Have you been out today?

[dkahn400]

I got the train to london, watched the rowing in trafalgar square...

Wow - are the fountains big enough for rowing? I'd never have thought it...

[nic]

Yes. Lancaster - Jubilee Tower - Dolphinholme - Scorton to help with with marshalling the Dolphinholme road race, got soaked through, had a cup of tea and two pieces of fruit cake and headed beack home through Jubillee tower.

[Aidan]

No. Got tonsillitis 

[annie]

It's got Blue Screen Of Death syndrome. Before it totally died on me it looked to be heavily infected with virus'. I'm wondering if the Master Boot Record has been corrupted. I will fix it and Annie will get her turbo stuff back...

You are very kind and sweet, thank you.

Don't worry too much.  All good things come to an end at some stage.

[orienteer]

Another club ride, four of us from Ickenham out to Marlow (via the hilly route) for coffee, then on to Dinton Pastures south of Reading for lunch. After which I found a flat rear tyre...

Nice flattish ride back to Windsor for tea, with the SW wind behind us, bowling along at anything up to 25mph.

70 miles at an average of 13.6mph.

[Wowbagger]

A short round trip with Graham for the end-of-day discounts at Waitrose. 2 cooked chickens at 99p each and 8 granary rolls reduced from 32p to 9p.

Then off to GA Phyllis with some crumble made with her rhubarb and home again befre the rain started.

Just under 3½ miles.

[annie]

A short round trip with Graham for the end-of-day discounts at Waitrose. 2 cooked chickens at 99p each and 8 granary rolls reduced from 32p to 9p.

Then off to GA Phyllis with some crumble made with her rhubarb and home again befre the rain started.

Just under 3½ miles.

I do hope that you minded the GAP?

[Wowbagger]

A short round trip with Graham for the end-of-day discounts at Waitrose. 2 cooked chickens at 99p each and 8 granary rolls reduced from 32p to 9p.

Then off to GA Phyllis with some crumble made with her rhubarb and home again befre the rain started.

Just under 3½ miles.

I do hope that you minded the GAP?

We did. She was v. pleased with rhubarb crumble and we enjoyed a cup of tea and a welshcake with her.

I informed her that she has a new honorary great-niece, which she found bemusing until I told her the circumstances by which this came about, and then the be- became  a-. I have not yet informed her that this relationship makes her a GGGAP. 

Are you feeling better, m'dear?

[Chris S]

I had a Bloody Lovely ride today - up to Holkham Hall for a cheeky beer at The Vic, then along the coast road to Wells (those Grockles - their driving was PANTS!¹) and back through Hogsmeade Little Walsingham.

I had a brief exchange with a delightful young lady as I was waiting at some traffic lights - it went like this:

Young Lady: "Oi mate, can I 'ave a go?"
Me: "Sure, hop on. Oh - you mean, on the bike..."
Young Lady:"Ermmm...."
Other Young Lady: <whispers in ear of first young lady>
Young Lady: "Ooohh... you dirty bugger!"
... followed by much giggling...
 

85km in all - not flat (it being North Norfolk) and lovely and sunny for a change.

------------------------------------
¹ I've learned to speak like this from our children. It's true - insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.

[delthebike]

(those Grockles - their driving was PANTS!¹)¹ I've learned to speak like this from our children. It's true - insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.

Your kids are Cornish?

[Chris S]

(those Grockles - their driving was PANTS!¹)¹ I've learned to speak like this from our children. It's true - insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.

Your kids are Cornish?

I believe the term is universal. We've referred to non-locals as grockles since... well, as long as I can remember.

[geoff]

I'm aiming for a FNRttC some month soon and realised that I haven't ridden over 20 miles in one go for ages. So with other half and kids elsewhere I took my old frame on my not so old Kaff to get a few miles in this afternoon. 42.2 miles actually, from Oxford(ish) towards Uffington. I didn't make it to White Horse Hill, just to the Vale and then back via Oxford. Twas a delightful route, including the loneliest kebab van in the world (up a lane off the A420) which was even open. One puzzle though - how to plot the route? (I tried Bikely, but it and I aren't getting on - is there anything better*?)

