Your ride today....

[fatjel]

Having done 2 audaxes last week decided on a MTB week for a change.
Went round Bewl water path today.. Bit surprised to find a few miles of road .
With some steep hills !!
With no suspension and only a front brake was quite interesting on steep bumpy downhills
Am properly knackered in just 12.5 miles


https://www.strava.com/activities/361848531

 

[Racing roadkill]

49.1 miles and some more Strava stuff done. And the rear hub cones decided to spontaneously loosen themselves, coming down a hill.

https://www.strava.com/activities/361853582

Dani King's box

An old hospital

Beer

 

[Saluki]

No, 50 km is 50 km ...

You meant miles, and you meant 31.07 rather than 30.07, but apart from that it was a perfect post!

31.7. Oh Bum

 

[ColinJ]

31.7. Oh Bum

We'll let you off the older short rides, but make sure you do 31+ in future!

 

[IDMark2]

It appears this 50km thing may be a bit of an issue.. I carry my phone with the Endomondo GPS app running in the saddlebag, so distance covered is really a bit of a 'feel' thing for me, I can't be bothered to stop and have a look at it as I go. So on getting back from today's tootle and uploading the file, I find it says.. 49.5km. Yes, yes, I should get back on and go around the block once more but, well, I just don't find it that important to me these days.

There's always issues for me also in swapping between the two bikes, one with Tiagra, the other with SRAM. It always takes a few facepalm (or cycling equivalent) moments to get back into the swing of the different gearchange procedures, either suddenly spinning wildly or cursing that I've just made things harder. Other than that it was a largely uneventful and reasonably flat ride, although the wind was fairly strong again today.

My moment of the ride was the coming home descent, app shows I was doing 70kph at the stage where a Nissan Micra pulled out to turn right out of a junction in front of me, leaving me with the options of trying to slow down suddenly and risking smacking into the back of him, steering left into the hedge to avoid that or doing what I did and just sweeping past him as the road was otherwise clear. The look of shock on his face as I went by...
He either 'didn't see me' before he pulled out, or misjudged how fast I was approaching, I thought from the way he delayed in coming out from the junction it was all good but I grinned in a friendly way as I passed him anyway...

49.5km, 553m climbing

 

[13 rider]

Was going to commute to work tomorrow but due to a change of work plans this is no longer doable .So home from work ,look out the window could I squeeze a ride in before the rain ? Went for it out from home to first strava segment from home done 6th fastest ever would have been quicker but had to brake for a car slowly pulling of their drive out to Cropston .Then the segment chasing began again . I'd got 10th fastest last week only for a mate to notice it and beat me getting 9th knocking me out of the top 10 so revenge called for .Segment is a deadend road for cars so very quiet 1min 18 sec of flat out effort reward me with 6th fastest wait till my mate see that. After that I relaxed and headed to Switland I started catching a horse rider following a teenager on a bike realised it was my sister and nephew .pulled along side for a chat and headed towards the stable had a quick race with 16 year old nephew and managed to out sprint him who said I was competitive .After a good chat it was through Swithland then back to Cropston ,Thurcaston and Home even managed a couple more PRS on the way home .11.2 miles at 15mph which would have been quicker but for the half mile riding along side sister at 5 mph .Got home put the bike away and it started to rain excellent timing for a change .

 

[thetribe]

After a couple of days, weeks, months off the bike due to a house move mixed with bad planning (i.e. when I made time the bikes were behind a mound of stuff in the garage) I've finally got back in the saddle, did 12 miles of wobbly leg on Tuesday and 23 miles of fun with my daughter today working out a route for her to cycle to work. Hopefully this is the start for the rest of the year

 

[Donger]

........ The 20kph wind was in my face as I headed through the villages out towards the coast at Budleigh and Exmouth but as I came up the Exe estuary it was helping me along nicely. It wasn't a beach day so I cut through the seaside towns directly rather than tootle along the fronts. The sun did break through once as I was heading up the estuary path so I sat outside the Lympstone Commando camp on a bench overlooking the river mouth for a biscuit and a break (Mrs D didn't do any fresh baking this weekend!) while, behind me in the training camp, young Marine recruits were getting barked at on the assault course.

Although there were no 'major' climbs of any length my route provided plenty of accumulative pain through constant sharp rises and falls, by the time I finished my thighs were sore and I had a cramp in the last few km's. 75k, 920 metres.
View attachment 98864 View attachment 98865

Nice write-up. Looks very similar to a ride I have been hoping to do for some time. (Should get the chance when we get to stay with relatives in Exmouth). If you could do it again, are there any bits you would miss out, or any different bits you would include?

 

[Mike_P]

Bit late this one - Monday evening and I headed up a narrow lane not traversed for a while, obviously frequented by horse riders and, although not that obvious in this photo, full of pot holes and rough surfaces

An average of 7% it undulates with a minimum of level and a maximum of 10.9%. Despite stopping for a moment en route Strava declared I was the tenth fastest along it, which was quickly explained as only 11 other users had used the lane!

