Your ride today....

[Glow worm]

Back in north west Norfolk for a few days after a sublime moonlit night ride here on Thursday night.

I'm lucky the vast Holkham estate is on my doorstep here - this is the Triumphal Arch

Then on toward the obelisk.

And Looking back the other way.

Holkham Hall.

I went on to walk along the beach, enjoying a coffee at the newish cafe there first. It overlooks the marsh and scrapes so you can do your birdwatching in comfort. On the way back I stopped to say hello to an old pal and his dog, which I always pat on the head for some reason!
Just a nice easy 14 miler here today.

 

[Oxford Dave]

We need a pic of your Galaxy please.😁

I'll try to get a couple of snaps tomorrow (unless it's blown away overnight!!)

 

[derrick]

Second day in Calpe. Its getting harder.😁Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/aPAWi1CnW3

 

[Grant Fondo]

Looking good out there now, tempted but every 20 minutes its proper volatile it with some serious wind.
Enjoyable curry night last night but the odd reprecussion

 

[13 rider]

I am currently on a long run of consecutive days cycling (707) and today I thought storm Ciara would break it . Even Im not completely mad 50 mph winds are not for cycling in. Spent the day weather watching and checking the weather app looking for a window of opportunity. Well after an biblical rain storm at 14.00 the weather seemed to ease . By 15.00 I thought this as good as its going to get. Out the door, my minimum ride distance is 10 miles so that's the target . The sun is breaking through . Out to Swithland dodging lots of debris on the road . A 20mph average to Swithland meant one thing a headwind home !!. Came across a large tree down completely blocking a road in Rothley thankfully the path was clear so no hold up . Slow grind home into the headwind . 11 miles done and the run continues . Strangely the ride finished in glorious sunshine unbelievable ! . Yes it was windy but it seemed fairly constant with no big gusts so not as bad as feared

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Today I changed age range tick boxes on some forms, so what better way to celebrate than with a ride. Overnight rain dictated the choice of a mudguarded bike and I'd initially planned to use a known route out to Manningtree and the Dedham Vale area with the wind direction. This started out OK with the normal run up to Ipswich through Levington & Nacton and then turning down the other side of the River Orwell, under the Orwell Bridge...
View attachment 503805
and up to Freston where I was greeted with a road closure changing my plans. Changing destination, I carried on down alongside the river to Shotley where I found the side road that took me to what was left of HMS Ganges - I used to be able to see this from my bedroom on the other side of the river and most people of a certain age will remember John Noakes climbing the mast on Blue Peter (it doesn't appear to be on Youtube, but this gives an idea of what was involved)

Unfortunately it's been left to decay badly while arguments about planning permission for the site and who pays for the restoration continue
View attachment 503807
After another quick stop to look across at Felixstowe Port from the other side
View attachment 503808
it was back inland along the other side of the peninsular that roughly follows the River Stour through Harkstead, Stutton to Brantham and then up to East Bergholt, under the A12 and finally a bit of a tail wind for the run from Raydon to Hintlesham, Sproughton & Bramford where the sundial was running about 25 minutes fast
View attachment 503810 Once I got to around about here, I started thinking that instead of the metric 100 I was aiming for, why not extend it to the equivalent of 2km for every year I was celebrating - rough calculations suggested that 110km was about 69 miles so instead of heading towards the outskirts of Ipswich, I carried on out to Claydon and then back via the old Norwich Road to Westerfield, an unplanned stop to change inner tubes at Rushmere St. Andrew (my first of the year), then the usual Bucklesham Road run to home.
https://www.strava.com/activities/3082743649
View attachment 503811 View attachment 503812

That was a good ride. We used to live in Shotley, only for about 18 months. They were always talking about building on the HMS Ganges site, not sure if they did start. The Police used it for several years after the RN moved out. I did a triathlon from there many moons ago, starting with a 1/2 mile swim in the pool before the cycle down to The Strand and back. The run was a 10k around Ganges.
When you were at Shotley you must have felt so close to home but yet........so far

 

[ianbarton]

It was another lovely morning in Shropshire with the wind predicted to pick up from this afternoon so decided on a route to avoid the main roads as much as possible as there seems to be a lot of muppets in cars lately. I set off to Whixall with the breeze helping

That's part of one of my regular routes, although I am a bit further north. I often call in at the Wem library cafe for cake and coffee.

 

[Jenkins]

That was a good ride. We used to live in Shotley, only for about 18 months. They were always talking about building on the HMS Ganges site, not sure if they did start. The Police used it for several years after the RN moved out. I did a triathlon from there many moons ago, starting with a 1/2 mile swim in the pool before the cycle down to The Strand and back. The run was a 10k around Ganges.
When you were at Shotley used must have felt so close to home but yet........so far

No building has been started there at all - it's still surrounded by security fencing as the last I read they were arguing about access, social housing provision & restoration of the mast (all the usuals). As for close to home, it's 23 miles by road, but only a couple of miles from home as the bird flies. It's the same if I go round to Bawdsey which is just the other side of the Deben.

 

[AndreaJ]

As the weather forecast for today was for hail showers and 40mph winds I wasn’t expecting to get out but after walking the dogs in bright sunshine and a bit of wind I decided they were wrong and went out. It was raining a bit but I don’t mind rain as much as wind so just a quick ride round Whixall and I could give up and head home if the wind started up again. I set off to Whixall and through to Alkington where I turned back to Blackloe and the rain turned to sleet I carried on hoping it would stop and I was heading back in the general direction of home. Through several large cold floods back to Hollinswood and the sleet turned to snow, the sort of snow which sticks to the roads and anyone daft enough to be riding a bike in it, after 10 minutes it was obviously not going to stop soon and was getting worse so I decided on the quickest route home through Braynes Hall, Waterloo, Northwood and home . 16.6 miles @15.3mph. The lane outside my house when I got home.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Took Beautiful Daughter to dance rehearsal, picked her up and took her to a Birthday Party, rolled back, swapped bikes and took the present she'd forgotten to the birthday party.

