Your ride today....

[steve50]

You lucky man @Donger such stunning scenery and roads you get to ride, I would never tire of riding roads like that.

 

[Stonechat]

In France and hoping to do Ventoux.

Got a Trek Domane on hire. Did about 11 miles yesterday, playing with saddle height

 

[Elybazza61]

A bit of an easier ride in today,down the A10 again but venturing off-road and down the cycle path by the Cam in to the city.

https://www.strava.com/activities/704549660

Chilly and hazy today but nice once the sun rose.

Some pics for a change with two herons as a bonus(one in flight);

 

[hondated]

Took advantage of a quiet morning, got the boardman out and had one of the best rides this year. Visited my dear old mum in the nursing home, then crossed the valley to my supplier to order some bits and pieces then took the scenic route home. I noticed some big improvements in speed on the uphill bits and surprisingly a noticeable lack of changing gears on the hills too, it never ceases to amaze me the fitness gains I have achieved even at the age of fifty eight years all thanks to cycling and working out at home. It just goes to show age should not be a barrier to better health.

Nice report. Precious things Mums aren't they !

 

[hondated]

Alps, Day 4. Now it's just getting stupidly beautiful. Don't need to find any new cols now .... it's all so great around here. This morning I went back along the lakeside cycle path to St Jorioz heading up the Cote de Puget aiming to do the Col de Leschaux. I tried that one last year, and only got as far as St Eustache. This time I got to the top of the climb to La Chapelle St Maurice. Like yesterday, this entailed climbing then descending, then climbing again, with quite a climb on the "descent" too. It turns out that la Chapelle St Maurice is at an altitude of 950 metres, while the Col de Leschaux is "only" 897. There didn't seem any point in dropping down to take a look at it.
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Again I opted not to stop on the climb, so took my pictures on the way back down. The highlight of the climb was when I came across a couple of deer in a meadow, and watched them for a few moments as I cycled by before they went bounding for cover in the tree line. I decided to do this climb again because of the views over Lake Annecy on the way down. Definitely my favourite local ride ... possibly my all-time favourite.
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The descent is loaded with lovely smooth switchbacks and long, smooth, straight bits. I hate to think what kind of speed @Dark46 would get to down there. I was just happy to be free-wheeling and drinking in the views.
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Just as I took this photo, the French cyclist coming the other way smiled and came up with a beautifully laconic, but apt comment. "C'est la recompense, eh?". The view was indeed "payback" for the effort expended grinding your way up there and putting in (by my reckoning) at least 600 metres of climbing.
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This ride just went to show that you don't need to constantly find climbs that have cycling history. Sometimes the best rides are ones that Le Tour has not yet discovered. Watch out for the Cote de Puget in future years. There were signs that it has recently been used in a tour of Savoie race, and it truly is a little (or not so little) gem. Mrs Donger got this shot of me returning to the house. I was still grinning from the descent.
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Donger your certainly making the best of your time out there. I am like you when riding back down in that I have invested so much time in getting to the top as much as I would love to speed back down instead I saviour the view all of the way.
I am floating on air. Cheers, Donger.

 

[hondated]

Today was the Leicester /South Derbyshire meet up ride . Out at 0830 heading the 14 miles to start point at Market Bosworth . Being the good organiser I am I was first to arrive . Everyone soon arrived in good time so a quick chat as introductions were made as most of us had not met before.
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Left to right @broady , @cyberknight , @tallliman[/USER] ,@guitarpete247 ,@Supersuperleeds ,@Lilliburlero and Paul @Lilliburlero mate all ready to roll.
We set of circling Market Bosworth under my direction which was quite good for the first part . Though the villages of Cadeby ,Shenton ,Dadlington, Stoke Golding ,Atterton ,Witherley,Pinwall,Warton and Austrey .Just before Norton hill we stopped for a quick rest and decide wether to do the hill as @guitarpete247 was struggling with the pace but to his credit he took it on. So up Norton hill were I hit it hard but soon got passed by @Supersuperleeds who may have blown up as I passed him and modesty prevent me from saying who reached the top first .Off to Orton on the hill where @guitarpete247 took a littleshort cut and we went through the village and caught Pete just before the cafe. @Lilliburlero managed to finally get his bacon roll It had been overcast all day but as we sat at the café it definitely turned chillier .So refueled we set off again at the next junction @guitarpete247 turned for home .I think he found its bit hard but did really well to hang on and I hope he still enjoyed it . At the next junction the south Derby crew turned for there homes . Leaving me @Supersuperleeds ,@tallliman and @broady to complete the circle. So through Newton Burgoland ,Odestone were we started overtaking riders with race numbers on feeling great until we discovered there in the middle of a 220 mile ride . In to Cartlon where we came across the vintage rally of bikes so quick stop to admire the old bikes . Back to the start point where @broady headed a different way home so heading back to Anstey into the wind @Supersuperleeds went on the front first then I took my turn who turned into a 5 mile effort. Back home with a metric century in the bag and the other 2 headed home . Lovely ride I great company and everyone seemed to enjoy it and only one wrong direction given which for me is quite good

Great report and surely demonstrating how good this forum is by all meeting up mainly as strangers and leaving each other as friends. Brilliant.

