Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Combi]

Today's ride was a good reminder to get out even if you feel lazy.

After a couple of solid rides over the weekend, ending with a 10-mile slog home in rain, wind and hail, my legs still felt a bit sore. This afternoon I wasn't terribly motivated, but I don't like more than two "rest" days in a row, so went for a short ride to get my heart rate up.

As it turned out, it was one of those rides where everything was effortless. The hills seemed shorter, the legs spun easily and the roads seemed smooth as silk -- heck, I even scored some new PR's.

Now looking at my schedule (got some big projects right now) I have to wonder when I get to do it again...

 

[coffeejo]

42 miles, 2700+ft of climbing, 3 coffees and 2 lots of cake. Good times.

 

[Peteaud]

That made me smile, Jo

Not good enough, 3 coffee = 3 cake in my book.

 

[gavgav]

It's a bit late, as time has been at a premium recently, but I have created an album of photo's from mine and @Rickshaw Phil 's holiday to the Lakes in early March.

http://www.cyclechat.net/useralbums/gavs-lake-district-cycling-holiday-march-2014.440/view

 

[welsh dragon]

It's a bit late, as time has been at a premium recently, but I have created an album of photo's from mine and @Rickshaw Phil 's holiday to the Lakes in early March.

http://www.cyclechat.net/useralbums/gavs-lake-district-cycling-holiday-march-2014.440/view

Nice photos gav

 

[ColinJ]

I wasn't going to mention today's ride because it was a short one that I have mentioned before - my 22 mile rectangular Mytholmroyd, Blackstone Edge, Littleborough, Walsden, Mankinholes, Hebden Bridge loop. (I'm trying to stick to mentioning new routes, and rides where I took photos.) However, there were two things of note ...

(1) The wind was playing silly buggers. The forecast was that it would be a moderate northerly wind but I encountered wind strengths from low to strong, and directions from westerly to easterly via northerly. The one direction it wasn't really coming from was the south. The strength and direction changed as I ascended and descended. I could swear that there was a giant corkscrew-like wind system rotating round the hill that I was skirting. I've experienced something like it a couple of times before, where I have done a circular route and had a headwind the whole time!

(2) A film crew and photographers were out on the Cragg Vale climb, which features on stage 2 of this year's Tour de France.

As I approached the Robin Hood pub in Cragg Vale, I could see that something was going on. There were a few police officers standing about keeping an eye on things, and a small crowd of cyclists across the road from the pub. Just in front of the pub, a film crew seemed to be filming an interview. I know that the landlord/lady has got into the spirit of the Tour. For example, a yellow bike sign now hangs in front of the pub.

A white van was parked nearby and I could see some big letters painted on it. I assumed it would be from the B.B.C., but it wasn't. Now, call me stupid, but it wasn't until about half an hour later that I realised that the letters might actually have been U.C.I (Union Cycliste Internationale - the international cycling sports body)!

As I climbed onto the open moorland, I noticed a photographer in the ditch on the left side of the road, with her camera pointed across the road. I assumed that she was taking pictures of the scenery, but then I realised that she was waiting for me to pass and started taking pictures as I got there.

Soon after that, she got back into a car, and it shot past me and she jumped out higher up with another photographer and they ambushed me again. This time, I was ready and put on a better show of effort. I managed to do an uphill sprint at about 20 mph until I was safely beyond their cameras, whereupon I slowed to a crawl to get my breath back!

So, if the UCI are going to do some publicity material for the Yorkshire Tour stages, look out for pictures of an old guy riding uphill on a red Cannondale, pretending that he is fit!

