Your ride today....

[MikeW-71]

Beaming sunny day, nice and calm. I had thought about planning another 30 miler, but I figured a more gentle pootle around would be better. I had more chance of enjoying it rather than blowing up at 20 miles and being miserable.

So I pootled round town for 10 miles on the quiet back ways, around Bitts Park and over to Rickerby Park. The foot/cycle bridge there seems to be open again.. yay!

A very pleasant hour

 

[grumpyoldwoman]

My son suggested taking our bikes out and have a ride round Taunton! After I finished fainting (he offered to pay the train fares too!!!!),we got on the next train.Was a lovely sunny but chilly day,next time we're going to go to Taunton and cycle back to Bridgwater along the Bridgwater - Taunton canal now we've found the starting point.We were going to stop off at the Castle for a cuppa and cake but being a Monday it were closed! Mcdonalds it was instead - Mum had to pay for this though!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Blues skies but a chill wind from the north. I was struggling for inspiration so took to the Trumpet loop again. It's a very fine route indeed but variety is also fine. Things were going OK but there was ice about in places. So I kept a look out for patches. The Munsley lump seemed tough today and things, especially anything with an upslope seemed to get tougher. I took the dodge at Much Marcle to avoid the missing bridge and a rider caught up. We had a chat before I turned for Kempley while he headed home in Gorsley. Now I was riding into that chill north wind and it was tough. Every upslope seemed to take an age. Suffice to say I stuck with it and made it back in one piece. That was one tough (54 mile) ride today.

 

[Katherine]

Another lovely blue skies but cold and crisp day. 50.7 miles ( would have been 45, but I wanted to get a half century so loops were added at the end), (mmmm smells going past Krispie Cremes doughnuts then that sort of cooked cardboard smell from Kelloggs ,)Stretford and to Chorlton Water park to join The Chorlton Wanderers ride to Dunham. Out through Wythenshaw, Baguley, Ringway, Ashley, Mobberley, Knutsford, Tatton. Great lunch and hospitality at The Vine Inn in Dunham. Back on The Bridgewater Canal path, getting on at Altringham and staying on all the way home. Cyclists rush hour around Ashley and Mobberley! Everyone enjoying their Sunday riding around the Cheshire lanes. One senior moment when I decided the rider pointing out the next turn didn't mean me and I had to turn round and chase the group!!

 

[Levo-Lon]

All tubo for me today..and about to go do some more..2 dog walks..
very chilly out but that mean nth easterly has gone..

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-FREEZING one! The wee woman in the SPAR who served me was very worried at how cold I was and invited me to stay inside. The caramel latte was lovely though

 

[PeteXXX]

As it's my only day off this week, I couldn't not go out for a ride in such lovely sunshine, albeit a tad chilly.
Once I'd defrosted the padlock on the shed and got the bike out, I set off for a pedal around Pitsford Reservoir a few miles away.
There were a few other folk there, either jogging or riding a circuit or two, and quite a few kids enjoying some fresh air and exercise during half-term. Great to see them out and about!

Last time I was there, they were filling in some of the potholes with stones. I do hope this isn't the finished job, as it's worse than having to navigate around the puddles!! Hopefully, they'll roll them in or do summat better than this tyre wrecking surface....(it must be just as bad jogging on this stuff as well, not that I'd know)

After a coffee stop at the cafe there, I headed over the dam wall and homewards. The reservoir if back to full capacity again after the recent rains, and is actually overflowing. A few years ago, it was looking decidedly depleted, with some folk thinking it would never fill up again. Still, they did take advantage of the lower levels of water to do some maintenance around the edges.

This is by the overflow channel, where the urban artists get to work in the tunnels. Looks quite good, actually! Not just mindless sprayings, but quite clever paintings. Well, I think so, though others might disagree.

Back home, after a mile or so around Lings Woods, on 21 miles, just in time to wash the bike down as the grandkids arrived to be 'looked after' for a few hours.
What a great change to be out in sunshine! Like summer, but a bit colder..

https://www.strava.com/activities/494109671

 

[Nomadski]

Yesterday's ride was a short play around some local woodland to stretch my legs before w*rk....

View attachment 119063


It was a bit moist in places, but generally avoidable.

