Your ride today.... (part 1)

[booze and cake]

I swear I'd rather go up there twice than down once. Brave riding!

Thanks. I don't mind climbing but struggle to fathom those that prefer going up, now they're a rare breed. I'm definitely more suited to descending shall we say. Riding up twice, how long would that take? I'm thinking not far off forever. From the summit with the family in the road to the crossroads in Church Stretton took me 3 mins 45 secs. Think how many times you could go down in the time it took to ride up once I'd know what I'd prefer. (this would only happen if I managed to persuade a local to give me multiple uplifts in a car)

 

[Justiffa]

GWS Justiffa

Thx spartak…hopefully the time will pass by like a flash although thts highly unlikely lol

 

[Justiffa]

Oh, and GWS Justiffa

Thx IanDuke

 

[Justiffa]

Yes, best wishes @Justiffa , that's terrible bad luck.

I guess you could say its been a cycle of bad luck for me this year - 2 months ago i fell of my bike, smacked my face on the tarmac and chipped off about 5 of my tooth lol anyways lets hope thts it for this year eh… thx for the well wishes

 

[Spartak]

Thx spartak…hopefully the time will pass by like a flash although thts highly unlikely lol

Keep reading 'Your Ride Today' its good motivation

 

[Justiffa]

Keep reading 'Your Ride Today' its good motivation

Yup i totally agree… and keep the lovely pics coming as well

 

[Glow worm]

Was away on holiday last week so it was good to be back on home turf for a couple of rides. I had my main bike at the LBS for some major work while away, so I buzzed aroud the flatlands on my Brompton yesterday. Here it is at Swaffham Bulbeck Lode ( a waterway leading to the River Cam then Ouse)

I like the way the peat hereabouts plays havoc with the telegraph poles as it dries and shrinks. Some are at unbelievable angles. These not too bad though. Yet.

After a spin on the Brompton yesterday, I caught the bus today, my last day of holiday, to my LBS in Newmarket to pick up my bike and cycled home.

The drier weather has opened up some of my preferred off road tracks and bridleways again after the wet winter. This is a huge relief as I will do almost anything to avoid roads. This track links Exning, Suffolk's westernmost village, with Burwell, Cambs. The hedge on the right marks the county line (with Suffolk to the right). The bike is weighed down with a few day's shopping from Newmarket (I don't normally ride with so much stuff on board)

Came home along the Lodes Way, a largely car free route.
I've just come back from a week's holiday in Austria where every town and village seems to be linked with such cycle paths (below). I reckon you could cycle the length of the country along such routes- bliss (though maybe with a few more hills thrown in than hereabouts). Here, with our crap motoring centric approach to transport policy, we can only dream of such things, but paths like this (on Burwell Fen), where they exist are welcome - and extremely pleasant.

With a new chain and cassette after 3500 or so miles, and a bunch of other stuff the LBS fixed, the bike is handling like new again and should see me through another year. Was a great 12 mile ride home in the Spring sunshine and heard the first chiffchaff of the year as well. Summer is on its way and hopefully the 6 house martins I saw on Saturday in Austria heading north will be following me home soon.

 

[Cush]

This was the start of Sundays ride up the Eden Valley to Armathwaite via Wetheral viaduct Castle Carrock and along the back roads to Newbiggin, it was rather hilly before catching sight of the Viaduct at Dry Beck which carries the Carlisle to Settle line. 27 mile of mixed hills and flat with a variable wind that was more than playful at times Probably spent more time taken photos than I normally would but it's all part of the ever lasting learning curve and what a place to learn. There was more to this thread but as it is getting late and I am tired I deleted the other photos

 

[rualexander]

The longer days are making getting further afield easier so a one hour drive north yesterday resulted in a good day out riding from Strathyre to St Fillans and back, including a circuit of Loch Earn and some of NCN 7.

 

[Adam1965]

Out and about again this morning, Poynton/Pott Shrigley/Lyme Park and Disley

 

[arranandy]

Another glorious day here in Mallorca. Today was a ride up to Lluc via the Coll de sa Battala. Great climb - 7km at an average of 7%. From there is was a very fast descent to Pollensa. 105km today with just over a 1000m of climbing. I could get used to this.

Some pictures for your perusal -

Sunset last night from my balcony


Café stop



Start of descent


Back to the hotel and it was time for a paddle in the sea to help ease the muscles


More to follow tomorrow

 

[Spartak]

Another glorious day here in Mallorca. Today was a ride up to Lluc via the Coll de sa Battala. Great climb - 7km at an average of 7%. From there is was a very fast descent to Pollensa. 105km today with just over a 1000m of climbing. I could get used to this.

Some pictures for your perusal -

Sunset last night from my balcony


Café stop



Start of descent


Back to the hotel and it was time for a paddle in the sea to help ease the muscles


More to follow tomorrow

Arranandy, do you have plans to ride 'Sa Calobra' ?

I'm counting down the days now til we fly out

 

[PeteXXX]

Four of us went for a play in Chicksands Bike Park today. I rode about 8 miles to meet a mate, then on to join up with t'other two chaps, the put the bikes in the van, drank some coffee and headed out.

It can cost a fiver to ride for the day, but as it's for the upkeep of the park I don't mind.

I don't do the big drop-offs or jumps (and envy those that can!) but enjoy the day immensely. The other chaps are much faster than me but I don't care TBH! They're 20 or 30 years younger than me and bounce better at the bottom of a slope. I prefer to get there in one piece

Me on the right....

Lee taking a Selfie (or Onesie as he called it.. lol) For some reason, CC upload decides to turn the pic 90 degrees to the left?

Some of the jumps etc there are well beyond my capabilities, in fact they're damn scary! As I'm not in BUPA, I declined to participate.

The racing isn't bad though!

And as for straight line riding.... Errrrr

8 miles to meet up, 6 miles around the 'park' and 2 miles from where I was dropped off. Not the longest ride to date, but great fun!!

http://www.strava.com/activities/121775739

 

[Wayne Tully]

Had a nasty off due to a very poor road surface last Sunday (the 9th) gashed elbow, road rash and a cracked helmet for my trouble.

Anyway since then I have been limited to MTB use as my road bike is being fixed.

Today I decided to head out to Lynsted via Painter's Forstall Hill, Straight Hill through Tenham into Oare Marshes and back to Faversham, about 35KM

Farm at Lynsted

Horned cows at Oare Marshes

Harty Ferry dock, last ferry was in 1946 so I could have been waiting a while if I needed to get to the other side

New helmet, but for some reason I'm not smiling.

Out to Whitstable

 

[HLaB]

Had a nasty off due to a very poor road surface last Sunday (the 9th) gashed elbow, road rash and a cracked helmet for my trouble.

Anyway since then I have been limited to MTB use as my road bike is being fixed.

Today I decided to head out to Lynsted via Painter's Forstall Hill, Straight Hill through Tenham into Oare Marshes and back to Faversham, about 35KM

Farm at Lynsted

Horned cows at Oare Marshes

Harty Ferry dock, last ferry was in 1946 so I could have been waiting a while if I needed to get to the other side

New helmet, but for some reason I'm not smiling.

Out to Whitstable

In case its not obvious, I like your current mtb ride not the last road bike ride