Your ride today....

[Spiderweb]

Another ride with a hangover after consuming far too much red wine at a friend birthday at the Wensleydale Hotel in Middleham.
A bit breezy but a lovely day, 35.36 miles with a very slow 12.8 mph.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Yesterday's Ride

I met up with Andy G at our, by now, usual car park in Ludlow. Andy had looked out the Shropshire Highland Challenge 2013 route. It's a great one with the run north from Ludlow taking in a set of lanes which showed off the views to both Titterstone Clee and Brown Clee Hills as well as to Corve Dale, Wenlock Edge and Ape Dale. It truly is wonderful countryside. We dropped to Church Stretton to begin the tough climb up The Burway onto the Long Mynd. Over the other side we had more climbing by The Stiperstones to The Bog and the beautifully wooded run to Nind where we paused for sandwiches while watching Red Kites hunting close by and a pair of Ravens continually kronking to each other. More lovely lanes took us to Church Stoke. We took lanes by Norbury with the Long Mynd looming closer. At Asterton we looked at the bottom of the 25%, 1 km climb back up onto the Long Mynd. Not for us today tho'. We dodged through some lanes and recognised a few bits of road from last week's outing. This time at Clungunford we took to a nasty bit of climb by Shelderton to Shelderton Rock. That presented us with a superb view from the top and a superb descent too. From the bottom it was a fairly straightforward crossing of the Onny at Onibury and back to Ludlow across the golf course. It had been predicted to be a showery day. We had a few drops for just a few moments but otherwise was a superb day to be out in the wilds of the Shropshire Highlands. 65 smiles with over 6,000 feet of ups and downs.

 

[Shropshire65LW]

Spent most of the day in the garage servicing a bike ,
and Fitting some nice shiny Derailleurs new chain and shifters
Shimano Deore XT and some LX Shifters to mine , a nice upgrade

but had to take it out for half hour after tea

 

[JPBoothy]

We must have been very close to seeing each other, or maybe even did! I said hello to a few ladies out on bikes.

You charmer you

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Rode with @13 rider today, first time since New Years Day. Thought we would have a nice ride in the countryside, via Birmingham city centre.

106 miles for me and 102 for him.

Wonderful to finally ride with company again.

https://www.strava.com/activities/3853012162

 

[C R]

Another ride for the metric half century challenge.

I planned a route with a variation of my Malvern climb, going via Upton and Welland, getting to Great Malvern from the Malvern Common side. This is longer than my usual route, but it is an easier climb than going up to Church Street.

Another variation was going to Storridge via the north side of the hills, thus bypassing the climb to the Wyche on the way to Suckley. This was all new lanes for me, with some short but really steep ramps on the way to Linley Green.

From Linley Green followed the road to Bromyard, taking the right at the A44 going up past the Brockhampton Estate. I let rip on the descent to Knightwick taking advantage of the nice road surface, reaching 37mph, which is a record for me.

At Knightwick took the lanes for Alfrick, then Bransford, Powick and over the river at Lower Wick for home.

Quite enjoyable ride. I think I will take this loop again. At the end the Garmin watch said 46 miles, but then the app said 45.99, I would have gone to the end of the cul the sac to get the proper 46 if I had seen that earlier.

The map

 

[derrick]

Blimey, I would be tired driving that far in my car. Well done Sir, you have my utmost respect

Not bad for a pensioner.🍻

 

[JPBoothy]

I try to have at least one ride a week on my SS road bike to make myself put a bit of effort in rather than lapsing into my usual low geared 'dawdling' spin so today was the day. I (or should I say my knees) managed a circular 25mls route with a few hills 'and a bit of head wind' thrown in for good measure. Don't get me wrong, there is certainly nothing wrong with a nice 'dawdle' but, I think I like it a bit too much at times

 

[13 rider]

Rode with @13 rider today, first time since New Years Day. Thought we would have a nice ride in the countryside, via Birmingham city centre.

106 miles for me and 102 for him.

Wonderful to finally ride with company again.

https://www.strava.com/activities/3853012162

Ride also included a cafe stop my first since March 😁 . Living in Leicester I never dreamt I would cycle past the Bull ring in the centre of Birmingham and back . Riding with company certainly makes the miles pass quicker

 

[colly]

Three rides to post.
I've been busy, with one thing and another and so time out on the bike has been taken as and when.
Sat 26th
I was out just before 6.30 and I did a local loop of around 11 miles. Not much traffic and so a run along the ring road was ok. To be honest it was just getting out so as to stretch my legs a bit.

11.2 miles and 870 ft

Thu 30th.
I was tossing and turning all night and come 4.15 I had had more than enough so I got up, got dressed for a ride and then for over an hour buggered about doing other stuff. Finally I got out the door at about 5.30 into a drizzly overcast morning.
I took an almost identical ride to the one I did the previous saturday. This time on fixed wheel. I had little enthusiasm and while I still made the effort it was hard work. Once back home I was glad I had gone out but due to a disturbed night it set me up for a tired lacklustre day.

