Your ride today....

[sevenfourate]

Working ‘over the side’ in a local Harbour today. And had to be on-Site for 6-6.30am to catch low tide.

………which culminated in a (Warmer than yesterday) 4.30am out the door to do so.

Pleasant way to start a Friday say I……

 

[DCBassman]

A longer trip with two batteries.
Using the system is getting easier with experience, as I'm sure the dedicated e-bikers will confirm.
Nice day for it!
Wildlife: saw an odd-looking twig on the path just through the first gates between Clearbrook and Yelverton. Slow worm! It looked liked he'd been passed closely by a couple of bikes and had just frozen in place. Guided him off the path in the direction he appeared to be heading in, and he happily sltherred off.
Problems: I've realised that when the motor is on, it doesn't allow one to back-pedal to mount. Irritating, but there it is. Also, I need to sort out a decent seat for the very upright position I now use. Tried a generic mtb saddle. Nope. Had the Charge Spoon on today. Still nope, but it did improve with adjustment. More research needed. I also need to get really good shorts with a better pad...any recommendations?

 

[Mike_P]

View attachment 807590

A longer trip with two batteries.
Using the system is getting easier with experience, as I'm sure the dedicated e-bikers will confirm.
Nice day for it!
Wildlife: saw an odd-looking twig on the path just through the first gates between Clearbrook and Yelverton. Slow worm! It looked liked he'd been passed closely by a couple of bikes and had just frozen in place. Guided him off the path in the direction he appeared to be heading in, and he happily sltherred off.
Problems: I've realised that when the motor is on, it doesn't allow one to back-pedal to mount. Irritating, but there it is. Also, I need to sort out a decent seat for the very upright position I now use. Tried a generic mtb saddle. Nope. Had the Charge Spoon on today. Still nope, but it did improve with adjustment. More research needed. I also need to get really good shorts with a better pad...any recommendations?

Always subjective as what one person likes is one someone else hates. If you use Strava there are often discounts on Le Col which are generally well regarded.

 

[sevenfourate]

Tuesday-Friday this week; I’ve managed over 130 miles on the bike 😁 And over 50 hours at work 😠 I’m officially ‘pooped’.

Today’s ride home felt suitably ‘tough’. Much as I’ve loved this week commuting in - this weekend the bike can ‘do one’ !

 

[HLaB]

A couple of my usual ride mates were away and another couple said they were going straight to the cafe on gravel bikes, so when someone else invited me for a ride to the Wyndham Windmill Cafe in Rutland I decided to take them up on it.

 

[HLaB]

Today was a bit of a contrast to yesterday's sunny 21deg ride finish and was a grey and cold 9-10deg. Also the wind that got up at the end of yesterday's ride had really got up overnight.

Also in contrast to yesterday I was the only one who wanted a cafe stop to warm up and fill my bottle so we didn't stop and I had to have my cafe stop at home.

 

[geocycle]

Bright sunny day but deceptively cold and a nagging Northeast wind. Nevertheless, I decided to head out up the Lune valley and through Kirkby Lonsdale to Sedbergh. I paused at the entrance to Dentdale and continued along the back road into the valley. The road is strewn with gravel, but at least it puts off cars being very much single track. I had lunch in Dent at my favourite café which make the best fruitcake and cheese in the area. I continued up Dentdale following the wonderful rock bed channel of the river Dee where I was treated to a dipper and heard a cuckoo. Shortly after I encountered a classic Dent Dale traffic jam involving sheep with lambs been herded up a road! The road then rises quite sharply under Dent head viaduct but the tarmac is wonderfully smooth thanks to a year long repair of a landslip. Just as I was coming to the top of the climb a stoat ran across the road in front of me. I reached Newby head junction and was greeted by some road closed signs. It seems the main Ingleton to Hawes Road is closed north of the junction. This didn’t directly impact me but meant that the traffic levels were much lower than usual on a sunny Sunday. I really enjoyed the descent into Ingleton and had a second brief stop at the bakery. Home fire Wennington. Overall 107 km with 1179 m of climbing.

Photos are of the Lune valley,entering dentdale,

the cobbled streets of Dent, road congestion higher up the Dale, and the view down the empty road to Ingleton.

