Your ride today....

[Katherine]

Lots of firsts in a while ( yesterday's ride). First solo 50 miler since last August. First winter ride to Anderton. First solo roadside tube change.

It's a week on Sunday until the next winter Polocini which I signed up for to do with the club. It is going to be 64 miles and I haven't done enough longer rides recently. Today was the only time I could go out this week and I planned a ride out to the Anderton Boat Lift because the lanes out that way are so lovely.

The winds were cold and hard work at times but there was also some lovely sunshine and occasional tail winds too. Lots of debris on the roads and paths, broken fences, damaged signs and fallen trees from yesterday's storm. I enjoyed the peace of a quiet weekday ride through the lanes, spotting the early daffodils, admiring the clumps of snowdrops, crocus, primula, pussy willow, seeing the villages in their winter colours ( no cars parked by the church in Great Budworth!), stopping far too many times for photos, glimpsing lots of large and small birds from pheasants and I think I saw a sparrowhawk on a fence post to little birds in hedges that I couldn't identify, a friendly pony in a field, llamas, sheep, and just being out on the bike.
It was also quite nice to do a longer ride solo for a change. It allowed me to stop for photos but I missed the encouragement to keep going when I'm tiring.


Considering how much debris on the roads and paths that I had to ride over, it was quite surprising that when I did have to stop to see what was wrong with the wheels I was surprised to see a flat tyre rather than a rubbing mudguard or something caught up in the spokes. This was the first time I'd ever had to change a tube when not with a group of other riders keen to help. The first and most time consuming mistake was trying to remove the tyre before eventually wondering if there might still be a bit of air left in despite the fact that it was flat!!! Once I'd released the remaining air, I was able to proceed much more quickly. That's how you learn, right?! I was surprised to find a tiny thorn, which I could have picked up anytime when riding on country roads, considering how much debris I'd ridden over on the roads and paths. Riding on Marathons does make it quite rare but is also the reason for being out of practice. The other thing that took a while was pumping up the tyre with my little hand pump but eventually I got it hard enough to ride home the last 20 miles without any further problems and I'll use the track pump once I've washed the bike down. Of course the only person to stop and offer help arrived as I was cleaning my hands after packing up, job done. I jubilantly announced that I'd just finished!

Anderton in the winter
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I'll pose for you
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Port Salford Greenway
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Port Salford Greenway, pussy willow across the path
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High Legh, junction
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Great Budworth, no waiting
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Romantic house in Great Budworth
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Tree down in Comberbatch
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Handy trailer for the tube change
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[CanucksTraveller]

Bit of a surprise ride today... my group decided last night that today was the better of the weather this weekend, so we were off out at 1130.

I set out on my own at 1100, through Letchworth and into Baldock to meet up with the rest of the group, just 6 of us today. Under leaden skies we set off on the ride proper, toiling our way roughly northwest out into Bedfordshire; This was a bad choice as it turned out since it's flat farmland as opposed to the rolling hills to the east in Hertfordshire, and flat fields mean no shelter. Boy was it blustery. We rode through Newnham, Ashwell, Edworth, and Langford, arriving at Broom where we stopped off at The Cock pub, which interestingly has no bar. In order to get served, you make your choice from the blackboard, and your server serves you from about 3 foot down in the beer cellar through a hatch. Quirky and fun.
From there, it was back south through Stanford, Clifton, and Henlow. We were caught in the worst of the weather at Henlow and we sheltered in the Engineer's Arms, which happily was having a Beer and sausage festival. It would have been rude not to have a grilled pork and sage sausage on a bap. From there, we rode through Stotfold back to Baldock.
50.6 km, which with February's qualifying 50 already done, earns me an unexpected bonus point in the half century challenge.

Apologies, not great photos today due to the weather.

 

[derrick]

A nice easy club ride today, back into winter clobber after a week in Spain, Was nice to ride around the Hertford lanes again, 51miles nice and steady, one of the girls had a puncture so a little delay but soon on our way again, My other half decided to lead a slower group, they ended up doing 32 miles then we met back at the cafe for a coffee and bit of cake. Nice to be riding with the Saturday crew again, Going to have another ride Sunday with friends the legs are holding up well.
https://www.strava.com/activities/879148296

 

[cosmicbike]

Strictly utility and commuting today. Into town for shopping and haircut, then ride into work tonight. Someones got to pay the bills...

