Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
Your ride today....
- Thread starter gbb
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Truly Stunning
I hope you where humming to yourself : Matt Munro - "On Days Like These"
I hope you where humming to yourself : Matt Munro - "On Days Like These"
welsh dragon
Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
- Location
- Egham
Up too early again after w*rk last night, too hot to sleep. Figured I'd have a gentle pedal out to Eton Dorney, hoping the expanse of water would make it cooler. Not convinced it made a difference TBH, the Garmin peaked at 32.5 degrees C across Dorney Common and I could feel the heat coming up off the tarmac. A brief pause for a photo
Home after a rather warm and sweaty 33 miles, at least that's the Metric half challenge ride done for the month
Home after a rather warm and sweaty 33 miles, at least that's the Metric half challenge ride done for the month
Spiderweb
Not So Special One
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
The “Gentle with Gemma” series continued today with a venture out in the last of the evening sun. After an early puncture to her bike a short but punchy little number of a route that took in the dreaded “Priory Lane” climb ensued which wasn’t on the agenda but due to a road closure into Markfield we were forced into it. As she had got hold of a friend’s road bike to try out and her fitness was up I thought it a good challenge and she responded very well indeed. As did I- this climb has done me on a couple of occasions but not today! 
At the top we stopped, had a drink and had a nice long descent down Polly Botts Lane before the next climb up Sharply Hill at Newtown Linford. Again she was up to the task and managed it with relative ease. At one stage after hitting the top I thought she was having an asthma issue but it turns out she’d took on a little extra protein in the form of a fly and it was tickling her throat a wee bit!
As the road levelled out and we recovered I put her through some “sprintervals” which got her HR up and it was pretty plain sailing back to hers which included yet another gentle climb...well she will live on the crest of a hill won’t she?!
After getting back to hers and having a drink/ chatting to the nephew/ munching on malt loaf it was time to make my way home- a distance of 3.6 miles which I managed to cover in 9 minutes as it was all downhill- and that was that!
The bike’s in for a checkup this weekend and a new rear mech/cassette and thus it’s my last one before I set off for Dublin next week for a few days.
16.2 in 1 1/4hrs.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1683234914
At the top we stopped, had a drink and had a nice long descent down Polly Botts Lane before the next climb up Sharply Hill at Newtown Linford. Again she was up to the task and managed it with relative ease. At one stage after hitting the top I thought she was having an asthma issue but it turns out she’d took on a little extra protein in the form of a fly and it was tickling her throat a wee bit!
As the road levelled out and we recovered I put her through some “sprintervals” which got her HR up and it was pretty plain sailing back to hers which included yet another gentle climb...well she will live on the crest of a hill won’t she?!
After getting back to hers and having a drink/ chatting to the nephew/ munching on malt loaf it was time to make my way home- a distance of 3.6 miles which I managed to cover in 9 minutes as it was all downhill- and that was that!
The bike’s in for a checkup this weekend and a new rear mech/cassette and thus it’s my last one before I set off for Dublin next week for a few days.
16.2 in 1 1/4hrs.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1683234914
Last edited:
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Challenge ride time again.
I've been delaying my Imperial Century due to the weather being on the warm side but with the forecasts looking warm for the forseeable and knowing how impediments can pop up to spoil plans I thought I'd better get a banker ride in.
I kept it simple by sticking to roads I know well, which I also knew wouldn't be too hilly and headed: Condover, Exfords Green, Minsterley, Westbury, Prince's Oak, Melverley, Maesbrook, Woolston, West Felton, Rednal, Ellesmere, Coptiviney, Welshampton, Lyneal, Prees, Calverhall, Market Drayton, Stoke Heath, Eaton-upon-Tern, High Ercall, Walcot, Cressage, Acton Burnell, Pitchford, Condover and home via Lyth Hill.
I was on the road shortly after seven and out into an already pleasantly warm and sunny morning. The wind was light which made for easy riding. Not overly impressed with some of the driving this time though with a few dodgy passes in the face of oncoming traffic on roads that are simply not wide enough to be forgiving to errors.
It had warmed up noticably at Westbury (drink stop), not too much traffic on the way to Prince's Oak and the community speedwatch group was out at Coedwy but not interested in checking my speed for some reason.
In the lack of wind I made good progress through Measbrook to Woolston (thought I was going to catch another cyclist here but he easily strolled off into the distance) and found the lanes through West Felton, Grimpo and on to Rednal very quiet.
