Author Topic: Have you been out today?  (Read 3814935 times)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24850 on: 02 October, 2021, 05:43:35 pm »
A round trip of just under 12 miles to Shoebury for a madman's swim. I'm still feeling a bit chilled, but I think that is more the result of having a flu jab yesterday. Jan is feeling similar. She too had her jab but was in bed for the entire time that I was in the sea. I made porridge at the beach and shared it with two of me fellow-dippers.

It started raining on the way home so I selected the first road running parallel to the sea front and rode along that for about 3 miles. It was lovely and quiet until someone decided to rush past far too close to beat a car coming in the opposite direction. I saw her unloading her shopping a few hundred yards further on and told her exactly what I thought of her driving. She pretended not to hear me.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24851 on: 03 October, 2021, 08:27:41 am »
Pizza toddle yesterday, only the base of the damn thing was so hard that I had a deep groove in my right forefinger by the time I called it quits. Was behind schedule anyway.  Excellent BF cherry cake + good coffee on way home.  Not much wildlife of note, just one heron + a kite not far from home.

155 km, cold in the morning, 18-20°C after lunch, strong blustery SW wind.  Legs felt great, though: good ride.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24852 on: 03 October, 2021, 12:33:18 pm »
My swimming pal Sherry is running the Virtual London Marathon - up and down Southend sea front. Quite a few others are doing the same.

She's been posting about her progress on FB so I set off on my bike to find her. I did so, and she, her chap, another of her pals and I sat and had a coffee. She's done 14 miles by that time and was feeling it. I reckon that her finishing time is likely to be between 5 and 6 hours.

She is raising money for the Bats Conservation Trust.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24853 on: 03 October, 2021, 03:19:34 pm »
Just back from a cycling group weekend at Wooler Hostel.  A restricted version ran last year, however we didn't go, so this first one since Autumn 2019.  A nice ride up the Durham / Northumberland coastal route on Friday with the pedestrian ferry across the Tyne.

Some zig zagging through and North of Blyth, then my favourite section along the coast past Druridge Bay and to Amble.  A bit of main road to Alnwick and minor roads to Wooler.

Saturday, a group ride with nice cafe stop and a pub lunch.  Such a long time since I've done this and very enjoyable, despite the wind and rain in the last section. The group was a bit smaller than usual, it was good to catch up with familiar faces.

Then today a leisurely drive back on quiet country roads.
Sunshine approaching from the South.

First time in 1,000 years.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24854 on: 03 October, 2021, 07:04:40 pm »
Pottered out to the oak tree  garden centre maiden's green cafe with apollo for lunch. One short shower on the way back. Lots of cyclists out  :)
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24855 on: 03 October, 2021, 09:58:17 pm »
Was asked to join a ride for today, yesterday. when it was wanging down and I declined. Bright blue skies all day today, albeit a tad breezy. Bugger.  ::-)
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24856 on: 04 October, 2021, 08:49:00 pm »
 I had some keys to return to an estate agent this afternoon and as it was in the evening debauche (rush hour!) I took the bike (no, the real reason was lack of parking). I don't often ride across town, no need in the normal way, especially not in the rush of people going home. It was not much fun and one of the worst bits was the "new" pop-up lane going past the tribunal (this is responsable for a great traffic jam of irate drivers so it had better be useful (but no it ain't). Why is it that riding on a normal road with traffic is so much easier than following some a-hole's idea of useful encouragement? It was even nicer on the road - which might explain why I see so few cyclists on the bike lanes! Still I did use a useful bit of cycle contraflow (which predates the Covid pop-ups by some years) and which did serve a purpose.

Oh and quill pedals without clips and straps are a PITA (and french threaded flats are like rocking horse crots!)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24857 on: 06 October, 2021, 06:47:52 pm »
Great ride today of 43 miles to Granchester on better terms than my last visit, and despite the full frontal wind on the way back. Cracking pub, the Blue Ball highly recommended. Small victorian pub, done right with friendly, accommodating staff and good food (but they don't do chips). Running security chains for cyclists bolted to Gable wall along side passage. The Bridle way from Barton crossing over the M11 is fine for all tyre diameters (at least at this time of year).

Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24858 on: 07 October, 2021, 04:37:00 pm »
Another almost-12-mile round trip to East Beach, Shoebury for a swim. My Moonwrap has arrived but I think its chief purpose is as a warm overcoat in which you get in your car and drive home to get changed out of your wet kit. It doesn't really lend itself to getting your top half dressed. I'm still waiting for my wetsuit.

Today's stage of the Women's Tour started from the road immediately adjacent to where I was swimming, but that was at 11am. By the time I got there at about 1.15pm, the circus had left town.

I had thought of cycling to Westcliff afterwards to see the end of the stage, but I was too slow getting changed and then nattered too much.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24859 on: 08 October, 2021, 04:06:14 pm »
88k in an evil wind that used me laigs most cruelly. Small comfort at halfway was a ham & cheese sandwich made with kevlar baguette, better compensation a fox dashing out of the forest and across the road in front of me and for once not getting crushed by a passing hrududu.  I've seen about one roadkill fox per ride recently, so seeing one getting away was pleasing.

What else?  Oh aye, while I was crunching through my sannie a teenage lass was sat on a bench across the road, poking at her phone and chain-smoking. Crikey, at that age. Her life, her lungs I suppose, but a bloody waste all the same. And a table away from me a baggage with a glass-cutter voice was yattering away about duvets and stains showing through from behind, and walls with damp patches and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah while the softly-spoken gent sitting with her sipped his coffee and yes-deared her as required.  I was hoping she'd choke on her sticky bun but no such luck.

