Your ride today....

[8mph]

50 or 60 miles to arrive in Delhi and Finish this 3000 mile journey. The day has been a scorching 39.5 degrees and the ride has taken 8 hours. I made my way to the highway but due to diversions found myself on a much quieter road.

The ride into Delhi was dangerous and disturbing and I couldn't contemplate eating in this heat so I've had 1 sandwich, 4 ice lollys and some freshly juiced sugar cane and rode on feeling quite weak.
I'm finding riding difficult, my wrists and forearms are quite achy and in retrospect, butterfly bars could have helped. None of the cyclists that I have met along the way had suspension forks and the roads are so bumpy even with 2" tyres.
It's time to pack up the bike ready to fly home.

 

[DCBassman]

50 or 60 miles to arrive in Delhi and Finnish this 3000 mile journey. The day has been a scorching 39.5 degrees and the ride has taken 8 hours. I made my way to the highway but due to diversions found myself on a much quieter road. View attachment 459623
The ride into Delhi was dangerous and disturbing and I couldn't contemplate eating in this heat so I've had 1 sandwich, 4 ice lollys and some freshly juiced sugar cane and rode on feeling quite weak.
I'm finding riding difficult, my wrists and forearms are quite achy and in retrospect, butterfly bars could have helped. None of the cyclists that I have met along the way had suspension forks and the roads are so bumpy even with 2" tyres.
It's time to pack up the bike ready to fly home. View attachment 459623 View attachment 459624

Amazing journey, well done!

 

[C R]

50 or 60 miles to arrive in Delhi and Finnish this 3000 mile journey. The day has been a scorching 39.5 degrees and the ride has taken 8 hours. I made my way to the highway but due to diversions found myself on a much quieter road. View attachment 459623
The ride into Delhi was dangerous and disturbing and I couldn't contemplate eating in this heat so I've had 1 sandwich, 4 ice lollys and some freshly juiced sugar cane and rode on feeling quite weak.
I'm finding riding difficult, my wrists and forearms are quite achy and in retrospect, butterfly bars could have helped. None of the cyclists that I have met along the way had suspension forks and the roads are so bumpy even with 2" tyres.
It's time to pack up the bike ready to fly home. View attachment 459623 View attachment 459624

Puts my rides in perspective.

 

[Reynard]

50 or 60 miles to arrive in Delhi and Finnish this 3000 mile journey. The day has been a scorching 39.5 degrees and the ride has taken 8 hours. I made my way to the highway but due to diversions found myself on a much quieter road. View attachment 459623
The ride into Delhi was dangerous and disturbing and I couldn't contemplate eating in this heat so I've had 1 sandwich, 4 ice lollys and some freshly juiced sugar cane and rode on feeling quite weak.
I'm finding riding difficult, my wrists and forearms are quite achy and in retrospect, butterfly bars could have helped. None of the cyclists that I have met along the way had suspension forks and the roads are so bumpy even with 2" tyres.
It's time to pack up the bike ready to fly home. View attachment 459623 View attachment 459624

Wow, chapeau!

 

[mjr]

At the other end of the scale, just a quick ride to town to pick up more gravel rash stuff, a missing ingredient for tonight's dinner - and a few other groceries we needed because I had space.

On the way back, riding in the sunshine, I wondered "why do we need more roads when people don't even use the ones we've got"

OK, the odd lunchtime traffic patterns were partly because of bin lorries collecting, as can be seen in the reverse direction...

 

[Basil.B]

Despite having a stinking rotten cold, I managed to do my 25 mile loop this morning.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

As the weather is so good today, and my wife has had some odd hours today, I went out on the bike.

I crossed the border into Derbyshire and headed for Chesterfield following the Trans Pennine Trail from Rother Valley Country Park. Several cyclists on the trail today including a couple of group rides.

I'd never cycled around Chesterfield before so downloaded a GPX route file to take in the local parks in a loop before rejoining the TPT and home. The first park was great, Holmebrook Valley Park, and I hoped was a good benchmark for the other parks. However, Holmebrook was the best of the six I rode through. Some I wouldn't call parks, more kids play areas.

There is some cycling infrastructure in Chesterfield, mostly of the painted line variety, but some shared segregated paths such as Station Approach. Some of the cycle paths were a little confusing, some I had to cross traffic to access. As someone who lives in a country village it was a bit of an eye-opener. I don't usually venture into towns or cities on the bike (or ever if I can avoid it).

Today's experience was marred a little by the white van driving head-on towards me on the wrong side of the road. I swerved. He swerved as an afterthought at the very last millisecond.

My experience was improved by the brief and enjoyable chat I had with another cyclist while trying to figure out my route. Very nice chap who works at the hospital and was getting an hour's ride in before his shift. He suggested I'd have more fun out around Hathersage, Castleton, Edale, etc. Having walked around there, I know he's right. Today was about broadening my horizons and getting out of my comfort zone (and seeing more of Chesterfield).

Found my way back to the Chesterfield Canal and TPT and eventually home. Now to clean the disc rotors as they've picked up a contaminant (again).

36.5 happy miles.


Trans Pennine Trail from Rother Valley Country Park


Street entrance to Holmebrook Valley Park



The famous crooked spire of Chesterfield


Chesterfield Canal signage.

 

[cyberknight]

Despite having a stinking rotten cold, I managed to do my 25 mile loop this morning.

Ive been off the bike all week and im going stir crazy , trouble is im doing night shift and im looking at about 11 hour shift every night .

