Your ride today....

[delb0y]

No proper rides yet this year, but I am getting out most weekends to do a 20 or so. Just trying to retain a little of the fitness that I may have built up in the autumn. Got well and truly soaked today so have just ordered some mudguards... Bit stable door and horse, but there'll no doubt be more rain over the coming months. If all goes well I might try and do a thirty tomorrow, but it all depends on other factors. Enjoying these little cold and wet rides though.

 

[pjd57]

two trips today.
Morning, it was over to the south side of Glasgow , Pollock and Govan.

Home for lunch , changed bikes and another 15 mile round trip through the city to Celtic Park.
Usual route so I haven't bothered posting it again.

Weather was reasonable enough.
Only time I got wet was putting the hybrid away and getting my CX out, chucked it down, so I had another cuppa till it blew over.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Good to get out the house for the day, albeit the weather was very British. Dutch hills for just under 60% of the ride today (according to www.mywindsock.com ), but sticking with the NL theme, I found a bottle of Chocomel (those in the know will know) in a tiny corner shop in an even tinier Gloucestershire village. That gave me power. Here’s a first: My Wahoo has been ultra reliable until now. I stopped in a graveyard in Frocester for a wee behind a yew. I don’t think that was Christian etiquette, because almost instantly, my GPS crashed and I couldn’t navigate. Oops. Apologies to the Christian hierarchy.

Spotted @Arjimlad and @Cranky Knee Girl

 

[Dave 123]

That's some ride

View attachment 449114

And I didn’t even sweat!

 

[Donger]

@Hector Chasca ... If I'd known you were coming my way I'd have ridden out to Epney to say hello.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

@Hector Chasca ... If I'd known you were coming my way I'd have ridden out to Epney to say hello.

Appreciate the thought. Great ride to Epney. It got silly when we turned back into the headwind. Hell’s teeth were fully open today.

 

[MrBeanz]

40 miles at 16.8 MPH average speed.

SUPER WINDY ride today. Forecast said 35 MPH winds with gusts up to 60. A buddy and I headed off on the trail pushing hard doing 13 MPH for the first 7 miles into the wind, what a warm up!

Then we doubled back to the coast. Stopped at a park to refill the water bottles. Ran into Mark and Mark. I've known Mark with the tracheotomy for several years now. Mid 60's, throat cancer and ended up with a trach. Wow, I know some pretty macho guys who turned to sissy status after much less. But this dude got out there and rode his bike. Rides anywhere from 30-60 mile is his usual.

He introduced me to the other Mark. This dude has another amazing story. Quintuple bypass, heart problems but 10 month later did a full Iron Man!

I had been moving heavy furniture all week and my legs were burning fighting that wind and crying about it. Then I run into these guys!

Mark and Mark

Mark's bike.

 

[MrBeanz]

Made a little video of today's ride. The wind must have affected my brain as I dated the title 2016. Just pretend it's a 9 flipped upside down.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Ride to Bakery, pick up bread, ride back.

1.1km and 20m climbing and descent on the 35kg Bakfiets (pictured below on a picnic). All Bakfiets rides count as double. So there.

 

[EltonFrog]

Ride to Bakery, pick up bread, ride back.

1.1km and 20m climbing and descent on the 35kg Bakfiets (pictured below on a picnic). All Bakfiets rides count as double. So there.

View attachment 449239

Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

[Pale Rider]

Thank you both for the draft. The one turn I did in the wind showed how much benefit one gets. Was shattered by the time I got home.....not sure I'd have made it much further.

I've taken a draft from @Supersuperleeds, which is a shameful admission given I was on my ebike.

It took some doing to get past him to do my turn - he has what the telly commentators call a 'big diesel engine'.

Wind played a part in my group ride today.

Nasty gusts which were strong enough to blow a bike off line.

I reckon my ebike, weighing 20+kg, is a bit more stable in blustery conditions than a push bike.

One of our group debuted his new Cube CX bike today, it's a decent spec one, but that didn't stop him getting a puncture almost as soon as we set off.

We sought shelter by a wall, although it was still unpleasant standing around in the wind while he changed the tube.