 

[Donger]

Was supposed to be an ordinary and uneventful straight line ride today, down the A38 as far as I could get from Gloucester in an hour and then back again - just to get some more miles in my legs. On the hill above the Fromebridge roundabout, though, I got heckled and gestured at by an idiot hanging out the window of a passing car. Can't understand it myself. Don't know what they get out of it - besides, you'd have thought it was too cold for that sort of thing today. Kind of spoils your day, though. Turned out pretty well in the end because I caught them up at the traffic lights by the turning for Frocester at the top of the hill. The driver and passenger were both watching their mirrors nervously, and the driver actually crashed a red light getting away at speed just as I was about a couple of bike lengths away and he could see how big I was! Something about my demeanour must have told them I was considering dragging the passenger out of the window by the lapels and doing very bad things to him....... Actually I was only going to give him a bit of inventive anglo saxon abuse. On reflection, glad they fled before it came to anything though. Actually quite a decent 28 miler in the end, and passed 200 miles for the month/ closing in on 500 for the year.

 

[Black Country Ste]

I had a similar problem a while ago. In my case it was the pawls in the hub not doing their job. I dismantled it, cleaned it up and used light oil to lube it. No issues with it since then. But, as you have just had it serviced, back it should go!
Shame about it messing up your ride though..

I took it back, as soon as I explained the problem he said it was the freehub. I should be able to get that replaced under warranty.

 

[arranandy]

Not my ride but one that truely deserves a mention. This morning a club mate of mine took the 1st train to Aberdeen then cycled home to Motherwell. A grand total of 261km!!!

 

[Cush]

Yesterdays ride was the first of a serious of four that I plan to do. The idea is take a sheet of A4 paper. At the bottom center the starting point (in this case home), draw a line due North, South, East and West and stop at the nearest road to the top or bottom of the sheet and then work out a road route to and from this point on some mapping software (I use Memory Map) Print this out on A4 and that is the ride. Yesterday it was North and it got me a 34.74 mile ride to within sight of the river Lyne before turning back through Stapleton and the back roads to Carlisle. A touch of dodgy map reading (not concentrating) and turning back on a County Class road that looked like it was getting into an underused bridleway added a few miles but took me to within sight of places I would not have other wise seen. It was a beautiful sunny day for riding with the wind mostly on my back and a lot of traffic free roads. One thing I did notice, a lot of road sign posts in this area are either turned around or missing, tractors or kids, not sure which is to blame The next planned route is South but it is just twenty and a bit. An extension to this plan would be to use both sides of the sheet but that is for May.

 

[cosmicbike]

First time out in 11 days, and after a brief trainer session yesterday to loosen up I had a quick whizz this morning to give the new dog a taster for being home alone. 6 miles in a rather spritely (for me) 22 mins, and now wishing I'd gone a bit slower 'out the blocks' but was very conscious of madam at home. Ho hum, she survived ok as did the house, so I get an hour tomorrow

 

[PeteXXX]

I only had time for a tootle into town this morning as I have work this afternoon. It was mainly to pick up a new shed alarm and LED PIR light to brighten up the interior or the shed in the evening.
On the way, I rode through Becketts Park and took a few pics of some scuptures there.

The bottom two are carved logs, summat to do with Marks and Spencers plastic bag initiative....

After buying my Maplins stuff, I aimed homewards via Gold Street in the town centre (known for its bike lane that heads into the oncoming traffic and buses!) A freind had seen a new bike shop just opening so I thought I'd pop in for a looksee. Chris, the chap who runs it, is a keen cyclist and rides Fixed, plus any other wheels that take his fancy. He's open for repairs any business but is still awaiting his main delivery of stock. Well worth calling in if you're ever in Northampton town centre. It's called Velo Haus velohaus@hotmail.com if any details are required. Nice chap, and I wish his business well.
Only 15 miles, but nice to stretch the legs a bit.
Anyway. Work beckons

http://app.strava.com/activities/124333424

 

[totallyfixed]

I wasn't going to mention today's ride because it was a short one that I have mentioned before - my 22 mile rectangular Mytholmroyd, Blackstone Edge, Littleborough, Walsden, Mankinholes, Hebden Bridge loop. (I'm trying to stick to mentioning new routes, and rides where I took photos.) However, there were two things of note ...

