Have you been out today?

[rogerzilla]

Cafe run on the Moulton, which is generally sluggish compared to a 700c bike but went ok when it got the wind behind it on a stretch of B-road. 

[Sergeant Pluck]

4 early laps of Richmond Park, back home by 0800. Great time to be there, before it gets mad, but I need to get faster rather than just go round and round.

My general plan is laps on Saturday morning, and a ride somewhere on Sundays when able. Pilates x2 during the week, and the commute.

[T42]

Not on the bike but on foot in the mountains currently staying with a friend in NI and can see the mournes from their house. Last night after dinner we had a short drive then headed I to the hills. Can't remember the name of the one we intended to sleep on but when we got there the wild camping spots were all in use so we took a wander off to find somewhere else to sleep which wad much easier said then done as a lot of its very boggy.

Planned to head up another peak as believed was somewhere up there flat and sheltered but with daylight fading we decided on a dry and flattish bit near the great Wall to keep sheep out of reservoirs. Some whiskey as a nightcap and settled into bivvy bag which was grand till about 3am when the rain came whichbwouldnt have been a problem if hadn't slid down in the bag but managed to open the hood of bivvy bag in process so wad pretty damp inside.

Napped until about 5 then we decided to break camp in a gap in the rain and not bother with more peaks as they were all hiding in the clouds so back to car for tea, which seemed pointless so back home for tea and breakfast before kids were even up

Sounds like high summer in Norn Iron all right.  Take your pac-a-mac and a muffler. But wait... a gap in the rain? Climate change really is real.

[The Family Cyclist]

I've rapidly learnt you need waterproofs, warm stuff and suncream if you're out the house for more then 20 minutes

[cycleman]

A potter via Datchet, Wraysbury to Egham to a cafe with apollo and then back via ncn4 which is becoming unridable due to erosion on the unsurfaced climb up cooper's hill ,then on though Windsor Park and Windsor and Eton 

[Kim]

I've rapidly learnt you need waterproofs, warm stuff and suncream if you're out the house for more then 20 minutes

Isn't that an important part of growing up BRITISH?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Out on the Pacer. Was going to head up Hinton Hill when my attention was caught by the "restricted bridleway" sign at the bottom. I've ridden past it literally hundreds of times but today was the day. What a brilliant decision! Dry mud-gravel-stone surface (apart from the slurry in the farmyard) leading to a ford, which looked like it might get a bit interesting in winter but had a whole inch today (yesterday, Saturday). Then an easy slope of the same surface the other side till the wide path became narrow singletrack – with blackberries! They were so ripe they were almost fermenting. I ate and ate. That led to a bridge over the motorway, then some quite stony track led me back to the Tormarton road. You can ride stony bridleway on a road bike with 28mm tyres, but a mountain bike would be quicker!

Somewhere past Acton Turville it felt like lunchtime. I spotted a trail of horses' hooves leading through a narrow gate into a field of grass with a line of trees in the middle. No actual path signs so almost certainly not a right of way but would anyone mind? Would anyone know? I found a suitable spot, with a gate to lean the bike on and bare earth to eliminate fire risk, and set up my stove. Yes I'd planned this! It's a BRS-3000 stove which weighs less than 30g and folds up to a couple of cm, so easy to carry. Water, pot, teabag in mug. Smile.

Onward via Malmesbury and up that short, twisty steep hill, across the bypass and a few more bridleways. Of course brambles have thorns but when the inevitable happened it was a couple of hours later, so might have been anything. Hole was easy to find, about 4mm long but should be patchable. No hurry. Oh dear, no patches. How did that happen? So put the spare tube in and hope it's the last visitation. Which it was.

Back via Malmesbury sticking to the roads, just in case. With another brew stop. And eventually down Hinton Hill.

[T42]

I've rapidly learnt you need waterproofs, warm stuff and suncream if you're out the house for more then 20 minutes

Isn't that an important part of growing up BRITISH?

I believe it also applies to the Sinn Fein.

[Sergeant Pluck]

easier said then done as a lot of its very boggy.

Anywhere near the boggy bits is midge hell. Having said that, the Lough Neagh midge population has collapsed this year for unknown reasons (my guess would be that it’s to do with parts of NI being used as a giant pig and chicken farm) but I’m sure the Mournes midge is as bloodthirsty and numerous as ever.

[Sergeant Pluck]

71 km to the Surrey Hills. Today’s pain provided by Crocknorth Road. Only stopped very briefly at the top of Box Hill. Average speed for the ride 25 km/h, which isn’t too bad since there was quite a bit of up and down.

Ride ended by a puncture when nearly home as I entered Richmond Park at Ladderstile. A staple! Perfectly stapled into the rear. I’d like to blame some local anti-cyclist loon but they would probably use tacks.

