Your ride today....

[gbb]

I might get the turbo out I thought as I looked out to a grey sky with light snow. No, just have a pootle on the hybrid ..a few layers, two skull caps, a buff etc should cover it.
Just around 8 miles at no pace on country tracks..

Crossing through Stillwells lakes, a small hidden nature reserve on old brickyards

that many people don't even know exists despite being on the edges of the city...

Looks cold and gloomy but it''s a wildlife oasis in brighter times.

Nearly didn't partake of a ride...so glad I did.

 

[Vantage]

I finally got out on the bike today!
6 years ago today was my first ride on the Vantage. It was a little over 5 miles along busy main roads straight through the town centre to Asda and back home again. Not to buy anything, just to ride it for the first time. Soon as I got in I spewed my guts up in true "Haven't rode a bike in ages" style.
Today wasn't much different.
You'd think that having been stuck under the stairs for 4 months my bike would be itching to be taken out, but nooooooo. Switching over to the snow tyres took over an hour of pi55ing about getting the bloody things to sit properly and then having to do it all again because I put the front one on the wrong way round. Doh!
Wrapped up like a mummy in lycra and polyester I set off towards the moors around 10am ish. Bloody hell it was cold!
Climbing up Chorley Old Road was done at around 3.5mph in my most granny like of gears and I swear I was using the whole lane with the amount of swerving I was doing...need to polish up on my bike handling. I reached the top and needed to pull over to spew up. Awesome.
I turned right at Bob Smith's pub toward the moors and was warned by a roadie in the opposite lane that the snow was starting to stick from where he'd been. That's ok i thought. I wasn't going that way. I turned right again onto the bridleway alongside the golf course. Traffic free riding
The snow was very much sticking and the tyres were crunching along at somewhat less than warp speed. Unlike my lungs and legs, I was enjoying it though. I worried that I might come off on the way down the narrow, rocky singletrack and the brakes were struggling to stop my arse from plummeting over the edge into the ravine on my left. I wondered a few times if the burning smell was a farm or my brakes melting. After stopping a few times to free the rear mudflap from inbetween the tyre and mudguard I reached the bottom and stood for a few minutes to let the pain in my hands subside. I'm thinking I need to upgrade my brakes when I get a chance.
I pootled through Barrow Bridge and then started my last real climb of the day up Cinder Lane. I was overtaken by a jogger.
Reaching the top, I again had to pull over to regurgitate my breakfast.
I took the easier but slightly longer route home through the estate and barely had strength enough to push the bike up the steps.
Before leaving this morning I stuck a slab of beef in the slow cooker and mum had turned up to help out. Walking through the front door the smell of cooking beef hit me square in the face and I had to run to the sink. More spewing of apocalyptic proportions

Still, I got out
Just under 3 miles but it's a start.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/20224716

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I finally got out on the bike today!
6 years ago today was my first ride on the Vantage. It was a little over 5 miles along busy main roads straight through the town centre to Asda and back home again. Not to buy anything, just to ride it for the first time. Soon as I got in I spewed my guts up in true "Haven't rode a bike in ages" style.
Today wasn't much different.
You'd think that having been stuck under the stairs for 4 months my bike would be itching to be taken out, but nooooooo. Switching over to the snow tyres took over an hour of pi55ing about getting the bloody things to sit properly and then having to do it all again because I put the front one on the wrong way round. Doh!
Wrapped up like a mummy in lycra and polyester I set off towards the moors around 10am ish. Bloody hell it was cold!
Climbing up Chorley Old Road was done at around 3.5mph in my most granny like of gears and I swear I was using the whole lane with the amount of swerving I was doing...need to polish up on my bike handling. I reached the top and needed to pull over to spew up. Awesome.
I turned right at Bob Smith's pub toward the moors and was warned by a roadie in the opposite lane that the snow was starting to stick from where he'd been. That's ok i thought. I wasn't going that way. I turned right again onto the bridleway alongside the golf course. Traffic free riding
The snow was very much sticking and the tyres were crunching along at somewhat less than warp speed. Unlike my lungs and legs, I was enjoying it though. I worried that I might come off on the way down the narrow, rocky singletrack and the brakes were struggling to stop my arse from plummeting over the edge into the ravine on my left. I wondered a few times if the burning smell was a farm or my brakes melting. After stopping a few times to free the rear mudflap from inbetween the tyre and mudguard I reached the bottom and stood for a few minutes to let the pain in my hands subside. I'm thinking I need to upgrade my brakes when I get a chance.
I pootled through Barrow Bridge and then started my last real climb of the day up Cinder Lane. I was overtaken by a jogger.
Reaching the top, I again had to pull over to regurgitate my breakfast.
I took the easier but slightly longer route home through the estate and barely had strength enough to push the bike up the steps.
Before leaving this morning I stuck a slab of beef in the slow cooker and mum had turned up to help out. Walking through the front door the smell of cooking beef hit me square in the face and I had to run to the sink. More spewing of apocalyptic proportions