 

[IDMark2]

Nice write-up. Looks very similar to a ride I have been hoping to do for some time. (Should get the chance when we get to stay with relatives in Exmouth). If you could do it again, are there any bits you would miss out, or any different bits you would include?

I will probably do it again, and other variants of it as it's my patch, but I know what you mean...
The road out of Topsham to Clyst St Mary is a pretty poor, boneshaking surface, otherwise there's not much to look out for, apart from the usual rat running motors and supermarket delivery vans in the narrow lanes. This was a mash up of two lower distance ride loops, it's pretty easy to add interest and climbing around here if you want it..heading up the coastal routes from Exmouth towards Seaton for instance will cause you to question your sanity very quickly... If you want to PM me I can send you the GPx for my route.

 

[philtalksbx]

Today I took my zesty PX for a proper first ride. High Peak Trail from Parsley Hay down to Middleton Top and back. The tunnel is longer than you think in the dark.

The ride also reminded me that what goes around comes around. I met Mal, walking his MTB after a big nail had defeated his Stans tubes. We tried with my patches but the hole was on a ridged seam and didn't seal. A passing family very kindly donated a tube and soon Mal was fixed and back on his way. A friendly exchange all round and a reminder that looking out for each other is worth doing. I will always carry tools and spares and hope that others are there when I need help. Hope you got home ok Mal.

As for the PX, 37k today and really pleased how it feels, I think this is a good buy.

 

[cyberknight]

Went on my normal quick 24 mile loop, 1st real ride in over 2 weeks due to a viral / chest thing and a spoke broke on my back wheel so i had to limp hom e with the rear brake undone so the wheel could spin.

 

[Gravity Aided]

7.3 miles this day.Did some bike work this morning, then went on a ride to get out of the neighborhood. About a 40 minute ride, pretty good for the Schwinn commuter. Then doggies to the vet for check-ups and care.
80F, 56% relative humidity, winds E7, 30.04, with a slow fall in the glass.

 

[MikeW-71]

A big ride today on the Revolt.

I wanted to see what the old railway path was like between Haltwhistle and Alston, so there was only one way to find out.

First I had to ride to Haltwhistle. That's 25 miles on the clock straight away, and I went the top way through Walton and Gilsland at touring speed. I really was not bothered how long this would take, and besides I would need the energy for what was coming up. I walked up Greenhead bank on the cycleway, it's too tough to be done during the days traffic.

Bag of chips and a coffee in Haltwhistle then, and very nice they were too


Now to find the railway path. Not too hard, it's signposted as route 68. It starts off very promising, and rather pretty, nice tarmac.


However it then changes to mostly gravel. It's also a steady uphill gradient, but way less up-and-down than following the main road, which was why I wanted to give it a go. It's a shame you can't ride over the viaduct, it diverts away across a road bridge with a stiff climb out the other side to the main road, then drops back down to the path again. Eventually, you arrive at Slaggyford station which is the end of the line for cycling on the path.


It got rather lumpy after that with some more steep stuff that got walked until I rolled into Alston. After a snack stop at the petrol station, it was time for the main event. Climb to Hartside Cafe. Into the headwind (FFS, why am I always climbing moor roads into the wind??). I went the sustrans route, and I think I should just have stayed on the road TBH, the climb would have been nicer. But 34-34 finally winched me all the way up to the Cafe. Not been here before by bike




Cumbria is looking really nice today, but wow it's windy up here (as it normally is). After some welcome refreshment, it was time for the fun bit. 6 miles of descent to Melmerby but it would be a chilly descent, so I put my jacket back on. Wheeee, here we go! Part way down I caught a roadie who was just getting going from a stop. I knew he'd be faster (he was in lycra, I was in baggy stuff) so I didn't try and pass. Sure enough by the time we reached Melmerby he must have been 400m ahead, that's aerodynamics for you!

And then it was back home by the most direct route, through Renwick, Cumrew, Cumwhitton, Great Corby, walked over the rail bridge and back via Wetheral for a total of 70 miles. I seem to have lost a bolt from the rack mounting though, I hope that hasn't damaged the thread in the frame

https://www.strava.com/activities/362663726

 

[gavgav]

The Monsoon season abated for an afternoon and so had a nice ride after work. Fairly light breeze, sunny and quite warm for a change.

Took the cycle paths over to uffington and then joined the road to Upton Magna. Climbed up Haughmond Hill, in my fastest ever time according to Strava , and then had a lovely breeze assisted sprint down Somerwood straight to Rodington Heath.

Turned up the Pelham Road, passing a house where there was hysterical laughter coming from inside. Were they watching highlights of Australia trying to bat in the cricket today I wonder, as that was very funny !!

Arrived back at Upton Magna and then took a different route back home via Berwick Wharf, Atcham and Betton Abbots.

Paused at Atcham to take this picture

A lovely 20.1 miles at 12.6mph avg