Your ride today....

[EltonFrog]

View attachment 465229 View attachment 465230 So the main aim of today was to get my longest ever ride in .

Claire arrived just before 07:30 and we set off , the plan was to be over 70.3 miles for me which was my longest ride to date. For Claire that isnt a issue as she has done ride London, am also done 100 miles to the Forest of Dean then over the Severn Bridge.

From the Kingsway we headed to the Elmore loop to do a part instead of going straight down the A38 to Slimbridge like last time.

So we stuck to the lanes to Saul and Frampton before getting to the A38 to the George at Cambridge to go around the back to Slimbridge on route 41.

So we then went to Morend, Wanswell, Berkeley, Hill, Oldbury on Severn and Littleton on Severn before joining the Aust road from Alveston to the Severn Bridge. View attachment 465225 View attachment 465225 View attachment 465226 We then reversed the route until on the Elmore loop when went towards Stonebench and on to Olympus Park before getting on the Kingsway.
It was at the lights here that I cramped up and had to get off the bike at stretch. With Claire telling me which was the best way to do it. We then finished the loop so in the end I achieved my goal of my longest ride .

I wanted it my longest ride to be with Claire as she has been a amazing friend over the last nearly 2 years, since my wife died. Also most of my rides recently have been with her and really enjoyed being with her on and off the bike.

So in the end the ride was 72.41 miles and we averaged 15.6 mph. Which I am really pleased about. It was just a great ride leaving early was the right choice too .

Claire has already said next time will be 80 miles!!

Great stuff, good miles, and a couple of nice bikes.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Something a bit different for me today. Still Audax orientated though, but rather than distance, today I was shooting for elevation. I am working towards a peculiar and complicated award called an Audax Altitude Award Round the Year (AAA RtY)

Credit for the design of the route must go to Drew ‘Onion Johnny’ Buck: Randonneur Extraordinaire and YouTube celebrity. He designed this route for a sportive that runs fairly locally every year. I have canonised it so I can leave from my front door and so I can acquire the stipulated elevation. Don’t ask how the calculations work. They just do ok?

The route included many lumps but notably Dundry Beacon 2km, Blagdon Climb 3km and Col de Horrington out of Wells 5km.

The top of Cheddar Gorge

The Bishop’s Palace, Wells

Bishop’s Palace, Wells

Cockpit Crib Sheet: Controls And Lumps

Top Tube Crib Sheet: Food establishments

Drew ‘Onion Johnny’ Buck (Paris-Brest-Paris 2015)

Blagdon Lake: Two old codgers having their last fishing trip together before they are sucked down the spillway. It was hard to watch.

 

[13 rider]

View attachment 465229 View attachment 465230 So the main aim of today was to get my longest ever ride in .

Claire arrived just before 07:30 and we set off , the plan was to be over 70.3 miles for me which was my longest ride to date. For Claire that isnt a issue as she has done ride London, am also done 100 miles to the Forest of Dean then over the Severn Bridge.

From the Kingsway we headed to the Elmore loop to do a part instead of going straight down the A38 to Slimbridge like last time.

So we stuck to the lanes to Saul and Frampton before getting to the A38 to the George at Cambridge to go around the back to Slimbridge on route 41.

So we then went to Morend, Wanswell, Berkeley, Hill, Oldbury on Severn and Littleton on Severn before joining the Aust road from Alveston to the Severn Bridge. View attachment 465225 View attachment 465225 View attachment 465226 We then reversed the route until on the Elmore loop when went towards Stonebench and on to Olympus Park before getting on the Kingsway.
It was at the lights here that I cramped up and had to get off the bike at stretch. With Claire telling me which was the best way to do it. We then finished the loop so in the end I achieved my goal of my longest ride .

I wanted it my longest ride to be with Claire as she has been a amazing friend over the last nearly 2 years, since my wife died. Also most of my rides recently have been with her and really enjoyed being with her on and off the bike.

So in the end the ride was 72.41 miles and we averaged 15.6 mph. Which I am really pleased about. It was just a great ride leaving early was the right choice too .

Claire has already said next time will be 80 miles!!

Well done @Dark46 . Imperial century is calling , your nearly 3\4 of the way there

 

[13 rider]

As is becoming a pattern first Saturday of the month is Imperial century ride first Sunday is a 50km ride for the monthly challenges .Out the door at 10.00 heading on a standard less hilly loop to Wymeswold and back .Anstey ,Cropston and Rothley were at the traffic light I caught up a female ride quick chat and she tells me she just done Beacon hill and Polly Botts lane and was heading to Ragdale another big climb well done that lady that's some proper climbing !.Cossington ,Sileby ,Seagrave up the steady drag of Berrycotts lane . Found my nice descent into Wymeswold of narrow lane blocked by a road closure for a running race . So stuck on the main road another quickish descent into Burton on the wolds losing a few miles in the progress so turned right to Hoton and back to Barrow ,Mountsorrel ,Cropston and home . 31.8 miles so 50km ticked off . Normally I treat this ride as a recovery ride but felt good today so pushed on and an average of 17.1 mph was the reward . A lot warmer than yesterday and a lot less windy

 

[Spiderweb]

An afternoon ride on the Tricross, a little bit nippy at 9-10 degrees. 33.7 miles with an average of 14.9 mph. Nice ride but felt really low on energy.