[ElyDave]

A  nice 32km around the New Forest with my sisters other half while she and no1 daughter walked over to a pub to meet us. A good shakedown ride for the Faran as it was mostly offroad, and a good introduction to next weeks gravelly hills.

Plus we saw deer.

[perpetual dan]

I went out to do the last bit of the South Downs Way today. Back up towards Ditchling Beacon, picking up the route where I turned off last weekend. Despite being close to home it's not a route I take all that often. There were more runners than cyclists, though down towards the A27 I got complimented on my bravery for riding the descent without suspension. Then up the hill above Kingston, for some nice open chalk. I yo-yoed for a while with an electric mountain biker, who was wearing a nicely pressed shirt tucked into his shorts. Firle Beacon was as long as ever, but marked turning (at last) away from home and I paused to play with the camera at the barrow.

Alfriston was really busy, possibly kicking out time at the church? Then on to the Cadence Cafe at Littlington for a toastie and cake. Some of the next bit is a bit bumpy for a gravel bike really, but before long I was at Windover Hill for more photo taking. Shortly after Jevington some aeroplanes came over quite low, and approaching Eastbourne it turned out that they were the Red Arrows. I look the up-and-down with smoke to be a tribute to the evevation profile of my ride, which was a nice touch but hard to photograph.

I'd had half a plan to sidetrack from the SDW down to Birling Gap. However, the prospect of sewage in the sea had made that less appealing. There were also a lot of people sitting on the bridleway to watch the aeroplanes, and so I headed down to Eastbourne. I had a nice chat to a a lady about the ride as she was thinking of doing some of the local bits, then headed into a rather busy Eastbourne. I found my way to the station despite the road closures. 52km in 6:18, and the SDW completed over the last three weekends. Which is nice to have done.

[Kim]

As I wasn't confident in my knee after blowing it up over the Malverns on Friday, and barakta didn't want to attempt cycling on account of her arm misbehaving, I dusted off the Reasonable Priced Mountain Bicycle, swapped the Ice Spikers for sensible knobblies, then did a gentle 17km loop of the local towpaths and cycle routes.

I'd forgotten how good mountain bikes are off-road.

This also proved to be a useful test of the OMM front rack, which I'd fitted a couple of years ago and never used.  It didn't show any signs of self-destructing or anything.  Perhaps I'll get round to using it at some point.

I also found a new fridge for the collection.

[cycleman]

A gentle potter to moss end garden Village with bjorn notp. Three bridleways, one  horse and a large group of mountain biking youngsters with accompanying adults to make it interesting 😀

[Wowbagger]

I’ve done almost 60k today on 2 bikes.

[ElyDave]

Day 2 of 5 of my KAW round today,

900m climbing including a brutal start to the day back onto the last of Salisbury Plain, and a good leg loosener over the Downs and then down into Avebury, where I lingered to have look round, having not been there since late childhood. Slightly miffed to have coffee from a machine in the village shop as the NT cafe was closed on a Tuesday.

After that, no hanging around, straight up onto the western end of the Ridgeway, nice easy climb up the gravel, only to be met by some crappy, narrow rutted tracs for a few km, before getting onto the much better groomed hard pack and grass trails. I stopped at a few of the neolithic and iron age sites, Wayland's Smithy and Uffington in particular. Uffington from that angle was very different from when I used to drive past it on my way to uni at Bath, taking a route across the Plain.

None of the tagged hills troubled me, though a short, sharp section of  slippery wet chalk had be walking from lack of grip. Somewhere it turned from 22 degrees and drizzly/overcast to 29 degrees and bright sunshine and my arms are somewhat sunburnt.

Stats, 73.3km in 4hr 17, average 17.1km/h, ahr 126, mhr 162

[Canardly]

A very hot and humid 30 mile cafe loop with four electrically biked companions. Hard work. I enjoyed the shower at the end.

[Wowbagger]

I've been going out around sunset and notching up about 25 miles. Quite a lot of it is off road. Until tonight,  I've been a bit disappointed in the wildlife I've seen, but tonight was better. At least half a dozen foxes, two badgers and I heard (I think) four wols, of two different species, tawny and little. I've arrived home just now, at 11.15, and the temperature is still 23°C outside. I'm a bit like John Keats' bees.

[ElyDave]

Day 3 of 5 on the KAW yesterday,

Far less climbing than the first two days, and a higher on-road proportion made for a bit quicker progress today. The first climb up onto the Ridgeway, from the superb Greyhound Inn at Letcombe Regis, was predictably nasty. I rode as far as i could and pushed the bike up the rest. An MTB'er following me up insisted on riding it all, but made no quicker progress than me as he weaved across the road to stay upright.

A generally downhill along the remaining Ridgeway section and a nice trundle through Goring and Streatley with their pretty locks on the thames, then into a section of wooded single tracks with plenty of roots to catch the unwary. One more hike a bike section of a very sharp dip and up the other side on a set of steps. No way I'm cycling that with a laden tourer.