View attachment 119062

As I didn't have much time to spare, I wound my way through the rhododendrons towards home.
A pleasant 10 miles in chilly but nice weather.

https://www.strava.com/activities/493212597

That forest looks like something taken straight out of a Tolkein novel!

 

[EltonFrog]

Feck! It was cold today! First I had to fit the new chain to the hybrid, and before that I decided to clean the rear & front mech and the cassette, once done I fitted the chain, and then had to fettle the front mech 'cos it was rubbing on the big ring for some reason.

Eventually I got out for a utility ride to the bank and to the shops 6.3 miles in bright sunshine but bitter

 

[PeteXXX]

Feck! It was cold today! First I had to fit the new chain to the hybrid, and before that I decided to clean the rear & front mech and the cassette, once done I fitted the chain, and then had to fettle the front mech 'cos it was rubbing on the big ring for some reason.

Eventually I got out for a utility ride to the bank and to the shops 6.3 miles in bright sunshine but bitter

View attachment 119132 View attachment 119133 View attachment 119134

That's waaaay too clean.. Please add some dirt immediately!

 

[PeteXXX]

That forest looks like something taken straight out of a Tolkein novel!

It can be a bit spooky there sometimes. Once the rhododendrons are in full fettle, it's amazing!
I'll post a 'ride-through' vid sometime

 

[Katherine]

Stretford Marina

Barton_Swing_Aqueduct

This is an edited copy of my earlier post as I pressed 'post' when I was interrupted before had a chance to add some photos.

Yesterday, another lovely blue skies but cold and crisp day. 50.7 miles ( would have been 45, but I wanted to get a half century so loops were added at the end). It's strange seeing snowdrops and daffodils out together! (mmmm smells going past Krispie Cremes doughnuts, then that sort of cooked cardboard smell from Kelloggs ,) Winton, Barton, past the Trafford Centre, Stretford and to Chorlton Water park to join The Chorlton Wanderers ride to Dunham. Out through Wythenshaw, Baguley, Ringway, Ashley, Mobberley, Knutsford, Tatton. Great lunch and hospitality at The Vine Inn in Dunham. Back on The Bridgewater Canal path, getting on at Altringham and staying on all the way home. Cyclists rush hour around Ashley and Mobberley! Everyone enjoying their Sunday riding around the Cheshire lanes.
One senior moment when I decided the rider pointing out the next turn didn't mean me and I had to turn round and chase the group!!

 

[cosmicbike]

Another day of decorating, and shopping for saucepans, so I didn't get a chance to get out until after dinner. Nice to ride in the dark, but pretty chilly. Planned 10 mile loop was extended due to the level crossing barriers being down at both Egham & Staines, so 12.9 miles for me this evening.

 

[Postmanhat]

Yesterday was another ride reacquainting myself with roads too far away or treacherous during winter. This time it was the lumpy route to the the Crich climb, which hadn't got any easier in the last three months. Nine times out of ten I barrel on across the moor to Beeley here, but time constraints meant taking the more direct route down through Lea Bridge. After half a mile, remembered a lovely little spot for a stop and had the smartphone this time. Looking down on the Derwent Valley, just south of Cromford

Then another long-missed friend, the gorgeous stretch of the A6 between Matlock and Ambergate. Quickly followed by familiar feelings of complacency it engenders as it offers a flat route home, and it was beginning to rain. But there was a new climb to be to be tackled and so took a right up New Road at Whatstandwell. 1.5m at 7% is probably close to my comfort limit at this time of year. One of those ones with flat or descending bits, followed by sections of 10-15%. By the third of these my gurn showreel was making it's 2016 debut. Brief respite at the top then out of nowhere, a proper full-on blizzard for about 10 minutes. At least I was descending, unlike some very grim-faced riders going the other way.

Another climb up through Farrah Green, then the descent through Duffield, Eaton Bank and into the city centre along the Alfreton Road. 34 miles/2500ft.

First ride this year where I've felt really good towards the end and somehow set a couple of PRs on short sprint sections into Derby. Can't wait to go out after work tomorrow now, so I'll probably ride like a hungover cow

 

[Stonechat]

Did not mean to go out today but was due to visit Mum (in the nursing home) and Mrs S had the car so cycled and added a couple of extra miles
Discovered I really should be recovering from nigh on 100 miles in the two rides Fri and Sun