 

[Old jon]

Lots of firsts in a while ( yesterday's ride). First solo 50 miler since last August. First winter ride to Anderton. First solo roadside tube change.

It's a week on Sunday until the next winter Polocini which I signed up for to do with the club. It is going to be 64 miles and I haven't done enough longer rides recently. Today was the only time I could go out this week and I planned a ride out to the Anderton Boat Lift because the lanes out that way are so lovely.

The winds were cold and hard work at times but there was also some lovely sunshine and occasional tail winds too. Lots of debris on the roads and paths, broken fences, damaged signs and fallen trees from yesterday's storm. I enjoyed the peace of a quiet weekday ride through the lanes, spotting the early daffodils, admiring the clumps of snowdrops, crocus, primula, pussy willow, seeing the villages in their winter colours ( no cars parked by the church in Great Budworth!), stopping far too many times for photos, glimpsing lots of large and small birds from pheasants and I think I saw a sparrowhawk on a fence post to little birds in hedges that I couldn't identify, a friendly pony in a field, llamas, sheep, and just being out on the bike.
It was also quite nice to do a longer ride solo for a change. It allowed me to stop for photos but I missed the encouragement to keep going when I'm tiring.


Considering how much debris on the roads and paths that I had to ride over, it was quite surprising that when I did have to stop to see what was wrong with the wheels I was surprised to see a flat tyre rather than a rubbing mudguard or something caught up in the spokes. This was the first time I'd ever had to change a tube when not with a group of other riders keen to help. The first and most time consuming mistake was trying to remove the tyre before eventually wondering if there might still be a bit of air left in despite the fact that it was flat!!! Once I'd released the remaining air, I was able to proceed much more quickly. That's how you learn, right?! I was surprised to find a tiny thorn, which I could have picked up anytime when riding on country roads, considering how much debris I'd ridden over on the roads and paths. Riding on Marathons does make it quite rare but is also the reason for being out of practice. The other thing that took a while was pumping up the tyre with my little hand pump but eventually I got it hard enough to ride home the last 20 miles without any further problems and I'll use the track pump once I've washed the bike down. Of course the only person to stop and offer help arrived as I was cleaning my hands after packing up, job done. I jubilantly announced that I'd just finished!

Anderton in the winter
View media item 9430
I'll pose for you
View media item 9429

Port Salford Greenway
View media item 9438
Port Salford Greenway, pussy willow across the path
View media item 9437
High Legh, junction
View media item 9436
Great Budworth, no waiting
View media item 9435
Romantic house in Great Budworth
View media item 9433
Tree down in Comberbatch
View media item 9432
Handy trailer for the tube change
View media item 9431

That is worth more than a like. A very nice report indeed. Thank you!

 

[Racing roadkill]

A shortened ride today, the Boardman failed again. A rear mech cable break, which is a nightmare because it's internally routed. Replacing an unbroken cable is easy, you just snip the stopper off of the old cable at the brifter ,then braze the new cable onto the old one and pull it through. If it breaks inside, your screwed. It broke inside, I'm screwed. So, I decided the easiest option was to ride the reverse 20 miles in 50/11, to save messing about with limit screws, and / or chain length / angle of dangle.
I made it, but my legs are going to feel it tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/880303975/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1488112103

At least I managed 40 odd miles.

 

[cubey]

ride the reverse 20 miles in 50/11

Now that would wreck my already old creaky knees, well done sir.

 

[gbb]

Not a 'nice' ride today but a recce for a potential commute a couple times a week, 12.5 miles each way to my upcoming new place of work.
Alongside the A1M on the old A1...bugger it's noisy and none of it is very inspiring but...as the winds are generally westerly and the road generally heads north/south, you dont get too much headwind.
So 25 miles, some with a side/head wind, return with a side/tail wind, all quite acceptable. My problem is going to be no showers at work ...I may end up strip washing in the new workshop sinks .
Punctures at 7 miles. My first in about 3 years....I like folders, the GPS 4000 was easy to get back on, new tube fitted in 15 minutes perhaps, could have been quicker but tried to find the puncture but couldn't hear a damn thing where I was.

