Your ride today....

[Oxford Dave]

Managed to find time for an hour's ride between the ice leaving the local roads and a lunch meeting with an old friend, so popped out for another 8-9 mile ride. Unfortunately, I missed a turn and ended doing over 13 miles and getting home half an hour late. Still made it in time for lunch (just!). Brought my first six days since my return to cycling to over 42 miles.

 

[C R]

A bit of a crazy ride today. The forecast was very cold, so expecting ice on the less frequented lanes. To avoid the worst of the ice I planned a route that would take in mostly main roads. The temperature was also going to require being dressed appropriately, socks, waterproof socks, thermal trousers, three layers and winter coat, buff, silk liners and winter gloves and also overshoes. By the time I was dressed it was already ten to seven, and there was a smidgen of a hint of pink towards the east.

Out through St Peters, over the pedestrian bridge onto Lower Wick, and a left towards Powick, heading to Malvern. I kept to the A449, as it would have been gritted, and it has traffic, so it was clear of ice. In Newland I took the left for Madresfield, heading for Guarlford Rd. The light was now going past grey, with the horizon to the east lit up by the sun.

It was really cold, and if I stopped for more than five minutes my fingers and toes started to complain. The trick seemed to be to put some effort in to raise my blood temperature. Pressing on, a right to Barnard's Green, and once there a left towards Welland. The road goes slightly up to Malvern common, which helped to keep me warm with the effort. Once at the top of the common the road goes downhill past the showground, and carries downhill to the Gloucester road, where I turned right for Welland. I took a bit of a break by the church, and as I was adjusting my buff, I noticed that there was frost forming on my helmet.

As there was now full daylight, I decided to try a new lane, hoping it wouldn't be too icy, and at least I could see where the ice was. So left towards Longdon Heath past Welland Stone. Lovely lane, with beautiful views, though running water in parts had made some icy patches, which luckily were clearly visible and easy to avoid.

Along this lane I caught the first glimpses of the rising sun.

The view towards the hills over the field on the other side of the road gives an idea of how thick the frost was.

I made it to the end of the lane without incident, and then it was a left towards Upton. In the short climb to the Welland road there was a lot of ice from an overflowing ditch. Fortunately the ice was mostly on the other side, I wouldn't have fancied my chances hitting that on the downhill.

I made it in one piece to Upton, and from there I took the standard route via Earls Croome, and then to Rebecca Rd past Croome to add enough miles for the metric half. After Croome I went past a blind runner and his guide, who warned me about the thick fog ahead on the way to Wadborough. It was indeed quite thick, and the drop in temperature was noticeable.

Wadborough, then Littleworth went past, and then the downhill by Norton church. Just past the church I noticed a cyclist coming up the hill in shorts, short sleeve jersey, and no gloves or hat .

By the time I made it home the water in my bottle had started to freeze

And I had frost on my gloves and clothes

I made it in one piece, and I didn't even feel that cold.

The map

 

[BianchiVirgin]

61km, 450m climbing at 25.5km/hr average. Temp less than 0 for most of it. Maybe +2 when I got home.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

From what others have said about the weather today I think that perhaps Suffolk was blessed. Mind, we did have a frost and it was still evident at 10.45 when I went out. The temperature had risen to 4 degrees and in the sunshine was not too bad. I did toy with the idea of going on my Rattlesden route for a change but not sure how the roads might be so headed off to Bacton and Wyverstone yet again. The roads were fine, sun had played a part no doubt. From Wyverstone it was onto Westhorpe, Finningham and Wickham Skeith. At least from Wyverstone the 10mph NNW wind was behind me so started to feel a bit warmer, if that is the right description. It seemed no time before I was at Mendlesham and I thought for a change I`d turn off to Mendlesham Green and do a loop. I did a loop alright but not the one I thought I`d be doing ! As I got back to Stowupland and Stowmarket a bit quicker than I had anticipated I added a bit more on which included another climb, Whoopie ! That made 748 feet of climbing in total and a distance of 23.7 miles at 17.1 mph average. That has been my average for the last 3 rides. My left foot numbness was`nt quite so bad today despite the cold, maybe fitting foam inner soles helped, time will tell. A ride I enjoyed with wall to wall sunshine. Most drivers were good today although quite a few seem to think the 30mph limit does not apply either to them or on Sundays.

