Your ride today....

[Rickshaw Phil]

No ride today as I believed the forecast of torrential rain for this afternoon (what happened to that then?). I did however stop at Atcham on my way home to have a look at the flooding and thought some of you might like to see the change from yesterday:

Higher levels and muddier water

You definitely can't sit out in the garden at the Mytton & Mermaid this evening

The road to Cross Houses has been underwater all day but a few drivers are still taking a chance and ignoring the closure signs. I expect someone will have to be rescued at some point.

Just as an aside, you can't tell from this distance in the photo but the car in shot was painted up as a replica of Lightning McQueen from the Cars movie.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

No ride today as I believed the forecast of torrential rain for this afternoon (what happened to that then?). I did however stop at Atcham on my way home to have a look at the flooding and thought some of you might like to see the change from yesterday:

View attachment 111654
Higher levels and muddier water

View attachment 111655
You definitely can't sit out in the garden at the Mytton & Mermaid this evening

View attachment 111656
The road to Cross Houses has been underwater all day but a few drivers are still taking a chance and ignoring the closure signs. I expect someone will have to be rescued at some point.

Just as an aside, you can't tell from this distance in the photo but the car in shot was painted up as a replica of Lightning McQueen from the Cars movie.

Wow, I've been past that pub a few times and thought I should try it out. Is it any good? Obv I'll wait till the beer garden can be used again.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Wow, I've been past that pub a few times and thought I should try it out. Is it any good? Obv I'll wait till the beer garden can be used again.

Yes, it's a good pub. Quite up-market. It isn't one I visit often though as I'm very fond of the Riverside Inn at Cound (on the road to Cressage)

 

[Tin Pot]

100.06km today.

2x 2.5hrs - Skipped breakfast before the first, didn't eat til lunch, forgot to get snacks before the second.

Unsurprisingly the ride home was fairly laboured!

I think I'll be buying a family pack of Mars bars for next week.

 

[Elybazza61]

Again another slow trundle down the A10;did fasted and kept it mostly to Z2,so that with the wind kept the speed down.

Only thing of note was the chain dropping just as I got into Cambridge so will have to have a closer look at the week-end although I've had no problems before with the 1X10 so hopefully was a one-off.

https://www.strava.com/activities/443486403

 

[Old jon]

Another trial ride with a new mirror, and about the same 29.5 miles as yesterday but in the diametrically opposite direction. The mirror did well, so I am pleased with that. I also had some new waterproof trousers delivered yesterday, so for once had no qualms about going off for a ride in the rain. And it then stopped raining a couple of miles in ! Ah well. Anyway, northwest to and through Otley, the fog had descended by then, so I crossed the river and rode up Billam's Hill, turned left and rode a mile or so along Weston Lane and stopped for a munch by these gates :-

Somebody has done a good job of looking after these rather wonderful bits of metalwork. I know nothing about them, but can guess that they were once the entrance to an equally grandiose manor house or something, there is nothing at the other side of them except a field full of sheep now.

As you can tell, the rain had started again, so I went home.

 

[Jon George]

Today, I just had to get out and ride off the Kafka nightmare that is my part-time job at the moment.

A meandering 25 miles that took in Playford, Grundisburgh (purchased and wolfed down a pork pie), Bredfield, Melton, Woodbridge, Walderfield Heath, Brightwell (where I may have spotted @Saluki in bright orange gear with a guitar on her back), Bucklesham and then home. While the gloomy weather may have added to my dark thoughts about work initially, within half-an-hour I was appreciating the dark browns of the remaining leaves on the trees and the look, and smell, of the newly tiled soil in field after field. It was great to be out.

Today takes me over 3000 miles for the year (missed some time earlier in the year due to back problems) and tonight I'm out for an early Christmas Chinese and a few beers.

 

[mybike]

A ride along very muddy towpaths with a second attempt at the hill up to Little Heath, which once again defeated me.

