Have you been out today?

[annie]

Yes. Some virgins who like licking a mixture of Marmite and peanut butter.

We are talking about your hand here aren't we Wow? 

Take a couple of Bob Martin's and retire for the evening.  I have just gobbled down a very late dinner after my swim and now can't go to bed until it has travelled a little further on its journey down south.

[Jezza]

My ride yesterday was interrupted by a flat, which I fixed by sticking in my spare tube. Went out today for a 10 mile circuit and it happened again.

One guy walking his dog stopped to watch as I was fixing it. Then another cyclist came past and asked if I was OK. Finally a girl with a pushchair went by and said 'That's a bugger, in't it.'     

Upon closer inspection there was a small sliver of metal, like a staple, sticking into the tyre which had punctured the tube again. All fixed now.   

[Wowbagger]

Yes. Some virgins who like licking a mixture of Marmite and peanut butter.

We are talking about your hand here aren't we Wow? 

Of course! What else? I hope you aren't being in any way lewd or suggestive?

I had a shower-dodging commute at lunch time.

[annie]

Yes. Some virgins who like licking a mixture of Marmite and peanut butter.

We are talking about your hand here aren't we Wow? 

Of course! What else? I hope you aren't being in any way lewd or suggestive?

I had a shower-dodging commute at lunch time.

That's a relief then

Every time I see the word 'dodge' I think of Jammie Dodgers, yum yum.  I once played a game, we had to see how many we could fit into our mouth at once

[alan]

Every time I see the word 'dodge' I think of Jammie Dodgers, yum yum.  I once played a game, we had to see how many we could fit into our mouth at once

Who won:how many?

[annie]

Every time I see the word 'dodge' I think of Jammie Dodgers, yum yum.  I once played a game, we had to see how many we could fit into our mouth at once

Who won:how many?

I can't tell you that I didn't win but came a close second, I don't recommend doing this whilst wearing your best bib and tucker, better to be in some old togs or a bikini

[toekneep]

I've just pictured Alan in a bikini with a mouthful of Jammie Dodgers. I need to go and lie down.

[alan]

That bikini was supposed to be a secret

[annie]

I've just pictured Alan in a bikini with a mouthful of Jammie Dodgers. I need to go and lie down.

Whoops, I hadn't quite thought about what he might be wearing, whatever takes his fancy I guess

One tiny weeny ickle thing that I forgot to mention, you aren't allowed to use your hands.... that doesn't mean you can't use the hands of another.

[Hummers]

I did the CTC club night 'Hill climb' and Freewheel.

THe hill climb was a modest drag and the idea was to guess the time it would take you to get the top. I went for 2 minutes 30 and managed it in 2 minutes 12 seconds. The freewheel entailed having your cranks tied up with one scoot and seeing how far you coasted before falling off. A bit of sillyness but good clean fun.

Officially, I won the freewheel. Yorkie went a lot further but because he got all huffy about tying his cranks up, lost on a technicality. 

It was good to meet other local CTC chaps and have a few beers at The Castle (even at £3.00 a pint for London Pride  )

H

[PaulF]

Officially, I won the freewheel. Yorkie went a lot further but because he got all huffy about tying his cranks up, lost on a technicality. 

You weren't on fixed I take it

[clarion]

Went out on another Southwark Cyclists afterworker, and we had great fun.

Over Tower Bridge, and noodling along the river to the Limehouse Basin.  Why were we there again?

Why, for a birthday!

Yes, on 12 June 1908, the Rotherhithe Tunnel was born

So we went to sing Happy Birthday at the entrance.

Then rode through it, and sang Happy Birthday at the other end.

And adjourned to a nearby house to watch a scene from the film 'Pool of London', which features the Tunnel quite extensively.

I left the ride at that point as my rear brake cable was pinging a few strands each time I applied it.

I went off with a Lambeth Cyclist, heading roughly in the direction of London Bridge, then down to Camberwell, up the amusing hill of the Grove, and pootling through the back way until reaching Streatham station, from where I could roughly find my way back.

I turned into the road where Butterfly works just as she was setting off home.  Perfect timing

[CathH]

Lovely, lovely commutes.  For the first time ever, I took a nice detour that didn't really bump my mileage up at all, but took in a couple of (for me) fairly fierce hills featuring almost-single track roads which I have not done before.  Took the opportunity to do the "yacf bottle in location" thang:



Those bottles are really nice to use - much better than my Spesh ones.  Thanks Gonzo!

[andrew_s]

Duly inspired by the Zombocalypse, I decided to have a go at this S24O lark, but in a lightweight manner with everything packed in the saddlebag. That there was a local beer festival on that I could camp at helped too  .

It was a tight squeeze getting everything into the Super C saddlebag, but it all went in (just). My packing list was :-
Tent (Hilleberg Akto), Sleeping bag (300g down), 3/4 Thermarest, silk sleeping bag liner, long sleeved top, longs, eVent jacket, waterproof hat,  MSR ti kettle containing pepsi can stove, teabags, powdered milk, spork, lighter, windshield. The bottle of meths and the potstand went in the side pocket with the spare tubes etc. The other side pocket had the touring toolkit in it.

