Todays ride

[faustus]

First decent ride of the year. Decided to ride from Newbury to meet the family at Mottisfont. A nice 35 mile ride of mainly valley riding. Lots of beautiful chalk streams (mainly the Test) and snow drops.

[BridlewayBimbler]

First decent ride of the year. Decided to ride from Newbury to meet the family at Mottisfont. A nice 35 mile ride of mainly valley riding. Lots of beautiful chalk streams (mainly the Test) and snow drops.

Lovely pic and bike What mudguards are they?

[faustus]

Velo orange ones. 58mm for 650b. They're a great and solid design, highly recommended! Lots of widths and styles available. Once they're set up the first time, they go on and off easily and quickly

[Verena]

Just ridden up to Stwlan dam.

Just WOW

And sunny too

IMG_20240224_103124 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

[RIP]

Just ridden up to Stwlan dam.

Just WOW

And sunny too

I'm sure I read somewhere they'd filmed bits of The Italian Job 'cliffhanger' sequence up there but I could be wrong. What're you doing next V? "Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea...." Cwmorthin round the corner is dead good for slate afficionados...

[Verena]

What did I do next?

Rolled back down the hill, had a cappuccino bought for me at the cafe at the lake there, then was driven up to Liverpool.

Got dumped there by young Miss Z, and managed to put bike back together, pack and attach my bags, whilst being desperate for a wee, which I consider quite an achievement...

Then had a lovely leisurely ride in glorious sunshine from there along the coast to Crosby, then on to Formby, meeting up with JC and gang along the way.

Spar, pub, then out to Formby woods for an amazing frosty night on the dunes under a very bright full moon, for international bivvy bag day/ night.

Yesterday's ride then was about ten minutes max, straight to the cafe

[Johnallan]

Nothing wild but the sun was shining and the wind wasn't howling!! Shorts and tee shirt for the first time since before the 14-year winter took hold. The feeling of sunshine and fresh air lifted my mood no end. Even stopped for a magnum




35 miles/5000 ft of Calderdales trails. Just lovely!

Delightful Dales 200km Audax tomorrow - back to waterproofs for that one...

[fatbikephil]

Funnily enough I did a similar distance in my local hills and was almost given to think how spring-like it was. Quite soggy under wheel though and no Magnum!
Currently lashing down yet again...

[redefined_cycles]

Since Michael Goves announcement. Trying to scaremonger the likes of me to stop supporting CAGE, MEND and the likes (Sagir from CAGE talks about it [url = https://youtu.be/WvKQGy1HOLA?si=d2WCi25odE_iFiZZ ]here[/url] and the rest I'm sure you can find with a few taps) I decided to do something a 'bit dumb'.

Made myself a sponsorship page to raise for CAGE International. The target being 500 miles during the month of fasting, but without compromising my other targets. Like standing for the night prayers (after the last prayer of the day), reading my Quran daily and going to work to pay the bills. A hard ask, but it'll be worth it.

First day and I winded up needing to go to a funeral (my mums mate as well as my 4 mates mum and a wonderful person in general) in Huddersfield. After that the steepest hill to the grave yard for burial, which was a bit of a challenge (1.21 miles and 495 feet... this one).

So far on 32 miles of 500 and need to go collect some ice spray from Screwfix in Leeds. So hoping another 20 or so miles under the belt. Fundraising is going rather slow (so if anyone wishes to sponsor me then just PM me and I'll share my link) but with full heartrate montioring and the power meter... at least I'm getting to ride the old steel bike for a bit longer.


Last ridden for another charity ride to London in December (and the ice) so she got herself a good wash. Rear brake pad is totally worn so metal gripping into the rim. Hopefully grab some pads today from Evans whilst in Leeds...

[Lazarus]

Gove was not prepeared to repeat his claims outside of parliament where he could be sued.
Tells you all you need to know about his faith/proof of his claims

[redefined_cycles]

Yes, scumbags the lot of em (I include Galloway in that due to his various other stances which stand with abuse - not sure what's going on with him to be honest!). Been to Screwfix Leeds... Then Evans to grab some pad inserts as my local Halfords don't stock inserts!! Gotta order em in and my metal to metal contact could've caused problem.

Ride in progress and (after excluding the time whilst the gps wasn't recording) I'm on 19.9 miles and 500m of up. Still feeling acceptable in my head Needing a wee, without a bottle for handwashing facilities has thrown a bit of a gauntlet (whatever a gauntlet is... Amstrad CPC464 why did you never explain it!). So maybe a discreet waterbottle for future journeys.

