty]

A day off yesterday (Friday) to do some final training for the Brompton World Championship on Sunday. The plan was to do a few mods to the trusty 5 year old commuting Brommie to get some weight off it.
So three rides around the same circuit - a hilly and almost exact 12½ miles around the Chilterns (Chesham-Cholesbury-St. Leonards-The Lee-Chartridge-Chesham) with 200m of ascent.
Circuit 1 on the Colnago to get a fast control timing. Came in at a very respectable 45'32"and 16.42mph average.
Circuit 2 on the unmodified Brompton, 52'44", 14.2mph average is what I'd expected.
OK, home again and time to give the bike a makeover:
Mudguards off. Marathons swapped for new Kojaks. M520 SPDs replaced with lighter M540s. Steel seatpost and Brooks saddle out - Ti seatpost and much lighter Planet X Ti-railed saddle in. Rear light off, Brompton reflector on (don't want to get disqualified on the day for not having one). A CLEAN.
Two hours later, and the temperature now in the mid-20s, off we go on Circuit 3.
B#gg#r me. Came in at 44'46", with a 16.75mph average. That really wasn't expected.
Nonetheless, a useful testing process - all I can do now is see what happens on the day.

I'll take that Colnago off you Charlie, it's clearly holding you back.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

My leisurely morning ride turned into a bit of a race as I didn't realise how the time had flown until I heard the church bells in a village a few miles away telling me it was 9 and I had to get my lad to tennis for 9:30, and it was all uphill, anyway just made it, gasp!

 

[ThinAir]

First ride in a few days today, but I managed to put in just shy of 23 miles, with around 1600ft of climbing....

I came across the toughest hill I have had to do so far (Rohinsons Hill, just outside. Melbourne (Leicestershire??)... Second from bottom on Strava on this one, 8 minutes behind the guy with KOM... TAS hill is nosy nemesis, and is going to be somewhere I I will be spending a lot of time.

I also cycled throughout the grounds of a country house called Staunton Harold. The hill coming out of there is an absolute pig, and another one I will be revisiting.

Hand brief stop in Wellington, to refill the water bottles, take on some flapjack and make the turn for home.

The ride home was nice, but into a pretty heavy head-wind given how calm it looks today.

Had to cut the ride short by around 6miles as I was starting to cramp... Despite eating sensibly before and during the ride, and taking on lots of water.

All in all though, an enjoyable ride around South Derbyshire and Leicestershire, taking in Repton, Milton, hartshorn, a bit of midway and Ticknal, and it's my longest ride so far this year... Aiming to break 30miles on the next one

 

[CharlieB]

Nice gentle 50 miler this morning, very misty in places, but once that burnt off it was glorious weather. Saw some huge bird of prey must have been at least 4 foot wing span, flew along the rode in front of me before going over the fields. No idea what it was looked eagle like, might have been a big owl, Bill Oddie I ain't.

http://www.strava.com/activities/170987463

Re: bird of prey - two possibilities there, SSL.
Buzzard or Red Kite. Both of similar size, but the red kite distinguished by its forked tail and more acrobatic flight.

 

[LarryDuff]

41 miles this morning with around 2700ft of climbing. From Hillsborough through the Dromara hills to the small town of Rathriland which sits atop a hill which is about half a mile long with gradients of 16%. I was glad when I got to the top and rewarded myself with a nice ice cream.

Then it was back home via Dromore.

Just got home 15 mins before the rain started.

 

[Stonechat]

Re: bird of prey - two possibilities there, SSL.
Buzzard or Red Kite. Both of similar size, but the red kite distinguished by its forked tail and more acrobatic flight.

As someone who has done a lot of birding in my time that is probably right.
Not sure if there have been any Red Kite reintroductions in your area, but they are not uncommon round here now. Also seen buzzard recently twice from the M25! (Not on the bike)

 

[djb1971]

Had a very early start today. I'm very lucky only living a few yards from woodland, so I set of on the new Cannondale 29er to give it a proper christening!

Straight into Silverdale Woods, through to Haying Wood then into Keele woods. I had to hit the tarmac then for a fair few miles, heading towards Hanchurch Woods. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I saw an amazing sunrise through the mist.

I had a couple of hours in Hanchurch, it's still very , very muddy in places and overgrown with nettles and brambles. My arms and legs will be stinging for days.

I left Hanchurch then had a blast along the roads to Acton. There's a pig of a climb, not long but over 25% in parts. I've never seen anyone riding up it! From here I headed back the way I came, through the woods, sweating, aching but glad I made the effort to get out of bed early.

 

[Dave 123]

41 miles this morning with around 2700ft of climbing. From Hillsborough through the Dromara hills to the small town of Rathriland which sits atop a hill which is about half a mile long with gradients of 16%. I was glad when I got to the top and rewarded myself with a nice ice cream.
View attachment 51556

Then it was back home via Dromore.

Just got home 15 mins before the rain started.

That ride is only worth 1 blob of ice cream......

 

[welsh dragon]

Had a very early start today. I'm very lucky only living a few yards from woodland, so I set of on the new Cannondale 29er to give it a proper christening!

Straight into Silverdale Woods, through to Haying Wood then into Keele woods. I had to hit the tarmac then for a fair few miles, heading towards Hanchurch Woods. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I saw an amazing sunrise through the mist.

I had a couple of hours in Hanchurch, it's still very , very muddy in places and overgrown with nettles and brambles. My arms and legs will be stinging for days.

I left Hanchurch then had a blast along the roads to Acton. There's a pig of a climb, not long but over 25% in parts. I've never seen anyone riding up it! From here I headed back the way I came, through the woods, sweating, aching but glad I made the effort to get out of bed early.

Lovely photos.