The sad story of Joseph Buck who died on Christmas day

His house is on the left, the pub in the distance on the right and the swing bridge and canal beyond that. Today there were no customers sitting outside at the pub. I saw a few squirrells around tho'.

I left the canal just before Berkhamstead, cycling back, parallel to th canal and over it and the railway to attempt the hill again. I don't think I did as well this time, which I'll put down to the amount of mud adhering to my bike. Once at Little Heath the cycling is mostly down hill, which is pleasant. Only problem is that it is one of those country roads with a mound of gravel and grass in the middle. I met a few cars but their drivers were all courteous to the extreme, then over the railway and left along a road between canal and railway until a right under the railway bridge above followed by a right onto another road parallel to the canal. At least I managed that hill without walking!



Then back to the canal where the mud and ducking under bushes made it less pleasant.

10.4 miles max 18 avg 6.6 mph. Year to date, 379.8 miles,

 

[Saluki]

Today, I just had to get out and ride off the Kafka nightmare that is my part-time job at the moment.

A meandering 25 miles that took in Playford, Grundisburgh (purchased and wolfed down a pork pie), Bredfield, Melton, Woodbridge, Walderfield Heath, Brightwell (where I may have spotted @Saluki in bright orange gear with a guitar on her back), Bucklesham and then home. While the gloomy weather may have added to my dark thoughts about work initially, within half-an-hour I was appreciating the dark browns of the remaining leaves on the trees and the look, and smell, of the newly tiled soil in field after field. It was great to be out.

Today takes me over 3000 miles for the year (missed some time earlier in the year due to back problems) and tonight I'm out for an early Christmas Chinese and a few beers.

Sounds a nice ride. Well done on the 3000 for the year.
I do wear a bright orange NightVision jacket but I don't ride with my guitar. I am terrified of falling off and breaking him. I'll never get another guitar that sounds like Red.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/443652689

101 Km's. And a full house of 100Km challenge rides..

I've just added the November and December rides to the challenge thread.

 

[cyberknight]

Winds really getting up here , given out gales again so tonight its the car as i dont fancy getting blown under the wheels of a half asleep night shift worker

 

[Oldbloke]

First ride today since Monday last week, riding suspended due to a nasty bout of bronchitis.

Going slowly nuts doing nothing so went out for a slow and spluttering 35 kms on the least demanding route, felt a lot better for it.

Plenty of sunshine forecast tomorrow so hopefully will get out again....now well over my target 5k kms.

 

[Saluki]

https://www.strava.com/activities/443902491/segments/10671576321

3.1 miles needs to be added to that strava ride. My gps didn't start up after I poked the start button. The first I knew about it was when it tried to turn itself off. I turned it on at at the second mini-roundabout, that I happen to know is 3.1 miles into the ride.

I decided to finally take the route that @Jon George suggested to me. Up Innocence Lane and then turn for Bucklesham. He says it's pretty. I'm sure it is, it looked nice in the light of my Moon bike light I plan to give the route a ride at the weekend, weather permitting. High winds forecast for tomorrow and Saturday so I shall have to see how it goes.

Took the CX again, the promised rain held off until just outside of Ipswich so I didn't get wet. 12.67 miles in around 53 mins. Very windy. Lovely when it was behind me, not so lovely as it was coming in from the left though.

 

[Buck]

Day off today and earlier in the week the weather looked dry and good for getting the bike out. Waking up this morning to heavy rain then a horrible damp mist descended! Roll on lunchtime and it had improved enough for me to don the cycling gear and get out. (Including my new overshoes - nice and toasty )

I'd fitted my road racer crud guards a couple of weeks ago but not had chance to try them on a ride but knew the front was rubbing (I've got 25 tyres on and there simply isn't the clearance)

The wind was horrible from the off I was battling a head wind on the early climbs which had me questioning my sanity but perseverance and some inner strength kept me going even though my legs felt really heavy(the price of not getting out for a couple or weeks or so )

The front guard was rubbing badly and I stopped at the top of the village to check it, pausing my Strava as I did. I then
headed on the main road to head up my least favourite hill, Piper Wells. I'd just started my climb when I realised I'd won the numpty award for forgetting to restart my Strava app (auto pause now enabled!)

