Your ride today....

[Cathryn]

Absolutely gorgeous day today. Cold but bright blue skies and sunshine! So went out for 15 miles with my Dude on his new (to him) gravel bike! Stopped for hot chocolate on the way home.

The new bike is lovely but I think it’ll have to go back. My son is waaay too fast on it. He’s making me look slow! 🤣

 

[Mike_P]

Sunday and decided that the amount of grot on the roads thanks to Storm Malik the ebike was probably the better option today and hence a Sainsburys visit for it. The gas leak by the golf club had caused that road to be closed so through the country park, at the second attempt as first time I realised I had left an item behind. Down Penny Pot, over the bridge on the U bend,

and up Cornwall Road, and through the Pine Woods in a new ebike PR. Then through suburbia following cycle direction signs for the showground with the need for a right turn on the A61 coming as a bit of a rude awakening

and along the path over the railway to reach the decent of showground hill. On the normal return route came to an abrupt halt as the sportcam mount broke - the sportcam looking back at where it had fallen from.

Another abrupt halt occurred due to excessive noise from the chainwheel - the ebke was not wholly Storm Malik proof as a thin branch had been caught between the down tube and motor rubbing on the chainwheel

A stop at the Co-Op to pick up 2 pints of semi-skimmed, noticeably absent in Sainsburys. Just how many people had the Nectar Price offer of 67p I had wondered - still had 25p off on the mobile app at the Co-Op making its 70p there.

11.6 miles 945ft of elevation.

 

[Hebe]

The new bike is lovely but I think it’ll have to go back. My son is waaay too fast on it. He’s making me look slow!

My daughter did that too with her new hybrid. My brakes were rubbing last weekend and she managed to run faster with her bike than I was riding…

 

[Cathryn]

My daughter did that too with her new hybrid. My brakes were rubbing last weekend and she managed to run faster with her bike than I was riding…

Youth is wasted on the young!

 

[C R]

Youth is wasted on the young!

I keep telling my children, but they don't believe me.

 

[HLaB]

Probably the slowest I've ever took to get to 1000 miles on a bike but it was fun 🌞

Everyone called off my morning ride due to the threat of ice that never materialised. So I went out in the sun. I headed towards Fineshade and on the way I got a text from a mate. I guessed I could meet him on the way back from his Crown Lakes gravel. I was just about right but I couldn't remember how to get into crown lakes. Lol, just as I was giving up he appeared and led me along a relatively fast route.

It had turned out really nice at that point so I decided to head to the cafe I was going to go to in the morning. I quite like it as it's so small that when at the counter I am literally 3ft away from my bike. It nice and remote too, although today it was really busy. Lol, it was nice and warm in the sun until a rather round couple got out of their 4x4 and proceeded to stand in front of my table. There was an instant solar eclipse 😂

Refuelled I then decided to do a little bit more off roading to make up for me missing most of Crown Estates and headed for my initial destination Fineshades.

https://www.relive.cc/view/vrqDdLxdjLq

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

A chilly day, just above freezing at the start but sunny with hardly any breeze so very pleasant. I joined the local CTC Sunday Group ride into the South Downs National Park and living up to CTC reputation spent nearly as much time in cafes as cycling. Possibly justifiable today as 'feel like' temperature hovered around the 1-3 C for most of the ride. (Av. moving speed 12.1 mph, overall av. too embarrassing to mention, but well into single figures) No dramas unless you include accidentally eating another table's food order at our 1st stop. It really was an accident...........
Just over 51 miles with 2428ft of climbing

 

[Noodle Legs]

Is part of your ride the visitors centre near Willesley ?^^^

That’s exactly where it was, Hicks lodge at Moira

 

[cwskas]

Av. moving speed 12.1 mph, overall av. too embarrassing to mention, but well into single figures

Very funny description. . . . that is how some of my friends feel when riding with me.

 

[AndreaJ]

Another early Sunday start to meet up in Ellesmere for a group ride. Set off on the usual route to Ellesmere and down to the Mere to meet the others.
7 of us made up today’s group and after a quick discussion about where we were going we set off to Overton passing a car parked in the hedge on one side of the road and lots of bits off it on the other side, in Overton after a short delay for some temporary traffic lights turned off to Bangor on Dee passing the racecourse to Malpas. A brief stop in Malpas to regroup after a bit of climbing we carried on to Higher Wych and Iscoyd before getting to Redbrook and somewhere I recognised, turned to Bronnington and followed the road to Welshampton over the bank and back down into Ellesmere for the usual coffee at The Boathouse before riding back home. Lots of new roads and countryside today covering Shropshire, Wales and Cheshire on another lovely sunny day with none of yesterday’s wind. 45.5 miles.

