Your ride today.... (part 1)

[Saluki]

2nd ride of the New Year, have not been out since the 1st as I have done something horrible to my back. I blame the decorating!
I just rode from home to the N&N hospital to meet Hubster from dialysis. Its only 8.33 miles and a nice ride. About 1/4 of it is useable cycle path (there is pavement cyclepath but it has people walking on it, leaves everywhere and several road crossings so I mostly avoid it).

I averaged just over 13 mph over the trip which is not too shoddy given the state of my fitness. I really enjoyed the ride and could happily have gone further only Hubster was waiting for me in the layby so I thought I'd better stop. I definitely didn't have the legs to cycle back again. It was only 23rd Dec when my little circular route of 8.02 miles darn near killed me so I am happy. I have set myself some winter goals now so I have something to work towards.

I feel really happy now I am really starting to enjoy riding in the dark, it so quiet.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Yesterday, for the first time in ages, I pushed myself too hard on a bike ride, and about 16km from home, with my legs, feet and posterior begging for mercy, I finally capitulated and hired a taxi van I saw at a train station to take me the remaining distance home. I feel like I've betrayed myself . It was a lovely ride, though, as I revisited Mt Donna Buang and Lake Mountain, two especially lovely mountains east and northeast of Melbourne, on a day made for cycling, i.e. about 20°C and cloudy.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

16 easyish miles this morning...along the local track..
Dreich day here almost felt like heading off track and taking the back way home BUT lazy..

 

[Dangermouse]

Just another short sharp blast for myself and BT to ease ourselves out of the Xmas lull, we decided to give a 20 miler a go this morning so did the usual pasta feed up last night.........anyway to cut a short story even shorter, it was way too cold for Eileens knee, we set off ok but the cold soon kicked in, I could feel the cold so god knows what Eileen was going through with that metal knee.........anyway we cut the ride short and sauntered back home but managed to get out average speed up a bit more than usual and riding into the wind on the return.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We had planned to have a 2nd attempt of the New Year's Eve ride which was aborted after way too many fairy visits, darkness falling and us having a timeline to get back home. It started pretty much the same way as the NYE ride - my OH having a flat.... in fact he had 2 in the same tyre... which makes the total for that ride 8-0 to a certain fairy (OH 6, myself 2 - spare inner tubes and patches are now in very short supply except for our road bikes)...

And to be honest the ride pretty much continued in the same way as the NYE ride.... we avoided the lane/bridlepath that had all the hawthorn clippings across it, and saved ourselves that grief...We found ice completely across the lanes, so I yelled out "ice" to my OH and got a "yippee" in response .. (don't ask!). Then we headed over to the River Weaver... There was a moment of shear humour... I can't really explain it any other way... a dog walker on the other side of the river had not seen the 2 cyclists wearing hi-viz and having full lights on (only just off the road and not yet cancelled them)... and decided to check forwards, then backwards, then check where his dog was; walked around to the river side of the tree and pretty much dropped his pants down his backside to answer a call of nature. I'm doing my best at this point to stay discrete and not look his way.... fine, only my OH has not seen him and is waaaaaayyyyyy behind me having stopped to close the gate, when a train goes across the viaduct in front and I hear this yell "Ttttrrrrrraaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnn"... OK now the guy on the other side looks up.... yep, Stuart, that was really subtle.... When my OH catches me up (not hard as I am now killing myself laughing and can't for the life of me cycle and laugh...) he asks me what is so funny about him yelling "train"?

As you can see the weather and light was not in our favour...

New Year's Eve light

Today's light - promise not to use the digital zoom on my phone again - its useless...

The plan had been to follow the River Weaver into Northwich, freelance to Winsford and take the Whitegate Way home...
Didn't happen. We soon found ourselves confronted with the dreaded kissing gates that the River Weaver uses and on the otherside it was a mud bath - been there, done that and didn't want to do it again.... not today at least that is. We set off up a lane my OH is convinced will take is along the side (I know better we have cycled it before and I know exactly where it goes to, but he's having one of those days today and I can't convince him any other way except to cycle it).... in the end when we got to the Trent & Mersey Canal he accepted defeat. A quick discussion about the best way home was needed and in the end we settled for the option "back the way we came!".... then it started to rain hard - that dealt the final blow to the coffin... about turn & head back into the very cold and heavy rain and home to a hot shower & hot meal....

http://www.strava.com/activities/104169516 25km done on roads/hardcore on a mtb - at least they were clean by the time we got home.

