It's been ages since I last logged on to the site (again) so a bit of a catch-up:
- 30-12-25: Following my challenge ride at the start of December, bad weather and commitments meant I wasn't able to get out for a week or so then I fell ill with what I suspect was the flu, which lasted through Christmas. Being a bit stubborn I wanted to get back on the bike the moment I felt able, so headed off to do a short trip into town, through the Quarry and back using the inner ring road.
Doing the route clockwise meant I got the most undulating part of the ride out of the way first, which was good as the bug had taken a lot out of me. The Quarry was very busy so the bell got lots of use. The riverside path to the weir wasn't quite as busy, but there were still a fair few people out walking.
On the cycle path along the ring road I caught up with a slower cyclist and was temped to push on a bit to overtake but found that I couldn't keep up that pace for long. The legs didn't feel bad but I was gasping for breath. As a result the rest of the ride was more of a gentle plod, passing the long queues of traffic to get onto the trading estate.
I was glad to have got out but felt wiped out at the end of the ride. 10.9 miles at 11.3 mph average.
- 31-12-25: Having recovered a bit overnight I thought I'd finish off the cycling year properly and got out again. The short Acton Burnell route appealed. I set off into a frosty morning and hadn't gone very far before running into a friend who I stopped to chat with for a while.
Getting going again I only had a short wait to get onto the A49. The road to Condover was directly into the sun, which always makes me a little wary, but everyone gave lots of room so it looks like my lights were doing their job.
By Ryton I was wondering whether the length of the ride might be a bit too much. I decided to turn towards Wheathall instead and see how I felt from there. There was a bit of ice on the road so I needed to take care.
When I got to Berriewood I wasn't feeling quite as bad so turned towards Cantlop then dropped down the hill to the historic bridge and paused for a photo.
I did toy with the idea of staying on this road to Weeping Cross but then thought about the amount of traffic trying to get to the various shops and decided against that, so it was back to Condover along Lyons Lane then I tried the quieter but hillier way home via Little Lyth. Lyth Hill was packed with people out enjoying the sunshine on the last day of the year. 15.3 miles at 11.5 mph average. In the end the ride was only a couple of miles shorter than if I'd done the route I planned in the first place. Good to get out and I didn't feel as bad as the previous day. This ride pushed me just over 3,500 miles for the year.
- 4-1-26. After a few days rest I got out for my first ride of the New Year. I'd fitted my ice tyres as it was frosty and there had been a dusting of snow. By the time I was able to get out the ice had gone from almost all of the surfaces as I headed towards town and through the Quarry, which left me thinking that I probably could have gone for higher tyre pressures. There was a bit more slush about on the path to the weir though and one moment where a hidden ridge under the snow kicked the back wheel sideways - that would likely have been an off without the studded tyres.
The old canal path had a good covering of snow and ice which hadn't thawed as it's more sheltered here. It was clear on the main road through Uffington and I expected it to be similar on the way to Upton Magna but this lane was all snow and ice. I caught a group of three guys on mountain bikes and felt a bit smug about being able to catch and overtake them as they slithered about on the climb.
The road stayed covered through Upton Magna and all the way to Berwick Wharf, which surprised me a lot as I thought Pelham Road would have had enough traffic to clear it. The road to Atcham was clear though and I only found the odd bits of slushy snow after Cross Houses and on the way to Condover. I headed home via Little Lyth again, which was probably for the best as the main road was surprisingly busy and finished with more snow-laden cloud rolling in from the north.
21.8 miles at 11.4 mph average. I felt better than on the previous couple of rides and at this point was feeling confident of building my strength back up.
- 5-1-26: Another good work out for the ice tyres. I thought I'd try my longer Acton Burnell route and see how I got on. The first few miles through Condover and up to Ryton were on gritted roads so no issues there, however when I reached The Fox (which incidentally is now open for business after a long absence) it changed back abruptly to compressed snow and ice and stayed like that most of the way to Longnor.
After Longnor the roads through Frodesley and Acton Burnell had been gritted so were muddy but otherwise clear. It was surprisingly quiet, which was nice. I felt pretty good when I reached Acton Burnell so did go for the longer version of the route, straight back onto more snow covered roads.
At Cound Moor the long straight was very clear of ice so I suspect that this had been gritted. The lane to Harnage definitely hadn't though. The tyres were fine on this with one exception where a puddle was partially frozen and not giving it a wide enough berth, my back tyre slid at the edge of the slush and ended up turning me broadside across the road. Fortunately I was going slowly and it was a good reminder that these tyres are good but can still struggle under certain circumstances.
I got some shocked looks off the couple of groups of walkers I encountered on the way down the hill into Cound. The flag flying this time said "Happy New Year" on it.
I didn't fancy the main road this time so turned left at Cound Stank and headed towards Pitchford. There is a short steep climb on this road and I'd just started up it when I heard a vehicle approaching from behind. I paused thinking I'd let them by but they stopped too and it became clear that the driver wanted to take a clear run at the climb, so I carried on. They came past a little while after I'd crested the climb and seeing their tyre marks further up the road I could tell that they were struggling a bit.
At Cantlop I took the direct way into Condover. I thought this might have been gritted but apparently not until I got to the junction with the Berriewood road. By now I was noticing that places which had thawed earlier in the day were starting to freeze over again. I finished off by repeating the climb at Little Lyth to avoid the main road as much as I could. Even with the tyre spikes I was losing traction a bit on the steepest parts of the climb. 24.1 miles at 11.4 mph average.
A few snaps from these rides:
A couple from my last ride of 2025.
The old canal path on my way to Uffington.
Near the top of the climb at Downton.
The usual photogenic spot at Upton Magna.
The next day, heading for Acton Burnell. The crossroads near Longnor shows a clear difference between the gritted and ungritted roads.
Skirting round the edge of the grounds of Concord College, Acton Burnell.
Wintery view of the Wrekin.
Harnage.
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