Have you been out today?

[T42]

87k instead of the intended 140, partly due to muggins here charging battery A twice and battery B not at all. Due, too, to the dry day forecast turning into a partially wet one with lots of puddles. Metformin also played a malodorous part but we'll not go into the details.  Anyway, I had a mostly unpleasant time and was ready to bite by the time I got home.

The amount of energy I expended propelling my 22 kg of bike with a nearly flat battery up hills might have been better spent propelling a 9 kg bike without a motor over a more benign circuit.  My legs are as sore as if I had.  I might just try it, one of these days.

[Afasoas]

Just 20 km today.

There's a lot of flooding in the locality so I want to wait a bit before taking out and getting to grips with the gravel bike.
And I've recently found the Gas Pipe Hybrid's tyres have slightly-moderately dry rotted. Replacement are in the post. So I figured a gentle amble was the order of the day avoiding any fastish descents.

This seemed like an ideal opportunity to try out NCN route 5, which starts not far from my gaff. The first 13km took 1 hr 20 minutes. That's an average speed of just 10 km/h.
The final 7km - direct route home (I'd had enough/was running out of time) took ~19 minutes, averaging ~22 km/h.

Granted, several sections in several places were under water - some bits shallow enough to ford but others, I had to dismount and walk. But, with all the sections that required dismounting and walking when there's no flooding to even think about, the effect on journey time/average speed probably wasn't as huge as it might sound. There are a lot of issues with the route, including some safety concerns. I feel compelled to write up a report and pass it onto the local authority.

[De Sisti]

58 miles. Cheltenham > Evesham > Evesham (as lots of flooding through Fladbury meant that
the road we were going to take was knee-deep flooded) > Sedgeberrow > Bishops Cleeve.

First ride since yesterday's negative covid test result, but I coughed and wheezed all-day long.

[Tim Hall]

Pleasant tandem club ride yesterday down Eastbourne way. Good cafe stop, nice Thee Pubbe for lunch, let down only by the lack of The Food of Champions* for lunch. The massive chicken, tomato, cheese club sandwich was almost as good.  The A27 cycle path is still a Thing of Wonder.

Quick lunchtime lop today on the bendfy bike itn the sunshine. Stopped at the local lake** to scoff my sandwiches and watch half term children feed the ducks/get threatened by swans. 

* Ham, egg and chips.

** When does a pond become a lake? I'm sure it was called Hedgecourt Pond when I was a lad.

[T42]

75k, spoilt by (a) not having recovered completely from Saturday's 87k and (b) a vile headwind.  Dear lord, there speaks the man who used to Audax away with the best of them. 4 days to recover from 87k?  Jeez.  Still, as the man* said, growing old is a privilege. Or was it a privy? Both are true. And it makes you ramble, they say.

Anyway: a ride mainly characterized by a new pair of Ekoi shorts doing things reminiscent of 8-year-old Assos shorts (or 600-grit micromesh) to my nethers; I'll spare you the details.  T'other thing of note was a brace of military helicopters circling overhead for 15 of the last 20k, almost as if they were practising target-following and I, in my nice bright yellow jacket, was it.  No door gunners, but a bloody racket all the same.

And that was it. Next bimble Thursday, if I can still move my legs.

* Danny de Vito in Jumanji: The Next Level. Philosophy!

[sam]

* Danny de Vito in Jumanji: The Next Level. Philosophy!

Good ol' DeVito:

Gavin: There are two dilemmas that rattle the human skull. How do you hold onto someone who won't stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won't go?

Oliver Rose: What the hell is wrong with you?
Gavin: If you're with a woman for any length of time, eventually you'll ask her that question.

Monica Banta: You must be Louie.
Louie De Palma: How did you know my name?
Monica Banta: I only had three people described to me. One was smart, one was good-looking, and one was you.

[T42]

 

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

T'other thing of note was a brace of military helicopters circling overhead for 15 of the last 20k, almost as if they were practising target-following and I, in my nice bright yellow jacket, was it.  No door gunners, but a bloody racket all the same.

A Dassault Rafale buzzed my van, near Nexon.  It was following the road and I heard nothing until there was a loud bang which I thought was something in the back falling over until I saw this bloody great aircraft just overhead.  He was probably low enough to read my Brit number plate.

[T42]

T'other thing of note was a brace of military helicopters circling overhead for 15 of the last 20k, almost as if they were practising target-following and I, in my nice bright yellow jacket, was it.  No door gunners, but a bloody racket all the same.

A Dassault Rafale buzzed my van, near Nexon.  It was following the road and I heard nothing until there was a loud bang which I thought was something in the back falling over until I saw this bloody great aircraft just overhead.  He was probably low enough to read my Brit number plate.