 

[KnittyNorah]

A couple of hours out late-ish afternoon, 25 minutes to the Final Whistle and it was drizzling, so I stopped for a coffee and got talking to a couple round my age who cottoned on to my bike basket sitting in front of me and asked if the bike outside was mine. She had been admiring it greatly, saying she wouldn't mind riding something like that and he was encouraging her, as he likes to ride his bike, but not by himself; she'd fallen off her bike last autumn and got a bit reluctant to ride it again, wanting to try a low step-through instead of the bike she'd had for some years.

So we ended up going outside together and they had a good look at it, she wasn't dressed for cycling but she wheeled it about a bit and stood across it. Then - after explaining it wasn't a folder in the same way as a Brommie is a folder - I folded it in my usual way and manoeuvred it about a bit and said how I take it on buses without any problems.
I could almost see what they were both thinking - days out in nice flat places, check the bus timetables, park the car conveniently. Off they go and have a nice ride together, then after she's gone as far as she wants/is able/feels happy with, she can get the bus back and he can go on further and faster as he's nicely warmed up, and they can meet up at the car or in a nearby cafe etc. They are local and walk their dog in the area I ride my bike so we're going to look out for each other and she can have a ride on my bike if she wants.

By then it was properly raining and looked as if dusk would fall early so I said my goodbyes and pootled off back home. First time I've ridden in the rain for goodness knows how long but it was very sheltered under the trees - and much easier than it's been for years now that I no longer wear glasses!

 

[galaxy]

Yesterday we had a little Utillity ride. The wife delivers our local Parish Magazine so we did it on the bikes and incoportaed a small ride. A nice pleasent 12 miles. Need to find more time to get out on my bike, love it so much.

 

[Billy Wizz]

27 mile loop finishing with a fresh wind in my face for 5 miles, felt like 50 lovely weather, 👍

 

[Old jon]

Another chance to ride a bike, so take the Bob Jackson out in the direction of thataway.

And, as so often, thataway starts with a trundle around a bit of Holbeck. This time to reach the towpath on the Leeds and Liverpool canal for a peaceful pedal as far as Viaduct Road. Leave the towpath and head towards Headingley, onto the A660 and ride on that through Lawnswood to Bramhope and a bit further to the Dyneley Arms. Turn right here, Pool is down that big hill.

Turn left before reaching the River Wharfe, the A659 goes all the way to Otley, as do I. So I can stand by the maypoles (Otley has two, adjacent) and munch. And take a couple of pictures to demonstrate, first the maypoles and second the distortion caused by tilting the camera back with a short focal length lens. Bendy maypoles and a Bob Jackson.

And then it is time to ride away. Up Leeds Road, a clear view of Almscliff Crag to the left, which was a bit odd given that I was being rained on, lightly, ever since leaving Otley behind. Straight on, or as straight as the road allows, back to Headingley. A right turn there for the road down into the valley at Kirkstall. For a change, ride on the road back towards Leeds centre. For a change I said but really to call into Woodrup’s for a few bits I need. Of course I forgot half of them, might just need a second visit soon.

Around the town centre, it used to be so simple to navigate around City Square, and back across the river on Victoria Bridge. Soon home from there, thirty miles and 1400 feet later. A good ride out again.

The geography

and upanddownery

 

[Billy Wizz]

Another chance to ride a bike, so take the Bob Jackson out in the direction of thataway.

And, as so often, thataway starts with a trundle around a bit of Holbeck. This time to reach the towpath on the Leeds and Liverpool canal for a peaceful pedal as far as Viaduct Road. Leave the towpath and head towards Headingley, onto the A660 and ride on that through Lawnswood to Bramhope and a bit further to the Dyneley Arms. Turn right here, Pool is down that big hill.

Turn left before reaching the River Wharfe, the A659 goes all the way to Otley, as do I. So I can stand by the maypoles (Otley has two, adjacent) and munch. And take a couple of pictures to demonstrate, first the maypoles and second the distortion caused by tilting the camera back with a short focal length lens. Bendy maypoles and a Bob Jackson.

View attachment 629453

View attachment 629454

And then it is time to ride away. Up Leeds Road, a clear view of Almscliff Crag to the left, which was a bit odd given that I was being rained on, lightly, ever since leaving Otley behind. Straight on, or as straight as the road allows, back to Headingley. A right turn there for the road down into the valley at Kirkstall. For a change, ride on the road back towards Leeds centre. For a change I said but really to call into Woodrup’s for a few bits I need. Of course I forgot half of them, might just need a second visit soon.

Around the town centre, it used to be so simple to navigate around City Square, and back across the river on Victoria Bridge. Soon home from there, thirty miles and 1400 feet later. A good ride out again.

The geography

View attachment 629455

and upanddownery

View attachment 629456

thats a lovely looking bike.