 

[Donger]

You couldn't make this one up. On the return leg of our club ride today, we were just reaching the bottom of a long hill when one of our number pulled up. A couple of us slowed down to see what the problem was. His chain had just vanished. Disappeared completely. The first he knew about it was when he went to accelerate and ended up with his legs spinning like a cartoon coyote's. Hadn't a clue when he had lost it!

I'm guessing the chain must have broken on his very last turn of the pedals at the top of the hill, and dropped off silently as he started to coast down the other side. The club stuck together well. Two riders climbed back up the hill to retrieve his chain, and two of us took it in turn to give him a shove until we caught up with the others who were waiting about a mile away. Shoving a bike with one hand while holding only one of your handlebars with the other is harder than you would imagine. As he walked up the long steep hill out of Longhope, this actually gave me the chance to grind my way up at my typical speed without anyone noticing how slow I am. Yet another club member provided a spare link for a 9 speed chain, and we all stuck together until we were almost home. Like the marines, we never leave a man behind.

A wind-battered ride today. First out to Hartpury at over 20mph with a tailwind, then across to Upleadon, Newent, Aston Ingham and Mitcheldean, and then back into a stiffening wind from Huntley to Gloucester. Plenty of hills too, and I certainly know I've been on a ride. A couple of times we got caught by red traffic lights, but the 8 man Kingsway CC Formation Trackstanding Ensemble did itself proud again. A great ride in great company. 38.8 miles. May all your rides be as enjoyable.

Cheers, Donger.

 

[Stonechat]

Another ride today in the battle to regain fitness

Went through Chertsey, along Stonehill Road to Chobham, then up the hiill at the end of Red Road, taking the Hawley Road to Yateley, where we used to live, through Sandhurst and Crowthorne, skirting Bracknell along New Forest Road (I always forget how hilly it is), then home via Ascot and Egham Hill

It was almost drizzling when I started but did not amount to anything.
Overall a hillier route than I remembered, and the wind was really picking up and gusting.

44 miles done with 1568 feet climbed, so with the wind average speed of 15.5 mph was OK, hoping for faster , but at this stage it is OK

https://www.strava.com/activities/880352249
Even some PRs though I suspect they were tailwind assisted

 

[Katherine]

Thanks! I was hoping it wasn't too long or waffling.

 

[PaulB]

I only did 22 miles but the wind made it the equivalent of about 10 miles one way and 40 the other! It was so severe, I resorted to our outdoors track and could easily get up to 28mph on the back straight and struggled to get up to 16 on the home straight.

 

[Osprey]

After missing two weekends of riding through man flu, todays blustery and wet forecast wasn't going to hold me back. Admittedly I did choose the flattest ride possible though. An enjoyable 20 mph wind assisted tailwind along the North Gower before cutting through the sheltered Clyne valley to emerge on Swansea Bay. Turning right into the wind I followed the promenade through Mumbles to Bracelet Bay and Limeslade Bay. Then retracing my steps, once again wind assisted I continued the full sweep of the Bay through the to the Swansea maritime quarter. Now turning back home into the face of the headwind, it started to rain hard. Oh well, at least 20 of the 33 mile total were dry which was better than the forecast. Another enjoyable metric half century bagged.

Limeslade Bay, Mumbles

 

[Deleted member 1258]

A slow hard 57 miles this morning, I spent a lot of the way out flying before a tail wind and spent most of the way back slogging into a head wind, but still an enjoyable ride over to Middleton Hall.

 

[Dave 123]

A bit blowy today. We had company for our ride today, 3 of our friends along with us. Andree and Mick will do a 25 mile ride most weekends, but Christine hasn't been cycling much lately, and she was on Mrs Daves hybrid, but she did valiantly.

It was only our normal circular ride, because of the convenient Waresley GC tea stop at the halfway point. It was here that Christine didn't want tea and cake so I bought her some anyway. I knew that if she never had any she'd run out of energy within a few miles.

25 miles.