Still, I got out
Just under 3 miles but it's a start.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/20224716

I've given a like for getting out. for the "side effects". Hope you're alright?

 

[welsh dragon]

I finally got out on the bike today!
6 years ago today was my first ride on the Vantage. It was a little over 5 miles along busy main roads straight through the town centre to Asda and back home again. Not to buy anything, just to ride it for the first time. Soon as I got in I spewed my guts up in true "Haven't rode a bike in ages" style.
Today wasn't much different.
You'd think that having been stuck under the stairs for 4 months my bike would be itching to be taken out, but nooooooo. Switching over to the snow tyres took over an hour of pi55ing about getting the bloody things to sit properly and then having to do it all again because I put the front one on the wrong way round. Doh!
Wrapped up like a mummy in lycra and polyester I set off towards the moors around 10am ish. Bloody hell it was cold!
Climbing up Chorley Old Road was done at around 3.5mph in my most granny like of gears and I swear I was using the whole lane with the amount of swerving I was doing...need to polish up on my bike handling. I reached the top and needed to pull over to spew up. Awesome.
I turned right at Bob Smith's pub toward the moors and was warned by a roadie in the opposite lane that the snow was starting to stick from where he'd been. That's ok i thought. I wasn't going that way. I turned right again onto the bridleway alongside the golf course. Traffic free riding
The snow was very much sticking and the tyres were crunching along at somewhat less than warp speed. Unlike my lungs and legs, I was enjoying it though. I worried that I might come off on the way down the narrow, rocky singletrack and the brakes were struggling to stop my arse from plummeting over the edge into the ravine on my left. I wondered a few times if the burning smell was a farm or my brakes melting. After stopping a few times to free the rear mudflap from inbetween the tyre and mudguard I reached the bottom and stood for a few minutes to let the pain in my hands subside. I'm thinking I need to upgrade my brakes when I get a chance.
I pootled through Barrow Bridge and then started my last real climb of the day up Cinder Lane. I was overtaken by a jogger.
Reaching the top, I again had to pull over to regurgitate my breakfast.
I took the easier but slightly longer route home through the estate and barely had strength enough to push the bike up the steps.
Before leaving this morning I stuck a slab of beef in the slow cooker and mum had turned up to help out. Walking through the front door the smell of cooking beef hit me square in the face and I had to run to the sink. More spewing of apocalyptic proportions

Still, I got out
Just under 3 miles but it's a start.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/20224716

Well done for getting out in this weather.

 

[Dave 123]

Nice one @Vantage

Another 8 mile Cambridgeshire ride just like @gbb . I wasn't going to go out as rain had been forecast, but when it turned to proper snow I couldn't resist it. It was just the Toft loop done at an average speed of 13mph, but it felt good to be out in such conditions.

Visibility was minimal at some points, had to give me specs a wipe

Hardly a snowdrift......

Half a mile further up its starting to settle....

It's still snowing. Roads are white....

https://www.strava.com/activities/1367840775

 

[Vantage]

I've given a like for getting out. for the "side effects". Hope you're alright?

Perfectly fine

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

mum had turned up to help out

Walking through the front door the smell of cooking beef hit me square in the face and I had to run to the sink. More spewing of apocalyptic proportions

You need a new Mum

Sorry for the "out of context" quoting but I couldn't resist - hope you are OK

 

[Donger]

Nice one, @Dave 123 ! You'd make it into the Gallery of Suffering along with @wicker man, judging by that photo.