 

[Stonechat]

Are you from the Red or Black Douglas sept?

Can't tell , as far back as I got was James Douglass born about 1730, son of John, who lived in Chertsey

 

[cosmicbike]

Well following yesterdays disaster of a walk which ended in agony after only a mile and a bit, I was surprised to wake and find my legs not too sore this morning on bike day. So a lap round Thorpe and into Staines before home, only 8 miles but that's enough for me at the moment. Lots of other cyclists out today, got overtaken by a chap in 'Kingston Wheelers' kit by the waterski lake, was tempted to hook onto his wheel but I'm not allowed to go quickly yet....
Next bike day is Wednesday which looks nice ATM..

 

[theloafer]

well first ride of the new year .. took my g/f out as I got her a new saddle to try from @bikepacker the (HAMOC) looks a strange thing.... Karon said I like the look of that , it arrived fri fitted Saturday but were busy so today off we went just a short spin to try and get it how she liked 12 miles some road, some cycle path a bit of bridleway and she thinks it is good far better than the one she had will know better after I take her on a longer ride later

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/424993469

 

[mooseracer]

First ride in far too long, got out on the mtb before yet more rain arrived. 16 pleasant, if very soggy, miles

 

[GrumpyGregry]

...was grey.

 

[Dangermouse]

...was grey.

Not spring yet...........few more months and you will be happy

 

[Dangermouse]

The hamoc looks like its gonna take ur place Loafer.........don't like that at all, but looks like you and the GF had a good ol ride out, and enjoyable, is that a Spesh with the discs on

 

[theloafer]

The hamoc looks like its gonna take ur place Loafer.........don't like that at all, but looks like you and the GF had a good ol ride out, and enjoyable, is that a Spesh with the discs on

I have no fear for the hamoc @Dangermouse ...she me deeply no mate that's my boardman cx team

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Ride of two bikes today.

Original plan was to go out on the Sirrus do 60ish miles and then head out on the usual Sunday morning ride with our lass, thus doing 82 miles and hitting the Strava Challenge.

I set out at just after 5:30 after watching the BBC weather forecast, ice they warned, nah I said looks okay to me so off I go. Very very frosty and puddles frozen so I take it nice and steady, I have one slide but stay upright so I am happy.

As it gets lighter and I decide to stay on the main roads I try and go a bit faster. Nothing doing, really really hard work. I then realise (about 45 miles in) that there is something wrong with the rear wheel. The disc brake keeps coming on by itself, not fully, but enough to cause a lot of resistance. Limp home at 58 miles and our lass isn't ready.

Okay I say, I'm going to do another half hour whilst you get ready, switch the ice wheels on the winter bike for its normal wheels, quick 6 miles to check all is well, nope, front brake needs adjusting, get home quickly adjust the front brake and off we go.

I work out as we are heading home that I will only need to do another 12 miles to hit the imperial century, by this time I have cooled down and am freezing (our lass rides a lot slower than me!) but sod it, as we approach the house I tell our lass I will see her in an less than an hour, 14 miles later and I have done my second imperial

Question for @ianrauk - Can I count this towards the monthly challenges? I see it as being one ride, just broken up quite a bit!

http://www.strava.com/activities/104197946

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Catthorpe the destination 60 miles the journey, was surprised to wake up to a winter wonderland this morning, was even more surprised to find my road and the next one unridable due to sheet ice, like polished glass, decided to take the short main road route to the cafe and a longer route home through the lanes, got to Brinklow and decided to extend it a bit and continued down the main road then turned up the King's Newnham hill, climbing through the frost and frozen puddles, got to the top and there were two riders starting the descent so I warned them about the ice, got a bit further down and a rider warned me about ice on the next descent, I went down the hill leaning gently against the fixed, using the fixed wheel to control my speed, once I got to Newbold On Avon the roads were clear and stayed clear all the way to the Cafe, when I came out the Cafe the ice had gone so I was able to do a big loop through the lanes before turning for home, the rain started as I came through Monks Kirby and by Shilton it was raining steadily but stopped as I crossed Coventry, I started running out of legs as I came through Monks Kirby and by Shilton I was crawling, speed down from around 20mph to around 15 mph, seemed like hunger knock, which is something I don't normally suffer from, I got home and hit the kitchen like a hungry Locust, normally I can't eat after a ride. Another enjoyable, mostly, winter fixed ride, I'm knackered now but feeling better now I've been fed.