At Rednal the road appeared to have suffered a lot in the sun but with the tar having been soft the lorry traffic along this stretch had smoothed out the surface quite a bit which made it nicer to ride on (mostly - there are still plenty of holes). This had also happened to quite a few other roads along the route which was very pleasing.
At Ellesmere I didn't take my usual detour to The Mere but pressed on along the lanes first to Welshampton then to Lyneal. My winter centuries often go this way so it's nice to be here when it isn't flooded and/or muddy. At Wellfield Farm the semi-permanent flood has finally gone and I got a shock when seeing what lies underneath. I've always ridden this in the centre of the road (usually being the shallowest place) and it's just as well as almost half of the road width is pothole. I must have only been missing it by a couple of inches.
I had what wind there was helping now so good progress continued through Whixall to Prees where I had my elevenses stop and got bitten three times by what I believe to be a horsefly
. I usually have some TCP with me on these long ride so I got some applied quickly and can only hope it won't get infected.
The wind was picking up as per the forecast and I was riding against it on the way to Ightfield which was annoying but at the next turning it was behind me and I was surprised to be climbing hills at 15-16mph through Calverhall and on to Market Drayton (using a slightly convoluted route through Longslow and Longford to cross under the A53) where I took a tour round town and exited past the golf club and onwards to Stoke on Tern.
This was a pretty good part of the ride with the strengthening wind behind me and gently undulating roads. i paused for lunch in a gateway near Ollerton but found that the warmth of the day meant I didn't have much appetite - something that would come back to haunt me later.
By High Ercall I was starting to slow. Drinks perked me up a bit and I got on alright through Walcot and on to Cressage (the nice long downhill through Eaton Constantine helped) but the climb out of the valley that was so easy yesterday was a low gear plod today. Around the 95 mile mark I just ran out of energy and couldn't give the pedals another turn. I finished the last of my water and forced down a bag of crisps (the starch and the salt help) which gave me enough energy to finish off the ride, albeit not at a fast pace, although I did manage to overtake another cyclist at Cantlop.
The last bit was into the wind so I elected to climb over Lyth Hill instead which turned out to be a good choice as the A49 was very busy and wouldn't have been fun at all.
104.1 miles today at a pretty reasonable 14.3mph moving average (8 hours 45 minutes with stops included).
Setting out into yet another glorious morning.
Even Minsterley looks nice on a day like this. The photo doesn't convey the strong smell of cooking beef lingering round town.
Narrowboat on the canal at Ellesmere.
Ellesmere town centre.
Elevenses stop at Prees which would have been very nice if not for biting insects.
Market Drayton.
As opposed to all those fake farmers who sidle up to you in the pub and say "Pssst. Wanna buy some milk?"
Around the 95 mile mark. Nice spot for a recuperative break.
Not far from home now and some threatening looking cloud has bubbled up. I thought I might get wet but nothing came of it in the end.
I've been delaying my Imperial Century due to the weather being on the warm side but with the forecasts looking warm for the forseeable and knowing how impediments can pop up to spoil plans I thought I'd better get a banker ride in.
I kept it simple by sticking to roads I know well, which I also knew wouldn't be too hilly and headed: Condover, Exfords Green, Minsterley, Westbury, Prince's Oak, Melverley, Maesbrook, Woolston, West Felton, Rednal, Ellesmere, Coptiviney, Welshampton, Lyneal, Prees, Calverhall, Market Drayton, Stoke Heath, Eaton-upon-Tern, High Ercall, Walcot, Cressage, Acton Burnell, Pitchford, Condover and home via Lyth Hill.
I was on the road shortly after seven and out into an already pleasantly warm and sunny morning. The wind was light which made for easy riding. Not overly impressed with some of the driving this time though with a few dodgy passes in the face of oncoming traffic on roads that are simply not wide enough to be forgiving to errors.
It had warmed up noticably at Westbury (drink stop), not too much traffic on the way to Prince's Oak and the community speedwatch group was out at Coedwy but not interested in checking my speed for some reason.
In the lack of wind I made good progress through Measbrook to Woolston (thought I was going to catch another cyclist here but he easily strolled off into the distance) and found the lanes through West Felton, Grimpo and on to Rednal very quiet.
At Rednal the road appeared to have suffered a lot in the sun but with the tar having been soft the lorry traffic along this stretch had smoothed out the surface quite a bit which made it nicer to ride on (mostly - there are still plenty of holes). This had also happened to quite a few other roads along the route which was very pleasing.
