Your ride today....

[wafter]

Frankly, it’s nearly everyone. Idiot pedestrians wafting about like dandelion fluff; drivers of anything boasting four wheels or more, all apparently convinced they’re auditioning for Mad Max: Oxfordshire Drift; other cyclists, whose sole mission seems to be demonstrating how not to ride a bicycle; and, of course, the pièce de résistance, a pair of twunts on illegal battery‑powered motorcycles, masked up like discount ninjas.

It is interesting you mention the Ridgeway. I’m less than 100 feet from a BOAT that leads straight onto it, practically a VIP entrance. I really should dust off the old Trek MTB and give it an airing. With any luck, the twunts will be terrorising someone else’s tranquillity for a change.

Yeah, I can appreciate all that; no doubt thrown into sharp focus by your recent excursions to far more cycle-friendly climbs..

Sounds like you've got a golden opportunity on your doorstep though - best get out amongst it while the weather still makes it easy

 

[EltonFrog]

Today I had a dentist appointment. Yesterday I resolved to cycle the just‑over‑ten miles to the practice — not because I had any burning desire to cycle, but because I really didn’t want to drive there.

I nearly gave in and got in the car, but IMTFU prevailed, so I got the road bike ready and went. Instead of taking the mostly traffic‑free route, I stuck to the roads, and on the whole it was fine. The only incident was a white‑van man flinging his door open without looking; fortunately I was paying attention.

I arrived a little early, so I carried on for another ten minutes. By chance I came across a sign for the Aston Martin museum — something I had no idea existed. I went to investigate. It was closed, but I’ve made a note to visit another time.

Once my appointment was over, I realised I wasn’t hating being out, so I took a different way home via Dorchester‑on‑Thames and a café with alpacas, where I stopped for a sausage sandwich and coffee. Then on through Shillingford, Wallingford (with a pause at the castle grounds), Brightwell‑cum‑Sotwell, the Moretons, Aston Tirrold, Blewbury, and finally home.

30.45 miles. And no one pissed me off. That’s a win.

 

[bluenotebob]

Glad you enjoyed your ride @EltonFrog.

Nice photos too.

FWIW .. your photo of the woman cycling with a parasol (from Austria, earlier in the year) is hands-down my favourite photo of the year (and probably the last five years).

 

[EltonFrog]

Glad you enjoyed your ride @EltonFrog.

Nice photos too.

FWIW .. your photo of the woman cycling with a parasol (from Austria, earlier in the year) is hands-down my favourite photo of the year (and probably the last five years).

Thank you, thats kind of you.
It was one of those days where we kept passing each other, I thought it was rather eccentric.

 

[VinSumRox]

Rode out with pals, 94km and 1076m of up, out along Yarrow valley, crossed to Ettrick, cafe stop, the Roberton, Ashkirk and Selkirk. Legs knackered as been out a fair bit in last few days. Great weather, sunny and 18C

 

[postman]

Thursday ride off.Thirty four to thirty six degrees,not for me,since chemo i cannot cope in heat.

 

[cosmicbike]

A couple of months ago a few work colleagues and I decided to get together for social pedals as a bit of a motivator. Today was our second ride out and a very enjoyable 35 miles of mostly towpath from Staines to Bushey Park for a cuppa and then home.

 

[PeteXXX]

Another pleasant ride around Salcey Forest with grandson and a friend this morning. Quite warm but mostly in the shade of trees.

Obviously, we had to have an ice cream and a game of table tennis on the way round 😂

12 miles ridden and thoroughly enjoyed!

 

[HLaB]

Two rides for me today,

Out with some mates to Seaton in Rutland, looping back to Gretton for Lydia's Cafe and of course coming back by our favourite pub in Fotheringhay for a couple of pints (Ghost Ship for me). Before cycling the 12miles home. 64miles in total for me. I was a bit dubious about going out west to comeback into a ESE wind but with it being mostly down hill back from Rutland, us looping by Oundle to get that Southerly element back to Fotheringhay and me going hard after the pub to sweat the beer out, we got away with it. Rutland is more fun anyway.

In the evening I joined a local paceline, we had to tweak the route a bit to avoid the smoke from the fire at Holme Fen 😢 But apart from that sad event, the ride was ace.