Your ride today....

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EltonFrog

Legendary Member
Little n Large. The Fragrant MrsP and I went for a 10.75 mile breakfast ride this morning, stopped halfway way for a coffee and a bacon bap, whilst it absolutely precipitated down outside, then the sun came out and we went on our merry way. Cold and windy today too, I wish it would stop feckin raining.

Pictured her ‘12 Trek Madone 3.1 all Ultegra’d up, and my ‘20 Trek Madone SL5

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Angus McCoatup

Well-Known Member
Did a loop from Mid Cheshire, into North Wales up the Horseshoe Pass. Bit of a shock to the system after a winter plodding around the pan flat Cheshire lanes. First time up the 'shoe for nearly 2 years and it included an obligatory stop at the dreadful (no character, atmos and poor coffee and indifferent staff, but it's the only place for miles) Ponderosa Café for a coffee and cake (well earned after coming up from the Llangollen side if you ask me).

I was the only cyclist there, but was amused, when tucking into my slice of cake, by all the motorcyclists refuelling with a full English.

A few hair raising side winds on the descent and tailwind all the way home...………..which was nice!
 

Old jon

Guru
Location
Leeds
Another bright morning here and I have been invited to ride a new route with the club. Not that I need any encouragement.

Twenty four miles and a surprising 1600 feet of up later, rain is clattering at the window but I beat the rain home and it is warm and dry indoors. It may be better to start at the beginning. The meeting point for this ride is six miles from where I live, and most of that is on roads I use often, including the wander through Holbeck. Once across the river and with my back to the town centre, the road rises. Oakwood Clock and turn left, arrive at the meeting place first. The other two expected folk appeared and off we went. Around streets and roads I never suspected existed. Well, some I knew but if you had asked me before I looked at the map just now, well, they had been forgotten.

A new route, but very well planned, I think. A wander around to the north of Alwoodley, then pedal back towards the Ring Road, crossing that at Tongue Lane, which climbs a bit. Turn right off that to the only bit of what I could not ride, the mud was deep enough to stop me, we did an about turn, rejoined the tarmac and found a better bit of path further on. More road, heading roughly south, some bike paths. Think I saw NCN68 at one point, but could easily be mistaken.

A very short stretch of Meanwood Road led us to Meanwood Urban Farm and its Barn, food and drink were great, and a natter with other riders. And then, after a while, we left. Crossing roads that I did not recognise until checking the map again. Yup Gledhow Valley road I knew, for a few hundred yards, but most of the rest was an education until I saw Princes Avenue in the distance, not far from where the ride had started. Time for me to pedal back home, into a wind that seemed to be stronger than earlier, but headwinds often are like that. Just before turning into the street I live on, the rain started, but it had been a good ride with happy company so I had a smile anyway.

Tracks of my wheels

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Oxford Dave

Senior Member
Location
West Oxfordshire
Went out with the brother of my Australian neighbour this morning (my neighbour's brothers are over here because his wife died in a car accident a couple of weeks ago) and we managed to time things so we were indoors at a pub eating breakfast while the rain fell, then back on the road for another 20 miles after that. Good morning out, and pleasant to ride with company for a change, despite the tragic reason for them being here.
 
Location
Cheshire
Little n Large. The Fragrant MrsP and I went for a 10.75 mile breakfast ride this morning, stopped halfway way for a coffee and a bacon bap, whilst it absolutely precipitated down outside, then the sun came out and we went on our merry way. Cold and windy today too, I wish it would stop feckin raining.

Pictured her ‘12 Trek Madone 3.1 all Ultegra’d up, and my ‘20 Trek Madone SL5

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Love your SL5, and the colour. It would be on my list if I was in the market 😁
 

Oxford Dave

Senior Member
Location
West Oxfordshire
Quick ride on my own this morning, started off with the idea of a good thirty miles but was pushing too hard for the distance and ended up just nipping around 8 miles or so pedalling away my anger about the situation that led to yesterday's funeral. Thirty five minutes later i was feeling better, average speed 13.9 mph. Might go out for a more normal ride a bit later.
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
Nice sunny morning so off through the Castlemorton lanes and on round by Bromsberrow took me into wild daffodil territory. I dodged an unusual way through Bromsberrow Heath and set my wheel for Ketford. The daffs in the wood were wonderful as was the show down at the river. I climbed up and over to climb again for Compton Green. Lovely wild daffs all the way. I took to Brand Green where the wood anemones were getting underway. At Highleadon I headed for Blackwells End and on for Gadfield Elm. From Pendock it was the standard run back to complete a pleasant wee outing. 45 smiles
 

EltonFrog

Legendary Member
A cobweb blower today and I needed some milk, so I took the Kingpin out as the roads were dry ( the brakes are effing useless even worse when wet) and there’s a bit of sun out and the Kingpin hasn’t been cleaned & put away since Saturdays shenanigans. Just a 6.15 miler along the railway track through council estate and up to the little Sainsbury’s. In the car park was the the maroon Morris Minor pictured below. A shiny silver sixpence if you can guess what year it is. On the way back I rode through the new cramped housing estate that four years ago used to be farm land.
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Which is older, the bike or the car?
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Donger