What I'd have liked to take but couldn't fit in was the Thermarest chair kit, some warmer evening clothing, and some food for breakfast. Possibly a mug too, rather than just using the kettle. The chair kit could go with the tent poles and be attached to the outside D-rings (poles were under lid), I could rationalise the toolkit and free up side pocket space for breakfast muesli. Real milk could go in the spare bottle cage. Maybe I'll have to borrow a Camper Longflap and see if that packs any better. Officially it's 24l rather than 23l for the Super C.

As it is, it worked fine so long as I can camp reasonably close to a pub, for evening meal and warmth if the weather isn't too warm. I feel some more S24O rides coming on...

[IanDG]

A stinking head cold - so no, I haven't - I'm going to stay in and recover, I don't want to risk things getting worse with the Snow roads a few weeks away

[alan]

Andrew_s,
that's exactly my take on S240.
I have a Camper Longflap which wont accommodate my stuff becauseI use a whisperlite stove & won't compromise on the warm clothes.
I also carry some food,at least porridge or muesli to avoid starvation.
I carry my tent on top of the rear pannier rack & then partially fill each of two Ortlieb small panniers.
I need to rethink my equipment strategy to get everything into  the 24l saddlebag.

[rogerzilla]

Mrs Z has gone shopping in Bath with the harridans mothers from the village, so I'm looking after the Little Misses.  I have fitted some new V-brake pads, noodle and cable to the Frankendale, as a token cycling activity.  Result: Aztecs don't squeal like KoolStop salmons.

[annie]

No, getting dinner ready for some hungry cyclists.  Drilling holes in the wooden slats for the renovated garden chairs and being generally silly.

Mr A has taken JC to the school fete and then shopping. 

[David Martin]

Out to St Andrews yesterday. 18 miles there in a shade under the hour, then 10 minutes trying to find the place. Legs very tired, and then sitting in an overly warm lecture theatre didn't do me any favours.

Came back 30 scenic miles via Kemback, Cupar, Rathillet, Gauldry and Wormit. Legs definitely found the scenicness interesting.

..d

[Jaded]

I went to see my daughter play rounders. 37 miles at an average of 15.9mph. I impressed myself!

[TimO]

Twenty five miles or so to return from the Zombocalypse Bugout, which took me a couple of hours.  It turned out that even though on average it was downhill, one of the downhills which hadn't seemed so step last night was steep enough as an uphill to totally defeat me.   To be fair, I saw some club cyclists struggling to get up it shortly behind me, and they weren't towing a trailer full of camping kit with a singlespeed!  Not a bad trip, although it was a lot busier than it had been on Friday evening, and I didn't have the same pleasant company that I had on the way out, since most took different routes, or left much earlier.

[Maladict]

Yes, eventually - 53km circuit out to Newmarket and back via the E3/10 course (return leg).  I went out on the Yukon as rain looked possible (and as I crossed the A14 on the return I could see rain was falling over to the west) but I stayed dry.  As it was loaded up for a 400 (DNSd) it was fairly heavy compared to the Madone but I still averaged 26kph.

I should try to be out on the bike tomorrow as well.  Maybe the club run, or I could gatecrash the suffolk ride. 

[Jurek]

Yep.
An 11 mile sprint down to my sister's to pick up a m*t*r c@r which will allow me to participate in the Suffolk ride tomorrow (in the absence of a railway service )
Followed by 20 or so leisurely miles in the company of my (not accustomed to cycling) cousin from LA, along the Thames Path including our return, using the Thames Clipper service (avec velo),
which is 
Two and a half English pounds, very well spent.

[LEE]

Yes, I went out with my son who has never been into cycling at all in his 20 years.  However, since he got back from University we went out for 33 miles last week and 30 miles today.  He used my converted Saracen MTB both times and did amazingly well.

This photo is of him at the top of Walbury Hill near Combe Gibbet.  The fact he managed to get up there on his 2nd ride of any distance impressed me no end.  More experienced riders than him have called it quits on Walbury Hill I bet.  In fact we pretty much did 50% of the Faccombe Haul. a lumpy Audax if ever there was one.

I guess youth and being skinny helps a lot, even when wearing trainers and football shorts.

He did tell me that his legs and lungs weren't the problem but that his arse "probably looked like a Naan Bread"



I don't think he'll be sitting on a bike for a few days now.

[Naggers]

Had to go to work this morning, but at Harrow-on-the-Hill rather than my usual site at Aldgate.

So, a couple of miles down to the Station for the 07:01 train to Mill Hill Bdwy and then about 6 miles through Edgware, Canons Pk and Wealdstone.
Very close to where my Dad grew up and where I was born but an area I hardly know, especially by bike. Must make an effort to explore it a little more.

A pleasent morning at work. Really!!

Rode back to Stanmore and up to the Common. Past the Hospital and over to Elstree. Then down possibly the worst surfaced bit of road in the SE, the A5183 to Radlett and over a sharper than expected climb to Shenley and on to London Colney.
Had a look around Napsbury Estate which I'd been planning to do for a while, ever since I found it on a map after it seemed to appear overnite from the window of my daily train commute.
Finally on to Sopwell and the back roads into St Albans where the weight of my bag and the lure of the Station proved to much.

About 33 miles in total.