Your ride today....

[13 rider]

A couple of evening rides this week ,Tuesday evening a stress buster ride following a rubbish day at work .12 miles with a couple of local hills thrown in . Today I was working at the side of some country lanes being constantly passed by cyclists . So home.from work and taking mum food shopping ( not my favourite activity) It's out with the bike . Anstey ,Thurcaston ,Rothley ,as I waited at the swithland lane crossroads a fellow roadie shot by so a target to chase kept pace along the flat but caught him at top of the first hill and passed him he drafted for a while then shot past me on the next downhill so I grabbed his wheel and we flew into Quorn taking turns on the front The fun ended when he went left and I went straight on . I went left at the next lights and he reemerged out of a side street about 100 yards in front he gone the short but more hilly way so the chase is on again . Caught him about a mile later in Woodhouse but again we went separate ways . Into Swithland and tight up the climb to Roecliffe crossroads and right to avoid warren hill left back to Old John and down Sharply hill into Newtown Linford and Home 16.5 miles in the bag at a swift 17.9 mph .

 

[Dave 123]

Me & her went out at 7 this evening on the tandem. First off a plummet down Long Road mountain and into Comberton. From there we went to Barton, blossom thick on the hawthorn, ducks on the pond. Over the A603 and on to Haslingfield where there was a big hole in the church wall... A motorist didn't bother to stop at the bottom of Chapel Hill.
A quick 100 yds up the A10 at Harston before turning to Newton, a little draggy hill to crawl up.
Coming into Great Shelford we were bowled over by the beauty of the church and the old houses. Normally riding through here it's a bit busy, you have to keep your eyes peeled. Tonight we looked at the old cottages and imagined the house prices.....

We had to wait for weeks to get out of Shelford, 3 trains came by.

We then joined the cycle path to Addenbrooks hospital, a great idea but only just wide enough for 2 bikes, big grass verges though.

Addenbrooks is expanding a pace, the builders are in again

We rolled into town past all of the boys in their drinking shirts and girls in frocks.
We stopped on Kings wall for a bit of flapjack, our own version of a wild Friday night!

For the ride home we had to put the lights on, Twas getting dark.
At the bottom of Madingley hill I changed down to the little ring and the chain decided to vacate the chain ring. It went back on easily enough.
Up Madingley hill we both stood up on the pedals like ultra pro tandemistas, we're getting good at this!

24 and a bit miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/582441252

 

[Stonechat]

https://www.strava.com/activities/581335405

They farm maggots?

 

[Old jon]

^^^ They certainly do.

 

[Dave 123]

They farm maggots?

http://www.ousevalleybait.co.uk/index.html

 

[Gravity Aided]

I thought they meant for medical use.

 

[PeteXXX]

I had the chance yesterday for a few miles before w*rk in the afternoon.

After a fairly sensible finish time, I was up by about 08:00, and, with a leisurely start, I set off on the MTB for a ride around Pitsford Reservoir a few miles away.

It was surprisingly windy alongside the water, but at least it blew the cobwebs out, and I was the first patron of the ice cream van in the top car park..

Overlooking the Res.

A bit of a rooty rise in Lings woods, just before home.

Altogether, a pleasant 18 miles before having to go and earn a crust. Boooooo...

A mate txt me about going out this morning, but with an 02:00 bedtime, I didn't bother setting my alarm for 07:30

https://www.strava.com/activities/581956940

 

[13 rider]

Wow that was windy .Pottered out this morning a few chores done weather not to bad so out with the bike . Up through Newtown Linford up ulverscoft lane to Polly Botts lane the last two times I been this way I come down the climb so today it was time to pay my dues and go up it . Slowish climb up and out to the back of Markfield to Thornton instead of going down past the reservoir I headed out to Merry Lees then Desford passing tropical Birdland then back to Ratby . The winds on the exposed bits around Markfield were brutal but at Ratby I picked up a tailwind . A tailwind assisted 5th place of all time on a strava segment was my reward for putting up with the wind . Ratby ,Groby and Anstey with another quick pr on another strava segment coming home . Back home with 17.3 miles in the bag at 16 mph having dodged the showers enjoying coffee and cake .Hopefully tomorrow will be less windy

 

[Old jon]

