Your ride today....

[twentysix by twentyfive]

4 of us out today. Stunning route by St Mary's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kempley, over the Marcles and along the Wye to Hole-in-the-Wall and a cafe stop in Ross-on-Wye. The wind got up for our return in a very non helpful fashion. We had great views from the ridge on the way to Linton. Then we took a lesser used set of lanes through the Gorsley "triangle". Mostly because navigating that triangle is always a lottery. No worries as we emerged unscathed. Legs were tiring as we returned. One of my longest rides this year so far at 71 miles.

 

[Gravity Aided]

4 miles on the indoor trainer, due to high 30+ mph winds outdoors. Would have gone earlier with less winds, but medical exams prevented that.

 

[13 rider]

Home from work sun shining so out with the bike . Out through Newtown Linford up sharply hill ,left at old John car park down benscliffe rd right at the cross road and down pass the golf course and onto Cropston reservoir . nice steady descent saw me flying tonight . Through Cropston and back home . 9.8 miles done at a staggering average for me of 15.9 mph was just over 16 until the hill to my house . just lovely to be out in shorts and short sleeved top in the sun . Loads out on bikes tonight everybody had the same idea as me very little traffic in near perfect conditions Home in time for tea pasta and meatballs I'm starving

 

[Katherine]

Feeling tired and achey, I only went for a ride today because it was my half day. Kept it to my old distance and route on the East Lancs path of 22 miles but I did it in a faster time than it felt. Still tired and achey when I got back but feeling better in myself and so glad I went. Windy with lovely sunshine. The grass verges are yellow with dandelions which cheered me. I had the sun behind me on the way back, which I always do on that path in the afternoons, but today I was exactly aligned with my shadow which was fun.

 

[gavgav]

My only chance for a ride this week and I'm away at the weekend, watching Shrewsbury Town hopefully clinching promotion at Cheltenham, so took one of my new regular evening routes.

I was hoping that Doug was going to join me (we go to the Lakes in 7 weeks time, with the bikes, and he's only done about 20 miles all year! So I'm trying to encourage him out) but he found an excuse/was late back from running an errand ,

I headed through Bayston Hill and came across @Rickshaw Phil out on a test ride after some fettling and had a quick chat before continuing over Lyth Hill and down to Stapleton and Ryton. This road was closed on my ride last Saturday, but the road closed signs had gone and therefore I took my favourite route down to Longnor, before coming across road closed signs there instead!! I ignored them and found the roadworks, which appear to be fixing the leaking pipe that had been spewing water out during my last couple of trips down there, but why the whole road was closed I really don't know as you could have got a decent size lorry past the hole.

It was then my usual route through Acton Burnell, Pitchford, Cantlop, Betton Abbots, back home. That ruddy easterly breeze was blowing yet again, seems to have been like that for about the last 2 weeks and so it was slow progress.

21.0 miles at 11.3 mph avg

 

[NorthernDave]

A rare tea time treat for me today. I haven't had much chance to get out midweek so seized the opportunity.
Just under 15 miles at an average of 12.6mph (another PB), about a third of it off road. Out to Scholes, Barwick, Aberford, cross country to Garforth, then up to Thorpe Park and then home.
There seemed to be a lot of flies out today though...

 

[BSRU]

A 69km ride this morning with 830m of going up.
Legs complained alot going up the climbs, especially the cat 3 after 50km straight into the wind.

A nice easy 40mph downhill, shame about the climb before it and after it.
View attachment 86455

Unfortunately the zip on my long sleeve "La Vie Claire" top broke and I have to send it back.

Sadly not enough cake in the house to make up for my top having to be sent back, by the time a replacement arrives it will probably to warm to wear it.

Excellent news about my jersey, Prendas Ciclismo are sending me a replacement today, that's what I call fantastic customer service.

 

[PeteXXX]

I only had time for a shortish ride this morning..

Off around some of the local villages, with hoards of folk out celebrating St Georges Day (well, actually, there was no-one as usual....)

I did manage to pop into the farm shop near Earls Barton for a cuppa though, and a slice ofvery tasty home made Rocky Road cake.
Baked by the head chef from Rugby School, no less..

Back home for a shower and w*rk.. Boooo

15 miles in sunnier than expected weather.

https://www.strava.com/activities/290956827

 

[Elybazza61]

Normal commute in this morning after a late night(saw Laura Marling at Cambridge cornex);had to stop three times again with a seat-post/shim interfarce problem,otherwise a pretty mundane run in.

https://www.strava.com/activities/290885268

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I wasn't sure I would ride again today having ridden for 4 straight days without a break, but another clear sky and sunny morning tempted to me to go out and take it easy. Like **** I did...
I was out slightly earlier than normal which had the chance to catch the tail end of the rush hour traffic but everything was OK.