We often hear military planes zooming around here, possibly from Ramstein in Germany where the US has a base. No idea what they are, but if you call them Mirages everyone knows what you mean.

[Tim Hall]

Nipped out this lunchtime on the bendy bike. I've got a regular 10km loop, a mix of A road, B road, track and quiet lanes that I do but today I thought  I'd try something different.

Peering at the OS map on my phone I spied a bridleway that I knew was also a rough, almost tarmacced track a few km from my office. Up the A road, along the B road, turn right onto a lane, find the track/bridleway.  After a bit it kind of faded out into a muddy field. Oops.  Never mind, the OS map shows it gets resurrected as a "white line" track a bit further on, so I trudge across the field, trying to avoid the muddier bits. Reach a concrete track, which in hindsight I should have taken to reach a lane, but press on following the bridleway. The "white line" track that I'd hoped was a concrete track to a farm was muddy. Muddy and wet. With a Big Dog some way down it. Eventually I get to the other end and the A road. Back in the office 10 minutes later. Discard shoes at the door, spend the afternoon at my desk in my hi viz trousers normally used when I'm on site, as my regular trousers are completely oxed up with mud.  Such fun.

[Wowbagger]

Not on a bicycle, but I did catch a bus to the centre of the town and the walked to the end of the pier, where I imbibed latte in the warm early spring sunshine. I also took an awful lot of very unmemorable photographs.

[Andy W]

39 miles of North Herts finest rural roads. Some full width road flooding in several places and road conditions worse that I've seen in 35 years of cycling these parts. A bonus was watching a herd of 80+  fallow deer grazing near Cromer windmill. The bike I rode was a Genesis Croix De Fer with 40mm schwable almotion tyres, perfect for the conditions.. Actually a good ride.

[rogerzilla]

About 32 miles to the cafe and back.  The bugger was closed.

[Afasoas]

37.5 km (or 23.4 miles) on the Gas Pipe Hybrid, which is definitely benefiting from having a set of non-ancient tyres on it.
Attacked some of the climbs and generally really made the most of been out on the bike, given I'm not going to meet my distance target for February. Still, I've already passed the distance covered since I started logging rides again.

I used some of NCN route 55 for some of it - but some cyclists coming the opposite way advised that the path was flooded ahead up to the hubs so I turned back. I was relieved - I don't like loose gravel and I don't like wet slippy mud, both of which this trail had in abundance and the mental effort to hold my nerve and stop my arms and hands tightening up was wearing. I know I need to get over my fear of coming off, but it was a relief to get back onto some proper firm asphalt.

The CrossTerrain Tyres seemed to hold up quite well on the gravel/mud - I was running them just over minimum pressure at 60 PSI. But I'm wondering if an MTB would be worthwhile to get my confidence on anything-not-asphalt.

An almost thoroughly pleasant ride, despite the Sustrans path and a minor incident[1]. Managed to get home and walk the dog before the rains came.

I'd honestly hoped I'd gone a little further - may aim for 30 miles on the next trip out.

1: A moton overtook on a blind bend. A van driver coming the otherway had to move into the hedge. A second moton overtook immediately afterwards forcing an oncoming moton to stop and toot angrily.

[De Sisti]

About 32 miles to the cafe and back.  The bugger was closed.

I would have thought you and your Swindon riders would have discovered the delicious fare
served at the Hollow Bottom Pub in Guiting Power (as a substitute for the long-closed down Chedworth Farm Shop)?

[JellyLegs]

Rode over to visit my mum for first time in ages (first time riding over, visits are twice weekly but usually involve toolboxes or DIY purchases so require a car). About 15 miles over by the lanes with a clutch of close passes in the last 3 miles, 9 miles back by busier roads full of better behaved motorists.

[Deano]

Rode my 200 (Three Bromptons, a Moulton and a Bickerton) today for a final-ish route check. Might have to skip the river path out of York, it was still flooded at Clifton Ings, annoyingly. The A19 may have to do.

Decent day out though, bit of drizzle at times and rode along with a barn owl for a bit and it absolutely chucked down at the end, glad I didn't hang about.

[rogerzilla]

About 32 miles to the cafe and back.  The bugger was closed.

I would have thought you and your Swindon riders would have discovered the delicious fare
served at the Hollow Bottom Pub in Guiting Power (as a substitute for the long-closed down Chedworth Farm Shop)?

We've been using the Gilbertine Kitchen at Poulton but its refurb is overrunning.

[T42]

Log extract, town names shortened to be done before Christmas.