11.5 miles and 780ft of up

Yesterday

Up and out for around 7.50am. as is often the way no particular route in mind and I found myself going through Barwick in Elemet and down into Aberford. A plan formed and I set off north shadowing the A1m through Bramham into Clifford, Boston Spa and Thorpe Arch.
I skirted the prison, decide not to drop in and see a couple of pals and made further north for Cattal. Over the small bridge and a left through Cowthorpe and then south again towards Wetherby.
It was nice and sunny and warm but the wind was in my face all the way back south.
On the A58 after Wetherby I turned at Collingham up Jewitt Lane. Surprisingly, I discovered when I got back and plugged into Strava, my time up Jewitt Lane was within a second or two of my best ever time. I wasn't particularly pushing it on the climb, especially after 30 miles or so.
Back home via Thorner and Bramley Grange.
It was good to get out to clear my head after a week or so of having to deal with crap from the Social Services about my late sister-in-law and also her will and estate. More of that in the coming months I expect but for now at least it's on the back burner.

So it was 35.5miles and 1820 ft of up.

 

[AndreaJ]

We must have been very close to seeing each other, or maybe even did! I said hello to a few ladies out on bikes.

I saw you had been around some of the same lanes, I would have been the wet and muddy looking one if we did pass.

 

[AndreaJ]

I managed a ride without getting rained on today along some new lanes. Started out to Northwood, turning to Bettisfield, across to Breadon Heath, Welshampton, Ellesmere, up Sandy Lane to Trench, across the main road and down Cae Goody Lane to Elson turning onto the lanes towards Hardwick. Last time I came this way I got lost and ended up the wrong side of the big hill, better map reading last night meant it was ok this time and I joined the road as planned and turned to Tetchill, over the canal which looked very busy and to Winston, Hordley, Lower Hordley, Bagley, Lee , past Whitemere to Colemere, Lyneal, Loppington, Wolverley and home. Saw more dog walkers than cars today and lots of cyclists 32.7 miles @15.2 mph.

 

[gavgav]

Yesterday's Ride

I met up with Andy G at our, by now, usual car park in Ludlow. Andy had looked out the Shropshire Highland Challenge 2013 route. It's a great one with the run north from Ludlow taking in a set of lanes which showed off the views to both Titterstone Clee and Brown Clee Hills as well as to Corve Dale, Wenlock Edge and Ape Dale. It truly is wonderful countryside. We dropped to Church Stretton to begin the tough climb up The Burway onto the Long Mynd. Over the other side we had more climbing by The Stiperstones to The Bog and the beautifully wooded run to Nind where we paused for sandwiches while watching Red Kites hunting close by and a pair of Ravens continually kronking to each other. More lovely lanes took us to Church Stoke. We took lanes by Norbury with the Long Mynd looming closer. At Asterton we looked at the bottom of the 25%, 1 km climb back up onto the Long Mynd. Not for us today tho'. We dodged through some lanes and recognised a few bits of road from last week's outing. This time at Clungunford we took to a nasty bit of climb by Shelderton to Shelderton Rock. That presented us with a superb view from the top and a superb descent too. From the bottom it was a fairly straightforward crossing of the Onny at Onibury and back to Ludlow across the golf course. It had been predicted to be a showery day. We had a few drops for just a few moments but otherwise was a superb day to be out in the wilds of the Shropshire Highlands. 65 smiles with over 6,000 feet of ups and downs.

 

[Stonechat]

Not reported on all riides here, soehow got out of the habit

Longer ride today
A big loop

Via Wraysbury, Datchet and Eton, drafted behind some cyclists who overtook me into a headwind. Then through Dorney common to Maidenhead, then via Bray and a closed road which you could get though, then via Holyport and the Walthams to Twyford, Then South through Arborfield and Everseley and Yateley (where I used to live), and through Frimley ad Deepcut, skirting Brookwood and Knaphill, to get home via Chobham and Chertsey.

A few little navigation glitches on the Garmin 1030, in Arborfield it was hard to work out where to go at a roundabout.

The worst time was in Deepcut, from one junction, every way I went it toldd me to make a u turn. After a bit of this it crashed and turned itself off.
I switced it back on and fortunately it had not lost the ride and evern more suprrisingly it regained navigation of my route after a while.

All in all 63.67 miles at 16.1 mph, 1300 feet climbed

Pleased with a good speed despite a certain amount of messing around at a couple of places
https://www.strava.com/activities/3853344366

 

[Colin Grigson]

My least enjoyable ride this morning, it was gusting quite strongly and I was surprised the effect it had riding directly into it - the wind speed was given as 10mph but felt much more. I had intended to cover 50 - 70km but after 20+km into wind I had to turn around - my legs felt like they were on fire . My top speed into the wind was only 22kmh and as soon as I turned it shot up to 39kmh ... I was whizzing along like that for many km homewards feeling amazing ... I used gears I never thought I'd get to use ... then it started raining and my bike got very twitchy ... coasted home for a 45km total ... it all counts !