Your ride today....

[ColinJ]

A belated report from Tuesday ...

I wanted to get a 100 km ride in for the 'metric century a month' challenge. I have one lined up for the end of the month [see signature link below, and sign up if you fancy it!] but anything could happen between now and then so I wanted to make the most of a sunny day with less wind than usual and get this ride in to take the pressure off me.

I am slowly getting fitter so I thought I would tackle something fairly challenging. I devised a hilly loop and set myself the target of getting round in 6 hours or less. That's an average of 16.7 km/hr or about 10.5 mph. Not particularly quick, but this was a lumpy route. Check out the profile ... Those lumps are measured in metres, not feet!

By my recent standards, that is quite challenging so I was keen to see if I could beat my arbitrary time limit. I set off at 11:21 so I needed to be home by 17:21, and I had decided to go round the block at the end of the ride if necessary to clock up my 100 kms.

The route: Hebden Bridge, Heptonstall Rd, Lee Wood rd, Draper Ln, Colden, Blackshaw Head, Long Causeway, Mereclough, Walk Mill, A646, A671, Deerplay, Bacup, A681, Sharneyford, Walsden, Calderbrook, Littleborough, Hollingworth Lake, Milnrow, Newhey, A640, Denshaw, Buckstones, B6114, Ringstone Edge, Rishworth, Ripponden, A58 climb, Blue Ball Rd, Coal Gate Rd, Hubberton Green, Steep Ln, Cragg Rd descent, Mytholmroyd, Greenway, Hebden Bridge including a loop round the block to clock up the last few hundred metres.

A few pictures from the ride:

Hollingworth Lake with the elevated M62 in the distance

They still think Saddleworth is in Yorkshire, NOT Greater Manchester!

View over Dowry Reservoir of the A640 climb of Denshaw Moor towards Buckstones

Nice in the sun, but boy, it would have been bleak up there a few weeks ago!!!

Looking up the A640 from March Hill to Buckstones Moss. (Emley Moor in far distance.)

Ok, ok, I know you are all throbbing with anticipation ... Did I, or did I not make it back inside my 6 hour target?

Yay!

 

[sgl5gjr]

Been busy with the business to log my rides here but even still managed to get out...... on 3 rides (other than customer bike test rides) I did a 13.2 mile on a refurbished Claud Butler Shinobi MTB (now for sale) a 28.2 mile on my Roadie through some nice Fenland villages and a 12.1 mile with Mrs Sgl on her roadie...and she is getting more confident every ride.... and hopefully now I have fitted a shorter stem for her longer rides.....

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

A nice 25 mile ride starting in North Oxford on my Brompton. I had a lovely breeze behind me on the way out and had to work a bit on my return. After a recent discussion elsewhere on CC about 'honking' up hills on a Brompton, I can confirm it's possible and actually quite a good way to get up some of the steeper inclines. All my experiences to date indicate that this folder will be a very good bike to tour on this summer.

View attachment 82244

The Grampies over on CrazyGuyOnABike tour in Bike Friday's so why not.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I hope they are OK after their accident. I'll head over the CGOAB and have a read.

me too. Steve has a dislocated shoulder and a badly broken scapula and Dodie has escaped with cuts and bruises. They are positive though and talking about having plenty of time to recover in for their next planned tour in 4 months time, but I know from experience (sadly) that that is the only way you can be.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've just been reading their blog

yep I had been following it though tend to catch up on it once a week, as with others I follow.

 

[BSRU]

A 69km ride earlier with 900m of going up, plotted a course which had me riding into the wind for the first half then thankfully mostly a tailwind on the way home.
The first 50km was harder than expected with the gusty head wind for most of it plus 765m of going up in that first 50km.
Warm dry weather but 100% overcast so no sun on view.

Bad news when I got home, no cake of any description available.

 

[MikeW-71]

Today was new towbar for the car day - finally saved up for one. We drove off to Horstead, near Coltishall and dropped the car off and retrieved the bikes from the back of the car and off we toddled towards Aylsham, via the Bure Valley Path. We found the path easily enough, as I'd put the route in my Garmin last night and got it to loop us back by road as there is only so much hard mud dirt tracking that my fillings will stand.
We rode along and stopped at Buxton Station. I say station, Kings Cross it is not.

Ooooh! It's like our Laal Ratty I'll have to see about paying a visit.

 

[13 rider]

Ride of two half's . first part a test commute to work .A trail run from Anstey to Quorn 6.9 miles .I took it a a steady pace to see how long it would take so I could get to work without being a sweaty wreck. Got there in 27 mins at an average of 15 mph!! I should take it easy more often I normally average 12 mph I think I had a bit of a tailwind. So commuting odd days will soon begin. Second part was a bit more challenging the last local climb not to be climbed needed doing . so off from Quorn through Woodhouse to Woodhouse eaves to the foot of beacon hill . on and upward a slow steady climb at around 6 mph and the climb was done .Amazed myself by getting up climb in the middle ring not needing to drop into the lower gears. I have now starting climbing at bit more out of the saddle instead of spinning in the lower gears at it seems to work for me .16.5 miles done at 12.5mph in nice warm weather if a bit blustery.