The shower, tea and choc chip cookie once home were the best bit of the day. And I need to grease my pedals. Bugger.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24860 on: 09 October, 2021, 08:10:13 pm »
yes, but it wasn't the best ride for a whole bunch of reasons.

I came down with a cold mid-week, so planned a gentle 50km.  I set off in <10C fog, which in itself was OK until a twat in a Kev-mobile decided that it was my fault he couldn't overtake on a blind bend, on a single track road, in the fog.

Then my front mudguard (SKS Raceblade) decided to eat itself and throw the bits all over the road.  Luckily none of it got run over before i could stop, retrieve and rebuild by the roadside.  My faith in motorists temporarily restored when someone stopped to check I was OK.

Ten min later, a bottle decided to eject itself from the cage, so stop and retrieve.

About 20 mins later, cue second DOTD pulled out from a side road nearly t-boning me in the process and took exception at my expletive.

By this time the sun was out and I was finally warming up, just as I was into the last 10km
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24861 on: 09 October, 2021, 10:38:24 pm »
50km loop from Charlbury on the Pino to mark 50 years to the day of the foundation of the Tandem Club. About 40 tandems turned up. Got collared by Dave, I know not his other name, who recognised me from the FNRTTC.

Good weather, good ride, good company.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24862 on: 10 October, 2021, 08:56:47 pm »
24 miles, uxbridge, harefield, chalfont st Peter gerrards Cross on the sun ez3   :).
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24863 on: 10 October, 2021, 09:56:18 pm »
Our paths didn't cross but I was in a group of four Uxbridge Loiterers, riding through Denham and the Chalfonts to lunch at the White Hart in Chalfont St Giles, and back via Maple Cross and Denham.

Twenty-two miles, helping to restore fitness after a severe immune system reaction to the first Covid jab in March. Quite a lot of cyclists out in what was probably the last glimpse of summer weather this year.

TimC

  • Old blerk sometimes onabike.
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24864 on: 11 October, 2021, 12:49:37 am »
The forecast 'last glimpse of summer' didn't arrive, which made the CC Sudbury hillclimb this morning appropriately chilly and autumnal, particularly for us spectators. I was a bit pissed off that it rained for the whole ride home (all 12km of it).

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24865 on: 11 October, 2021, 07:40:49 am »
The Gridiron 100 on fixed yesterday. Some steep pinches that involved low-RPM grunting but nothing that actually stalled me out, despite a big saddlebag packed for the following three days on the Isle of Wight. Down to Bournemouth on the train the previous day and a quick ride to the start with Ian, who I’ve not met up with for a few years.

It was quite relaxed at the start and on the road and we chatted when traffic allowed. Despite a large entry, there didn’t seem to be many cyclists out there for most of the day, probably because we didn’t start till 09:30, later than most. Lunch was a bit of a fail because everywhere seemed overwhelmed by motorists and cyclists enjoying the decent weather.

We rode round together at a steady pace with a couple of his friends until about 30km to go, when I was looking like missing the last Hythe ferry. The plan was to finish the Gridiron, socialise a little, ride to Southampton and get the train to Portsmouth. Due to a relaxed approach to the Gridiron, that changed to pushing pretty hard for the last section, about 5 minutes at the finish, then hammering off to the Hythe ferry, which was late anyway. Squeezed onto a delayed train to avoid manic Sunday evening traffic to Portsmouth and waited for Judith to turn up at our hotel from her own cycle tour. Job done.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24866 on: 13 October, 2021, 08:12:58 pm »
Another ride to Shoeburyness for a sea swim. Just under 12 miles. I reckon I must have swum about 400 metres very slowly.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24867 on: 14 October, 2021, 09:37:07 am »
Cold, overcast, damp, windy 104k.  Would have put it off until sunny, calm, mild today but got the dentist at noon. Quads hurting for some reason, but then they do that on most rides now, in between as well.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24868 on: 14 October, 2021, 11:29:25 am »
I just cycled out to Waitrose to pick up the shopping. I'm planning to click & collect twice a week instead of a delivery once a week. We probably don't need that much shopping tbh. But someone's got to keep the economy afloat!
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24869 on: 14 October, 2021, 11:39:59 am »
Sounds like you’re stealing a delivery driver’s job. You should do both. Consume!

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24870 on: 15 October, 2021, 08:08:35 pm »
Sounds like you’re stealing a delivery driver’s job. You should do both. Consume!

Ah, but that frees him up to drive HGVs or butcher pigs or something.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24871 on: 15 October, 2021, 08:22:33 pm »
I cycled to my pal Pen's house this afternoon. We were rather more subdued than normal, what with the news breaking from Leigh-on-Sea.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24872 on: 16 October, 2021, 05:32:50 pm »
We rode to D*dc*t, visited the railway centre, and got the train home.

Ww also found out, en route, where to buy the worst coffee in this universe, and probably most parallel universes.  It went down the nearest drain after one sip.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24873 on: 16 October, 2021, 07:37:47 pm »
Ww also found out, en route, where to buy the worst coffee in this universe, and probably most parallel universes.  It went down the nearest drain after one sip.

I find it hard to believe that this isn't in USAnia.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24874 on: 17 October, 2021, 03:21:58 pm »
A roundabout ride of 31 miles to get to a pub only four miles from home. We often cycle past the 8 Bells in the village of Abbotsley and I commented that we should be supporting these village pubs, hence the visit today. Excellent food, (Lamb for me) highly recommended and very reasonably priced.

https://www.abbotsleyeightbells.co.uk/menu
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain