Your ride today....

[Dave 123]

Yesterday was a cycling disaster. 2.5 miles in on the tandem and spokes were dropping out of the rear wheel, newly fixed I might add! A return home made it 5 miles! The rest of the day was spent doing stuff and nonsense, but also getting the wheel fixed, and Mrs Daves road bike fixed. She knocked it over with the tandem the other day and the derallieur hanger screws were knackered.
Once home I did this short 10 miler

https://www.strava.com/activities/625735519

Today we went out on road bikes as I don't trust the tandem! Down to Grizelles, where we had the spoke trouble, over the river and on to Nicey. It was.

Out of the village I could spy a hill, Jo didn't see it for a while. 'Oooh, a hill' she said. She wasn't wrong either! It was never super steep but it went on and on. She did really well, just spinning steady. A decent into Cruzy le Chatel and straight up again, rounding a steep hairpin. It undulated for a bit

Culminating at the top of another hill

So the first 10 and a quarter miles had been lumpy. We crossed the main road and entered the forest de Gland. It was lovely.

The only thing missing was wild boar.
A fairly flat return to Laignes. Jo went home, I carried on for a bit and got hammered in a stiff headwind.

https://www.strava.com/activities/626406511

 

[Levo-Lon]

After yesterday's job my hamstrings feel like piano wire so a quick ride to loosen them up..it seems to have worked!!
Only a quick 6 miles but I only had what I was wearing so no drink or repair kit..

 

[Old jon]

A bit of a shower before I set off this morning, and a few spots decorated the ride here and there. July has started well.

Little to say about the bit of Holbeck I ride through. The roadworks have gone, not much traffic at the time I ride through, not much of anything at all. But it is an easy approach to Office Lock and the towpath to Viaduct Road. The series of rises to the Ring Road at Lawnswood still take a bit of effort, and then I turned left after crossing the Ring Road and climbed all the way to the top of Cookridge.

A bit of downhill follows, then the left turn for Otley and the two chest heaving efforts to pass the airport and reach the A 658, where I turned right for a well earned full descent of Pool Bank. Left out of the village and along the valley road, wind in my face, to Otley, where I refuelled the aged body and set off back along the Leeds Road, A 660, uphill again, all the way back to Headingley, and finish the 31.1 miles of the ride going home via Kirkstall, the towpath, and the bit of Hunslet called Leathley Road. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Hardly a knitting pattern, just a tangle of roads,

 

[Dave 123]

As I arrived back from my extended ride her ladyship was sat on the front step in the sun, crocheting... Still in cycling gear. "I thought we could go out later" she said. Who am I to argue?
This time we set out on the Montbard road, hilly from the off.

The wind was stiff, once in a while it was in our favour. The highest temp I saw on my Garmin was 28.3°c.

The above pic was taken in the village of Planay. The England football team stayed here during the euros. Pity they didn't stay in Plan B.
Out through more beautiful countryside, passing huge fields of sunflower. Not one in bloom. The cold and wet means that they're another 2 weeks off.

The two stand out birds of the day were Hen Harrier and Black Redstart.

A second lovely ride of the day. She's managed about 2,500 ft of climbing in 40 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/626532783

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 1

My alarm went at 02:40. Zzzzzzzz. Mrs 26 drove me to catch the bus from the Forest. As we headed south more and more of the sleepy gang got on. Bristol airport arrived but we were confronted with a long, long delay due to a French Air Traffic Controllers’ dispute. Could’ve had extra time in bed…….
We discharged into hot (35 C) and sunny with 40 bikes to rebuild. Ken set us off in suitably small groups to limit the chaos 40 riders would make on busy roads. Once away from Marseilles fragments of group 5 came past in ones and twos on the first climb as the pressure had been applied early. Other groups merged and split as the ride progressed. The route was busy with traffic for the most part. Antony had an incident on a roundabout. He picked himself up, no harm done. French roundabouts take a bit of getting used to. There were a couple of nice little climbs which were quiet. It was good to get away from traffic even if it is up hill.
As we rode we found the watercourses to have been severely canalised and plenty of water was flowing after much rain before our arrival. The Rhone was an exception to the canalisation though. Mont Ventoux appeared to our right. That would be our Stage 3 appointment then. Our hotel in Orange was gratefully reached. It had been a very long day with such an early start and the heat had been tough. That does take time to acclimatise to. 69 miles

