Your ride today....

[wafter]

After a fairly heavy week I got out on the Fuji for around 24 miles last night in the name of slowing the downard spiral of my mental health, unfortunately with pretty demoralising results thanks I think largely to saddle fit / migration issues.

I'd arranged to meet a (non-cycling) mate today in the nearest town in which he lives; and had planned to take the Fuji but given last night's disappointing foray elected to take the CdF instead as a known, comfortable quantity. We'd mooted the idea of cycling the short journey to a local reservoir, however thanks to my poor planning / geographical skills and my mate's lack of fitness we ended up doing a slow (in my case fasted, in his hungover), convoluted 6 mile route round town in the unrelenting sun instead.

All in all a bit of a crap excursion relative to what we'd planned, however I managed about 25 miles including the journey there and back. Most importantly getting onto the CdF was like easing into a pair of well-fitting slippers after the Fuji - reassuringly suggesting that the problems I've been experiencing on that bike are mostly of it's making moreso than my decaying fitness and recently-acquired and deplorable smoking habit.

So far I've managed 80-odd documented miles this week; probably with another 15-20 on the rotter with it's non-functional trip computer - so at least I can rest easy knowing I've not been totally sedentary throughout

 

[wiggydiggy]

Upped milleage to 20, was going to try for 25 but at the end my legs were glad I didn't!

Took the MTB into Leeds to do a favourite of mine where I ride out from Leeds to Allerton Bywater and explore the lovely St Aidans wetland reserve there. Was out in the morning early but it really does feel like you abroad when the sun is out. Its an old open cast mine that was flooded and repurposed.

The reserve, dragline 'Oddball' in the distance


Up close, there is a bike close into for scale!


But the main reason I visited is before this old open cast mine was flooded on purpose, it was flooded accidently when the River Aire breached into the mine and flooded it! Some people believe it was the canal that breached but as the bottom picture shows it was the river.

The whole thing was eventually fixed by diverting the river into the canal (creating a navigation) and routing it further south. This picture shows the lock you can see on the bottom picture, long since abandoned its hard to fathom when you are there that not only did the canal run there but the river was further to the left of the picture. Both are now to the right.

My bike in the old lock


Picture showing the breach and the lock I am stood in above


The coal board actually paid for for all repairs and the new naviagation, so long as they could mine out the newly exposed coal😄

 

[wafter]

Some cracking jaunts / photos on here as always folks

 

[buzz22]

I realised that it had been months since I had taken my old mountain bike out for a ride- wet weather has made the local tracks a soggy mess.
With limited time because of a family birthday today I had to get out early so headed to Royal National Park for a quick ride.
Off the highway and down a fire trail towards Temptation Creek.

The track down had been eroded by the constant rain so it was slow and steady to the Creek.

Once down there it felt like the slippery trip was worth it, although the ride back up was a challenge.
I explored a few more tracks and then headed home with the desire to not leave it so long between offroad rides again.

 

[gavgav]

Yesterday’s ride and must be the hottest one I’ve ever done. I’m up at the caravan with @Rickshaw Phil and we set out to get my August half century challenge done.

With it being peak holiday season, the Welsh coast is bursting at the seams, so the trip down the main road to Barmouth wasn’t the most pleasurable with the traffic, but to be fair they were pretty well behaved. We then dropped down to the promenade and took a couple of photos.

Barmouth was already heaving, with hardly a parking space left, people everywhere, queues of traffic still coming in and this was 10:30, so we were glad to get out and over Barmouth bridge, which was quieter than expected. Everyone on the beach instead.

We joined the Mawddach Trail, up the estuary, into the breeze which had been stronger than expected, so kept the worst of the heat away for now. It was a dust bowl along there, but a pleasant leisurely ride up to Dolgellau. We passed a group playing in the river and a couple of chaps deciding whether to jump off the bridge. I really hope they didn’t, as the river is very low and snapped legs would be quite possible.

We looped out of Dolgeallu to Cymer and began the climbing towards Coed y Brenin. There is some great scenery in the valley along there. We came across an “interesting” West Midlands family, in a BMW, who had clearly followed SatNav and ended up on the narrow lane. Chap smoking away, partner with a can of Carlsberg in the door, about 4 or 5 kids in the back, effing and blinding and asking if they were on the right road to Barmouth. Well I guess technically they were!!