As for me, I turned up for our club ride today and found that everyone else had way too much sense to join me on such a miserable day. I guess that's when you realise that your hobby has become an obsession. So off I went on my own through relentless cold rain to do some hills. We had always planned to do Horsepools Hill to Edge today, so I started with that one. Once over and down the other side of that, I left the flat remainder of the club route, and decided to chuck in a few more hills instead for good measure.

There was a little snow at the side of the road at the top of Horsepools Hill at Edge, and further patches near Painswick Golf Club, near Cranham, and in Buckholt Woods, but it was cold rain that was the problem, not snow. I did a U-turn before getting to Birdlip, as there was still quite a lot of slushy snow on the road surface, and I didn't have the tyres for that kind of cycling. Loved the descent back down through Buckholt Woods and re-tracing my way back down into Painswick, but I was getting progressively colder with the wind chill and getting wetter all the time. I had to pull over a couple of times to wring the cold water out of my gloves, and I took five in a bus shelter at Pitchcombe to warm my hands up by jamming them in my armpits for a while. Result? Cold hands and cold armpits!

By the time I got home, I'd done 32 miles, with 2,500ft of climbing, so it was a good workout. I can understand the others not fancying it today, but I've got four mountains to do this year, so I needed some experience of climbing in grim weather conditions. (I'll only get one shot at each of them, and for all I know, the weather may well be cold and wet when I take them on, so might as well prepare for the worst). I actually enjoyed most of it..... though waterproof gloves would have made it much more comfortable.

Today's route and profile:
https://www.strava.com/routes/11715235

Enjoy your rides, everyone. There is fun to be had out there, even in this weather. Cheers, Donger.

 

[Mrs M]

I finally got out on the bike today!
6 years ago today was my first ride on the Vantage. It was a little over 5 miles along busy main roads straight through the town centre to Asda and back home again. Not to buy anything, just to ride it for the first time. Soon as I got in I spewed my guts up in true "Haven't rode a bike in ages" style.
Today wasn't much different.
You'd think that having been stuck under the stairs for 4 months my bike would be itching to be taken out, but nooooooo. Switching over to the snow tyres took over an hour of pi55ing about getting the bloody things to sit properly and then having to do it all again because I put the front one on the wrong way round. Doh!
Wrapped up like a mummy in lycra and polyester I set off towards the moors around 10am ish. Bloody hell it was cold!
Climbing up Chorley Old Road was done at around 3.5mph in my most granny like of gears and I swear I was using the whole lane with the amount of swerving I was doing...need to polish up on my bike handling. I reached the top and needed to pull over to spew up. Awesome.
I turned right at Bob Smith's pub toward the moors and was warned by a roadie in the opposite lane that the snow was starting to stick from where he'd been. That's ok i thought. I wasn't going that way. I turned right again onto the bridleway alongside the golf course. Traffic free riding
The snow was very much sticking and the tyres were crunching along at somewhat less than warp speed. Unlike my lungs and legs, I was enjoying it though. I worried that I might come off on the way down the narrow, rocky singletrack and the brakes were struggling to stop my arse from plummeting over the edge into the ravine on my left. I wondered a few times if the burning smell was a farm or my brakes melting. After stopping a few times to free the rear mudflap from inbetween the tyre and mudguard I reached the bottom and stood for a few minutes to let the pain in my hands subside. I'm thinking I need to upgrade my brakes when I get a chance.
I pootled through Barrow Bridge and then started my last real climb of the day up Cinder Lane. I was overtaken by a jogger.
Reaching the top, I again had to pull over to regurgitate my breakfast.
I took the easier but slightly longer route home through the estate and barely had strength enough to push the bike up the steps.
Before leaving this morning I stuck a slab of beef in the slow cooker and mum had turned up to help out. Walking through the front door the smell of cooking beef hit me square in the face and I had to run to the sink. More spewing of apocalyptic proportions

Still, I got out
Just under 3 miles but it's a start.

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/20224716

Well done

 

[delb0y]

Fair play to all those who went out today (or yesterday). Was miserable enough just walking to Tesco!