 

[Jenkins]

Having got up this morning and seen the frost, I did the only sensible thing and made a cup of coffee & went back to bed while it cleared up. I didn't get out until late morning and, as the ride I'd planned involved driving to Stowmarket for a loop out from there in @Shearwater Missile territory, the ride didn't start until nearly midday.

Thanks to free parking on Sundays, I started from near the rail station and headed north to Old Newton and then along back roads to Debenham before heading up past the Aspal cider factory to Thorndon and then generally westwards on more back roads through Finningham, Walsham le Willows and Badwell Ash to Thurston and an indirect run back to Stwomarket through Norton, Beyton, Drinkstone & Woolpit Heath. A lovely 51 miles just watching the Suffolk countryside roll by in some of the best conditions of the year so far.

However, I'd overestimated how dry the roads would be so used my best bike without mudguards which now requires a lot of cleaning - generally damp roads, loads of run-off from the fields, mud, etc, while the light breeze kept things nice and cool. The main problem was with the low winter sun and damp roads producing a lot of glare and making the Garmin difficult to see at times.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3025399047

 

[AndreaJ]

Yesterday’s ride was delayed until the afternoon when the ice should have cleared so after an unsuccessful attempt to fit my new mudguards which due to a lack of space meant a decision between back light or mudguard I set off in the sunshine and cold with back light towards Wolverley staying on the main road before turning to Loppington, Brown Heath, Colemere, around the mere, Lyneal, Welshampton back into a main road until I turned to Bettisfield where I met a man walking a Weimaraner puppy. The puppy looked a bit scared as I slowed down a bit more and said hello, the owner apologised and said the puppy was a bit scared as she hadn’t seen many bikes , I offered to stop so she could look at the bike and have a fuss which seemed to help. I carried on to Bettisfield then back to Northwood dodging the potholes and craters which are particularly bad here back to Whixall where a barn owl flew across the lane in front of me, and headed towards the sunset back home. 23.3 miles

Had to wait until lunchtime today before going out while the ice melted and soon found out that it hadn’t all quite gone so slowly set off with mudguards today as no light needed to Northwood, Welshampton, Coptiviney, Ellesmere alongside the Mere to Lee, Whitemere past Wood Lane nature reserve where an idiot in a golf thought it would be fun to push past without slowing down or moving over while shouting abuse which spoilt my ride somewhat, round Colemere the same way as yesterday, into Lyneal, Loppington, Burlton, Myddle, Nonely, Tilley, into Wem where I worked out I would get home with a total of 29 miles so decided to add an extra loop through Barkers Green and Aston back into Wem where I had to wait for the train, this can take some time and judging by the queue of traffic the barriers had already been down a while. Had enough time for a drink and to reply to my daughter’s text message before the train appeared . Carried on through Wem, over Lowe Hill and home. Still quite icy in places which slowed me down a bit. 33.2 miles @14.5mph and another sunny day
Picture of sunset from yesterday and White Mere today.

 

[13 rider]

Yesterday’s ride was delayed until the afternoon when the ice should have cleared so after an unsuccessful attempt to fit my new mudguards which due to a lack of space meant a decision between back light or mudguard I set off in the sunshine and cold with back light towards Wolverley staying on the main road before turning to Loppington, Brown Heath, Colemere, around the mere, Lyneal, Welshampton back into a main road until I turned to Bettisfield where I met a man walking a Weimaraner puppy. The puppy looked a bit scared as I slowed down a bit more and said hello, the owner apologised and said the puppy was a bit scared as she hadn’t seen many bikes , I offered to stop so she could look at the bike and have a fuss which seemed to help. I carried on to Bettisfield then back to Northwood dodging the potholes and craters which are particularly bad here back to Whixall where a barn owl flew across the lane in front of me, and headed towards the sunset back home. 23.3 miles View attachment 501267