Yesterday, 140k.  Mertz/Sav/Lutz/Momm. Sunny, 8-15°C. Wind NW to Lutz, W thereafter.  Wind a bugger until Saverne, not so bad in valley to Lutz, lovely to Momm and harmless Momm to home.

Saw: nothing very much.  Lots of 5L bidons in ditch between Mertz & Niedermodern, myriad beer cans.  Ducks'n'geese along canal. A right chop on canal.

Ate: escargot in Mertz, hamburger in Sav (bugger put tomato fetchup in without being asked, bleh), caramel éclair in Lutz, brioche fourrée in Momm.

Bike that was fine in 2007 too long now, neck & shoulders hurting, ditto arse. Arse.

Kit: 3 layers + light gilet, shorts+knees, arms. Cheap Ekoi shorts not bad, needed bum cream by Lutz.

Oh aye: pedals a bit squeaky, need grease.

[Feanor]

140k club ride, to the ice-cream shop in Portsoy.

Longest I've done for over a year; I took a year out of Audaxing last year.
Not too broken, so that's good!

https://www.strava.com/activities/10787701833/overview

[JefO]

Did almost a reverse of the usual loop with my daughter - missing out big messy tranches of off road - but using non busy roads wherever possible as an alternative to the main roads and using off road where the routes are known to be reasonable even after huge downpourings of rain.

First time out on the 29er since fitting the new rear hub yesterday. All good and quiet now, thank goodness!

Weather was ridiculously warm so jacket stayed in the mini-rucksack until the coffee stop at the Saltwater Cafe at Chalkwell. This meant I wore only a short sleeve top and some jogging bottoms for the first 10 miles, first time this year short sleeved ride. Heavens opened as the cafe stop came to an end, so wore jacket thereafter.

Noticed a soft front tyre within first couple of miles and elected to change the tube before the tyre got too dirty, rather than just pump it up and see how quick it deflated before changing it anyway. So the TPU tube came out and a repaired butyl one went back in, after deploying the tweezers to remove the thorn.

Love riding with my daughter (born in the 1980s), even though she doesn't want to go far or fast. So I try to add a bit of fun for her when we do a ride together. Today I noticed how hard the Prittle Brook was running, so I kept my eyes open for suitable sticks to have a race with and a place suitable for lobbing them in and a place to observe them disappear through a wall 200' downstream. Jen threw her stick 10' further downstream than I threw mine, so she beat me, I declared that she was a cheat. 

Photos and route on strava  https://www.strava.com/activities/10787483558

[Wowbagger]

A short evening potter to the Utopia café in central Southend where there was an auction of art works donated by local artists in order to raise funds for the Green Party. I didn’t bid on anything, but there were a couple of pieces I liked, most particularly Steve Jordan’s multiple views of Hadleigh Castle. That went for £210.

I chose to use the Thorn because it was a short, flat ride to a den of iniquity, and I still marvel at what a lovely bike that is.

[T42]

Long, flat, slow and boring ride w. El Prez to try out coucous resto we're taking a group to next month. El Prez out of breath most of the time 'cos cardiac arrhythmia, rarely hits 20 kph even with motor.  Pour lad used to be a colossos who'd put a couple of hundred metres into me going up the Col de la Charbonnière, it's a bloody shame. I did about 50k out of the 85k total without the battery.

Pricey new Ekoi shorts doing their best to saw off my appurtenances.

Grey, humid day, not much wind but what there was was moist and cold.

Saw nothing of note, just scrappy forest & choc-box villages. Couscous was mediocre, resto was chilly.

Battery still on 4 bars out of 5 once home, 39v/42.5.  Tired all the same.

[JefO]

50km on the jinxed 29er. Rain before during and after the ride... it just didn't stop.
Riding adjacent to the A127 was horrendous, the wind was blowing spray across the dual carriageway at us, lorries picking up the surface water and smashing us with it, as they passed us at combined speed of 70mph, was truly delightful. I used my face as a mallet to tap away the overhanging bushes on one occasion trying not to let the high speed fog from carrying dirt into my contact lens/eyes.
Main reason for the route was to attack Eastwood wrt Wandrer.

Photos and data etc on Strava  https://www.strava.com/activities/10807562750

[chrisbainbridge]

Night away in the van. So a 45minute run last night in Castleton then a lovely sleep waking for a pee at4.00 to the sound of lashing rain. Slept again until 7. Up to continuing rain so rode to hathersage and up surprise view hill then back to Castleton for some breakfast. I have not got so wet, so quickly on a bike for a very long time. Water running diagonally across the road with strong winds, poor visibility and very big lorries is not fun.