Your ride today....

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gaz71

Über Member
Location
teddington
I had a day off today so i thought id go and explore a route ive never done before.I didnt really have a plan on where i was going to go,i just kept going.I started off from (deep breath) Teddington,through Bushy park,into Hampton,then Lower Sunbry,on to Chertsey,Addlestone and Weybridge,back to Walton Bridge,then on to Ashford to visit my folks.My sister turned up and said a cyclist had been knocked off his bike at Jobs Dairy roundabout so i hope hes ok.After a couple of cuppas i set off home through Hanworth,Hampton and Bushy Park and got home 25.5 miles later.Really enjoyed myself (apart from the slight hills in Weybridge),and quite chuffed for doing over a 100 miles in a week for the second week running.
 

Dan's Owd Man

Über Member
I needed some small items for a job on the Marina where i live but i wanted to get the parts from the Marina at Willington(Mercia Marina) there is a branch of Midland Chandlers there,i normally collect 4 sacrificial anode @2.6Kg each :surrender:on the Shopping Trolley(Aerospace Sport) but not today only small light parts so i went on the Viscount Aerospace Pro:becool:, it has sprint rims and tubular tyres, very comfy ride and quick for me. 25Mile round trip just about all flat.
Avg. 14.6 out into slight head wind
Avg. 17.9 back tail wind
https://www.strava.com/activities/689547662

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Friday ride much of the same but somehow really nice ride

Weather was ideal, not too hot, a bit windy but not too much.
Started off after some time to warm up with some intervals.

At the end was passed by Bob, my namesake from the HDW.
Followed him for a short while but although he is older than I , he is faster, but with a slightly erratic pace, and he has two Pinarellos. It was the green one today. After a while we parted, I headed for
Prune Hill only to pass Bob on the way ther.
Went across to Chobham, where blow me, it was Bob passing the other way

Returned home via Chertsey

40 miles @ 17.2 mph
1042 feet climbed

https://www.strava.com/activities/689502767
 

EltonFrog

Legendary Member
Today after an eight mile run in 28 degree heat the fragrant MrsP and I got the bikes out rode along some very clever Dutch cycle paths to Rotterdam via Schiedam and Spangdam, had a bit of lunch, a mooch about then back again. We rode alongside some canals and past a couple of blumen' great windmills, I had no idea they were so big.

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Typical cycle path

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Rotterdam Station.

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Bridge over a canal.

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Blumen' great windmill!

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Just 15.23 hot and sweaty miles today.
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
Started the Bank Holiday weekend with a ride after work. Didn't get away from work as early as I wanted to, so not quite the 50k I was planning, that will wait to Monday though.

Lovely calm and sunny evening, as I took the cycle paths up to Heathgates and along Whitchurch Rd, before dropping down to the Tarmac section of the old Canal path, avoiding the muddy section that was bound to be wet after yesterday's torrential rain.

Out onto the road at Uffington and up to Upton Magna and East Haughmond, before my favourite mile downhill strait to Rodington and Somerwood Heath. From there it was the bumpy road back to Upton Magna and then to Berwick Wharf, before the fast section to Atcham, along which a Ferrari and a sporty BMW passed me in the other direction, doing what must have been getting on for 100mph, racing each other I assume :wacko:

Crossed Atcham bridge and then up the lanes towards Betton Abbots, passing a young whipper snapper on a racer who then scalped me on the steep hill :surrender:

Arrived home with 21.2 miles completed
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
I was lucky enough to be granted access to artist David Nash's secret Ash Dome yesterday, so wangled the visit into a glorious 100 mile bike ride. I'd arranged to meet David in Blaenau Ffestiniog, so got the train from London with me Brian to my parents in Mid Wales on Tuesday, and set off yesterday morning.

I've driven from Mid Wales to Blaenau a few times but always avoided cycling it. The roads are good quality and the scenery stunning, but they're usually very busy, especially during the summer. With recent weather being rated as scorchio, I was fearful of being repeatedly buzzed by a flood of people heading to the coast along the A458 & A470. Despite this I have always wanted to ride that road, there was an epic hill, a great long descent and views that sell Wales more than any words could. So I committed to the mission.