 

[colly]

I checked the weather forecast before I set off, not once, not twice, three times. Three different sites. AccWeather, MetOffice and BBC. They varied a bit in detail but essentially saying the same thing, with the BBC giving the gloomiest outlook. Even so it said a bit of sleet at around 10 then it would be dry, cold and over cast with a 5pmh wind but temperatures creeping up to around 4 deg C.
Right, that's me then, so I set off making for Ilkley wanting, to get a few hills in I went via King Lane up through Bramhope, the back of Otley Chevin, down to Menston then the long grind up to the moors over Burley-in-Wharfedale past the the Cow and Calf rocks and sweeping down into Ilkley. I say sweeping, more like crawling than sweeping. Up on the tops the wind got up and the heavens opened. freezing cold rain/sleet covering an already very cold road made it like an ice rink so I was decending almost as slowly as the ascent.
So into Ilkley in the rain crossed the River Wharfe, then turned for home on the back road through Askwith and Denton. The sleet was coming at me almost horizontally. Stinging my eyes and making it difficult to see clearly but I pressed on slowly and eventually came into Otley just north of the river.
Left before the bridge and up towards Farnley and eventually down into Pool-in-Wharfdale.
By now I was wet through but the only places I felt particularly cold were my hands and feet. I made for Arthington and turned up Creskeld Lane toward Bramhope. A mile long climb through the trees with a maximum gradient of just under 10%. It's narrow and I was held up at one stage by a horse and rider. The horse was very skittish so I decided to hang back until they had turned off onto a bridal path.
On to the A660 and then up past Mone Bros. quarry along Alwoodley lane to Harrogate Road. Street Lane, across Soldiers Field and back home.
I had a wooley hat on and it was caked in frozen snow, as were my gloved and the front of the bike.
It was very slow going on the way back and I was cold but despite all that I actually enjoyed the ride.

It would have been better in the sun but beggars can't be choosers.

40miles in all with about 3000 feet of uphill

View: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/20227363

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Bike selected; CGR (streaming wet roads)
Weather; cloudy, cold, chance of intermittent sleet/snow
Photographs from today (unless captioned otherwise)


Out a little later this morning @ 10:00 'ish'
Fully fitted today, with overshoes & thicker gloves

Out past the PineApple, no chance of the usual views
Slightly slithery down the hill, as some of the wider puddles were still frozen

Past the Horse & Groom pub, at Horse Race End, starting to prepare for the dinner-time customers
A slight headwind picking up, with the descent towards the junction with Doncaster Road

Out, with a green light (rare!!), under the two railway bridges
- one disused as it served the (demolished) Power Station
- the other carries the Wakefield KirkGate - Doncaster line
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3784593

Left turn onto Agbrigg Road
At the end, another left onto (A61) Barnsley Road, passing Thomas A Beckett School, home of a road-race circuit!
http://www.st-thomasabecket.bkcat.co.uk/Facilities/Cycle-Circuit-1

Then Guy Salmon Land-Rover, bought from there myself (when they were at Copley)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2129922

Onwards past The Castle pub, & the Three Houses (which had a role in English crime history)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2263275
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2263283


A right filter, at the split (Barnsley Road continuing left), & I went onto Standbridge Lane, to pass the ASDA
At the far end, by Pugneys, it was a left onto Denby Dale Road (A636)

It was a 'damned if I did, damned if I didn't' situation......
Did I
- stay on the clear, heavily traffic-ed, but merely wet, A-roads
- detour onto the B-roads, that were quieter, but probably had a lot of icy patches

A-roads won
However, the next obstacle was the M1, at Calder Grove, as my lane shared its designation with the (M1) south-bound lane
Primary position won the day, over the slightly impatient Golf behind
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2637505


Come Calder Grove itself, light snow had started, & my bib-tights were starting to take on moisture
The l-o-n-g drag of Bullcliffe
It's not particularly steep, just steady climb, but very definitely a fast road

Come the top of it, by Woodside Farm & Midgely Roundabout, the sleet had turned to proper snow

A cold descent down the other side of the hill, towards Scissett was taken
Once in Scissett itself, a brief halt was called at the Pack-Horse bridge over the (infant) River Dearne

I did think about turning off here, & heading up the back lanes, towards High Hoyland, but the earlier decision was in my head



Cue, another stretch of 'DD turn-pike' riding, with almost streams along the surface, & big flakes falling
A brief call off at Norton Mill, & Cuttlehurst

I continued climbing slightly, past the 'Pigs In The Wood'

By Kitchenroyd, a decision had to be made
I did have it in my mind, to get as far as the 'Sovereign Cross-Roads', & loop back, onto Carr House Road, to return to Upper Cumberworth, but, as the skies were threatening, I decided on 'Discretion'

A turn around was made
Normally it's almost a freewheel all the way back to Clayton West from here, but with snow in the face, & cold muscles (as the tights were sodden, and the gloves!), it was pedal all the way, for warmth if nothing else

The climb from the Emley turn, up to Midgely roundabout was hard, given the non-working legs
Once at the top, it did start to snow
(just on the WF side of the roundabout)


Further down, under the trees (near the paintball venue), winds had blown what snow there was completely over the road
What fun!!!!