We reached Coed y Brenin and the midday heat was now here, temperatures about 30c, so the long and steep climb up above the river was very hard work. A couple of stops were needed, but we made it and then enjoyed the nice descent back down the other side, to the Forest Garden, where we stopped for lunch in the shade. It’s a beautiful spot. Up until there, we never saw a car for about 6 miles, which was bliss.

We set back out again and more climbing to Llanfachreth and the mill, before the precipice descent back down to Dolgellau. That is an exhilarating couple of miles section and with the breeze mostly behind us, we got 42.5mph clocked on Phil’s speedo, which is the fastest ever speed on a bike for both of us 😁

We looped around Dolgellau town centre and then paused at the cricket pitch, where there was a match taking place, so being a cricket fan and player myself, I couldn’t resist watching a couple of overs.

We then enjoyed the trip back down the Mawddach Trail, but I was really starting to suffer with the heat now and so a few drink stops were needed. We re-traced our steps across the bridge and into Barmouth, which we thought was busy earlier, but was even worse now!! There were cars everywhere, trying to find any spaces left, loads parked up where they shouldn’t be and so it was a stop start trip to get along the promenade and out.

I tried to take a picture looking back down to the beach, to show how many people were on it, but even my phone had had enough of the heat and was telling me it needed to cool down before I could use it again!

The trip back up the main road was still very busy with traffic, but you can at least get off onto a poor but usable shared use path for some of it.

We arrived back at the caravan with 43.69 miles on the clock, at 10.0mph avg. 1821 ft of climbing, which is pretty much all done in a 10 mile section of Coed y Brenin.

Thoroughly enjoyable but hot!!

 

[derrick]

Had an earlier than usual ride Saturday morning, got out before it got to hot, just a quick short loop. back home nice and early, ended up a lazy afternoon, then a few beers with a neighbour.
https://www.strava.com/activities/7629594136

 

[geocycle]

Another early start to beat the heat. Headed out through Wray and enjoyed the fantastic views across to the Dales. There is one spot where you can see all the Three Peaks together emerging from the morning mist. Then the big climb up Cross ‘o’ Greet at just over 400 masl. A fantastic descent followed down the Hodder Valley with a series of hairpins following the sinuosity of the river. Through Slaidburn which was just waking up and a queue developing outside the newsagents. The self proclaimed centre of Britain at Dunsop Bridge remained closed, a metaphor for our times perhaps. I then looped round through Whitewell to Chipping and enjoyed brunch at the farm shop. Home via Scorton. Overall 100.1 km or 62 miles with 1360 m of climbing.

Pictures show the distant three peaks over the moor, the view down the Hodder and Slaidburn.

 

[Dave 123]

Mad dogs and all that! Out at noon for me.
I avoided the pubs of Noss, but in doing so I had to climb the Stoke Road. Out along the coast, moo cows in the fields.
Down into Holbeton, past the in laws and along the drive at Flete. I caused a stampede, they ran along with me, hooting away!
I also found some chicken of the woods.
Up the hill of the ridge road , then Strode, Ermington with its crooked spire and home.

A hot 18 miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/7636535888

 

[Spiderweb]

Two days riding on the Tricross to mention. Fridays morning Commute of 6.7 miles with an average of 16.4 mph followed by an extended ride home via Sustrans to Riccall & Kelfield, 30.9 miles with an average of 14.8 mph. 30° with a backpack was a bit much.
Out at 11am this morning, a slightly later start after drinking far too much at The Green Room in Leeds last night!
Riding with David, Suzanne & Fiona to Harrogate for lunch at Prologue Cycles. A fab ride of 45 miles with an average of 15.3 mph, 32° wow it was hot!
Still suffering fatigue after Covid, I have no speed in my legs but happy with my pootling 221 miles for the week.

 

[MGman]

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Mad dogs and all that! Out at noon for me.
I avoided the pubs of Noss, but in doing so I had to climb the Stoke Road. Out along the coast, moo cows in the fields.
Down into Holbeton, past the in laws and along the drive at Flete. I caused a stampede, they ran along with me, hooting away!
I also found some chicken of the woods.
Up the hill of the ridge road , then Strode, Ermington with its crooked spire and home.

