Your ride today....

[cosmicbike]

35km today and thoroughly enjoyed it


View attachment 389102

Nice to see some good colour coding going on

 

[Biff600]

Out on the bouncy one today, and what will be the last ride of 2017 (on the pushbike !!!)

Managed to stay perpendicular for the whole ride, all 32 miles of it. Nasty headwind for a lot of it, but it was still good to get out on it

Now the cleaning starts.....

Which bring my total of the year to a tad over 2400 miles

 

[Jon George]

A really slow pootle today - and all of 8 miles - out to just North of Ipswich. (Had to abort the planned ride due to a call from my wife that the car wouldn't start. I hurried home to confirm that, yes, it wouldn't start. )

I stopped for a pic at Tuddenham with my riding buddy, Jay. (The river Finn - just out of shot - was more swollen than I've ever seen it.)

 

[DCLane]

Final ride out for 2017 to Holmfirth and the Bloc café - I've been ill for a week and was coughing like mad but made it: https://www.strava.com/activities/1332935979

On cleaning the bike however I've discovered a crack in the rear mech, which means I'll change the bent hanger as well. Oh, and the rear tyre's gone down. So a bit more work needed than usual ...

Edit ... all fixed

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Saturday so time for the last group ride of 2017. Steve E, Sara P and me in the Green. Pete M and Jules H at the Pot. Steve's pass was a short one today so we took a straightforward run out through the school and on to the cafe in Tewkesbury. The cafe chat took longer than the original ride out but eventually Steve headed back the same way while we four went south for Deerhurst and Haw Bridge. My rear tyre went flat so a stop was required. Bikes get mucky quite quickly at this time of year so my rubber gloves came in handy. Back underway we went back through the school where, this time, Sara's tyre went flat. So my rubber gloves were deployed once again while I changed her inner tube. Sara and Jules headed off down to Upton and homeward while Pete and I took the Brotheridge Green lanes for home. The weather was fairly pleasant with bright skies and sunshine too. Temperatures were mild but that WNW wind was a tough one. 42 smiles.

 

[NorthernDave]

Possibly my last bike ride of 2017.

Unusually both yr.no and the Met Office both agreed that after a chilly start, the temperature would rapidly rise to a balmy 9°C after 9am so I decided to set off at about half 9. It was blinking freezing (Garmin confirms much of the ride was at 0°C so more forecasting lies...) and the remnants of yesterdays snow was still on the side roads, so I decided to stick to roads likely to have been gritted. This led to Coal Road, then Skeltons Lane and the descent of Sandhills into Thorner, where I stayed on the main route and up Church Hill. Despite sticking to busier routes the bike had been a bit twitchy on slippery surfaces in a few places so I was taking it steady and keeping well away from the road edge.
Past Bramham park and through the dip at Wothersome a good deal slower than last time I rode this way, and forced to stop at the top of the climb to put my waterproof jacket on just to add another layer.
Down the road almost to Bramham and then left on West Woods Road, which was busy but sure to have been gritted, and up to Wattle Syke Roundabout. Round that (as you do) and under the A1(M) without incident and on towards Boston Spa, taking the first turning signposted for Clifford by the fancy bus stop, past the school and down into Clifford, where the road goes up and then descends into Bramham. Left there and on the most direct route out of the village and up onto Paradise Way, where I stopped just beyond the traffic lights for a stretch and a photo:

As I was stopped and shivering a bloke wearing shorts cycled past on a hybrid...
Anyway, I was too cold to stop for long so back on the bike and down to Bramham Crossroads, staying on the gritted road rather than the still icy cycle route round the roundabout and onto the Old Great North Road, which is now much less impressively called Main Street and down towards Aberford straight into a stinker of a headwind - where had that come from?
Through the first part of the village and over the bridge, past the Cattle Lane turning and on to Aberford Parish Church of Saint Ricarius (to give it's full Sunday name) for another photo opportunity - one that would fit three "Your bike in front of..." challenges and be close enough for a fourth:

Being very careful on the still icy stone flags, I lifted the bike down the steps back onto the road and set off back down to Cattle Lane where the familiar lumpiness ensued all the way down to Cock Beck, followed by the inevitable climb up the hill into Barwick.
It has started to feel noticeably warmer (or at least less cold) now - on checking later, between Bramham Crossroads and Barwick the temperature had shot up from 0°C to 5°C (although still nowhere near the promised 9°C)
As I reached All Saints Church, just by the Chapel Lane junction, one of Arriva's finest decided that an uphill right hand bend, that's unsighted for oncoming traffic due to a retaining wall, would be a good place to force through with an unnecessarily close pass (close enough I could have reached out and touched the bus) rather than waiting 30 seconds.