 

[raleighnut]

Ride of two half's . first part a test commute to work .A trail run from Anstey to Quorn 6.9 miles .I took it a a steady pace to see how long it would take so I could get to work without being a sweaty wreck. Got there in 27 mins at an average of 15 mph!! I should take it easy more often I normally average 12 mph I think I had a bit of a tailwind. So commuting odd days will soon begin. Second part was a bit more challenging the last local climb not to be climbed needed doing . so off from Quorn through Woodhouse to Woodhouse eaves to the foot of beacon hill . on and upward a slow steady climb at around 6 mph and the climb was done .Amazed myself by getting up climb in the middle ring not needing to drop into the lower gears. I have now starting climbing at bit more out of the saddle instead of spinning in the lower gears at it seems to work for me .16.5 miles done at 12.5mph in nice warm weather if a bit blustery.

Very often if you take your time and ride with no pressure/expectations you can end up being faster than if you are trying to 'push on' and rush, I think it is to do with being relaxed on the bike.

 

[Geoff Crowther]

Haven't been out on my mtb since I bought the Thorn Sherpa last October. Thinking about riding the whole of the Great Glen Way on my End to End I thought it was time I got back on a bit o' rough stuff. So I set off up Highgate Road, branching off onto the track I know as Dimpus Gate. I paused on my way through the village to congratulate Rob Hayles on being selected as part of the team which will attempt to break the human-powered vehicle speed record in Nevada this coming September. He's a friendly guy, and wished me a pleasant ride.

So, up Dimpus Gate to the col at South Head, then down to this junction.

I took the right turn down here, Beet Lane.

It's a pretty rough descent, but, despite my ineptitude, I managed it without tumbling off. Then, through Chinley to Buxworth (or Bugsworth, as the locals would have it) and the canal basin. I followed the canal towpath to New Mills before returning to Hayfield via the Sett Valley Trail.

That made for a pleasant pootle of just over 12 miles. The bonus being, it's feeling like Spring really is on the way.

Anyone out there ridden the length of the Great Glen Way (not the cycleway, which, apparently, doesn't exist anymore)? I'll give it a go anyway but just wondering what it'll be like on the fully-laden Sherpa.

 

[Archeress]

I haven't ridden since 22 February due to my depression, amongst other things. I had a CBT appointment at 1pm down in North Common and although I really really didn't feel like cycling I managed to get out on the bike eventually. I packed some sandwiches and an apple and also made a flask up. I also put my new pocket camera in my breast pocket. I planned on joining the Bristol to Bath railway path and the surgery was just off the path at North Common. I didn't plan on pushing too hard, having left 90 minutes to do the 9ish miles and eat my sandwiches before the appointment. I was glad I cycled when I got down to the Hambrook lights on the ring road. They were doing more roadworks there and there were long queues in the direction that I would have been travelling. I made my way from there on a direct route to Rodway Common and dropped down the zig zag path to the railway path. I stopped at the old station at Warmley to eat my sandwiches and then cycled the mile or so onto North Common and the appointment. After the appointment I cycled back to warmley for tea and cake before riding back round the ringroad. I got home to find that I had got some nice speed on the way home, picking up a QOM and a lot of PRs. The photos below are of things that are recognisable if you've cycled the railway path.

Ride is here: https://www.strava.com/activities/267015286/overview

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Anyone out there ridden the length of the Great Glen Way (not the cycleway, which, apparently, doesn't exist anymore)? I'll give it a go anyway but just wondering what it'll be like on the fully-laden Sherpa.

walked it many years ago. It would be passable with care, though there were a few rough sections back then... they have probably been sorted out by now given we walked it the year it opened. We got bored with it - too many trees in the way and you never saw any of the views. It may have changed now, but we got so bored that we took a day out part way along and actually went up a side glen for a day's walk as a break from it and then walked 2 sections in one day.

Did some of it on our Nomad's back in 2012 as well - but there were sections we baled from just taking one look at them was enough - I can't remember exactly where it was but even the incline up onto the single track - probably around the start of Loch Lochy was enough to put us off...there may be sections you have to bale to the road for, but you should be able to manage most of it I think.

 

[Geoff Crowther]

walked it many years ago. It would be passable with care, though there were a few rough sections back then... they have probably been sorted out by now given we walked it the year it opened. We got bored with it - too many trees in the way and you never saw any of the views. It may have changed now, but we got so bored that we took a day out part way along and actually went up a side glen for a day's walk as a break from it and then walked 2 sections in one day.

Did some of it on our Nomad's back in 2012 as well - but there were sections we baled from just taking one look at them was enough - I can't remember exactly where it was but even the incline up onto the single track - probably around the start of Loch Lochy was enough to put us off...there may be sections you have to bale to the road for, but you should be able to manage most of it I think.

Thanks Emma, I'll bear your comments in mind.

 

[BSRU]

That last final climb over this hill.

 

[fatjel]

First 100 miler yesterday with @Cold Snail .. Did a trial run of the Man of Kent audax .. Sort of.
Used an old gps track but managed 183.4 km which is close enough to think I'll make the full 200k
Need to spend more time cycling and less in the Pub of course


https://app.strava.com/activities/267222131