Had to wait until lunchtime today before going out while the ice melted and soon found out that it hadn’t all quite gone so slowly set off with mudguards today as no light needed to Northwood, Welshampton, Coptiviney, Ellesmere alongside the Mere to Lee, Whitemere past Wood Lane nature reserve where an idiot in a golf thought it would be fun to push past without slowing down or moving over while shouting abuse which spoilt my ride somewhat, round Colemere the same way as yesterday, into Lyneal, Loppington, Burlton, Myddle, Nonely, Tilley, into Wem where I worked out I would get home with a total of 29 miles so decided to add an extra loop through Barkers Green and Aston back into Wem where I had to wait for the train, this can take some time and judging by the queue of traffic the barriers had already been down a while. Had enough time for a drink and to reply to my daughter’s text message before the train appeared . Carried on through Wem, over Lowe Hill and home. Still quite icy in places which slowed me down a bit. 33.2 miles @14.5mph and another sunny day
Picture of sunset from yesterday and White Mere today.

Told you half centuryitus .

 

[Old jon]

January is still being kind to this bit of England, another dry and bright morning. Happen a bit cold, and the roads were wet, but no complaints from me. Ride away on the only complete bike I have here, first riding around a bus jam on Dewsbury Road. Five of ‘em.

After that, nothing can be problematic. The automatic Holbeck shuffle, out of there on Great Wilson Street and ride through Hunslet and up the hill to John o’ Gaunts. And down again to the roundabout at Oulton. Second exit here, first exit at the next to head for Mickletown. Methley next, and under the railway bridge to escape. A stretch of flat and featureless road follows, there is a right hand bend and then the crossing of the River Calder just before arriving in Castleford.

And a couple of left turns to another river crossing. The Aire and the Calder have joined just before this, flowing on to Ferrybridge where my map identifies it as the River Aire. That, though, is not where I am riding. North on the map, the A656 is rather straight all the way to Peckfield Bar, sadly not licensed premises, just the former site of a toll collection point. Might have been a wooden hut. Straight on, the next left turn is a couple of miles on, to Garforth and the right turn onto Barwick Road.

Things began to slow down a bit now, me and the bike being the things. Cross Cock Beck before reaching Barwick and turn left to climb out of the village towards Scholes, and take the left turn before there, heading towards Manston and Seacroft. Back to the suburbs. Down to Wyke Beck, find Easterly Road and back to almost the town centre where I crossed the River Aire again. This leaves a-mile-and-a-bit to home, thirty miles after leaving it. The grin had been in place since the start, another good ride.

A map. How do I remove the start and finish markers?

Nowt to do with cycling, except I was riding in the area today. In 1461 the battle of Towton was fought, ten miles or so northeast of my left turn into Garforth. The Yorkists crossed the River Aire at both Ferrybridge and Castleford, and fought ( and won ) the battle across Cock Beck and against the house of Lancaster, just outside the village of Towton.

 

[cyberknight]

No rides for me besides turbo , freezing fog both mornings and busy in the afternnon so just turbo for me . MTB section of the club rode as normal and one fell off and needs pins in his leg

 

[EltonFrog]

Yet another utility ride today on the hybrid with the Fragrant MrsP to do the big shop, bright sunshine and feckin freezing cold so it was. Just about 6 miles there and back, and another trip not done in the car.

 

[AndreaJ]

Another cold and sunny day but the lanes were very icy this morning so went on a short ride after lunch when I thought the ice should have gone but although some lanes were ok there was a lot of ice and frost left in places. I started out to Whixall, through to Alkington where I turned over the canal and back to Hollinswood, Lower Houses, Coton where I decided it was too icy and took the short route back home through Waterloo at a snails pace as it was very icy, Ryebank, Horton, Wolverly and back home. Shame it was so icy because it was a lovely sunny day and no wind. 18.3 miles.