The delay obliterated any thoughts we might have had about doing more than a few miles, so we headed to one of our nearby 'indoor' cafe stops for a not particularly well earned cuppa.

 

[13 rider]

Checking the weather App last night rain early strong wind later so if I ride do I want to get wet or blown about ? .Up at 0630 checked the App 93% chance of rain at 0700 Out the door at 0715 and it's not raining . Down the hill from home and in a gap in the houses get hit with a blast of crosswind that got my attention . Anstey ,Groby ,Desford ,Earl Shilton a nice stretch of tailwind out to Frolesworth doing 25 mph on the flat . Turned for home so now it's going to be a headwind home .Broughton Astley ,Sutton Elms ,Croft and Thurlaston . The climb out of Thurlaston was into a proper headwind which made it hard work . Back to Desford and retraced my steps home . 36.4 miles in the bag and perfectly dry but chilly conditions .Letters DEFG bagged for the ABC challenge thread . Glad I went early sitting here watching the trees bending in the wind wouldn't want to be out there now .

 

[Donger]

Almost didn't turn up this morning for the club ride. Blustery as hell when I looked out the window at 5-ish. Thought better of it, and went out anyway when it seemed the worst of the windy weather had passed. Only six of us had turned up today, and four of them were intermediates/fast guys, so that just left me and a new lady called Julia to do the social ride. No matter. Had a great little 34 miler out to Stroud, then up the Slad Valley before stopping for coffee and cakes at the Rococo Garden at Painswick. Then, after getting to the top of Upton Hill, I ad-libbed a different route home that took us along the Cotswold escarpment on Sevenleaze Lane and then back to Gloucester down the Stroud Road. By that time the wind had really kicked up again, and the descent, with vicious, blustery side winds and traffic at our shoulders was a bit hairy to say the least. Being a bit of a triathlete, Julia kept up well today except when I cut loose on the descents through Buckholt Woods and down the Stroud Road. In fact I reckon she could have climbed much faster that me .... but I was the one who knew the way, and we were both enjoying the views of the Slad Valley, Painswick Valley and Severn Vale. A nice ride despite the blustery wind. Took me over 250 miles for the month, which is my monthly target if I'm to hit 3,000 miles again this year.
Cheers, Donger.

 

[Spiderweb]

I met up with 2 friends just after lunch for a quick MTB ride. I was riding an 18 year old Marin Muirwoods they were on the very latest eMTB’s, one Haibike and one Trek Powerfly. I’ve got to say although an eBike is not for me they are fantastic, I can see the appeal.
A lovely ride to Hazlewood castle with headwinds in excess of 40 mph, hardwork.
Anyway just 9.8 miles of me trying to keep up, great ride, loads of fun.

 

[Mike_P]

On line trawl answered the speed display issues with the ebike - the sensor has to be 5mm from the magnet so realigned and fifth test ride commenced. Decided to follow the UCI Harrogate Circuit as near as is possible without going the wrong way down a one way section of the A61. Joining it on Penny Pot Lane the road starts to descend with a sharp right turn

Continuing downhill there is a small kicker and a right curve leading to an almost 180 degree turn over a narrow bridge with the climb of Cornwall Road where the 8km marker will be.

There is a right turn on the harsh climb

Levelling out slightly thereafter and then steepening more on Harlow Moor Road passing through the Pine Woods with speed bumps to cope with

A left turn follows into Valley Drive and a decent alongside Valley Gardens passing the 10km mark down to the Royal Pump Room (west side)

A sharp left turn here back into Cornwall Road on the other side of Valley Gardens with an initial sharp ascent leading into a false flat.

Right into Hereford Road which then veers to left

Across Duchy Road and downgrade with a right turn into Kent Road which undulates slightly through the 12km mark followed by a right turn onto the climb of the A61 Ripon Road. Rather than following the normal race route as used by TdF and TdY previously the Circuit turns right into Swan Road passing the Old Swan Hotel of Agatha Christie disappearance fame

and back to the Royal Pump Room (north face of the building) turning left

The race route then turns right at a traffic light controlled junction; as that right turn would be illegal normally I headed west of the actual route. Looking across the Stray the row of buildings in the distance are on the route of the circuit and the start/finish is just off to the left of the photo.

Continued below