At Ellesmere I didn't take my usual detour to The Mere but pressed on along the lanes first to Welshampton then to Lyneal. My winter centuries often go this way so it's nice to be here when it isn't flooded and/or muddy. At Wellfield Farm the semi-permanent flood has finally gone and I got a shock when seeing what lies underneath. I've always ridden this in the centre of the road (usually being the shallowest place) and it's just as well as almost half of the road width is pothole. I must have only been missing it by a couple of inches.
I had what wind there was helping now so good progress continued through Whixall to Prees where I had my elevenses stop and got bitten three times by what I believe to be a horsefly
. I usually have some TCP with me on these long ride so I got some applied quickly and can only hope it won't get infected.The wind was picking up as per the forecast and I was riding against it on the way to Ightfield which was annoying but at the next turning it was behind me and I was surprised to be climbing hills at 15-16mph through Calverhall and on to Market Drayton (using a slightly convoluted route through Longslow and Longford to cross under the A53) where I took a tour round town and exited past the golf club and onwards to Stoke on Tern.
This was a pretty good part of the ride with the strengthening wind behind me and gently undulating roads. i paused for lunch in a gateway near Ollerton but found that the warmth of the day meant I didn't have much appetite - something that would come back to haunt me later.
By High Ercall I was starting to slow. Drinks perked me up a bit and I got on alright through Walcot and on to Cressage (the nice long downhill through Eaton Constantine helped) but the climb out of the valley that was so easy yesterday was a low gear plod today. Around the 95 mile mark I just ran out of energy and couldn't give the pedals another turn. I finished the last of my water and forced down a bag of crisps (the starch and the salt help) which gave me enough energy to finish off the ride, albeit not at a fast pace, although I did manage to overtake another cyclist at Cantlop.
The last bit was into the wind so I elected to climb over Lyth Hill instead which turned out to be a good choice as the A49 was very busy and wouldn't have been fun at all.
104.1 miles today at a pretty reasonable 14.3mph moving average (8 hours 45 minutes with stops included).
Setting out into yet another glorious morning.
Even Minsterley looks nice on a day like this. The photo doesn't convey the strong smell of cooking beef lingering round town.
Narrowboat on the canal at Ellesmere.
Ellesmere town centre.
Elevenses stop at Prees which would have been very nice if not for biting insects.
Market Drayton.
As opposed to all those fake farmers who sidle up to you in the pub and say "Pssst. Wanna buy some milk?"Around the 95 mile mark. Nice spot for a recuperative break.
Not far from home now and some threatening looking cloud has bubbled up. I thought I might get wet but nothing came of it in the end.
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Reynard
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK
Just a gentle 8 mile bimble to Littleport for me at teatime - a nice way of easing back into riding after doing myself a mischief on Saturday during a clipless moment. Still plenty warm out there, but was great to be out nonetheless. Not so great was the headwind all the way down Black Bank, but then it *did* take the edge off the heat.
Saw 11 cyclists out and about, from a wee lad on a balance bike to a chap in full Team Sky get-up who whizzed past me at warp speed.
Bonus of the day: stopped at the Co-op for a cold drink, came out with two pounds of posh sausages on yellow sticker.
Saw 11 cyclists out and about, from a wee lad on a balance bike to a chap in full Team Sky get-up who whizzed past me at warp speed.
Bonus of the day: stopped at the Co-op for a cold drink, came out with two pounds of posh sausages on yellow sticker.
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Bonus of the day: stopped at the Co-op for a cold drink, came out with two pounds of posh sausages on yellow sticker.
Hope they weren’t an on-ride snack.....
Reynard
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK
Hope they weren’t an on-ride snack.....
They could've been if I'd have found a surface hot enough.
But no, they've been stashed in the freezer for when the sausage sandwich monster strikes.
- Location
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Froome eat your heart out!!
Somehow I don't think today's performance is going to have him worried.
OP
OP
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
There's some fast folk out there tonight
26 miles at 15.7 average for me...not too shabby for me, round local village roads.
Passed by 6 guys cruising at around 20mph I'd say. Then passed by 2 fellas doing the same, then passed by a male and female rider, both doing around 20 mph I'd guess.
I did set out for an easy one, 27 degrees...but I'm terrible for forgetting then trying to keep up with faster people
...trying
26 miles at 15.7 average for me...not too shabby for me, round local village roads.
Passed by 6 guys cruising at around 20mph I'd say. Then passed by 2 fellas doing the same, then passed by a male and female rider, both doing around 20 mph I'd guess.
I did set out for an easy one, 27 degrees...but I'm terrible for forgetting then trying to keep up with faster people
...trying 
