biggs682
Touch it up and ride it
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Just had my first road bike ride since my accident only 15 miles but it felt nice to able to push on gently and keep a higher average speed.
Your ride today....
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
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CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
Often I'm looking for a point of interest to base a ride from, and recently I've been catching up with a lesser known Gerry Anderson series from 1969, The Secret Service. This wasn't a particularly well received creation as the plot premise was a little far fetched, but it was the transition from the previous puppet based Joe 90 and the following series, UFO which used real actors, where The Secret Service used a mix of both, that was pivotal.
More notable was the starring role given to Stanley Unwin and the use of Unwinese as a plot device.
My interest fired, I then found out his final resting place was in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, where he'd lived for most of his life.
So it was that I decided to do a 100k ride from Long Buckby to home.
I'm more familiar with Buckinghamshire and I hadn't realised Northamptonshire was so full of attractive villages, all honey-stone cottages and thatch.
A lunch stop in historic Stony Stratford on the extreme western edge of Milton Keynes, where a building in the Main Street was where Richard III, Duke of Gloucester arrested the legitimate throne claimant Edward and later had imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was never seen alive again, as one of the Princes in the Tower.
739m of climbing at an average of 14mph, and a totally enjoyable day out, apart from the head wind for most of the day.
Also - what is it with drivers in the countryside? They see a big 50 painted on the road and think it’s mandatory, not maximum.
GPX viewer
GPX viewer
More notable was the starring role given to Stanley Unwin and the use of Unwinese as a plot device.
My interest fired, I then found out his final resting place was in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, where he'd lived for most of his life.
So it was that I decided to do a 100k ride from Long Buckby to home.
I'm more familiar with Buckinghamshire and I hadn't realised Northamptonshire was so full of attractive villages, all honey-stone cottages and thatch.
A lunch stop in historic Stony Stratford on the extreme western edge of Milton Keynes, where a building in the Main Street was where Richard III, Duke of Gloucester arrested the legitimate throne claimant Edward and later had imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was never seen alive again, as one of the Princes in the Tower.
739m of climbing at an average of 14mph, and a totally enjoyable day out, apart from the head wind for most of the day.
Also - what is it with drivers in the countryside? They see a big 50 painted on the road and think it’s mandatory, not maximum.
GPX viewer
GPX viewer
Last edited:
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Just a quickie today and a coffee as we are having a barbeque this afternoon.
https://www.strava.com/activities/7407800387
https://www.strava.com/activities/7407800387
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Plenty of horses and jockeys in the lanes to contend with today. I rode up to the space ship on the summit of Mt Westlake. Over to Penquit then the ridge road.
Through Flete Estate, in through the back of Holbeton and around the coast.
21 sunny miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/7408068976
Through Flete Estate, in through the back of Holbeton and around the coast.
21 sunny miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/7408068976
cwskas
Über Member
- Location
- Central Texas
Struggling with a cold today and the weather was not encouraging so had to talk myself into a ride. Headed up to Hutton Roof, a village on the limestone ridge that frames the west side of the Lune valley. Twenty minutes in and got a soaking but fortunately that was the last of it for the day. Found some very minor roads, the sort where the grass is trying to reclaim them. Pleasant lunch in Kirby Lonsdale then battled home against a headwind. 68 km or 42 miles, 886m of climbing.
pictures of the bike taking a breather against a gate, Ingleborough peeping below the bough of an oak and Clougha pike from the Halton ‘Alps’ .
pictures of the bike taking a breather against a gate, Ingleborough peeping below the bough of an oak and Clougha pike from the Halton ‘Alps’ .
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
Today was the day of a Leicester Cyclechatters ride. First group ride I've done since the last one, and I don't know how long ago that was. I must admit I've got really used to riding on my own.
Anyway, up and out of the door at 05:20, Get about half a mile into the ride and looking at the Garmin notice the GPS thinks I'm about 1/2 a mile away from were I really am, so stop, turn of the route, turn it back on and set off again with the GPS now showing me in the right place.