 

[DCBassman]

Quick spin before breakfast

 

[VinSumRox]

Fairly hilly group outing today, once the frost thawed (1C at 0800!). Chilly in the shade , warm in the sun.
Did the route of the short Tour de Lauder. Lauder to Stow then the Granites loop via Innerleithen (cafe stop) then back to Lauder from Stow up and over Lauder Common. A bit windier than we expected!

 

[Ian H]

Last Wednesday I took the newly reframed fixed out to the pubrun. It was one of the more distant venues and I got nearly 70k even returning the direct way. A stonking great hill, Hembury Fort, tested my knees.

Saturday I rode the fixed over to the Exeter Bike Festival. Chatted to various folk, had some cake & coffee, then pedalled home the long way for a bit over 70k.

 

[C R]

I am trying to increase my distance a bit, so today I was hoping to do about 70km. The wind, however, had other ideas. I set off on my usual route to Upton and Long Green, with quite a stiff wind behind, and I was flying, making it to Long Green in one of my fastest times.

Unfortunately, after Long Green the wind was mostly head on, biting and really hard work. Stopped for a short rest at Mythe Bridge, you could just about see the Malverns in the gloom.

Next was fight the wind again towards Bredon. I had planned to go round the south of Bredon Hill to Pershore, but by the time I reached Bredon my legs were saying that they couldn't face going up the hill against the headwind, so I turned for Eckington, where I stopped for another rest in the picnic area by the Avon.

There were a couple of rowing crews doing some training, though they didn't seem to be putting a lot of effort

After this I only had about 10km left to get back home, but the sodding wind made me work hard on them.

The map

It says 364m, but because of the wind (did I mention it was windy?) my legs feel like it was 1300m.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Riding to Lidl:

I felt like a change, and the wind was blowing me down the valley, meaning I'd have to ride against the wind all the way home, and I'd been wanting to check out this route up a side valley, to see if it was a less steep way north to explore that region.

Turns out it worked rather well, although I did have to ride back a bit quickly to avoid being caught out in the rain...

Once up out of the valley to the south I'm on the Gäu uplands and there's no shelter, but I knew I'd mostly be riding downhill and/or with a tailwind for most of the return route.

Just made it back before the rain really kicked in.

 

[Glow worm]

Some photos from my ride home from Ghent over 3 days as I headed back via the Hook- Harwich ferry.

The route heading north from Ghent was naturally busy and not that pleasant initially but after 4 or 5 miles it was cycle paths and quiet tree lined lanes.

I do love a good Dutch border post! This one at Waterland-Oudeman.

An overnight stay nearby, then north on Saturday via the Breskens to Vlissingen ferry.

Reached my b&b in the lovely named Kats on Nord Beverland island.

Next day (Sunday) was a bit of a 54 mile slog to the Harwich ferry north along the coast into a brutal headwind. But the day began ambling through one of the prettiest towns I’ve been to in NL - Zierikzee

Then the real slog. Hard work into the wind, and sand blowing on to my poor chain from the beaches. Worst bits were over 3 long bridges / causeways between the SW Dutch Islands in Zeeland and Zuid Holland provinces, the longest about 4 miles. Lots of cyclists on them, but I seemed to be the only one dumb enough heading north into the gale!

I finally reached the boat at Hook in enough time luckily for a well earned pint!

Disembarked off the ferry at 6-30am in Harwich yesterday morning and began another slog, this time 61 miles to home, not only with the same old headwind, but Suffolk hills too. The road from Harwich to Manningtree is not entirely flat either! Home and hosed by 2pm though.

A great mini tour And Ghent is just lovely. Around 350 miles on the clock from Dunkirk to home in total.

 

[Elybazza61]

Got out today after a few muddles including other half going shopping and taking back door key and I needed the pump and the mini air pump not being charged but got going after remembering where the spare key is and taking a battery pack to charge the mini pump.

So a bit chilly start but warmed up after about 30km and removed gilet and gloves; took a route to Comberton to have a look at the bh's late dad's old house and ride some roads I haven't been on for a while.

Out of Comberton up long road to then go back via Madingley and through Cambridge to then return home back up the 20p road.

Just under 85km in the end with the clouds building up and feeling chilly again as I got back.

Toast and coffee and then a quick clean and fettle of the bike.

Bike against a gate on Long Road coming back from Comberton;