 

[Oxford Dave]

Pretty much a repeat of yesterday for me, in terms of time and weather. I went in the opposite direction and had hoped to reach the local town, but had to turn back about 15 mins before reaching it as I had to get back before one o'clock in order to get ready for an appointment. At least I know the back route into town now, though. Just gnat's under 14 miles, good start to my second week back in the saddle.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Yesterday's ride:

The month is getting on and despite having eyed up several days that would work for a challenge ride, for various reasons (lurgy mostly) I hadn't able to get out to do that kind of distance. Monday had been looking very promising as the forecast was dry, sunny and with little wind after a cold start, however after the ride on Sunday which was quite slippy underfoot I realised that things probably weren't going to magically improve overnight.

I set my alarm early anyway and woke to another hard frost. I could have postponed yet again but decided to swap wheels for the ones with Marathon Winter tyres and hope that I'd be able to cope with the extra drag. Despite the extra time needed to swap the wheels I still got out on the road at 7am as planned and found the A49 busier than I'm used to at this time of the morning so had to wait for a gap to join it. Reaching Condover, I turned off the gritted main road through the village and immediately the ice tyres earned their keep as this road was white over and sparkling in my headlight.

After recrossing the A49, the road through Exfords Green and Plealey turned out to have been gritted (I wasn't sure if it would be) which made things easier. I used the cyclepath from Pontesbury to Minsterley despite it being white over, as I really don't like this stretch of road, then had gritted roads to use again to Westbury, Halfway House, Prince's Oak and Crew Green.

So far, so good. The spiked tyres had been useful in a couple of places but I was starting to wonder whether I'd made the wrong choice and the extra drag would be a hindrance now as the day warmed up. The road to Melverley was pretty much dry but not long after the village I started to ride over more and more frozen patches until it was mostly sheet ice. I overtook another cyclist who had decided to get off and push the bike due to the conditions.

Feeling happy that the spikes were coping well I bypassed Maesbrook and took the quiet lanes to Waen Wen and Ball which I knew would help with being sure of the mileage, however this added a couple of minor floods to splash through. Other vehicles had already been through but there was a scattering of shattered ice either side that had to be negotiated which crashed and tinkled under the wheels like breaking glass.

Reaching Oswestry I negotiated my way through the town and was really feeling the effort of the ride so far, to the extent that I wondered if I would manage to complete the rest of it. A bite to eat and a drink helped perk me up again and I carried on slowly on the undulating section to Gobowen then on to the marked NCN route to Ellesmere. Like the lanes from Melverley, there was lots of ice on this section. I mostly hardly noticed it but the front wheel did slide slightly on a deep layer of frozen mud at one point and I could feel the studs scrabbling for grip on one of the climbs.

At The Mount I found a 4x4 with trailer making very heavy weather of backing up to allow a milk tanker past. At one point the trailer was practically jacknifed. The lorry driver commented to me that "Some people just shouldn't be on the roads" as he came past.

I decided not to stop at Ellesmere and carried on to Coptiviney, Welshampton, Hampton Bank, and Northwood. I was finding that although I was slower than I'd like, the legs felt quite good provided I just accepted it and didn't try to push to go faster. From Northwood I headed to Dobson's Bridge, Whixall and Coton on roads which had more patchy ice, saying hello to another cyclist on the way - the first I'd seen probably since Oswestry. I joined the B5476 following another rider but didn't have the pace to catch them even if I hadn't been turning off at the next junction. I was running short of energy again so decided to have my lunch by Prees railway station as there was a handy wall to lean the bike against and a railing to lean me against.

Having stopped here gave about a mile for the legs to loosen up before the climb out of Prees which I don't generally look forward to (it was alright - I've felt worse when climbing it). The descent the other side was worth waiting for though and I got into a nice rythm on the way to Ightfield, Calverhall, Longslow and Longford. By this time the roads were mostly clear with just the occasional icy patch lingering. In Market Drayton I considered taking the shorter route through town but wasn't entirely sure whether I'd judged the distance correctly. I'd have to do a bit of climbing regardless so erred on the side of caution and took the tour round the town one-way system before heading out past the golf club for Sutton where I had another food stop overlooking rolling pasture on one side of the road and a field of elephant grass on the other.