Now to pick her up from the birthday party...

 

[derrick]

Another great day in the mountains.
Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/MeKq45gjY3

 

[13 rider]

Another great day in the mountains.
Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/MeKq45gjY3

I take it you've not got 40mph winds or snow out there ,not the slightest bit jealous of you riding in sunny Spain

 

[Grant Fondo]

As the weather forecast for today was for hail showers and 40mph winds I wasn’t expecting to get out but after walking the dogs in bright sunshine and a bit of wind I decided they were wrong and went out. It was raining a bit but I don’t mind rain as much as wind so just a quick ride round Whixall and I could give up and head home if the wind started up again. I set off to Whixall and through to Alkington where I turned back to Blackloe and the rain turned to sleet I carried on hoping it would stop and I was heading back in the general direction of home. Through several large cold floods back to Hollinswood and the sleet turned to snow, the sort of snow which sticks to the roads and anyone daft enough to be riding a bike in it, after 10 minutes it was obviously not going to stop soon and was getting worse so I decided on the quickest route home through Braynes Hall, Waterloo, Northwood and home . 16.6 miles @15.3mph. The lane outside my house when I got home. View attachment 504008

Thats what its all about! A memorable ride in the face of adversity

 

[footloose crow]

Saturday 8 Feb. Surf and volcanoes

My teeth are chattering but not with cold. It is 24c today and the sun is high in a sub tropical sky. I have 50mm tyres and suspension and the dental slapping is entirely due to the road. Not a road but a track faced with grit and sand and washboarded into corrugations. To the left is a white sand beach, peppered with black volcanic fangs like a black and white image apart from the deep blue of the sea, turning turquoise as the light catches the breaking waves. Lines of broken surf have attracted numbers of Spanish surfers. Old T4 vans pass us slowly kicking up a dust trail. This is the first part of today’s ride along the north coast of Fuerteventura .
We have hired mountain bikes for the day although Madame Crow, the Empress of electricity, has chosen a bike with additional power and leaves me on the short steep ramps . I catch her in the downhills as she brakes nervously on the sliding gravel and grit surface, broken occasionally by bedrock, granite and basalt, sharp and hungry to eat our tyres.

To the right are old volcanoes. Dark brooding hills. Steep sided and bare of all vegetation. It is hard to grow anything in this desert environment. It resembles Western Sahara more than anywhere in Europe.

We are sweating in the warmth but buoyed by the views of creamy surf, intense white against the blinding blue reflections from the sea. The surf culture here is strong. Surfers wander the streets with boards under their arms. We are heading for Corralejo, a white washed Newquay. We can see the town now, a signal to turn off our track and head inland along a gravel and grit track that climbs uphill into the land of volcanoes. These are old volcanoes, broken craters, collapsed rims but still steep and bare. Dramatic scenery but it does not make the hills any easier - although Madame Crow enjoys overtaking me and enquiring if I am finding it hard. It is hot and the sweat is running into my eyes so yes I am finding it hard.

The miles roll on. The trail undulates but the scenery takes my mind off my aching knees. From the high points the views range across miles of open country. Completely open. Not a tree or bush. Not a blade of grass. Miles of lava fields. Rock and stone. Black is the colour here. With a contrasting grey.

A fast downhill deposits is in the village of Larejo. It is five miles from the sea but full of surf shops and surf cafes. I like the one called the ‘Rising Kook’’. Madame chose a more authentic Spanish bar where we have a beer and contemplate what next. I am not ready to finish yet and Madame said she still had half a battery left. Looking at the map I could see a line of tracks that led south through more volcanic eruptions and then back to the coast.

The hills were harder this time. Longer. More broken trails. Teeth chattering again. But the downhill section.....oh the downhill. Fast sweeping bends as the bike and I challenged each other to go faster. It is a bad influence this bike. It encourages me to let go of the brakes. We are deep in the back country of Fuerteventura and I think we lost. It doesn’t matter. This track keeps giving us more. Even Madame likes it although her bike tells her to take it more slowly.

It is a relief to see the Atlantic again. A blue line between the black hills. I was getting more and more worried we would have to return back up that long downhill and I didn’t fancy it. Now I could see the sea I knew we were on the right track. There have been a number of other tracks we could have taken so I was delighted to have made the right choice.

We now have 60km of hilly gravel tracks in our legs and I am ready to head back to the hire shop. Even the e-empress was starting to complain but not about the hills just the relentless pounding of the track on her wrists and bottom.

We now have10km of following the cliff edge with the long Atlantic swells smashing into the old lava flows beneath our wheels. The trade winds have picked up in this late afternoon and although the slanting light brings new colour to the monochrome of the hills, the headwinds are trying. I am sucking the life out of Madame’s back wheel as she has turbo mode on and I am out of energy.

This is still surfer land. We can see naked yoga on the beach, slender brown limbs stretched and twisted as neoprene clad surfers wander past. Old vans and campers dot along the coast following the same pale trails of slightly less sharp gravels that we are also following. The land is flat all the way until the volcanoes begin a few km to our right. A wide plain of gravel and grit. Arid. Dry. Not a bush or blade of grass. We could cycle anywhere but try to find a way with the least vibration.

Arriving back at the hire shop I look at Strava. Seventy kilometres. 600 metres. Not bad for the first time either of us have ridden mountain bikes. We will do this again.

 

[derrick]

I take it you've not got 40mph winds or snow out there ,not the slightest bit jealous of you riding in sunny Spain

We have a big yellow thing in the sky.👍