Now to soak my ass in an hot bath.

[*on edit: Bikejournal is better or at least it actually works for me. Oddly the route shows as just under 40 miles there vs 42 on my cycle computer. No doubt the difference is made up of little wiggly bits]

[mike]

Mrs Mike and I went for a 30 mile steady ride this evening, she struggled a bit thanks to not having eaten or slept enough this weekend but we made it home OK!  It's surprisingly windy. 

[Frenchie]

A series of hill reps in the saddle and on the tri-bars on Saturday; nearly made myself sick on the last one, but had good legs.

A 30 Mi *recovery* ride yesterday morning, a bit faster than it should have been, but pleasant. Low mileage this WE due to time constraints but surprisingly woolly legs this morning! Hopefully will pay off for my last two 25s of the season.

[Jasper the surreal cyclist]

(those Grockles - their driving was PANTS!¹)¹ I've learned to speak like this from our children. It's true - insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.

Your kids are Cornish?

I believe the term is universal. We've referred to non-locals as grockles since... well, as long as I can remember.

They are grockles down hereabouts too (W. Sussex)..........

[Notsototalnewbie]

Is that why the locals were so hostile when we once got lost in the back streets of Bognor...

And when we rock up to Mum's cul-de-sac 'Ah here come them grockles again'...

[Jasper the surreal cyclist]

The locals were hostile because of your obvious glamorous big city lifestyle. It is just envy for those who walk upright and have opposable thumbs......




What back streets were these?

[Notsototalnewbie]

Hehe...

Well I was there with two friends on 'holiday', one of whom insisted there must be a quicker way back into  Aldwick (we were in the town in Bognor). She insisted that we attempted to cut through some back streets between there and Aldwick even though I knew that the only way was to walk along the seafront and up Aldwick high st. She is one of those people who has to make her own mistakes before she will believe what you are saying is correct...

So what back streets they were I don't know, but owing to my lousy sense of direction we wandered for quite a bit until we hit the vets on Victoria st at which point I knew where we were. Various yoofs had accosted us  The girls much worse than the boys. The boys were really just trying to get us to go for a drink with them, in their own slightly aggressive way...

[Jasper the surreal cyclist]

Nuff said, I will have them killed......

[Andrew Br]

Just back from the supermarket, about a 9 mile round trip. The journey back was in the rain and across Chorlton Water Park. Good though the Supernova is, I couldn't avoid all the snails that had come out onto the road so lots of cracking and squelching ensued. The bike is currently dripping mud and snail innards onto the floor while a veggie chilli for tomorrow's dinner is simmering away in the kitchen.
Today's lesson:- don't try to bunny hop a speed bump on a heavily laden tourer- the subsequent wobbles can be very scary.

[Andrew Br]

The bike is currently dripping mud and snail innards onto the floor while a veggie chilli for tomorrow's dinner is simmering away in the kitchen.

These two facts are NOT related !

[Jasper the surreal cyclist]

Do not oversalt the snails....

[Jezza]

(those Grockles - their driving was PANTS!¹)¹ I've learned to speak like this from our children. It's true - insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids.

Your kids are Cornish?

I believe the term is universal. We've referred to non-locals as grockles since... well, as long as I can remember.

They are grockles down hereabouts too (W. Sussex)..........

Grockles here in Suffolk too. Loads of them about at the moment.

In Cornwall they tend to be known as Emmets, until you cross the Tamar and they become Grockles again.   

I haven't been out on the bike for nearly a week 

[pdm]

Got leave to ride today....
Took son and son in law for a pootle around the White Peak in the wind and rain.
Up to Lodge moor and across to Ringinglow. Stannage edge, Harthersage and then Winnats. Winnats was especially difficult today with howling 25mph headwind and driving rain. Then took a left to Tideswell and over to Monsal Head and back via Hassop, Grindleford, Fox House and Ringinglow. Splendid views all the way.
75km, 1488m climbing, 3h30.
Did I mention it was windy and raining? At least that kept the Grockles at bay 

[Wowbagger]

Did I mention it was windy and raining? At least that kept the Grockles at bay 

You have people with handkerchiefs tied to their heads sunbathing in deck chairs on the White Peak?