I had only gone about quarter of a mile from this stop when a pickup overtook me very slowly then pulled in at the side of the road in front. I warily overtook wondering what was up when the driver called out "Neil!" - he'd mistaken me for a cyclist friend of his, which was a relief.

I was cycling into the sun now, so was lit up as much as I could, and was facing it much of the way through Stoke-on-Tern, Ollerton, Eaton-upon-Tern, and High Ercall. I stopped just after the short (and busy) main road section here to break open the jelly babies which gave a much needed energy boost to plod on through Rodington Heath, Withington (where the sun set), Upton Magna and Atcham. The road to Cross Houses is still closed to (most) traffic but it didn't stop someone in a Golf from blasting past me along here only to turn round and double back when they reached the closure sign at Cronkhill. I will admit that I laughed. (If they'd really known the area they'd have been better off turning left at the closure sign and going into Cross Houses via Brompton)

The last few miles back were in the gathering dusk and with it being so clear the afterglow of the sunset looked fabulous over the Stretton Hills. The A49 was busier than I would have liked but by this point I just wanted to take the shortest route to finish.

102.39 miles at 11.5 mph moving average. 10 hours and 50 minutes with all the stops. Very slow and hard work on the winter tyres but on the plus side, the legs felt surprisingly good most of the way round and I didn't have any issues with cramp.

Within sight of Minsterley before dawn.

The view towards Crew Green before dropping down to Prince's Oak. Snow on the tops of the Welsh Hills.

Crossing the Severn between Crew Green and Melverley.

The gates of Cae Glas Park in Oswestry.

Making heavy weather of passing one another naer Ellesmere. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch the moment when the trailer was jacknifed. Still icy on the road.

A pause for a drink crossing the canal at Dobson's Bridge.

At Prees. I'm about to go straight on at the junction and climb the hill.

At St. Peters, Stoke-on-Tern.

After sunset at the old Atcham Bridge.

Afterglow over the Stretton Hills.

 

[C R]

Cold today, but glorious sunshine, so I went out for a quick spin at lunchtime. Beautifully bright, but still very cold. 10 miles to keep the blood flowing.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Yesterday's ride:

The month is getting on and despite having eyed up several days that would work for a challenge ride, for various reasons (lurgy mostly) I hadn't able to get out to do that kind of distance. Monday had been looking very promising as the forecast was dry, sunny and with little wind after a cold start, however after the ride on Sunday which was quite slippy underfoot I realised that things probably weren't going to magically improve overnight.

I set my alarm early anyway and woke to another hard frost. I could have postponed yet again but decided to swap wheels for the ones with Marathon Winter tyres and hope that I'd be able to cope with the extra drag. Despite the extra time needed to swap the wheels I still got out on the road at 7am as planned and found the A49 busier than I'm used to at this time of the morning so had to wait for a gap to join it. Reaching Condover, I turned off the gritted main road through the village and immediately the ice tyres earned their keep as this road was white over and sparkling in my headlight.

After recrossing the A49, the road through Exfords Green and Plealey turned out to have been gritted (I wasn't sure if it would be) which made things easier. I used the cyclepath from Pontesbury to Minsterley despite it being white over, as I really don't like this stretch of road, then had gritted roads to use again to Westbury, Halfway House, Prince's Oak and Crew Green.

So far, so good. The spiked tyres had been useful in a couple of places but I was starting to wonder whether I'd made the wrong choice and the extra drag would be a hindrance now as the day warmed up. The road to Melverley was pretty much dry but not long after the village I started to ride over more and more frozen patches until it was mostly sheet ice. I overtook another cyclist who had decided to get off and push the bike due to the conditions.

Feeling happy that the spikes were coping well I bypassed Maesbrook and took the quiet lanes to Waen Wen and Ball which I knew would help with being sure of the mileage, however this added a couple of minor floods to splash through. Other vehicles had already been through but there was a scattering of shattered ice either side that had to be negotiated which crashed and tinkled under the wheels like breaking glass.