I got lucky, it was one of my best days in the saddle. I was chased down the road by 2 dogs in the 1st 5 miles, but burned them off, not the nicest start, but all worries quickly evaporated. Heading down the A458 towards Dolgellau.
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Bursting with colour, even looks good on a phone camera.
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There's a lovely 4-5 mile gradual descent to Mallwyd, then start climbing up past Dinas Mawddwy, with the leg breaking Bwlch y Groes, on the right
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….whose 32% gradient I unashamedly dodged having only a 39-25 smallest gear on me Brian. It was then onto the big climb of the day, a 3 mile climb up to 1200ft. When I mapped the route on ridewithgps.com it said the maximum gradient was 12%. LIES. My hear sank as I approached the bottom of the climb and saw a sign saying 20%. ….lets just say a few photo sudden opportunities presented themselves:whistle:
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All altitude chips were cashed back in with the following 5 mile descent, I hit 47mph, and if I did'nt have a ruksak would have cracked 50 I think.

From Dolgellau it was approx 10 miles very sapping gradual uphill through Coed-y-Brenin to the decommissioned nuclear power station Trawfynydd, under suitably moody skies.
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It was hot, too hot for the woollen jersey I've selected for the journey, so I take a few stops on this section to soak my hot feet and head into a few cold water mountain streams. I have yet to grow or lose any toes since.

At Blaenau I stop my GPS to keep the location secret, and meet David and he kindly agrees to put my bike in the back of his car and we drive up there. I first saw the ash dome on the BBC4 programme Forest, Field and Sky, art inspired by nature, its on youtube and is well worth a watch. I've been desperate to see it ever since. Its every bit as enchanting and magical as I expected, I could'nt stop smiling. David planted the trees in the late 70's and has repeatedly revisited and used old technicques to cut and coax them into their current shape. I'm going to be writing up a more detailed report with more pics of my visit at a later date, but here's a taster. It has a real wow factor. If only there was a bike in the middle it would look like trees dancing round in honour of the great bicycle, like dancers round a maypole….oh hang on
http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/muldoon72/media/IMG_20160824_145021_zpsjvgopzbm.jpg.html] IMG_20160824_145021_zpsjvgopzbm.jpg [/URL]
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The return journey is just as pretty, oh these roads are so choca
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I don't fancy the 5 mile climb I descended earlier, so at Dolgellau, decide to go round the coast by Barmouth and Towyn instead. Its getting late and I've got no lumens but there's a few train stations en route if I run out of light, which is looking likely. Its still really warm in the evening sun as I get to the estuary.
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From there it was over the charming rickety toll bridge, 25p for bicycles, it was easily worth 50p so they got a tip.

Despite being a coastal road it was still pretty lumpy
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. ….photo limit reached I think, to be cont……
Roads I travel very often up to my dads caravan, and there is certainly some epic scenery. Fair play to you for having the confidence to ride on them though, as there is some seriously bad driving that goes on up there.
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
Photo Winner
Well I might have had 20 minutes on the sofa AGAIN after riding home from work,a pleasurable habit!
We unlocked the tandem and headed out of the village, then down and up Long Road and into Comberton.
In Barton we rode past the empty bowling green and made our way toward Haslingfield.
We stopped on top of the old railway bridge
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From Haslingfield we turned right to Harlton, then we stopped at the pub for a shandy. The pub is The Fox and Hounds
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The tandem waited patiently.
Through the Eversdens, farmers harvesting and the sun sinking.
We came up through Toft, then the sky was starting to look nice to the west
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Then we stopped at The Blue Lion in Hardwick and I had a pint, Jo a half of full on beer, none of this shandy lark.... Get us!
A mile home to watch the vuelta whilst eating chorizo and home grown pimientos de Padron. Life is good! (And a Lefe Royal!)


https://www.strava.com/activities/689948600
 

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
Had an excellent short ride today, 58km with 770m of going up:okay:.
A few years ago 58km would have been a long ride for me but now it's short as I normally ride 80 to 100kms.
Bright sunshine and warm for the whole ride with a breeze that was not really noticeable.