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 2

We headed out of Orange on busy roads to climb from Uchaux. We dropped again the route took us north to cross the Rhone at Bourg Saint Andeol where coffee was taken. The heat was building. The climb from the Rhone valley saw us gain over 500 meters. Up here the scenery was wonderful in this limestone playground. The road was a bit of a roller coaster but took us inexorably to drop off the plateaux to Vallon Pont D’Arc for lunch. Various groups met and parted at the café. Time to hide from the sun under the shades as it was hot.
Now we were in for a treat as we left lunch behind and began the ride along the Ardeche some 100s of meters above the bottom of the gorge. There were a couple of climbs, the first of which (~200 meters) was steep in places and difficult, not least because the temperatures were over 40 C. Rabbo had had enough and climbed into the support van. Good call. Indeed 5 were in the van at various times today as it was extreme. The views into the gorge were spectacular but one couldn’t touch the steel safety rails. Second degree burns were a big risk. Lots were down in the Ardeche river in canoes having fun and presumably able to cool off in the river.
After riding along well above the gorge we were able to drop to the river at St Martin d’Ardeche where ice cream was downed. Time was now becoming an issue so yours truly rode at the front to tow the others in the Ken group home on relatively flat but busy roads. It had been a long but stunningly wonderful ride. The key to this one had been to drink and drink and drink and take it easy. 90 miles

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 3

The big one was ahead of us today. We left early in an attempt to avoid the heat. Swiss’s group kept the pace very sensible. It’s just a steady ramp from Orange by l’Ouveze to Malaucene where a café was sought by many. With bottles topped up it was straight into the climb of Mont Ventoux. It starts fairly easily but there is a long way to go. Riders were soon in their own personal space just riding as they could. There were some really tough sections of 11-12% which just went on and on. A tandem came past with a “bravo” from me. Those riders just a few yards up the road stayed that far away. No one could drag themselves any faster to increase a gap or reduce it. The heat was building too. Water reserves were being depleted. La Poste came past, then JaJa. A bit later Bjarney shouted encouragement as he went past. Oh to be that bit younger again but hey I’m here to do my little bit. My pace briefly dropped below 4mph but there were sections where <5mph was all I could muster. I wasn’t alone in that. At 4 miles to the summit that implied an hour to go. Yikes that was a bad thought. Then as I emerged from the trees the hairpin bends ahead looked impossible and worse as I looked upwards and to my left the summit appeared just impossibly high still. Avert eyes and just turn those pedals. Photographers were in place and business cards were stuffed into my jersey pockets. There would be time to review those when I got home. And then I was there. Familiar shirts and faces with words of congratulations and handshakes. My first ascent of Ventoux – I’d done it!! Amazing what 2 litres of fluid and determination can achieve.
There was a general carnival atmosphere at the summit as hundreds of riders basked in the glow of their success. The views were amazing if hazy. Eventually it was time to go so we took to the descent to Sault. I paid my respects at Tommy Simpson’s memorial and took a pic for a German on his way up. Sadly paramedics were working on a heart attack victim in the road as we were requested to slow. Sadly we later learned he didn’t make it.
The descent after Chalet Reynard to Sault was superbly scenic and not overly fast so it was good to be able to enjoy looking around. At Sault where lunch was taken there were quite a few who were putting off getting on with the ride. I joined AJ’s group but found I wanted to ride so when I saw Thag at the side of the road and he invited me to join in I was towed up to join Adam and Tony. We rode together fairly briskly through some lovely quiet countryside. Indeed it was quiet enough for a cuckoo to be surprised by our presence as he flew within inches of Tony’s front wheel.
Certainly it had been a day to remember. Beers all round when we got to the Hotel. 95 miles and >10,000 feet of ascent

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 4

Today was to be another big day. No Ventoux but plenty of climbing was on the menu. Again the heat would be tricky. After a steady leg loosener we climb up onto a limestone plateau to take a rough track through lavender fields. A head wind was causing difficulty as increased our elevation to ride along the high rim around Lac de Sainte Croix. The views over the wonderfully blue lake were memorable. The van was in place to resupply riders before the descent into the little valley at the head of the lake. Here, just after Moustiers Sainte Marie, AJ, Monst, Blue and myself stopped for coffee whilst others went through. That was the group which eventually stayed together for the rest of the day.
We rounded by the lake side to cross the Gorge de Verdon to climb to Aiguines where most stopped for lunch. Some decided to drop back down to the lake for a swim and what was advertised as an easier route. Others including AJ & Monst’s band began to climb again into a wondrous limestone landscape with big mountains and the deep, deep gorge of Verdon. This was unmissable riding. The climb did go on a bit but it was nicely graded. We even caught Thag’s group taking in the sights and snapping pics. There was a regrouping of us 4 just beyond the summit where Monst rejoined after some van based assistance.
Now we took on some fairly large rolling hills. Monst was unfortunate to puncture on the way down one of them. The scenery continued to be spectacular. A road on the other side zigged and zagged its way over a massive shoulder in the mountain. Riding a bike here made one feel quite insignificant. Again the heat was upon us so when we spied an ice cream stall at Pont de l’Artuby we stopped to hide in the shade whilst munching ice cream. Scarily folks were bungee jumping off the bridge into the depths of the gorge. No thank you very much.
We climbed again from the bridge onto a high plateau. The riding was very pleasant through beautiful countryside a lot of which was a French military training ground. The craggy and high limestone was receding behind and as we dropped into another valley Monst’s front tyre was soft. This time a slow puncture. No worries – just pump.
There was a final big drop through Bargemon which lead eventually to the D54 where we encountered the Furk group taking a route into town in the opposite direction to us. Instead we did a “sting in the tail climb” which then dropped us into Draguignan not far from the hotel. Today’s scenery must rank as one of the all time best on the bike. Absolutely stunning. 95 miles and >10,000 feet of ascent