Reaching Oswestry I negotiated my way through the town and was really feeling the effort of the ride so far, to the extent that I wondered if I would manage to complete the rest of it. A bite to eat and a drink helped perk me up again and I carried on slowly on the undulating section to Gobowen then on to the marked NCN route to Ellesmere. Like the lanes from Melverley, there was lots of ice on this section. I mostly hardly noticed it but the front wheel did slide slightly on a deep layer of frozen mud at one point and I could feel the studs scrabbling for grip on one of the climbs.

At The Mount I found a 4x4 with trailer making very heavy weather of backing up to allow a milk tanker past. At one point the trailer was practically jacknifed. The lorry driver commented to me that "Some people just shouldn't be on the roads" as he came past.

I decided not to stop at Ellesmere and carried on to Coptiviney, Welshampton, Hampton Bank, and Northwood. I was finding that although I was slower than I'd like, the legs felt quite good provided I just accepted it and didn't try to push to go faster. From Northwood I headed to Dobson's Bridge, Whixall and Coton on roads which had more patchy ice, saying hello to another cyclist on the way - the first I'd seen probably since Oswestry. I joined the B5476 following another rider but didn't have the pace to catch them even if I hadn't been turning off at the next junction. I was running short of energy again so decided to have my lunch by Prees railway station as there was a handy wall to lean the bike against and a railing to lean me against.

Having stopped here gave about a mile for the legs to loosen up before the climb out of Prees which I don't generally look forward to (it was alright - I've felt worse when climbing it). The descent the other side was worth waiting for though and I got into a nice rythm on the way to Ightfield, Calverhall, Longslow and Longford. By this time the roads were mostly clear with just the occasional icy patch lingering. In Market Drayton I considered taking the shorter route through town but wasn't entirely sure whether I'd judged the distance correctly. I'd have to do a bit of climbing regardless so erred on the side of caution and took the tour round the town one-way system before heading out past the golf club for Sutton where I had another food stop overlooking rolling pasture on one side of the road and a field of elephant grass on the other.

I had only gone about quarter of a mile from this stop when a pickup overtook me very slowly then pulled in at the side of the road in front. I warily overtook wondering what was up when the driver called out "Neil!" - he'd mistaken me for a cyclist friend of his, which was a relief.

I was cycling into the sun now, so was lit up as much as I could, and was facing it much of the way through Stoke-on-Tern, Ollerton, Eaton-upon-Tern, and High Ercall. I stopped just after the short (and busy) main road section here to break open the jelly babies which gave a much needed energy boost to plod on through Rodington Heath, Withington (where the sun set), Upton Magna and Atcham. The road to Cross Houses is still closed to (most) traffic but it didn't stop someone in a Golf from blasting past me along here only to turn round and double back when they reached the closure sign at Cronkhill. I will admit that I laughed. (If they'd really known the area they'd have been better off turning left at the closure sign and going into Cross Houses via Brompton)

The last few miles back were in the gathering dusk and with it being so clear the afterglow of the sunset looked fabulous over the Stretton Hills. The A49 was busier than I would have liked but by this point I just wanted to take the shortest route to finish.

102.39 miles at 11.5 mph moving average. 10 hours and 50 minutes with all the stops. Very slow and hard work on the winter tyres but on the plus side, the legs felt surprisingly good most of the way round and I didn't have any issues with cramp.

View attachment 501466
Within sight of Minsterley before dawn.

View attachment 501467
The view towards Crew Green before dropping down to Prince's Oak. Snow on the tops of the Welsh Hills.

View attachment 501468
Crossing the Severn between Crew Green and Melverley.

View attachment 501469
The gates of Cae Glas Park in Oswestry.

View attachment 501470
Making heavy weather of passing one another naer Ellesmere. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch the moment when the trailer was jacknifed. Still icy on the road.

View attachment 501471
A pause for a drink crossing the canal at Dobson's Bridge.

View attachment 501472
At Prees. I'm about to go straight on at the junction and climb the hill.

View attachment 501473
At St. Peters, Stoke-on-Tern.

View attachment 501474
After sunset at the old Atcham Bridge.

View attachment 501475
Afterglow over the Stretton Hills.

Chapeau! I'm in awe of such a ride on studs in the freezing cold.