The best ride of the year as I felt full of energy and vigour, zipped up 2 cat 4 climbs and a cat 3 then had an encounter with another rider^_^.
After the cat 3 I was just cruising along when another rider catches me up, expensive looking bike with carbon aero wheels, full Rapha kit(including Rapha bidons) and very expensive looking SPD-L shoes. From behind also noticed very well defined calf muscles so not a casual rider, thought I was going to be left for dead.
As he passed he mentioned how fast I was going considering all the extra weight behind me, luckily I knew what he meant as he was commenting on my Carradice Nelson saddlebag and all the stuff I carry in it. I can only assume he "burnt all his matches" catching me as he could not pull away and any incline he slowed. By the third incline, a short sharp drag, I was almost freewheeling to stay behind so just went past much to his surprise, then pulled away.
I have to say I felt fantastic, probably because it was a "short" ride and I was using jelly beans to fuel the ride:okay:.

No hiding place from the sun riding up Hackpen Hill but still great fun:okay:.
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Too many jelly beans but they were not going back in my pocket so I ended up with a mouthful:tongue:.
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Had a nice tow for a for kilometres but eventually had to overtake on a short drag:smile:.
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Felt great when I got off but still needed to eat some apple and black current pies to replace the carbs I'd used;).
 

Simontm

Veteran
For various reason was off the bike till this morning so went for a 24 miler. Was going to be a short 12 but, well, you know how it is. Kingston-Teddington lock-Twickenham-Hampton-Bushy Park-Home Park.
Here is where I would normally head home but the legs felt good so Hampton Court (where a big lad with all the kit and attitude undertook me when I was turning- think he fancied a grudge race but I was heading elsewhere)-Walton- back to Molesey where I had a look to see what my first school had become (a massive residential by the look of it) -a pootle over the ember then home,
 

postman

Squire
Location
,Leeds
:smile::smile::smile: a pie ride.I was going to Ilkley but just down the by- pass,the thighs ached,so a little turn off and i was on my way to Otley.18 miles in all.I felt great loads of energy,but the thigh muscles ached.Anyway i called in to Weigmans and bought one warm pie,good old Vernon,they are nice.I raised it to the sky and thanked him.Then i was off again in to Headingley for a second latte.Home just after 11-20.Good ride,and i think i saw another CC member,Old Jon.He was just leaving the Lawnswood roundabout going to Bramhope,now looking at his avatar it was him.Great ride out.According to Strava i only did 18 miles.so somehow i waked four miles,or my cheap computer is not set up right,not bothered.
 
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Dave 123

Legendary Member
Photo Winner
Another tandem run this morning. Down through Madingley village and then through Dry Drayton and over a flowing A14.
At Oakington we took the road for Girton. Mrs Dave works somewhere in Girton, and somewhere she works is a secret blackberry patch...
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4 boxes picked, she'll be getting all Bob Marley later....

In to town to Aromi, normally there is a queue, I like this queue!
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Cambridge was starting to get busy.
We left via Trumpington and the Shelfords before going around Newton and Haslingfield.

Between Toft and Hardwick we stopped to take a pic of the lovely undulating clouds
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A car pulled up, 2 old boys....
"We're lost!"
"Where are you from?"
"Wisssscaaaaaansin"
"Sh1t, you are lost!"

They were looking for Cambridge Meridian golf club. Easy peasy!

Home we came. 31 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/690659846
 
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Supersuperleeds

Legendary Member
Location
Leicester
Weather forecast for today was rain from around 10am followed by a lot of rain this afternoon. So I decided I was going to get up early, get out of the door by 6am and do a 100km ride and get home before the rain started.

Thinks didn't start out well as I didn't get out of bed until 7am :laugh:

Anyway got out of the door at 8am and thought I would do 30 miles and get home dry. As per usual no route planned and I a set of in beautiful sunshine, little wind and no sign whatsoever of rain. After 12 miles or so I decided I would do the 100km and if I got wet I got wet. Rain held off for the first 40 miles and then it absolutely pelted it down :rain: - for a full 5 minutes. 5 minutes after that I was bone dry ^_^

Saw loads of cyclists out, all probably with the same idea as me, get out and home before the rain.

Stopped of at the lbs on the way home to pick up some new glove and pedals for my lads bike. As I rode into our road it started to rain again and by the time I got in the house it was bucketing it down, again it didn't last long but I got home dry.

67 miles done followed by a long soak in the bath. Time to follow the footy, cricket and rugby and sup loads of tea.

https://www.strava.com/activities/690580352
 
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