Out again. After some thought, nope, showing off there. Castleford came to mind, a bit odd, I might have seen an advert or something. So, off goes I. Dewsbury Road, Jack Lane, Marshall Street, Water Lane and Great Wilson street to point me towards Cinder Bridge. Up the ‘orrible ‘ill to John O’ Gaunt’s and straight on to Oulton roundabout. The A 639 takes me on to Methley,

and eventually Castleford. It is a lot quieter than it used to be. Left at the first set of lights and continue until the sign for the A 656, past Allerton Bywater and Ledston Luck, one of the old mileposts calls this bit Hook Moor. Turn right at Peckfield Bar and left at the next roundabout for Micklefield. At the crossroads, straight on to Aberford, left onto Cattle Lane to Barwick in Elmet ( full name for once ), then through Scholes to the A 64. Turn left, then right onto Thorner Lane, next left is Skeltons Lane and straight across Coal Road to Red Hall Lane and my favourite bit of the A 58, down Boot Hill and on to the Oakwood Clock. Followed by a soggy wander across the rest of Leeds, it was persistently doing it, to finish 33.7 miles for the day. Pretty brilliant ride.

@NorthernDave , three more cafés. One in Methley, about twelve seconds in on the video, on the left. One in the ‘Enterprise Park’ called the Pit Stop ( the pit most certainly did ) at the side of Ledston Luck, and going north through Micklefield after the railway bridge there is one on the left, could not see a name. They were all open this morning.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

3 of us today. Pershore or Fladbury? We could decide later if the weather turned horrid. So we took the standard run out by Strensham and Eckington. At our decision point at Great Comberton things were going well so we carried on for Fladbury. Excellent coffee and bowl of soup was my request.

We climbed away for Bishampton for a crossing of the old airfield and on down to Pinvin and the ford. At Wadborough Sara parted to meet her hubby at the garden centre near Worcester while Jules and I took to Upton to cross the Severn. Jules opted to ride with me almost all my way back before he headed for Worcester. We'd had a rain free ride (despite the forecast) if not wind free.

 

[Dave 123]

I thought they meant for medical use.

Nope, for the maggot drowners.

This afternoon I had an hour or 2 to spare, so clearly a ride of some sort was in order. I didn't fancy going out on my road bike, getting all heated and sweaty, so I took my Spa tourer out.
I didn't plan to go fast, nor did I plan to go far.....
I know the roads round here in infinite detail, but it's always head down, arse up, with a fleeting glimpse of something or other. Have I actually seen the things?
Being a man of religious revulsion it makes me laugh how I'm a sucker for an old church.
First stop Caldecote church, St Michael and all saints.

In the second picture ^ I was stood with my back to a kissing gate. Through the gate is a communal garden, semi wild, semi cultivated, with a couple of benches for people to sit (an old fella was reading the paper) and a couple of very industrious bee hives.

Off down the hill and up the lumpier way into Kingston. All saints & St Andrew

http://kingstonvillage.org.uk/documents/miscellaneous/Church Guide.pdf

So there we have it, 10 miles with an average speed of 10mph, but I also did a bit of time travel. Not my usual kind of ride.Most enjoyable!


https://www.strava.com/activities/583218835

 

[Alex H]

Unlike the UK, the weather here today is and forecast to be 25°C round about now (18:00 local)

As we're off to a BBQ tomorrow, in the , I thought I'd better get a ride in. For a change a different direction - South. First stop for a photo, St Laurent sur Gorre. Why park in the 150 space car park 50m behind me, when you can park outside the shop AND mess up the traffic?

After that comes Gorre, which has an unusual church for the area, as it's relatively new (1892)

After Chalus and Firbeix, comes the high point of the ride

I don't know if there is one of these signs if every department of France, but if there is, that's only another 99 to go

I never like going back home the same way that I came, so I went via Saint Pierre-de_Frugie, where I stopped for something to eat at this deserted play area.
No cars or any person for at least 15 minutes

Onward to Bussière-Galant, where I found this Iris in someone's garden , whilst trying to look at the map. The village is split in 2 - some round the railway station and the rest about 1km away

Then it was Les Cars (buses? because's? French can be a strange language sometimes), Flavignac and Séreilhac, where I stopped for more food, including the obligatory cake (home made and a bit squished )

Route map below

I know it says only 99km, but my bike computer says otherwise and I did have to firk around a bit near home to get it over the 100.

101.41km in 5hr 5 mins - avg 19.93km/hr (well, it was a bit hilly)

 

[NorthernDave]

Set the alarm early, but couldn't drag myself from under the duvet until nearly 8, I haven't been feeling 100% all week and it seems that the lurgy was waiting for the weekend to properly arrive...on top of the worst hayfever I've ever had. Is there something different about the pollen this year?