I've eyed a 450ml discontinued special at Halfords so might get that tomorrow (an aero bottle apparently).. Pics below.

[redefined_cycles]

The good side of a steep hill. Which I'm not complaining about. Must be the Peaks.

[fatbikephil]

A good ride around Loch Rannoch for me today. Alan Goldsmith of Highland Trail fame asked me to check out the track up to the knackered bridge in the forest to see if it was suitable for the route. So I figured on doing the Pitlochry sportive route with a minor variation up the track and back. Against my better judgement I'd fitted the summer wheels to the Strag inc Boabs cast off WTB resolutes he gave me last year - set up tubeless which is still giving me grief on the gravel bike. Anyway I was pleased to find them still inflated this morning and in fact they performed well all day - cheers Boab!

Start point was Ballinluig (I had to drive to the start...) then up the Tay strath over the moderately large climb up to the Schiehallion road. I followed this (and got caught in Schiehallion munro bagger rush hour ) and after a mix of damp mist and dreich it cleared up as I dropped down to Loch Rannoch. Got to the track bottom and had an easy run up it to the broken bridge, despite it being a bit damp under wheel.

A track, earlier!

The bridge was still there, oddly, and I thought it had been trashed. A nosy underneath revealed the problem:


Abutment has been undermined and part of it has dropped somewhat... To be honest you could keep the bridge open to peds and bikes if you barriered off the upstream side as the down stream 2 girders are still supported by a solid abutment. Trust me I'm not a structural engineer. Annoyingly they have actually locked the gates on the far side instead of just signing the bridge as shut and then allowing people to make their own judgement. FSL have become horribly risk averse since changing their name.

Anyway, I wasn't feeling like more muddy track round the back of Leagag so rattled back down the track to the road and continued easy progress round the head of the loch, checking out the snow levels on the Glencoe hills - actually more than I'd thought so maybe worth a look.


Schielhallion just about cloud free - it had been totally clagged in when I pedaled past - I wonder how many munro baggers actually got to the top when it cleared!


End of Loch Rannoch looking all the way back to the west end and the Glencoe hills just visible.

Further pleasant pedaling followed including the fab wee road on the south side of Loch Tummel. Annoyingly it had clouded over again as I'd headed east and I got a few sprinkles then full on dense dreich for the last 15 minutes. The sun shone on the drive home....

130k done and lots of nice scenery.

[Johnallan]

Delightful Dales 200km Audax today.

Hilly, intermittently wet and with an unhelpful headwind for much of the ride. Good to get out though, and it's a belting route if you like a pissing about on roadbikes.

Warm enough to just let the castelli perfetto do it's thing and not bother with a proper waterproof. Add the return of curlews, lapwings, lambs, wild primrose etc. and I'm beginning to believe that it might actually be spring!?!

[PaulB2]

A slow steady 3 hour shake down ride to test my new shoes mostly on bridleways and canals including a fun swooping section of the local trails. It was the first ride of any length since December so it was very apparent that my climbing legs, which were never the best, have completely gone. Something to work on.

It’s easy to forget just how much faff goes into getting ready for cycling when you’ve not been out in a while. Finding clothes, transferring bits from one bike to another, strapping on a couple of bags, pumping up the tyres and topping up the sealant took about an hour. One silver lining was that I was finally getting the bike out of the garage when the unexpected hail storm hit so could just wait it out for 5 minutes

[ton]

a proper type 2 80 miler yesterday. crossing the whole of the yorkshire Dales from north to south.

started on the A66 at Appleby in Westmorland and finished 8 hours later at Otley.
i was blaster by wet rainy westerly winds the whole route. proper drenched, and icy cold mostly.
Mallerstang was a delight. the road down Wensleyday was strangely quiet which made it a speedy delight down to Aysgarth.
Bishopsdale up to Kidstones summit was not too bad.my strava had a wobble showing amazing speeds which i promise where not achieved.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11023454161

the ride down Wharfedale from Buckden was just perfect really. no cars about on the quiet east side of the river Wharfe all the way to Otley.

i had planned to do a TON. but i was waterlogged and frozen by 80 miles. so a good day out.

[redefined_cycles]

Black Hill and maybe Wessenden, as seen from Castle Hill, Huddersfield.