(1) The wind was playing silly buggers. The forecast was that it would be a moderate northerly wind but I encountered wind strengths from low to strong, and directions from westerly to easterly via northerly. The one direction it wasn't really coming from was the south. The strength and direction changed as I ascended and descended. I could swear that there was a giant corkscrew-like wind system rotating round the hill that I was skirting. I've experienced something like it a couple of times before, where I have done a circular route and had a headwind the whole time!

(2) A film crew and photographers were out on the Cragg Vale climb, which features on stage 2 of this year's Tour de France.

As I approached the Robin Hood pub in Cragg Vale, I could see that something was going on. There were a few police officers standing about keeping an eye on things, and a small crowd of cyclists across the road from the pub. Just in front of the pub, a film crew seemed to be filming an interview. I know that the landlord/lady has got into the spirit of the Tour. For example, a yellow bike sign now hangs in front of the pub.

A white van was parked nearby and I could see some big letters painted on it. I assumed it would be from the B.B.C., but it wasn't. Now, call me stupid, but it wasn't until about half an hour later that I realised that the letters might actually have been U.C.I (Union Cycliste Internationale - the international cycling sports body)!

As I climbed onto the open moorland, I noticed a photographer in the ditch on the left side of the road, with her camera pointed across the road. I assumed that she was taking pictures of the scenery, but then I realised that she was waiting for me to pass and started taking pictures as I got there.

Soon after that, she got back into a car, and it shot past me and she jumped out higher up with another photographer and they ambushed me again. This time, I was ready and put on a better show of effort. I managed to do an uphill sprint at about 20 mph until I was safely beyond their cameras, whereupon I slowed to a crawl to get my breath back!

So, if the UCI are going to do some publicity material for the Yorkshire Tour stages, look out for pictures of an old guy riding uphill on a red Cannondale, pretending that he is fit!

Blimey Colin, do you not get news in HB, we were going to ping you about it yesterday but figured there was no way you wouldn't know about it. We saw it on Twitter, it was only Bernard Hinault riding up Cragg Vale!! Did you ever miss a chance there
Anyway, we got out on a shortish 31 miles this morning even though the Met Office [remind me, what is it they do for a living?] had forecast heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning and a max of 6C for later in the morning. What we actually got was 10C and hazy sunshine.
The shorter rides are the harder ones, we like to test each other [might have to re-think the word "like" in this context], one of us will suddenly take off without warning leaving the other to try and get back on and even go past. Sometimes we both "die", usually after sprinting up a hill. After one such occasion I just had to take the ubiquitous lamb picture while I recovered.

Going past Saltby airfield on a very long straight road

Just a couple of miles from home and Rutland Council have decided to construct a cycle path on a very quiet lane. It is approx half a mile long and goes......nowhere! Here is an example of tax payers money being blatantly wasted, a 3 metre long section of said cycle path. What is the point?

Apart from that a very good fast workout. Ready for Colin's ride on Saturday now.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Yesterdays ride was the first of a serious of four that I plan to do. The idea is take a sheet of A4 paper. At the bottom center the starting point (in this case home), draw a line due North, South, East and West and stop at the nearest road to the top or bottom of the sheet and then work out a road route to and from this point on some mapping software (I use Memory Map) Print this out on A4 and that is the ride. Yesterday it was North and it got me a 34.74 mile ride to within sight of the river Lyne before turning back through Stapleton and the back roads to Carlisle. A touch of dodgy map reading (not concentrating) and turning back on a County Class road that looked like it was getting into an underused bridleway added a few miles but took me to within sight of places I would not have other wise seen. It was a beautiful sunny day for riding with the wind mostly on my back and a lot of traffic free roads. One thing I did notice, a lot of road sign posts in this area are either turned around or missing, tractors or kids, not sure which is to blame The next planned route is South but it is just twenty and a bit. An extension to this plan would be to use both sides of the sheet but that is for May.

I like that idea, mind if I nick it?

 

[Cush]

I like that idea, mind if I nick it?

Help your self and maybe change it as you want