A hot 18 miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/7636535888

I'm envious, lovely trip. Not sure about the in-laws hooting you tho (joking!) Tried today as well but just 7 miles and gave up. 32° is too much at 80 (years not mph)

 

[Jameshow]

So it was all going fine till the last 15miles when it went belly up.

Google routed me onto a minor road which the became unmade, then twang and a spoke snapped.

After I had a puncture.

The road become so unrideable I had to walk a couple of miles.

Yesterday ride from Bradford to verwood Dorset staying over in Derby.

Good evening ride over to derby, good fast run in..

Early start in morning and lovely ride on the cloud line to breadon on the hill, then south to hinckley cooked breakfast for £8 ouch I guess we are traveling south!!

picked up the Fosse way for approx 20m before thanking a423 to Soham and then Banbury.

Lunch at Eynsham where churchhill resided and still does. The church was too busy for a kip!

Down to Wantage over the Thames where the yoof were jumping off the bridge, I could have joined them.

From Wantage up over the downs to hungerford and then the last pull to Salisbury.

However the wheels came off at Salisbury.....


So it was all going fine till the last 15miles when it went belly up.

Google routed me onto a minor road which the became unmade, then twang and a spoke snapped.

After I had a puncture.

The road become so unrideable I had to walk a couple of miles.

I finally came out on the main fordingbridge verwood home and powered home.

400k in 27hrs which with the heat and a 6hr stop in Derby, which I don't think was too bad. I much have stopped quite a few times because riding time was only 16h30.

Needless to say I'll take the train / coach home tomorrow!!

Highlights the cloud trail south of Derby.

The Fosse way

Churchhill grave.

Lesions learnt

don't ride in a heatwave....

Don't ride on your lightest wheels.

Do try and ride in company

 

[Jameshow]

More pics!

 

[Jon George]

As I believe I've mentioned before, at the beginning of the pandemic, my mate Tim and I started sending each other pics from our rides with the question: Where Is This? This is known as The Quiz. (I once sent him a photo of a hedge which might, at first, seem rather harsh, but given it was the reverse view of the one he'd just sent me, you might begin to suspect the depths and cunning to which we have descended.) Today I went out to get photographic evidence of me working out where his latest 'tester' had been taken. It was Bentley Church and I'm seriously thinking about cropping the image to focus of the memorial stone in the bus shelter as one for him. (Astute viewers may also note that my saddle bag was just about to fall off and it was stopping to take this pic that alerted me to it.)

I also spotted a cloud!

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Round the Orme on the tandem.

A trip I'd had in mind for a while, so to make the most of the last day of the heatwave, off we set to the marble church in Bodelwyddan, a familiar landmark to drivers on the A55:

The intention was a hilly first half then a flat return, so we stretched our climbing legs into the hills behind the north Wales coast, and pretty tough they were, leavened by fabulous views of the Carneddau, the coast, and Conwy Castle on the stunning descent. The local clouds didn't seem very welcoming though...

Lunch in Llandudno, then the Orme, somewhere totally unfamiliar to me. What an amazing place - redolent on a day like today of the road to Positano on the Amalfi coast, lacking only lemon trees:

The flat run in proved not so much, with the coastal path closed, so hilly detour needed, then finally a swim an Kinmel Bay provided much needed refreshment from the day's efforts.

50 miles, 1100m climbing.

 

[Jameshow]

As I believe I've mentioned before, at the beginning of the pandemic, my mate Tim and I started sending each other pics from our rides with the question: Where Is This? This is known as The Quiz. (I once sent him a photo of a hedge which might, at first, seem rather harsh, but given it was the reverse view of the one he'd just sent me, you might begin to suspect the depths and cunning to which we have descended.) Today I went out to get photographic evidence of me working out where his latest 'tester' had been taken. It was Bentley Church and I'm seriously thinking about cropping the image to focus of the memorial stone in the bus shelter as one for him. (Astute viewers may also note that my saddle bag was just about to fall off and it was stopping to take this pic that alerted me to it.)

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I also spotted a cloud!

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I saw a combine harvester working a brown field which I though was weird until I got closer and it was burnt to a crisp!🔥🔥🔥