Author Topic: Have you been out today?  (Read 3813167 times)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #500 on: 12 May, 2008, 08:59:52 am »
Wahey!
Scrochio weather, my favourite.
Took the mountain bike into the Northants bridleways and byways.
Ended up in the midst of a charity horse ride, among horses dyed pink.
Then cycled through a funfair in the middle of the countryside, which turned out to be the Stoke Goldington steam rally.

Sounds like you were suffering from heatstroke. Pink horses, funfairs turning into steam rallies? What were you eating?

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #501 on: 12 May, 2008, 09:03:36 am »
Another couple of weeks and I'm hoping that I might survive riding with a certain Frenchman of this parish.

Arghhh... You came to LE and you didn't even stop by to say hello!  :o
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Tourist Tony

  • Supermassive mobile flesh-toned black hole
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #502 on: 12 May, 2008, 09:09:51 am »
I headed out to the Chalfonts on fixed and got lost in Chiltern lanes. Lots of other cyclists about, including a family riding in slow motion on the wrong side of the road. It was a warm day and I suffered a bit in the heat.

Coming home past Ruislip on a horrible surface my rear light jumped off. I swore as it bounced into the path of following traffic, but the car behind stopped and waited for me to pick it up. What a pleasant chap!
Is what it is all about!

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #503 on: 12 May, 2008, 09:25:42 am »
First extended commute of 28.75km. Lovely in the park. Good to see the plod pulling over trade vehicles at the top of Broomfield Hill. Gave them a hearty "Good Morning!" as I went past.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #504 on: 12 May, 2008, 09:29:14 am »
First extended commute of 28.75km. Lovely in the park. Good to see the plod pulling over trade vehicles at the top of Broomfield Hill. Gave them a hearty "Good Morning!" as I went past.


Anmd plod were doing speed checks on the Mall this morning...  I got a big smile from the female traffic officer as I speeded up when she spun the camera towards me...  ;D

But the highlight was seeing the number of cabs that were pulled over and tickets being written  :demon:
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

groucho

  • Humph!!
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #505 on: 12 May, 2008, 12:14:07 pm »
Just 8 miles to Barry swabbed in Factor 30, then marshalling at the Ty Hafan charity 5k run, then 10 miles back home via the rugby club to tidy up after a 7s tournament the day before.(when I should have had the Factor 30 on!)

So a lazy, tiring, merry weekend. Roll on the next one ...when it's off to Wembley and another bike free weekend.
Faith, hope and gluttony.........

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #506 on: 12 May, 2008, 01:02:45 pm »
A 21 miles sweat'n drag skirting around Charlie's place.

Luckily  Special Branch didn't come out to see what I was doing .2 miles from the place with a suspicious recording device on a road bike in a field.*


*I was reccing a 50 miles sponsored relay run, gov. Yes, 8 yummy mummies from school will be running and I'll be following them on me bike. Honest!
It is simpler than it looks.

alan

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #507 on: 12 May, 2008, 01:38:23 pm »
8 yummy mummies 

I'll be following them on me bike.

you get all the good jobs(fails to find a smilie representing jealousy) ;)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #508 on: 12 May, 2008, 05:30:05 pm »
An 11 mile commute, which included significant factors:-

1. I passed 300 miles for the month
2. I passed 10000 miles since enrolling on Bikejournal
3. I stopped off at the B52 club between Rochford and Southend where Fatters was serving Brewer's Gold.

I liked it; it was good.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

diapsaon0

  • Advena ego sum in terra
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #509 on: 12 May, 2008, 05:35:41 pm »

 8 yummy mummies from school will be running and I'll be following them on me bike.

Photos please  :P
Advena ego sum in Terra

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #510 on: 12 May, 2008, 05:52:41 pm »
Yes, I joined the Clarions; very welcoming.

Good man! :thumbsup:

Sadly, Heanor Clarion (for I think it will be they ;) ) are the least political of the lot, but they have some very good riders.
Getting there...

bobmick

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #511 on: 12 May, 2008, 07:19:45 pm »
Continuing to make the most of this lovely weather.  Only had a couple of hours spare at the weekend so managed to squeeze in 58k in gloriously hot sun yesterday and then a bit of an extended commute today totalling 70.5k.  Tan lines on my arms coming along nicely but legs still very white!

alan

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #512 on: 12 May, 2008, 07:53:30 pm »

 8 yummy mummies from school will be running and I'll be following them on me bike.

Photos please  :P

That's yummymummy pics Jaded,not you on the bike.I've seen the latter ;D

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #513 on: 13 May, 2008, 10:58:48 am »
15 miles of slightly different loop today, culminating in bringing 24kg shopping home from Waitrose.

We were within the final mile of tranquil rurality when we mentioned that the dearth of cuckoos seems to be quite serious: we would have expected to have heard one on the route we took.

On cue, (or, on cook-cue) there he was! I cuckoo'd back at him and within seconds he was with us, looking for his foe. They don't like getting close to humans, and every time he flew over the hedge we were hiding behind and caught sight of us, he zoomed off again, occasionally settling in a nearby willow tree to make that delightful throat-clearing sound which cuckoos make when riled.

15 miles at 10.2 mph.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #514 on: 13 May, 2008, 11:07:53 am »
No. Today will be the first day of many weeks that I haven't ridden a bike. I took the car in for its annual "open your wallet and say after me, help yourself" jambouree, and as the garage is pretty much just over the road I walked the last 100m.

Hopefully I will be driving home.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #515 on: 13 May, 2008, 12:35:42 pm »
Lovely day for a sweaty fixie assault on the commute!  And last night was Lesson 1 on the pennyfarthing - scooting and gliding.  Was going to go for a mount, but the saddle fell off. :-[
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

annie

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #516 on: 13 May, 2008, 04:30:29 pm »
No but had several inches taken from my locks :-\ so should be a little lighter on the bike.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #517 on: 13 May, 2008, 06:15:17 pm »
No but had several inches taken from my locks :-\ so should be a little lighter on the bike.