Now, I'm not sure what happened, but when I got to the bottom, near Blacker Hall Farm Shop, I couldn't think how I'd got down the hill
I just didn't know..........................

Once back down to Calder Grove, it was slightly more sheltered, & slighty(!!) warmer
I did take the chance to stop under the M1 (jct 39, again) & take off gloves & overshoes
Both required wringing out, to remove water

Then the reverse of my route back home, with fingers barely able to brake, let alone change gear. Getting onto the big-ring was almost impossible, as I didn't have enough feeling

On arrival home, I had to ask SWMBO to help remove my gloves
After she'd wiped my nose, as I just didn't have the manual dexterity to do it

Beard dripping everywhere, along with everything else

The legs were certainly chapped, when I took the bib-tights off




Two more days-off, I hope it's warmer tomorrow

 

[Levo-Lon]

Well it's been a lovely day, nice walk AM and decided to go out on the MTB around Wakerley this afternoon.
Very wet very muddy and great fun.
The washing machine will earn it's keep today wife not overly impressed

 

[hondated]

Nice one, @Dave 123 ! You'd make it into the Gallery of Suffering along with @wicker man, judging by that photo.

As for me, I turned up for our club ride today and found that everyone else had way too much sense to join me on such a miserable day. I guess that's when you realise that your hobby has become an obsession. So off I went on my own through relentless cold rain to do some hills. We had always planned to do Horsepools Hill to Edge today, so I started with that one. Once over and down the other side of that, I left the flat remainder of the club route, and decided to chuck in a few more hills instead for good measure.

There was a little snow at the side of the road at the top of Horsepools Hill at Edge, and further patches near Painswick Golf Club, near Cranham, and in Buckholt Woods, but it was cold rain that was the problem, not snow. I did a U-turn before getting to Birdlip, as there was still quite a lot of slushy snow on the road surface, and I didn't have the tyres for that kind of cycling. Loved the descent back down through Buckholt Woods and re-tracing my way back down into Painswick, but I was getting progressively colder with the wind chill and getting wetter all the time. I had to pull over a couple of times to wring the cold water out of my gloves, and I took five in a bus shelter at Pitchcombe to warm my hands up by jamming them in my armpits for a while. Result? Cold hands and cold armpits!

By the time I got home, I'd done 32 miles, with 2,500ft of climbing, so it was a good workout. I can understand the others not fancying it today, but I've got four mountains to do this year, so I needed some experience of climbing in grim weather conditions. (I'll only get one shot at each of them, and for all I know, the weather may well be cold and wet when I take them on, so might as well prepare for the worst). I actually enjoyed most of it..... though waterproof gloves would have made it much more comfortable.

Today's route and profile:
https://www.strava.com/routes/11715235

Enjoy your rides, everyone. There is fun to be had out there, even in this weather. Cheers, Donger.

Well done for getting out in that weather and down here in Eastbourne its marginally more pleasant. If its not a rude question what mountains are you planning to ride.

 

[Donger]

If its not a rude question what mountains are you planning to ride.

Not rude at all. (In fact I make sure i do them by telling absolutely everyone all about it in advance, so that there's no way I can back out!) We've got a week in Harlech coming up in the Spring, and I'm planning on riding the Llanberis Pass while we are there. Some time later in the year (I think) @Banjo has offered to join me on an assault on the Black Mountain from Sennybridge. That one has been on my wish list for a few years now. Then at the end of the Summer I'll be staying in the Vosges mountains in Alsace, so I've identified the Col du Platzerwasel and the Col de la Schlucht as my two previous TdF climbs that I'm hoping to do. (I like to try out as many climbs as I can that have been categorised in the TdF, just to get a feel for them). I've done 8 of them so far, so hopefully that will make it 10).