Anyway, up past the maypole and through the village, with the steady climb upwards, before the drop down into Scholes and the Coronation Tree where it started to rain, then onto Leeds Road and back into that headwind again. Over Cock Beck for a final time and up Barwick Road, before turning onto local roads up to home.

22.22 miles (35.76km) in a steady 1h 44m at a sensible 12.7mph with 1,161ft climbed and an average temperature of just 2.0°C

Temperatures and one bus driver aside, another enjoyable ride with quite a few well wrapped cyclists out and about
Probably my last ride of 2017, but according to Garmin that will end the year on 2,232.85 miles (3593.42km), which I'll take given restrictions on my bike time this year.

And to end, the map:

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Bike selected; CGR (due to the weather, & I had a guess, I might head into the Woods)
Weather; overcast. quite cold, intermittent rain/hail, west wind
Photographs from today (unless captioned otherwise)


A late start (10:30 turned), & just a pootle

Up towards the rather nice conversion of the old PineApple Inn, to a house, with a left turn onto Crossley Street, which offers a very wide expansive view (as far as Midhopestones Moor; above LadyBower Reservoir, HolmeMoss & Saddleworth Moor)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/286546

At the end of Crossley Street, a right turn onto Weeland Road, with an almost immediate left, onto (old) Pontefract Road, by Spring Green Nurseries

Over the Wakefield - Doncaster road, by the Cock & Crown, to arrive in Crofton at the site of the old West Yorkshire Police Driver Training Centre
For many years, the Force maintained offices here, & a skid-pan
Now houses...................................

Up Church Hill into Crofton itself, to pass a pub linked to a very famous industrialist (whose eponymously named village is now a UNESCO World Heritage site
Now renamed
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/125527
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2935427

Past another pub (now converted to flats) 'The Slipper'
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5299013


Out into a bit of what passes for open countryside, but reclaimed mining land

Through Wintersett, with the duck-pond opposite the Anglers Retreat overflowing to cover the road, from kerb to kerb
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3407959

A right turn onto Haw Park Lane, towards Anglers Country Park, a reclaimed open cast (250 feet deep!!!)
http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/sport-and-leisure/parks-and-countryside/parks/anglers-country-park

Looking from Haw Park Lane, towards Wintersett Reservoir, now used for dinghy sailing & fishing
It, & the abutting Cold Hiendley Reservoir were built to supply water to the Barnsley Canal

A quick check of the café, to see if there was anyone I knew there, be it cyclist, or runner
No-one

Head off down towards Haw Park Woods, via a rather wet. mucky, muddy, water-logged lane

With the dilapidated boundary wall to Waterton Park, to my right
The Squire of the time, Charles Waterton, had it built to keep poachers off his land, and protect the wildlife within, often spending hours watching
It's being put forward for a UNESCO World Heritage listing, as the worlds first Nature Reserve
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/new...-estate-designated-at-heritage-site-1-7216101
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/sense_of_place/walton_1.shtml
https://www.experiencewakefield.co.uk/thedms.aspx?dms=3&feature=1073&venue=2190474



It soon heads downhill, with large muddy patches


Looking back up, with the wall still there (getting on for 3 miles, when built)


A fair bit drier here, & right at the bottom of the track
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2811830



Out we pop, onto the towpath of the (abandoned) Barnsley Canal, with a short hail-storm here (or maybe just icy sleet?)
Onto the driveway of Waterton Hall, as it is now (a lovely 'gentlemans residence' on its own island)
It was once used as a maternity hospital, which must have made for some very fraught dashes over the cast-iron bridge!!!
http://www.watertonparkhotel.co.uk/

A slight detour, put me back on the route of the Barnsley Canal, where a bridge is now infilled underneath, & the Canal route built upon


See the bottom two pictures, this is the bridge, I photographed
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/barnsley/ba33.htm

Back up Oakenshaw Lane, to recross the Canal again, on a lowered bridge
Just to the west of the bridge, this section is still in water
(a fishing club owns it)

Saturday 18th April 2015




Back onto Doncaster Road, & a navigation of the new junction, & home via Black Road, with a nice tail-wind up-hill

Past the PineApple. & back home
Short, sweet, historic & muddy!!!

 

[Mr Celine]

A slow thaw had set in overnight but it was still after 1:00 before I felt it safe to venture out, first ride in a week due to the weather. Avoiding higher hills due to the snow I went east for a 30 mile loop through Gattonside and Earlston before turning south onto the A6089. This road has several cast iron mileposts still in situ.