I head south to Bruntingthorpe and it is misty and a bit chilly, arm warmers and woolly gloves were a good decision and then turn south east to Lutterworth, peacefully quiet, hardly a car to be seen.
Head up to Hinckley and then Market Bosworth, Swepstone and then Ellistown, then a bit of descending (plus a short sharp climb into Thornton) sees me get to Newtown Unthank and 50 miles are in the bag. I'm going to be a good 45 minutes early for the meet so start thinking of having an impromptu cafe stop, but I'm out too early and everywhere is still closed.
So i decide to turn of the route and do some extra miles on the fly. I get into Sileby and see a corner shop open, so stop for a can of coke and some chocolate and head to the meet with an extra 4 miles done. Stop for a quick comfort break to get harangued by an old git (not @13 rider ) on a scooter, had to politely tell him I'd stopped for a pee as he asked if I was going to ride off road
Anyway, get to the meet 30 minutes early so I consume half of the chocolate and the can and it isn't long before @tallliman and then @13 rider turn up. Quick hello and we set of up the steady climb of Humble Lane, through the Wreake Valley and onto the only serious climb of the day at Saxilby Road, @13 rider, as usual, disappears up and away, whilst me and @tallliman decide to save our energies
Stop at Nice Pie for refreshments and then it is downhill, but into the wind, for a good 5 miles (actually just checked, it is 8 miles) as we descend to Barrow Upon Soar. At this point @tallliman goes right to head home and @13 rider and myself go right.
Part ways with @13 rider in Mountsorrel and I head home. Get close to home and I decide to extend the route slightly just in case the GPS error bites me on the rear when I upload the ride, it didn't
Finished the ride on a tad over 102 miles, @13 rider completed a metric century and @tallliman a metric half century.
Was great riding in company again, it does make the miles go by quicker, though I am getting too old for the competitiveness
https://www.strava.com/activities/7408070670
Anyway, up and out of the door at 05:20, Get about half a mile into the ride and looking at the Garmin notice the GPS thinks I'm about 1/2 a mile away from were I really am, so stop, turn of the route, turn it back on and set off again with the GPS now showing me in the right place.
I head south to Bruntingthorpe and it is misty and a bit chilly, arm warmers and woolly gloves were a good decision and then turn south east to Lutterworth, peacefully quiet, hardly a car to be seen.
Head up to Hinckley and then Market Bosworth, Swepstone and then Ellistown, then a bit of descending (plus a short sharp climb into Thornton) sees me get to Newtown Unthank and 50 miles are in the bag. I'm going to be a good 45 minutes early for the meet so start thinking of having an impromptu cafe stop, but I'm out too early and everywhere is still closed.
So i decide to turn of the route and do some extra miles on the fly. I get into Sileby and see a corner shop open, so stop for a can of coke and some chocolate and head to the meet with an extra 4 miles done. Stop for a quick comfort break to get harangued by an old git (not @13 rider ) on a scooter, had to politely tell him I'd stopped for a pee as he asked if I was going to ride off road
Anyway, get to the meet 30 minutes early so I consume half of the chocolate and the can and it isn't long before @tallliman and then @13 rider turn up. Quick hello and we set of up the steady climb of Humble Lane, through the Wreake Valley and onto the only serious climb of the day at Saxilby Road, @13 rider, as usual, disappears up and away, whilst me and @tallliman decide to save our energies
Stop at Nice Pie for refreshments and then it is downhill, but into the wind, for a good 5 miles (actually just checked, it is 8 miles) as we descend to Barrow Upon Soar. At this point @tallliman goes right to head home and @13 rider and myself go right.
Part ways with @13 rider in Mountsorrel and I head home. Get close to home and I decide to extend the route slightly just in case the GPS error bites me on the rear when I upload the ride, it didn't
Finished the ride on a tad over 102 miles, @13 rider completed a metric century and @tallliman a metric half century.
