Your ride today....

[Donger]

Got twitchy legs and had to go out for a fix . Stuck strictly to salted main roads today ... I've had enough of the ice. Not much to report except that all the main roads around here are now completely ice free, so it is now safe to venture out. Did a 20.1 mile loop out to Stroud and back over Horsepools Hill to get in some proper climbing. Aah! That's better!

 

[Goonerobes]

I didn't have a lot of time today but given that the roads were dry I decided to give Roubaix 2 her second run-out as I've currently got the seat & stem heights set-up a little different to Roubaix 1 & the last thing I want is a bad back to go with my other aches & pains!

So it was just 16 miles on local roads, going up to Netley Marsh, through Bartley to Winsor before returning to Bartley, Woodlands, Ashurst & then home.

https://www.strava.com/activities/250303874

Not much to photograph today but the picture below is looking back towards Southampton & first the tower block in the centre was part of my paper-round from 1973-1977 & up until 4 years ago was the last time I rode a bike!

And I did manage to catch a Chinook flying overhead towards the Marchwood military port.

 

[ColinJ]

I know that you will all be very excited, so let me break the good news ...!

I did 4 miles of power-walking this morning to have a blood test done and I was going to make do with that for today's exercise ration, but it was another fine sunny winter day here, so I came home to warm up and have a bowl of porridge, and then went back out for another hilly photo session.

I'm just going through the photos and will post #4 in the series 'ColinJ does West Yorkshire rides on crisp, sunny winter afternoons' later!

 

[Dirk]

Beautiful sunny day in North Devon today but very chilly.
The plasterer finished patching up my living room at mid day. Once he'd gone, we saddled up and made our way down the Tarka Trail to Barnstaple. Dropped in at Lidl to pick up some bargain paint brushes, then on to Maplins for a coaxial plug
for the radio aerial. The wife and I
then dropped into my old office
to meet up with a former
colleague, who had brought her
bike in the car, up from Exeter.

We then went for a ride around Fremington and Barnstaple, before making our way back home. Dropped into Squire's in Braunton for mega fish and chips. Picked up a bottle of vino to enjoy later as well. 25 miles in total and frozen when we got back.
Unable to have heating on in the living room tonight as the plaster might crack, so have gone to bed early!

 

[Levo-Lon]

The ride tonight is cancelled..mate has a bad back.got the bike all sorted for it too.

 

[ColinJ]

Ok, West Yorkshire snowphiles, here you go ...

It was yet another cold, sunny winter day here today. The kind of day which makes me want to go out on my bike for a couple of hours, but then dash home to get warmed up!

It had been another bitter night so I was sticking clear of most minor lanes, but I did manage to find one safe one to venture down.

I don't want to keep repeating the same routes, but if I am only going to ride 15-25 miles then there is a fairly limited selection round here if I am avoiding very minor lanes because of the ice hazard, and built-up areas because I don't like them! So ... I came up with a route which I thought would be about 20 miles but I realised later that it was going to be way short of that. Fortunately, I spotted the fact that the Haworth Old Road had been very well gritted and was safe to cycle on so I inserted that into my ride.

Final route: Hebden Bridge, warm up along the A646 towards Halifax (only moderately busy mid-afternoon), Luddenden Foot, Solomon Hill, Midgley, Height Road, Chiserley, Old Town, Pecket Well, Keighley Road (A6033) climb, Haworth Old Road to end of tarmac and back, continued climbing the Keighley Road to the Tour de France KoM line at Cock Hill, then U-turned and did another chilly descent to Hebden Bridge, followed by a few trips round the block to get some feeling back in legs and make my distance up to 32 km/20 miles.

Route profile:

A photo taken from Height Road showing how the south-facing side of the Calder Valley has largely thawed, whereas the north-facing side is in shadow at this time of year and is still frozen.

That's the road I was riding along through Chiserley and Old Town to Pecket Well, where I climbed up to the Haworth Old Road.

The view along the Haworth Old Road, towards Haworth. Which eventually leads to this b*stard climb ...

Clearly I was not about to climb that just to give you sadists a perverse thrill!

Oh, go on then ...

An R.E.M.-like feeling came over me ... Sing along all together now - It's The End Of The, Er, Haworth Old Road, As We Know It ...

(I think the constant and unfamiliar glare of sunshine on Yorkshire snow was starting to get to me!)

I turned and headed back towards the Keighley Road, which is somewhere in the distance in the next photo ...

View from Haworth Old Road towards the Keighley Road.

One final picture before I got back on the main road to do the rest of my ascent, then descent back to town ...

Stoodley Pike in the distance as seen from the Haworth Old Road.

That's yer lot for today folks, but I have just thought of another route which I can do if this weather continues so 'watch this space'!

 

[Spartak]

Rode a DIY x GPS Audax to Monmouth today.
Set off at 9:30 in brilliant sunshine took my usual route to the Severn Bridge ( exactly 20k ) the crossing was cold with a brisk northerly wind blowing.
Took the road to Devauden climbing thru Itton. Reaching the summit the views opened up to show the snow covered Black Mountains in the far distance.
On thru Trellech passing the 'standing stones'.

The descent into Monmouth was great - not sure if I'd enjoy the climb as much !!
Decided to have lunch at Parsons Bakery, with a pork & apple sauce pasty hitting the spot 8-)

My route then took me along the A466 Wye valley road for a few miles before taking the sharp left hand turn to St. Bravails passing thru the village of Mork. It's a tough climb to the old castle, which now houses a YHA.