Eventually set off out just before 9:30 on the road bike and decided to head in a roughly Wetherby-ish direction and see what happened.
Coal Road, down to the A58, then Carr Lane into Thorner and up Milner Lane where it started to rain so I stopped to put on my waterproof jacket, and the long way round to Bramham, then up West Woods Rd and across Wattle Syke roundabout (not literally!) and down the hill into Wetherby...wheeeeeee!
A loop through a surprisingly busy Wetherby and out over the A1(M) bridge and on towards Thorp Arch, throwing in a loop up to Walton for a bit of variety.
Over the bridge, after a wait for about 20 touring motorcyclists heading the other way, and into Boston Spa and then on to Clifford.
I was cycling into the wind now and really feeling it.
A very lack lustre effort up Town Hill and I toyed with the idea of heading to Stutton, then Towton and back via Aberford, but the thought of all those miles, into that wind, in the open, saw that plan binned off sharpish. Back into Bramham and even the idea of heading down Paradise Way into the wind didn't appeal, so I looped round to the A1(M) bridge and stopped to take off my waterproof as it was oddly humid the second you were sheltered from the wind and for a drink, a photo and emergency Haribo:

Back on the bike heading for home and I hadn't gone quarter of a mile and it started to rain again - blooming weather!
I wasn't stopping again though , so retraced my route the long way round to Thorner and on along Carr Lane to the A58, thanking the tall hedgerows for shelter from the cross and head winds most of the way round.
Up Coal Road and local roads on to home, feeling thoroughly cream crackered.

27.88 miles (44.86 km) in 2hr 1m at an average of 13.8 mph, with 1,414 ft climbed.
While it does put me through 350 miles for the month (my highest monthly total since October last year and my second best month ever, so far), I'm a bit disappointed I wasn't up to doing more but even the extra 4 and a bit miles to get a metric half in just seemed like too much effort and I'm still feeling rough now. I'd really set my heart on getting 500 miles in this month but it looks like I'm going to have a lot to do now to get that now...
An early night tonight I think and hopefully I'll be feeling more like myself tomorrow.

 

[cyberknight]

Found another photo from last weekends sportive , at the top of Weaver Hills

 

[ianrauk]

The temperatures didn't dip below 13° all night during May's FNRttC. Even with the mildly annoying mizzle/drizzle we had to contend with on and off throughout the night. A couple of times the drizzle turned into full on rain, but only for very short periods of time. Last nights ride was a new destination on the calendar. The most beautiful Art Deco, Shoreham Airport. And it was a glorious route with an even glorious finish. A full buffet fried brekkie with as much as one could eat. I managed 2 full English brekkies washed down with 4 cups of tea.

Well I wasn't going to ride back was I?. Do what I always do, the SMrbTH. I told myself and everyone else that would listen that I just wasn't feeling it.. but I felt guilty...my legs said no, my mind said no and they told me no the whole night. But after those awesome brekkies and tea and the voices of @Tim Hall and @robjh asking if I was riding back. I just couldn't help myself. Doh! But so glad I did, after a little trouble trying to find the road to the Devils Dyke. We were soon zooming along at a wind assisted rate of knots and I was home just after 1.30pm. It's exactly 60 miles from Shoreham Airport to home. It was a non stop journey and managed in under 4 hours. I got home, had a cup of tea, had a shower then jumped into bed, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Mrs Ian waking me up exactly 2 hours later with another cup of tea.

This was my 45th Friday Night Ride to the Coast. Who would have thunk it all those years ago when young @iLB's kept on badgering me to join the merry band. I held out for a while on the excuse that I do enough night riding on my commute without having to do night riding voluntarily. But finally relented andjoined my first Friday night ride, back in 2008. I never thought 8 years later I would be still doing these rides and still loving them. The camaraderie of the riders, the riding through deserted, eerie dark country lanes, the sound of 50+ tyres on tarmac rolling through the dark, the sound only broken now and again by hushed conversations. Some people chatting merrily away and some people who like to ride alone and in silence. It really is a great club this Friday's lark. If you haven't tried a Friday Night Ride to the Coast.. I strongly suggest you do.

I took some pics, but the mild temperatures mixed with mizzle and the body heat from keeping the phone in my jersey pocket meant they're not the best pics.

Ironsbottom

Halway stop. The Cabin at Faygate, 4am in the morning. Waves back at @sagefly

On the road, check out the trike.

On the road heading into Shoreham

Gratuitous bike pic at somewhere very nice indeed.

Shoreham Quarry and Cement Works. (long closed)

Shoreham Airport

The Fridays at Shoreham Airport

Route map

So 133 miles for the ride. Century 13 for 2016, 179 over all and a good few future Eddingtons.