Black Hill with Castle Hill in the foreground!

[Dave Barter]

I came across a roadie yesterday looking very forlorn with a semi inflated rear tyre. He could not get enough air into it using his pump and asked to borrow mine.

A quick inspection showed he was using a presta adaptor in the schrader end of his pump. I gently inverted it and inflated his tyre using the presta end of the pump.

“Mate that’s life changing” he said. “I never knew you could do that!!”

The rest of the ride was just me muttering “FFS”

[whitestone]

The rest of the ride was just me muttering “FFS”

Just like the portion of the ride before you met him then

[RIP]

The rest of the ride was just me muttering “FFS”

Just like the portion of the ride before you met him then

[redefined_cycles]

Well done Dave for saving the day (yet again)

[PaulE]

Excellent good Samaritan work dave!

Today's ride was on the nice ti summer road bike (rim brakes, no guards, skinny slick tyres etc.) Over in Manchester with my wife & son, so ride back home seemed a decent option! Left after the rain had stopped, took the hilly way out south of Stockport, via a slightly dodgy route choice which left me dodging trucks up the A6 for a bit... A few nice little climbs, and then a plummet down Winatt's pass - reminded me why I like the disk brakes on my other bikes...

Speedy spin through the hope valley, only to realise that the constant (and unexpected) easterly wind combined with forgetting to eat had left me low on sugar. £1 pack of Oreos did the trick, and then took the steep way out of Hathersage. I thought it felt hard - figured that gravel bike gearing had made me soft over the winter but the realised I couldn't get into the largest, 25t, cog so was grinding up the hill in 34-23.

Then for some speedy rolling home, 55km and a bit over 1000m all in. Totally forgot about taking any photos - oops!

Yesterday's ride was very much the opposite... On the stooge with giant rumbly tyres, had to drop off a gift for a friend's newly teenage son, so thought I'd take a visit to an old favourite riding spot on the scenic route home. Nice twisty singletrack, tough gravel climbing and some short super technical descents which would fit nicely in a Chris Akrigg video... About 1/3 the distance, half the elevation but 2/3 the time compared to today. Reminded me that all kinds of riding are great! Weather permitting, brakeless BMX at the skatepark tomorrow will complete the set nicely

[RIP]

a plummet down Winatt's pass

I don't suppose you came across any bits of my broken body from when I went up last weekend? My swearing is probably still echoing around the crags even now.

[redefined_cycles]

Since Michael Goves announcement. Trying to scaremonger the likes of me to stop supporting CAGE, MEND and the likes (Sagir from CAGE talks about it [url = https://youtu.be/WvKQGy1HOLA?si=d2WCi25odE_iFiZZ ]here[/url] and the rest I'm sure you can find with a few taps) I decided to do something a 'bit dumb'.

Made myself a sponsorship page to raise for CAGE International. The target being 500 miles during the month of fasting, but without compromising my other targets. Like standing for the night prayers (after the last prayer of the day), reading my Quran daily and going to work to pay the bills. A hard ask, but it'll be worth it.

First day and I winded up needing to go to a funeral (my mums mate as well as my 4 mates mum and a wonderful person in general) in Huddersfield. After that the steepest hill to the grave yard for burial, which was a bit of a challenge (1.21 miles and 495 feet... this one).

So far on 32 miles of 500 and need to go collect some ice spray from Screwfix in Leeds. So hoping another 20 or so miles under the belt. Fundraising is going rather slow (so if anyone wishes to sponsor me then just PM me and I'll share my link) but with full heartrate montioring and the power meter... at least I'm getting to ride the old steel bike for a bit longer.


Last ridden for another charity ride to London in December (and the ice) so she got herself a good wash. Rear brake pad is totally worn so metal gripping into the rim. Hopefully grab some pads today from Evans whilst in Leeds...

Scores on the doors. Managed a well earned 171 miles and plenty of uphill. Sadly I tried to chase someone in a skin suit today and then after going past my mums and doing Friday prayers climbed that hill. Up to Castle Hill, 495ft and 1.21 miles. Steuggled towards the end with the 18 percent section, for which I was out the saddle. On other side and the next climb, left knee started twinging.

Enough of a twinge to cause me to cut the ride back home short and also walk much of the shallower hills. That's my cycling done for Ramadhan (and chasing down grown men in skin suits, trying to keep pace).