Was great riding in company again, it does make the miles go by quicker, though I am getting too old for the competitiveness
https://www.strava.com/activities/7408070670
Last edited:
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Legs definitely starting to come back now 
66 miles in total to birches valley forestry centre today , fitted a new stem that holds the bar a bit lower so had a bit of back ache which i remedied by raising it a spacer when i got home followed by another 18 miles with mini ck 1
66 miles in total to birches valley forestry centre today , fitted a new stem that holds the bar a bit lower so had a bit of back ache which i remedied by raising it a spacer when i got home followed by another 18 miles with mini ck 1
Donger
Convoi Exceptionnel
- Location
- Quedgeley, Glos.
I've been disappointed with my post covid recovery and my lack of mojo. A paltry total of 516 miles in the first half of the year ... a thousand miles down on the norm and never more than 134 miles in any month so far....... So I'm doing something about it.
In the past, whenever I have doubted my own commitment to achieve a cycling goal, I've always told everyone what I'm planning so that I can't back out without losing face. Always works. Yearly targets met, specific Alps climbed, year-round Cyclechat challenges completed. So here we go again.
To ensure that I get my mileage up starting from the first of July, I decided to ride my bike every day until the end of the Tour de France, and to average more than 10 miles per day or 240 miles in total (whatever else I may be doing on a given day). I quickly changed that to riding at least 10 miles every day during the Tour not just an average of over 10 miles. Three days in, and I've done 15.6 miles on Friday, 11.8 on Saturday and 21.5 on Sunday. So far, so good. Been getting up early and putting in the miles before breakfast (48.9 of them so far). Really quite invigorating. I'm starting to think I might even get in 300 miles this month. Giving it my best efforts ..... and can't back out on the 24x10 TdF challenge.
In the past, whenever I have doubted my own commitment to achieve a cycling goal, I've always told everyone what I'm planning so that I can't back out without losing face. Always works. Yearly targets met, specific Alps climbed, year-round Cyclechat challenges completed. So here we go again.
To ensure that I get my mileage up starting from the first of July, I decided to ride my bike every day until the end of the Tour de France, and to average more than 10 miles per day or 240 miles in total (whatever else I may be doing on a given day). I quickly changed that to riding at least 10 miles every day during the Tour not just an average of over 10 miles. Three days in, and I've done 15.6 miles on Friday, 11.8 on Saturday and 21.5 on Sunday. So far, so good. Been getting up early and putting in the miles before breakfast (48.9 of them so far). Really quite invigorating. I'm starting to think I might even get in 300 miles this month. Giving it my best efforts ..... and can't back out on the 24x10 TdF challenge.
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Spiderweb
Not So Special One
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Out just after midday for a ride into the centre of York for coffee and a sandwich for lunch. Back via Sustrans cycle route, through York Racecourse and onto the cycle path to Riccall. Lovely steady ride of 37.9 miles with an average of 14.5 mph.
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
A bit of a late write up just for a change.
Wednesday: Just a relatively quick one as I wasn't free until mid afternoon so I headed round my Condover, Longnor, Acton Burnell, Harnage, Cound, Cantlop and Condover route. The weather was showery so I made sure of chucking my rain cape in the panniers and set out.
The ride was nicely uneventful but I did need the rain cape which was ideal for the light rain encountered. Getting to Acton Burnell it appeared that it had been much wetter here so I was lucky to have missed that. A Jubilee flag was flying at Cound.
I took a left at Cound Stank to avoid the main road and found that the wind had shifted so I wasn't going to have the tailwind taking me home that I'd been expecting.
23.4 miles at 13.5 mph average. Enjoyable despite the weather. I'm hoping it won't be too long 'til the next ride but a positive covid test this morning has put a spanner in the works.
At Ryton and the showers are clearly visible. I did ride into it just before Longnor.