Convoi Exceptionnel
Location
Quedgeley, Glos.
42.4 more miles for me today. Rode over to @Dark46 's house to start a ride around the Severnside villages, taking a look at the last of the floods and stopping off for coffee and cakes at the cafe at Saul Marina. Rode through a few floods in places that don't usually flood. The unusually high spring tides had caused the sluice gates along the Severn to slam shut, preventing the fields from draining properly. The resulting field run-off caused some 3 to 4 inches of standing (and sometimes fast flowing) water on the roads between Stonebench and Epney.
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Rode along the riverbank at Priding and visited the canal bridge at Frampton before heading back in near perfect cycling weather.
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We had a scary moment on the way home when we were forced to use a short section of the main Stonehouse road and a Rangerover carved up @Dark46 good and proper. No harm done, though and another nice ride in good company. I did another loop around Stonebench after we parted, just to get more flood photos. By the time I got there, the river level had dropped a couple of feet and the roads were nearly clear where they had been 3 or 4 inches deep before. The difference? The tide was going out.
Cheers, Donger
 

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gavgav

Legendary Member
Using up my final day of Annual Leave, for the financial year, today and so what better way to avoid Coronavirus, than get out in the fresh air on the bike, with @Rickshaw Phil, to do my half century challenge ride.

We decided to do a similar route to the one we did together, before Christmas, but in a reverse direction and some new territory, for me, on the section we changed.

Phil cycled over to mine and we set out, getting all of about 2 feet until I realised I’d left my water bottle behind. Quick dart back to get it and then take 2!

We followed, mostly, cycle paths up to Sundorne and then took the tarmac section of the old canal path, out on the road to Uffington and Upton Magna. I almost turned the wrong way there, but Phil reminded me we were going left, down through Withington, to Walcot.

The Met office suggested fairly light winds, getting lighter through the day, but they seemed strong enough to us, as we turned into it for a good 15 miles or so! After Walcot we followed my new territory towards Uppington and Eaton Constantine. There was low flying helicopter, along this section, inspecting the power lines. That must be a cool job!

We descended to Cressage, pausing to look at the flooding, which is still quite impressive, despite the fact the river is a couple of metres lower now.
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The road surface was pretty horrific around there and that was a pattern for most of the ride. Not just potholes but blooming great big craters!

There was short uphill section on the busy A458, with an impatient driver behind us who wanted to squeeze past us with an undertake, as we turned right. It was hard going on the lanes, past Raby estate and onwards to Hughley, due to the wind and so we stopped for lunch at Church Preen, where it duly poured with rain and a few hailstones, for a couple of minutes. It had been drizzling on and off for a fair bit of the ride and I’d donned the waterproof, which was perhaps a bit of overkill.

As we set off, the signpost said 4&1/2 miles to Cardington, which was our planned pub stop and that kept us going along the virtually all uphill section into the wind. The sun had come out though and so we were able to sit outside and enjoy it, and it was even warmish sheltered from the wind. A very enjoyable pint (and naughtily another half) of Clun Pale Ale was consumed.


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Anyone spot the difference with @Rickshaw Phil since our rides in Cumbria? I didn’t until he pointed it out!!

The legs were stiff, as we set out again, straight onto the long pull up to the top of the bank with about 5 names, I call it Bufton’s bank, but it leads to the fabulous descent down the “corkscrew” where I set my fastest section time on Strava, hitting 32.4mph.

The wind was behind us, finally, as we continued on to Longnor, Frodesley, Acton Burnell and Pitchford. The only downside being that the road was a constant stream of traffic, which was going too fast and overtaking on blind corners, avoiding roadworks on the nearby A49.

We arrived back at mine, with 42.6 miles on the clock, for me, having thoroughly enjoyed my day off
 

gavgav

Legendary Member
Quick ride on my own this morning, started off with the idea of a good thirty miles but was pushing too hard for the distance and ended up just nipping around 8 miles or so pedalling away my anger about the situation that led to yesterday's funeral. Thirty five minutes later i was feeling better, average speed 13.9 mph. Might go out for a more normal ride a bit later.
Sorry to hear the sad news but well done for getting out on the bike, it’s certainly a good way of helping to deal with things
 
A cobweb blower today and I needed some milk, so I took the Kingpin out as the roads were dry ( the brakes are effing useless even worse when wet) and there’s a bit of sun out and the Kingpin hasn’t been cleaned & put away since Saturdays shenanigans. Just a 6.15 miler along the railway track through council estate and up to the little Sainsbury’s. In the car park was the the maroon Morris Minor pictured below. A shiny silver sixpence if you can guess what year it is. On the way back I rode through the new cramped housing estate that four years ago used to be farm land.
View attachment 508222
Which is older, the bike or the car?
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1967 at a guess or F plate
 

Rickshaw Phil

Overconfidentii Vulgaris
Moderator
As @gavgav has already reported, a good trip out today in weather that was a little cool and showery but otherwise quite good.

I think that he has covered all the salient points so I'll just add that my mileage at the end was 46.8 and I'd lost a little bit off the average speed on the final climb to give 11.1 mph. There were a few other cyclists out along the lanes which is always good to see.

Some of my pics;
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Drink/snack stop near Walcot.

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The River Tern has gone down but left lots of standing water. Those fields have been underwater so long it has killed whatever crop was trying to grow.

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Moving along to Cressage, the River Severn is still quite high. At the time of the photo the river level was two metres lower than at the peak of the floods.

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Lunch stop near Church Preen School.

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At the Royal Oak, Cardington.
 
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