No real dramas on the rest, helped by a friendly local who was scouting the route himself and helped me through Reading, which was a bit tricky, not aided by hordes of festival goers swarming across the entire path. Then it was just a gentle run in to the end at Hook. I was here by 2:30 and had considered extending this section a bit longer, but the extra rest will be useful for the next two days, particularly as I write this to the sound of steady rain.

Stats
78.0km in 4hr 9min riding time and about 5hr 30 elapsed.
Average 18.8kmh with AHR 123, MHR 157, ascent 588m

About 80km with a few stiff climbs today

[Wowbagger]

I've been going out around sunset and notching up about 25 miles. Quite a lot of it is off road. Until tonight,  I've been a bit disappointed in the wildlife I've seen, but tonight was better. At least half a dozen foxes, two badgers and I heard (I think) four wols, of two different species, tawny and little. I've arrived home just now, at 11.15, and the temperature is still 23°C outside. I'm a bit like John Keats' bees.

Last night's ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7697814780

[ElyDave]

Let's call today a mixed bag.

Hook to South Harting, approx 80km on the "official" route, however I awoke at 5am to the gentle patter of rain, which steadily increased to torrential, and then biblical. I delayed my departure to 9:30, and planned a reroute to Hindhead on road rather than off, which didn't lessen the climbing but instead of slipping around in the mud and sand, had me grinding steadily uphill for a good 6-8 km, I'll check exactly how far later. I think I made the right choice judging by the state of a couple on matching Surly's who arrived at the NT cafe ten minutes after me. I must admit I preferthose steady climbs to the short sharp little ba$tards, more like the fenland experience of grinding into a headwind.

The positive here Waltham I resnapped the previously broken prescroption insert of my cycling glasses meaning that I now had one eye able to see the Garmin clearly and the other the road, may have a chat with the optician on that.

Refreshed, I followed the planned route, on now drying roads, but very soggy offroad sections with lots of standing puddles on the parched ground, and then all of a sudden turned a corner into a completely flooded road as far as I could see. Cue second rerouting.

The third rerouting came about 10km from the end, and came at a price. I should have clocked it earlier, in my defence I was tired and following a planned route, though of course the decision as a rider is always mine. A cert steep descending offroad section, loose rocks, sandy and before I knew it I was lying on my side with a bike on top of me, with a scraped and bleeding knee and split skin on my shin. Less than 5 mins later, another low speed fall as the sandy ground just gave way under me and the weight of a loaded tourer had a mind of its own. I turned round, scrabbling back the way I'd come pushing the bike. Took an appraisal of the bike and left leg at the entrance to the woods, removed as much grit as I could, washed it from my bottle and routed the rest of the way by road. My choice ultimately and my responsibility.

I've now rerouted tomorrow by road rather than South Downs Way, I don't fancy slippery, post rain chalk. Cleaned, dried, dressed shin does not feel so bad now, but there will be bruises tomorrow.

Stats, 74km, 3hr 58 riding time, about 6 hrs elapsed, average 18.6kmh
AHR 128, MAX 162, 725m climbing

[Wowbagger]

I've been going out around sunset and notching up about 25 miles. Quite a lot of it is off road. Until tonight,  I've been a bit disappointed in the wildlife I've seen, but tonight was better. At least half a dozen foxes, two badgers and I heard (I think) four wols, of two different species, tawny and little. I've arrived home just now, at 11.15, and the temperature is still 23°C outside. I'm a bit like John Keats' bees.

A very similar ride to last night. I had an excellent view of a half-grown badger which ran along in front of me for quite a while before finding some suitable undergrowth to dive into. Rather cooler: I took a fleece just in case, but didn't wear it. This morning's rain had done nothing to the woodland or other offroad stretches. Certainly I wouldn't tackle the woods in winter even in daylight as they get far too muddy. At the moment they are parched and hard-packed.

[Wowbagger]

More of very similar. Still balmy and warm around 8.30 so off I go for 36km or so.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I've been going out around sunset and notching up about 25 miles. Quite a lot of it is off road. Until tonight,  I've been a bit disappointed in the wildlife I've seen, but tonight was better. At least half a dozen foxes, two badgers and I heard (I think) four wols, of two different species, tawny and little. I've arrived home just now, at 11.15, and the temperature is still 23°C outside. I'm a bit like John Keats' bees.

That sounds wonderful. I continue to fail to see any of the Richmond Park badgers, whether I go early in the morning or at sunset. Not a badger.

Rabbits, foxes and surprisingly numerous kestrels, which seem happy to land close by.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Out early to Richmond Park, where I did a pretzel (similar distance to 3 laps, but covering all the roads in the park). Realised right at the end that my heart rate monitor hadn’t been working. Fixed that, ate a banana, then I rode to SW3 and back to avail myself of the work printer.