Back towards Chepstow via Tidenham Chase with some far reaching views across the Severn estuary & then across the Severn Bridge again and back to Bristol.

106kms with 1450 metres of climbing !

https://www.strava.com/activities/250299959

 

[xzenonuk]

yay got a 38.1 miler done earlier after the previous days 29 miler

took the back road past army barracks and up to the miller and carter steak house and took that road up to farmers garage, went a while that way, past the building with euro fighter statue things, then i began the magical mystery tour of getting lost lol

ended up along sea field and portobello beach front, then some how got too musselburgh and instead of going straight through and on too preston pans like i normally do from there, i thought it would be a good idea to deviate from my normal route and explore a bit so i ended up hitting dead end after dead end with hills for about an hour

finally found a road that actually looked like it wouldn't be a dead end so spent a while along that with no idea where i was going, with the help of google maps ill try and say what daft random way i went.

down through inveresk while getting lost lol, then i think i got too or near white craig, then i remember been some place called monkton and did go passed musselburgh golf course and got to some road called miller hill and passed a sign on a small road that said welcome to newton village, and i think very near dander hall and craig miller when trying to head back, according to a sign i was only half a mile away from craigmiller castle, then after more getting lost and ever more knackered i somehow managed to find my way to dalkieth rd that passes preston field and up to the common wealth center then got more lost trying to find my way back to the city center, actually ended up at the west end which i know a lot better so had a rest around the corner from where i get therapy again, screw the massive crowds on princess street for a rest before doing the last 9 or so miles back to the ferry.

left about 11 am and got back about 4:40 pm, feels like i have destroyed every muscle in my body plus doing weights last night after previous ride does not help lol oh well a magical mystery tour that was fun

think ill be resting the legs for a few days now so they can repair and im considering using my proper phone on longer bike rides now as i usually only take a crappy 15 quid one and put my sim in it, i could of done with google maps earlier, plus the cheapo one does not have a camera and theres been times i wanted to take a pic of the scenery

edit : oh guess strava app on a phone could track all my random getting lost shenanigans on mystery tours, might just get a cheap second gen moto g to use on bike

edit: 2 targeted my shoulders and triceps the other night after first ride with weights, oops im drunk, just hit my biceps with a exercise that does not require me to stand lol, if im gonna have a hangover later im gonna get every muscle in my body to hurt so i don't feel lazy when im lying in bed with a hangover, while i wait on them to repair and be stronger, then i can do it again

 

[mooseracer]

First ride of the week and did what is becoming my 'usual' evening 50. Very cold this evening but the roads were dry so ice wasn't a concern thankfully.

https://www.strava.com/activities/250439952

 

[Accy cyclist]

I'm impressed,i managed 30 miles after a day of ladder climbing last night around the outskirts of Blackburn and the Ribble Valley! So that's two thirty mile rides(alongside the other rides of course) so far this winter!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Some nice winter pics on here from ColinJ and Spartak!

 

[MikeW-71]

Another beaming day, so it was time to get the carbon bike out again to give the new Campag Zondas a shakedown.

I thought the roads would be completely dry, but no, they were pretty damp in places. No ice though, so I was happy enough. Bacon butties are not the best cycling fuel though and I really didn't feel I had any energy, so I settled for a steady ride rather than try to set any PB's (this doesn't usually happen in winter anyway ) and a nice 18 miles would do nicely.

The wheels felt brilliant! Ride is a touch firmer than the stock wheels, but they respond really well They aren't a night-and-day difference to the stock P-SL1's, but they are an improvement. Goes to show how good the stock wheels really are!

http://app.strava.com/activities/250713275

 

[Jon George]

Stuck in another 50+km today (33 miles out East of Ipswich). Interesting contrast between bright winter sun and occasional light hail showers.

The River Deben, hallway between Waldringfield and Newbourne. (Also hallway between two hail showers.)

 

[gavgav]

A bit milder here today, despite the forecasters saying it would be colder with the wind, so I nipped out for a very short ride after work. My bike is off to be serviced by @Rickshaw Phil this weekend and then I have some busy weekends coming up, to include moving into my new house (fingers crossed) in 2 weeks time, at which I will be bike less until my shed is delivered, and so I am likely to be down on cycling opportunities for a while. Will try and fit some in here and there!

It was drizzling as I set off down towards the river and Quarry Park, but I set a good pace including 5 PB's on Strava and overtook a ninja cyclist in the dark on Sydney Avenue.

The drizzle had turned to pouring rain by the time I reached the Quarry Park! Hardly any precipitation here for 2 weeks and yet it starts when I get out on my bike .

I walked my bike over Porthill Bridge and then headed up through Porthill and down the cycle paths to Meole Brace, before heading up to see my new house in the dark.

Lights were on and so I could see that the internal doors are fitted and there is paint on the walls. Almost there!!

I then continued up through Sutton Farm, where 2 cars ignored me trying to cross the road using the crossing along the old track bed path and then back the usual way home.

The rain had stopped for the last couple of miles and I could feel the temperature dropping quite quickly. Could be a bit of ice about soon.

11.6 miles

 

[Dave 123]

@gavgav
Just put your bikes in the sitting room....