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 5

Today was our final bike day. It was fairly windy with it being hindering too. Not what folks wanted after so much riding. The group was big this morning and many didn’t want to ride at the front. The route was easily rolling and fairly pleasant including a lovely stretch along the lakeside at Lac de Carces. There was a general regrouping in Cabasse for coffee. A large group formed and again there was reluctance to ride at the front. Yours truly took up the challenge but there was a stopping of many with no alerts sent forward. So now 4 of us formed up to stop for ourselves at Meounes les Montrieux. Where 2 others were lunching. The Plat du Jour was raw mince with herbs, olive oil and pine nuts. Melt in the mouth lovely.
After lunch we went straight into a climb. Ouch. Over the top the wind hadn’t relented and AJ had the Med in his thoughts. Soon we were dropping down towards the coast and riding along the seafront at St Cyr sur Mer. We were finished. Bikes to pack and then swimming in the Med (crikey that was cold!). 73 miles

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Same pair of 2.3k zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Jon George]

View attachment 133504
A nice bucolic scene on the way to Wroxeter. I'm lucky to have views like this on my commutes.

I really like this pic!

 

[gbb]

And now for something completely different...
Fitted GP4000s yesterday...
'Im going out for half an hour
'Dont worry, Ive got some tv to watch'
Some of my thoughts as i was riding along...

Ooh, these are smooth
Aha, theyre 25s not the 23s I just replaced, thats why.
At least its dry, give me a chance to scrub these tyres up (gators are horrible in the wet when new)
That cloud looks a bit ominous
Hah, i only came out for a spin, look at you you pratt, bombing along...is it these tyres ?..you wish, its the tailwind.
That cloud looks a bit ominous
Press on, beat those traffic lights...
These tyres really are smooth.
Was that a spot of rain...bugger, Im gonna get wet. Turn round now Colin.
Bugger, Im getting wet.
Bogger...im wet.
Arggh my eyes, that stings.
So much for scrubbing these tyres in.
Not far now, gonna have to give the bike a good drying off.

All of that in 4 miles

 

[gbb]

Excellent stuff twentysix by twentyfive.....it sounded epic.

 

[Donger]

Excellent stuff twentysix by twentyfive.....it sounded epic.

Would be nice to see the pictures later, too.

 

[NorthernDave]

GV Tour de Provence Stage 3

The big one was ahead of us today. We left early in an attempt to avoid the heat. Swiss’s group kept the pace very sensible. It’s just a steady ramp from Orange by l’Ouveze to Malaucene where a café was sought by many. With bottles topped up it was straight into the climb of Mont Ventoux. It starts fairly easily but there is a long way to go. Riders were soon in their own personal space just riding as they could. There were some really tough sections of 11-12% which just went on and on. A tandem came past with a “bravo” from me. Those riders just a few yards up the road stayed that far away. No one could drag themselves any faster to increase a gap or reduce it. The heat was building too. Water reserves were being depleted. La Poste came past, then JaJa. A bit later Bjarney shouted encouragement as he went past. Oh to be that bit younger again but hey I’m here to do my little bit. My pace briefly dropped below 4mph but there were sections where <5mph was all I could muster. I wasn’t alone in that. At 4 miles to the summit that implied an hour to go. Yikes that was a bad thought. Then as I emerged from the trees the hairpin bends ahead looked impossible and worse as I looked upwards and to my left the summit appeared just impossibly high still. Avert eyes and just turn those pedals. Photographers were in place and business cards were stuffed into my jersey pockets. There would be time to review those when I got home. And then I was there. Familiar shirts and faces with words of congratulations and handshakes. My first ascent of Ventoux – I’d done it!! Amazing what 2 litres of fluid and determination can achieve.
There was a general carnival atmosphere at the summit as hundreds of riders basked in the glow of their success. The views were amazing if hazy. Eventually it was time to go so we took to the descent to Sault. I paid my respects at Tommy Simpson’s memorial and took a pic for a German on his way up. Sadly paramedics were working on a heart attack victim in the road as we were requested to slow. Sadly we later learned he didn’t make it.
The descent after Chalet Reynard to Sault was superbly scenic and not overly fast so it was good to be able to enjoy looking around. At Sault where lunch was taken there were quite a few who were putting off getting on with the ride. I joined AJ’s group but found I wanted to ride so when I saw Thag at the side of the road and he invited me to join in I was towed up to join Adam and Tony. We rode together fairly briskly through some lovely quiet countryside. Indeed it was quiet enough for a cuckoo to be surprised by our presence as he flew within inches of Tony’s front wheel.
Certainly it had been a day to remember. Beers all round when we got to the Hotel. 95 miles and >10,000 feet of ascent

A like doesn't seem quite enough somehow.

Chapeau!