The main roads were fine, as were most of the lanes and l carried on through Smailholm and towards Newtoon and thence home.
Nearer home there had been more snow and less of a thaw. One single track lane gave me a choice of two muddy puddles or the deep slushy ice in between, unfortunately the puddle l chose concealed a huge pot hole which nearly had me off. The tyres seem to have survived OK.
The next hurdle was the Bogle Burn, a traffic free former road alignment which descends steeply into a dip and rises again at the other side. With no traffic to clear the snow apart from dog walkers the surface was mostly wet snow or slippery slush. Back brake on and one foot down all the way down.

Pic is of the reascent, which had had some sun on it.
33 miles in total.
I now realise I have to go out again tomorrow as my Strava mileage for the year when metricated is now 4983km and I can't resist another 17.

 

[Colin_P]

I "did" the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal this afternoon as part of my ride.

What a horrible path. Looked like someone had been digging up and not put it back properly. Very muddy, sticky horribleness. I've sent a stern e-mail off to the Waterways people LOL.

On top of that I encountered the most brutal of headwinds on the return leg, the worse was on the wide open space adjacent to Dorney Lake.

 

[Jenkins]

Just a quick, late afternoon 26 mile loop up into and through Ipswich before heading home via Bucklesham just to get some fresh air. Quite breezy and the roads were still damp from overnight rain so it looks like tomorrow morning will be another bike cleaning session.

 

[cosmicbike]

Just the commute again for me, and despite the forecast it stayed dry both ways, though tomorrow looks less promising.

On top of that I encountered the most brutal of headwinds on the return leg, the worse was on the wide open space adjacent to Dorney Lake.

Every time I've cycled across that stretch it's always been windy, even though it's calm elsewhere. Nice to ride around the lake though

 

[derrick]

Nice morning club ride in the wind, 46 miles got a bit scary at times, i need to put some normal wheels on, do away with the aero wheels. lots of flooded fields along the way. there must have been a lot of rain last night. got back to the pub had a lovely steak with a jacket potato, washed down with a nice beer, hair of the dog and all that, Thought i would have suffered a bit as we spent all Friday drinking at a friends wedding, got into bed at about 1-45 Saturday morning up at 7-45, met up at 8-30. it was a hard 2 days. Now feeling normal after an afternoon nap. Looking forward to a Sunday ride, the wind looks to be going away.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1333119643

 

[Colin_P]

Just the commute again for me, and despite the forecast it stayed dry both ways, though tomorrow looks less promising.


Every time I've cycled across that stretch it's always been windy, even though it's calm elsewhere. Nice to ride around the lake though

Indeed, Dorney Lake is an absolute gem of a place to cycle round. A three mile loop of super smooth flat tarmac.

 

[Pale Rider]

My ride today was to have been with my regular Sunday morning group.

Turning up at the meeting point, I found I was billy no mates.

This turned out to have done me something of a favour.

After waiting 20 minutes, I found the puncture I fixed following the ride with @Rickshaw Phil was not as fixed as I thought it was.

The tyre was still holding some pressure, so with only a mile and a bit to do to get home I elected to pump it up a bit and ride.

I can report Schwalbe balloon tyres give a very comfy ride with about 10psi in them, but the steering is a bit iffy.

Once home I removed the tyre to find another tiny nick in the tube, in a mirror image position of the first one.

Seems I failed to find the sharp in the tyre, unknowingly reversed the tube while refitting it, giving me another puncture from the same source.

Cue another microscopic examination of the tyre.

All I could see was a short ridge on the inside of the carcass, as if something had gone in horizontally instead of vertically - it almost looks almost like a manufacturing defect.

I attacked it with some emery cloth, and I think I saw some tiny specks which may have been from a slither of glass.

Having got the inside of the tyre smooth, I put a skab patch on it, they are quite thick so that may help a bit.

One good thing is my greasing of a section of the tyre bead to help it release from the tubeless ready rim seems to have worked - I managed to release the tyre without having to stand on the sidewall with my heel.

Of course, taking the tyre on and off a few times may also have loosened its grip on the wheel.

All back together now, but what a palaver.

I ought to road test it - the tyre stayed inflated before in my kitchen overnight.

But having just cleaned the bike as well, I think I've had enough of cycling for one day.

 

[LarryDuff]

21 miles this morning to end the year off. First half was hard work into a strong wind, flying along on the way home.