I'll be cycling past those houses very shortly.
I need to stop and remove my warmer layer before 9am this morning and was with S/S from then onwards. I expected to be chilly on the downhill sections but wasn't.

A nice fast downhill, but there is a 90 degree bend at the bottom and it is single track for little room for error, oh and it is a blind bend as well but you can get some speed up on the descent.

Does my train look big on this bridge?
At least the colours match!

I should have been paying attention to the fact that normally there is a brown horse in this field as well. Today there was not and further down the lane I was to meet it whilst I was taking a bend fast and its rider wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. She was busy texting someone... luckily the horse didn't spook. As it was I had to politely call out 'Morning' to her to get her attention. I wanted a little more than 1 foot of space between me and her horse which was all I would have had when we were less than 3 metres away from each other had I not have gotten her attention. Her horse was plodding up the middle of a narrow 6 foot wide lane... recumbent trikes and horses are an unknown entity. So far most have taken the trike well, but were/are clearly curious, but 1 or 2 have spooked and not been happy.

Further on and someone's lobelia is now coming into full flower. OK, I've just realised as I typed this, it is not lobelia, what is it? I can't remember what it is called.... crap this morphine messes with your head!

And today's final photo... A field full of dandelions. I love them (when they are in someone's garden/field) and would really love to pick this lot to make some dandelion cordial. Lets just ignore the fact I can't walk, can't bend over and don't know who owns the field. That makes life boring!

Not much happened after that, other than 3 yellowhammers darting out of a hedge in front of me, numerous house martins and swallows. I think I had a couple of swifts as well, plus a flock of starlings (I'm assuming starlings because of the way they were flocking and the shear numbers a couple of hundred at least) over my house when I got home!

Finally, why the "take it easy. Like **** I did..." comment. Well for the first time on this 16.7 mile route, I made it home in under 2 hours. 1hr 57min making my average 8.5mph! My best yet.
https://www.strava.com/activities/290990078

 

[anothersam]

How was yours....

Very satisfying and not at all schadenfreudesque. Tunbridge Wells to Tonbridge train stations (then London, when I finally got there). A truck had run into a bridge near High Brooms, prompting the conductor to suggest we find alternate means of transport. Fortunately I had mine folded obediently at my feet.



Actually this was yesterday; today has been a day of stationary R&R.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'd be a bit worried going down that hill

tis a darn site harder going up it! bottom gear grind and I have a very low bottom gearing on this trike!

this is the bend.... you can just see it in the rear view mirror. Where the sign post points to. The hedge gives it away.

I am getting the hand of the handling. We haven't had any rear wheel slides yet - don't think my back is up to that personally.

 

[MikeW-71]

Hot and sunny and I have the day off.

Shorts and short sleeves and away I go for a training ride, trying desperately to improve fitness for the TdY Sportive. There is a time limit on it which means I will have to average at least 12mph over a very hilly 67 miles or I'll be riding back in a broom wagon It's a bit of extra pressure I could have done without.

44 miles on todays menu, out past Birdoswald Roman Fort, then returning down past Banks Turret, Lanercost Priory and into Brampton. Worked my way back over past Talkin Tarn, then to Warwick Bridge and my usual route back.

I tried to press on a bit harder than I've done before on this route and, surprisingly I felt quite good at the end of it after 2500ft climbing. An average of 15mph leaves me cautiously optimistic

http://app.strava.com/activities/291050820/

 

[Goonerobes]

Having given myself the day off for St Georges Day & following a lunch of English strawberrys I thought I'd make the most what looks like being the last sunny day for a while & get another ride in.

A little unimaginative I know but I decided on the same ride as last Thursday which I really enjoyed (apart from the dog chasing me!) as it was a route I'd not previously done in that direction before, so from home it was a quick(ish) dart across the forest to Godshill before turning up through the pretty villages of Woodgreen & Hale where the now leafyer trees provided some cover from the warm sun April sun.

Redlynch, Hampworth & Landford were the next destinations before heading back for home & a 35 mile round trip, completed 3 minutes faster than last week & in under 2 hours, yay!

https://www.strava.com/activities/291048203

The tree lined roads of Bramble Hill.

This is one way of keeping the grass cut on the village green at Hale.

The sun was all too much for this couple!

 

[cosmicbike]

A shorter ride again today for me, just 18 miles on the RT-58 around Staines, Chertsey & Weybridge. All roads of little interest so no pics today.