I slogged up to the top of the hill almost at a standstill as I rode up through a river of water streaming down the hill!

This was the theme on the whole ride and I had a bit of a OMG moment when I was blown sideways on my bike with a strong gust of wind as I passed a house. I managed to stay upright and thankfully no cars were passing me so all good.

There was a welcome relief from the winds as I turned almost 180 degrees and headed towards the windmills. The roads were simply terrible following the storms earlier in the week. Lots of debris, mud and standing water made it difficult. At one point I had a tractor coming towards me and a tight squeeze got me through if a little muddier! At one point I free wheeled through a section of road that was covered in mud (I'll be honest I thought I might slide and fall off !)

This ride definitely wasn't going to break any PRs but I was surprised that on "Power it" I got the urge to have a go and smashed my PR - probably venting my frustration of the ride so far.

Turning back towards home I thanked a Yorkshire Water van driver who held back to let me get safely through a fast but narrow dip, waving a thanks to him as he then passed as the road got wider.

Half a mile down the road I met the same tractor coming back towards me!! This time he pulled over letting me through safely.
Apart from my front crud guard completely detaching further on (the cable tie had sheared through!) the ride was uneventful.

Home and hosed the bike down to get rid of the mud and a quick dry before a nice hot shower.

Not the longest ride but it was still good for the soul and I'm so glad I made it out and battled the wind! My rear crud guard worked a treat as well!

https://www.strava.com/activities/443652944

 

[Elybazza61]

Day off today and earlier in the week the weather looked dry and good for getting the bike out. Waking up this morning to heavy rain then a horrible damp mist descended! Roll on lunchtime and it had improved enough for me to don the cycling gear and get out. (Including my new overshoes - nice and toasty )

I'd fitted my road racer crud guards a couple of weeks ago but not had chance to try them on a ride but knew the front was rubbing (I've got 25 tyres on and there simply isn't the clearance)

The wind was horrible from the off I was battling a head wind on the early climbs which had me questioning my sanity but perseverance and some inner strength kept me going even though my legs felt really heavy(the price of not getting out for a couple or weeks or so )

The front guard was rubbing badly and I stopped at the top of the village to check it, pausing my Strava as I did. I then
headed on the main road to head up my least favourite hill, Piper Wells. I'd just started my climb when I realised I'd won the numpty award for forgetting to restart my Strava app (auto pause now enabled!)

I slogged up to the top of the hill almost at a standstill as I rode up through a river of water streaming down the hill!

This was the theme on the whole ride and I had a bit of a OMG moment when I was blown sideways on my bike with a strong gust of wind as I passed a house. I managed to stay upright and thankfully no cars were passing me so all good.

There was a welcome relief from the winds as I turned almost 180 degrees and headed towards the windmills. The roads were simply terrible following the storms earlier in the week. Lots of debris, mud and standing water made it difficult. At one point I had a tractor coming towards me and a tight squeeze got me through if a little muddier! At one point I free wheeled through a section of road that was covered in mud (I'll be honest I thought I might slide and fall off !)

This ride definitely wasn't going to break any PRs but I was surprised that on "Power it" I got the urge to have a go and smashed my PR - probably venting my frustration of the ride so far.

Turning back towards home I thanked a Yorkshire Water van driver who held back to let me get safely through a fast but narrow dip, waving a thanks to him as he then passed as the road got wider.

Half a mile down the road I met the same tractor coming back towards me!! This time he pulled over letting me through safely.
Apart from my front crud guard completely detaching further on (the cable tie had sheared through!) the ride was uneventful.

Home and hosed the bike down to get rid of the mud and a quick dry before a nice hot shower.

Not the longest ride but it was still good for the soul and I'm so glad I made it out and battled the wind! My rear crud guard worked a treat as well!

https://www.strava.com/activities/443652944

Kudos given for that