Not far from Acton Burnell. It's stopped raining here so I can take off the rain cape - just a cheap one but it is very useful in these conditions.
At Concord College.
Near to Harnage and the sunshine where I am provides a big contrast to the shower over The Wrekin.
On the lane to Pitchford and another heavy shower rolls across the landscape. Even though I got a bit wet I think I've been fairly lucky on this ride.
Wednesday: Just a relatively quick one as I wasn't free until mid afternoon so I headed round my Condover, Longnor, Acton Burnell, Harnage, Cound, Cantlop and Condover route. The weather was showery so I made sure of chucking my rain cape in the panniers and set out.
The ride was nicely uneventful but I did need the rain cape which was ideal for the light rain encountered. Getting to Acton Burnell it appeared that it had been much wetter here so I was lucky to have missed that. A Jubilee flag was flying at Cound.
I took a left at Cound Stank to avoid the main road and found that the wind had shifted so I wasn't going to have the tailwind taking me home that I'd been expecting.
23.4 miles at 13.5 mph average. Enjoyable despite the weather. I'm hoping it won't be too long 'til the next ride but a positive covid test this morning has put a spanner in the works.
At Ryton and the showers are clearly visible. I did ride into it just before Longnor.
Not far from Acton Burnell. It's stopped raining here so I can take off the rain cape - just a cheap one but it is very useful in these conditions.
At Concord College.
Near to Harnage and the sunshine where I am provides a big contrast to the shower over The Wrekin.
On the lane to Pitchford and another heavy shower rolls across the landscape. Even though I got a bit wet I think I've been fairly lucky on this ride.
Jon George
Mamil and couldn't care less
- Location
- Suffolk an' Good
I went out for a little ten-miler in the morning on Pasty #7 The Fixed Gear before I slumped in front of the TV to watch Le Tour. A nice little route that took in a bit of countryside, whilst diving back through Ipswich to see The Waterfront. It was worth just for the skies alone.
Jon George
Mamil and couldn't care less
- Location
- Suffolk an' Good
Oh, my giddy aunt! It's got to have been over three years since I last went out for a morning ride that involved the building rush hour traffic and I'd forgotten about the increased odds of encountering numbers of people - presumably stupefied by the regularity of their commute - who have been turned into twonks. When you're riding in Primary and someone STILLS tries to overtake and to push you back, you know the next few miles might be 'interesting'. Mind you, the first twonk so heightened my awareness I took even more care than I normally do down some of the back lanes in the countryside as I thought - correctly as it turned out - there would be a lot of folk barrelling down them on their way to work.
Anyway ... That's another qualifying 50k ride in the bag (now up to 81 consecutive months) and it became one of those rides where I think to myself that anything else I achieve today will be a bonus. A great ride!
A classic shot of The Orwell that @Jenkins and I occasionally post.
And one towards The Deben form Old Felixstowe.
Anyway ... That's another qualifying 50k ride in the bag (now up to 81 consecutive months
) and it became one of those rides where I think to myself that anything else I achieve today will be a bonus. A great ride! A classic shot of The Orwell that @Jenkins and I occasionally post.
And one towards The Deben form Old Felixstowe.
theloafer
Legendary Member
- Location
- newton aycliffe
had a ride up to Hawthorn south of Seaham mostly on cycleroute from Wynyard then up on the ncn 1 then the plan was to head over to Durham on the ncn14 and then back via ncn 70 route into Bishop Auckland . when we left Hawthorn the wind was blowing bad out of the west so Durham was cancelled and it was decided to return the same route as we would be sheltered from the wind.
bad timing though as we hit the traffic heading home once we reached GT Stainton, stillwe got back safe and only 23 close passes
57 miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/7415099827
bad timing though as we hit the traffic heading home once we reached GT Stainton, stillwe got back safe and only 23 close passes
57 miles
https://www.strava.com/activities/7415099827