I have just got the sniffly , coughing up phlegm , a bit dizzy kinda cold and sunday my club mates told me i looked bad and told me to go home when i turned up , hoping to get it cleared up enough by the weekend to attempt the easy club ride.
I think work has not helped 2 -3 hours overtime a day as those work hours have been going on for months so i just feel drained all the time and my cycling time and fitness have nose dived anyway .

 

[Reynard]

Ive been off the bike all week and im going stir crazy , trouble is im doing night shift and im looking at about 11 hour shift every night .

I have just got the sniffly , coughing up phlegm , a bit dizzy kinda cold and sunday my club mates told me i looked bad and told me to go home when i turned up , hoping to get it cleared up enough by the weekend to attempt the easy club ride.
I think work has not helped as those work hours have been going on for months so i just feel drained all the time and my cycling time and fitness have nose dived anyway .

Can't like this... But will dispense a instead.

Hope you feel more chipper soon xxx

 

[C R]

Ive been off the bike all week and im going stir crazy , trouble is im doing night shift and im looking at about 11 hour shift every night .

I have just got the sniffly , coughing up phlegm , a bit dizzy kinda cold and sunday my club mates told me i looked bad and told me to go home when i turned up , hoping to get it cleared up enough by the weekend to attempt the easy club ride.
I think work has not helped as those work hours have been going on for months so i just feel drained all the time and my cycling time and fitness have nose dived anyway .

A like, but you know what it means.

 

[Reynard]

Lovely ride in the spring sunshine this afternoon.

Fancied a longer ride, so headed out via O Furlong to Pymoor, joining the B1411 to ride along the Hundred Foot. Since I was last out there in the autumn, the road has been resurfaced, which makes a change from dodging cracks and potholes. Someone has also done a nice job of planting daffodils on the levee near the pumping station, and although the blooms were past their best, it still looked really lovely. Had to stop for a quick natural behind a tree. My fault, too many at lunchtime!

Then it's onto the A1101 at Golds Hill, over the suspension bridge, and onto the causeway. There's water on the washes, but nowhere near as much as this time last year (when it was impassable until nearly May), and the edges were full of more daffs and lesser celandine. There were ducks dabbling at the margins, quite a few swans and one egret. At the end of the causeway, it's over the River Delph and into Welney proper.

Stopped at the Lamb & Flag, sat on the wall in the sunshine and ate the Kit kat I'd brought with me. Chap came by with a little dog - the mutt took exception to the bike and was growling and barking at it. Chap and I had a good laugh. Kit kat eaten, it was an about turn, retracing my wheel tracks back to Golds Hill, where I stayed on the A1101 bound for Littleport.

Rode into Littleport via Parson's Lane and stopped off at the quacks to pick up mum's prescription before riding back home via Black Bank and Downham Common.

Somehow I'd contrived to have either a headwind or a crosswind all the way around, and it was quite hard work at times. But it was good to be out. Saw four other cyclists - two commuters on hybrids and a couple of chaps on road bikes while riding beside the Hundred Foot.

About 20 miles in total, enjoyed myself thoroughly, and the post-ride didn't half taste good.

 

[Katherine]

Ive been off the bike all week and im going stir crazy , trouble is im doing night shift and im looking at about 11 hour shift every night .

I have just got the sniffly , coughing up phlegm , a bit dizzy kinda cold and sunday my club mates told me i looked bad and told me to go home when i turned up , hoping to get it cleared up enough by the weekend to attempt the easy club ride.
I think work has not helped 2 -3 hours overtime a day as those work hours have been going on for months so i just feel drained all the time and my cycling time and fitness have nose dived anyway .

Hope you feel better soon. Just give it time to go.

 

[Mike_P]

5.39 miles and 339ft of the upward stuff on the ebike this morning for a “too big for letter box” collection from the sorting office.
Defy given a bit of maintenance and down the eastern end of Penny Pot Lane this afternoon for the climb of Cornwall Road except that the road was being resurfaced so closed to vehicles and passable by bike in part. Turned out that the bit being worked on was past the junction with Kent Road.

Choice was either walking the bike past the work area or going down Kent Road, which is unmade at its western end to preclude it being a rat run. Opted to try Kent Road and it was passable if at a slow pace. Thereafter turned back onto the intended route south then south west to the end of Whnney Lane. North west and west to Beckwithshaw in a PR then a windy climb to pass Little Armscliffe, down to Norwood and further decent to Swinsty Reservior

Then a loop between Fewston and Menwith Hill Road to see how bad Parkinson Lane to the north east side of Fewston Reservoir was.

Not that good was the answer, passable but care needed. Ruled out for any forthcoming evening rides.
Back east on Penny Pot with Knabbs Ridge wind farm working well

25.1 miles with 1569ft of climbing, 11.4 mph avg.

 

[postman]

Otley it was wonderful.Just a tootle average speed 11.5.No trouble at all.Well the app on the phone drained the battery from 95% to 17% and it stopped recording the ride.So i only got the first half in.So i have just removed it from the phone.I am just going to go out and not try to keep up with the Joneses of this world.Just going to enjoy the cycling.Return journey was fab,plenty of energy.Great time out.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Afternoon off, gorgeous day, so went out on my Epic, love this bike, all the sales and magazine journalism hype is absolutely spot on, it makes me smile even against a head wind..
The ride back was super fast, tail winds should be made law
Nice xc ride 16 miles according strava, but its a pain, keeps switching off, but usually recovers after phone powered down.
I did about 20 miles but it's just showing a straight line home which is not possible as I retraced most of my outward ride..


I have 4 bottles of my favorite Everards Tiger bitter to consume now, ive earned it.