 

[SteveF]

Wanted to do a bit of a longer ride today, went out with the BiL but it got cut short as he was under a little bit of time pressure and he got a puncture after hitting a pot hole... https://www.strava.com/activities/704833672

We went out via Ockendon, which was quite busy at that time in the morning, would normally go another way but had a bit of a timetable to keep to... Once we got over the A127 and A12 it became far quieter on the roads. The route was thrown together a bit last minute so it was a bit of an unknown quantity.....

Lovely scenery.... great for a hybrid (not so great for my road bike!)

Most of the park bits were fine (NCN 136), though there were a couple of really sandy stretches that demanded extra care....

Got all the way to today's destination (Moreton) on some lovely quiet, rolling, lanes but we knew the original route was going to take longer than anticipated so decided to shorten it and went back by via Ongar and the A128 (a road I don't like riding and normally wouldn't use). We made pretty good time and managed to squeeze in a refreshment stop near the end of the ride.....

Then it was a slow potter home.... However upon getting home I noted that pest control had decided to make a visit to remove a pigeon from the garden...

 

[Diggs]

A fairly productive week and the sun is out so I felt obliged to get out. Rather than thrash round the lanes on the road bike, I thought I'd have a little wander round the bridleways on the Marin.

 

[cosmicbike]

After a shorter than expected ride yesterday, I decided today would be my metric half for the month. Planned a new route out to Newlands Corner, somewhere I've been meaning to go to for ages, over breakfast. After planning route, discovered daughters birthday present not available in Staines which I'd intended to pop to after lunch, but could be had in Windsor. All change then, and out with the Boardman CX. Out through Virginia Water as normal, then actually rode the bit near the lake and Savill Gardens for a change, before heading out the other side and onto the cycle track which leads to Windsor Football Club. Not a smooth route, and whilst OK on a CX, not good for a roadie as I believe @mark st1 recently discovered...Pressie suitably bought, it was home via Eton, Datchet, Saines, Laleham and Sainsburys as nowt in the cupboards for tea.
A rather disjointed 31.8 miles on which I never felt like I got going, but that's 9 months done out of 12.

 

[mark st1]

After a shorter than expected ride yesterday, I decided today would be my metric half for the month. Planned a new route out to Newlands Corner, somewhere I've been meaning to go to for ages, over breakfast. After planning route, discovered daughters birthday present not available in Staines which I'd intended to pop to after lunch, but could be had in Windsor. All change then, and out with the Boardman CX. Out through Virginia Water as normal, then actually rode the bit near the lake and Savill Gardens for a change, before heading out the other side and onto the cycle track which leads to Windsor Football Club. Not a smooth route, and whilst OK on a CX, not good for a roadie as I believe @mark st1 recently discovered...Pressie suitably bought, it was home via Eton, Datchet, Saines, Laleham and Sainsburys as nowt in the cupboards for tea.
A rather disjointed 31.8 miles on which I never felt like I got going, but that's 9 months done out of 12.

Not me buddy I don't think ? I didn't even know they had a football club as such Google shows a stand and all sorts.

 

[cosmicbike]

Not me buddy I don't think ? I didn't even know they had a football club as such Google shows a stand and all sorts.

Someone else on here then, had it in my head it was you. Deforestation read on here or maybe I'm going slightly mad.

 

[Dave 123]

After a nasty headwind home from work we went out on the tandem to the Hare & Hounds in Harlton to meet our friend Crazy Al. On Saturday night he stayed over and left his watch. So we rolled to the pub a bit late due to the wind again.

Shandy and crisps was had. A few bikes going by through the village, one being ridden by a young lad who I taught to paddle. I bump into young Alan on a regular basis, but he'd not seen the tandem.

He rode back to Kingston with us before turning off to Caldecote.

We came by Toft. The sun was playing ball tonight on the way home

https://www.strava.com/activities/705218648

 

[msi64]

Last nights ride was my first with a partner, nothing major or long a few more miles than usual though. I got back last night feeling great, the miles flew by. This morning I woke up n a great mood, very pleased with myself and feeling great. What a difference a ride partner makes

 

[cosmicbike]

After running a few errands first thing, I opted for a short but lumpy ride, taking in Priest Hill, which I'm pleased to say I went up faster than I've managed before, and the 3 'hills' in the middle of Windsor Great Park near the Royal School. All very nice, if a little windy.

 

[Old jon]

I fitted a pair of Marathons 1500 miles ago and I had just about got used to seeing a tread pattern. It is an odd sort of distraction and one I hope not to repeat, but this morning it suddenly got worse! After my trundle through Holbeck to Office Lock, just after going under the viaduct that gives the road its name, someone had spilt white paint on the towpath. I thought it had dried, aye there was a crust on top. I now have two highlighted tread patches on the front tyre. I guess you could call it luck.

On I went. After crossing the Ring Road at Lawnswood I took the left branch of the road to ride all the way up to Cookridge, and instead of following the road to Bramhope I turned left again, around the back of Leeds and Bradford Airport, up that hill of many grunts, followed by its nasty little brother, to cross the A 658 and really fly down the Chevin into Otley. Cross the river, up the hill and turn left for Weston. And a sandwich stop. Note to self, there is a road to ride north out of Askwith, maybe next time.

The ride home had to be easy, that flickering tread was almost giving me a headache, so back into Otley, none of this going further up the valley, I know Denton Bridge is shut. The good old A 660 through Bramhope works well for me.

From Headingley ( some event or another happening ) to Kirkstall and the towpath again, missing that paint, around a bit of Hunslet and home 31.6 miles after leaving it. Tired too.
And the map, no paint splodges