 

[Reynard]

Nothing quite so stellar from me. But needed to get out and go for a spin this morning. So dusted off the winter jacket, buff and roubaix tights and headed off on Wiggy #1, the Rouen, in some pretty cold and blustery conditions to do the same loop I did on Tuesday.

Along Downham Common, up the climb along Lawn Lane, through the village and out along the lumps and bumps of The Hythe all the way to Red Caps Lane. An about turn there, back along the Hythe, then down Mill Hill and into a really stiff headwind. I actually had to pedal down the hill!

Was a tough slog to Pymoor with the headwind - it's one of the more exposed roads out in this neck of the woods. Past Adventurer's Drove, Corker's Crisps and into Pymoor, where I triggered the speed trap at the stellar velocity of 9mph... It was in Pymoor that I met my first and only other cyclist of the day - a chap on a roadie.

A right turn then takes me past the rec ground, where I had to stop to let a rather indecisive cat cross the road. Going on its looks, I suspect it is one of Madam Lexi's many relatives.

The run into home from here via O Furlong was with a tailwind. Oh bliss! I was fairly zipping along, and for the last half mile or so, I put the hammer down to see exactly what I could do. That was fun!

Had to stop at the level crossing to let two trains go past - a Greater Anglia passenger service to Peterborough and a Class 62 goods loco.

Hard work, but 10 very enjoyable miles nonetheless.

The post-ride bowl of leek & potato soup went down really rather nicely.

 

[Stonechat]

Club run today, and just 3 yes three turned out

The destination was Milford
Outward journey was via Chobham, Bisley, Pirbright, Tongham, And Elstead.
It was a little cold. The wind was marginally with us on this leg.

Return leg was via Godalming, Compton, Wanborough(over the Hogs Back), Normandy, Pirbright and Brookwood

Pace at times was a little high, not really fully outdoor legs up to scratch.

62.90 miles with 2103 feet climbed.
Ave moving speed 15.5 mph

And a metric century

 

[The_Weekend_Report_Guy]

Week is done!

To finish an easy Sunday ride with the guys from the club with a little climbing extra at the start since they wanted to do that. Most of the pics are from there.

Run into this friend at the start.. Hi David!

Climbing…

More climbing..

And more climbing..

After that I forgot to take pics since it was downhill and well not where I like to play around with the camera.

Another big week between work and fun!

423 km and 8750 meters of climbing.

I will sleep well tonight…..

 

[Andy in Germany]

Nothing exciting today: Bakery run in the morning, then half a dozen return trips on the Bakfiets delivering stuff for Middle Son's confirmation celebration, and bringing the wreckage back

Probably a couple of K's but then, Bakfiets distances count as double...

 

[DCLane]

Llanfair 400km audax - a long way: https://www.strava.com/activities/2342630779

Headwinds, cold, sand in the face. Was so cold I didn't want to wander round Anglesey's back lanes (done that twice) so threw the bike down the A55. Made it back just before 4.30am when it was almost freezing.

OTOH some decent company, which is a bit unusual for me these days as my riding speed's a bit limited.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Llanfair 400km audax - a long way: https://www.strava.com/activities/2342630779

Headwinds, cold, sand in the face. Was so cold I didn't want to wander round Anglesey's back lanes (done that twice) so threw the bike down the A55. Made it back just before 4.30am when it was almost freezing.

OTOH some decent company, which is a bit unusual for me these days as my riding speed's a bit limited.

Hah! Limited. You are fishing for compliments. Very speedy (Climbed onto your Strava feed btw, incase you are wondering who the leafy follow request is from)

 

[13 rider]

Llanfair 400km audax - a long way: https://www.strava.com/activities/2342630779

Headwinds, cold, sand in the face. Was so cold I didn't want to wander round Anglesey's back lanes (done that twice) so threw the bike down the A55. Made it back just before 4.30am when it was almost freezing.

OTOH some decent company, which is a bit unusual for me these days as my riding speed's a bit limited.

 

[DCLane]

Hah! Limited. You are fishing for compliments.

Nope - just couldn't stop for long as my 14yo had an important 25 mile TT this morning.

If anyone's thinking of riding Mike Wrigley's audaxes they are always well organised.

 

[Dave 123]

Managed to squeeze 10 miles in this evening via Jennycliff and Saltram

https://www.strava.com/activities/2344744564

 

[Reynard]

Llanfair 400km audax - a long way: https://www.strava.com/activities/2342630779

Headwinds, cold, sand in the face. Was so cold I didn't want to wander round Anglesey's back lanes (done that twice) so threw the bike down the A55. Made it back just before 4.30am when it was almost freezing.

OTOH some decent company, which is a bit unusual for me these days as my riding speed's a bit limited.