Will you still be able to get them through both wheels and round a Sheffield stand? ::-)
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

annie

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #518 on: 13 May, 2008, 08:05:41 pm »
No but had several inches taken from my locks :-\ so should be a little lighter on the bike.

Will you still be able to get them through both wheels and round a Sheffield stand? ::-)

With difficulty. :P

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #519 on: 13 May, 2008, 08:27:17 pm »
Another 46 miles on the TCR.  My legs ache like hell !!  :demon:  I find it really hard to ride slowly on that beast  ;D

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #520 on: 13 May, 2008, 10:25:12 pm »
I tella lie. I thought I was going climbing tonight but my climbing partner G spent all afternoon tryingto get hold of me. "I'm ridingthe Etape [Caledonia] on Sunday and want to get a few more miles in - fancy a ride?"

The only riding we have done together before is on laden bikes on our way into bothies. He is the antithesis of me - very slightly built, but with little road bike experience. But he does have a shiny new boardman road bike  :thumbsup:

So I did a quick change, got Fred ready to go (the Pro2 Grip are starting to look a little tired after the winter), bottles filled and planned a quick route in my head.

G arrived and off we went. As I had anticipated he was much faster than me on the uphills - something to do with a 30kg weight difference. We cruised out through Birkhill and Tinky's Brae, waved at the welcoming committee for the club APR and then passed the various groups as they approached the finish (they were going the other way). F was still hanging on to the front group despite his first club weekender - 250 miles in two days for a 16yo.

We took a left and were on a road I had never ridden before. It was an absolute gem. Single track rising gently past a farm, then dropping into a hanging valley. Skirting the sides of the loch. Evening sun lit up the golden grass and gorse in that magical way that only a Scottish sun can. If you could bottle it you'd be a millionaire. Dead quiet apart from the bleating of lambs and gunting of tupping rams and ewes.

The road swings round and drops into Lundie. Only 500m away is the main road, but it is as good as 500 miles. We follow the road to the end of the village, a swng to the left on a steep hairpin and the climb starts to the top of Tullybaccart. My left calf is cramping, but my riding style is better than G's and we're not really pushing it so I can shift the effort and eventually manage to work the cramp around the mucsle and out.

Main road. It is eerily deserted as we ride side by side into Perth and Kinross. Yellow gorse by the side of the road in a pastoral idyl.

Before the road drops away down the hill we swing left for a short climb to the stunning descent through Littleton. The first part is open, fast and clear. Then the road follows the river as it twists down the gorge, steep banks of verdant green on one side, trees obscuring the water on the other. I know the road and let the bike run faster than is probably prudent, braking hard for the one tighter corner as the midges die hard across my face. And then run out, open countryside, and another little hanging dell. The road to the right is Jock's Brae, a steep climb, and a very entertainign descent if you have the bottle. Slightly lumpy and a bit of a curve at the top but otherwise dead straight and oh so fast.

But htat is not our route. We swing left, past the saw mill and through the clouds of insects. Jink left and cross the stream rising out of the saddle to blast the wee rise the other side, then drop through the village.   

Count the left turns. 3rd left and we are on the home run. Rise and fall throguh Flocklones and past the Cat's Hotel. Only three more climbs to go and they are all short. It is into the wind now as we reach the junction and turn left to rise up again. Dundee sits clear on teh horizon,not so very far away in miles but a different continent in demeanour. Up we go, tired legs straining a bit. I'm starting to get the better of G. Fat and unfit I may be but I know how to ride a bike. 

We turn towards Liff. My favourite road sign - road unsuitable for HGVs. A twist to cross the bridge, best not taken at speed till you know what is there, then immedieatelyout of the saddle up the step. Respite. Second step. Spin and Liff.

The old hospital is now luxury apartments. We greet a group of teenagers out on MTB's - there are so many people out on bikes this year - and roll on to Gourdie Brae. A bit of assertive traffic management is needed to gain access to the park. Mostly deserted at this time of the evening  the ducks are resting. Admiral Duncan's house is a fitting backdrop - the sandstone a fine complement in the evening light to the rich greens and vibrant blossom of the trees.

All that is left is a short stint of city riding, just a mile more and back to my place. An absolutely fabulous evening. I wish I could have shared the colours and scenery with you. Pick the best Scottish calendar you can - it won't go far enough. A beautiful evenings ride, 24 miles in just under 90 mins. Hilly but not excessively so. And an unexpected bonus with which to finish the day.
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #521 on: 13 May, 2008, 10:31:19 pm »
Three trips to school today. 11 miles each.

The last one was best as it was a Parent's Committee meeting and I was not encumbered by children and wife! Loaded up with three Dinottes and the new helmet camera I had a whale of a time. 17.mph avergae, which is good for me.  :thumbsup:
It is simpler than it looks.

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #522 on: 14 May, 2008, 01:35:04 pm »
Been for a little pootle around the green, trouble is the green is 10 miles away! :)

Then have just got back from a 5 mile shakedown of my bike, after it's service, all is well it actually goes and stops now (apart from squeeling like a stuck pig when using the back brake!)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

annie

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #523 on: 14 May, 2008, 01:53:27 pm »
Went for my usual run and then the gym, also a quick session on the new turbo, went too fast and hard and only managed 20 minutes on some course in Majorca, couldn't go outside as was waiting in for a delivery.


Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #524 on: 14 May, 2008, 07:13:37 pm »
no, because my ruddy clients wanted a conference call at 7.00.  Hopefully tomorrow...