Author Topic: Have you been out today?  (Read 3813870 times)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #600 on: 22 May, 2008, 03:59:33 pm »
bike no, kayak yes had a nice paddle in the solent

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #601 on: 22 May, 2008, 04:26:23 pm »
A potter up to Balham for a coffee, then Wandsworth Common for a pot of tea*, then home & put the kettle on...** :)



*  There's a theme emerging, I think
** Told ya! ;)
Getting there...

Dave

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #602 on: 22 May, 2008, 09:37:14 pm »
Someone at work said 'Do you ride a mountain bike as well as that bike you ride to work on, you weirdo? (they didn't actually say the 'weirdo' bit, but I could tell they were thinking it) You should try the bridleways around Barton Hills...'

So, a very enjoyable 30k, mostly off-road ride this evening. Even found a halfway decent pub half-way round (and just before a b'stard steep, gravelly climb, which I didn't manage to do. Grr. Next time...)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #603 on: 22 May, 2008, 10:02:49 pm »
Yes.

Went to a meeting on Moor Lane in Derby. Rode there easy from Notts in about 1h. Had a long meeting there, then rode back first to Sawley then along the river from Sawley's marina. Flying along the gravel tracks on the laden Pompino (I had to take some files you see) at 18:30 was just great; it reminded me of rides I used to do on my cyclo-x. A great day at work!
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #604 on: 22 May, 2008, 10:05:53 pm »
Breaston chaingang again, 25 miles at 22mph ave, nice through and off, absolutely loved it.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #605 on: 22 May, 2008, 10:08:57 pm »
Breaston chaingang again, 25 miles at 22mph ave, nice through and off, absolutely loved it.

 :thumbsup: I think I was bit slower at the same time...  ;D

Takes note: Must find the time. Really must.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #606 on: 23 May, 2008, 09:03:12 pm »

[/quote]
Breaston chaingang again, 25 miles at 22mph ave, nice through and off, absolutely loved it.

 :thumbsup: I think I was bit slower at the same time...  ;D

Takes note: Must find the time. Really must.
At that speed you should only need to find an hour and five minutes.... I ought to as well, although the Beeston road club ride is rather more relaxed, I went to ride their 10TT on Tuesday night, 6 riders there, none from the club, and no timekeeper, nice 2 hours out around the back of Keyworth, today I rode around Stanton Dale 16 miles before breakfast, tomorrow off to Scotland for a camping holiday.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #607 on: 24 May, 2008, 01:06:41 pm »
The problem for me is getting there at 18:30... At that time I am often just about leaving the office.  :-[
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #608 on: 24 May, 2008, 06:44:41 pm »
Yes. Another 90 miles.

FatBloke

  • I come from a land up over!
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #609 on: 24 May, 2008, 06:46:44 pm »
No! Too bloody windy!!  :(
This isn't just a thousand to one shot. This is a professional blood sport. It can happen to you. And it can happen again.

border-rider

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #610 on: 24 May, 2008, 06:49:42 pm »
First ride of the trike in the wind.  That was interesting :)

It's lost its near-fatal tank-slapper tendencies now I've tightened up the drive-side back axle bearings, which makes descents a whole lot more fun.

Martin

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #611 on: 24 May, 2008, 07:08:59 pm »
My brother's 50th so mo big rides but rode 114km inc Pebble Hill and through West London to his house; quite hard. And of course he wanted to go for a 25 mile pre-pub hilly spin when we got there.

Barbie is smelling good  :P

PaulF

  • "World's Scariest Barman"
  • It's only impossible if you stop to think about it
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #612 on: 24 May, 2008, 07:12:20 pm »
A  quick 30 miles through North Surrey, coming home wasn't so much fun being blown about by the gusty wind.

rower40

  • Not my boat. Now sold.
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #613 on: 24 May, 2008, 07:34:00 pm »
I cheated.  Huge tailwind on the way out.  Then train home.

Only one near-death experience, when a car overtook on a very blind bend/summit just south of Newton Solney.  (That was on the bike bit, not the train.)

Obvious really; there's never been a railway in Newton Solney. ::-)
Be Naughty; save Santa a trip

toekneep

  • Its got my name on it.
    • Blog
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #614 on: 24 May, 2008, 08:25:54 pm »
Twas a tad breezy out there. 90km circuit which was basically 40k into the wind and then 50 km gradually turning our backs on it so the last 25km was a fantastic. Took in a brief spell of spectating at the British climbing championships at South Blackpool, a nice tea stop at Scorton and then a great pint of Blonde Witch at the Windmill pub at Clifton before wizzing down the promenade through Lytham and St. Annes. Lots of food has now been consumed and the wine is going down a treat. Could be in bed by 9pm at this rate.  ;D

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #615 on: 24 May, 2008, 10:08:55 pm »
Not on bikes but watching them. This weekend is the only fully amateur stage race in Scotland organised by the Dundee Thistle.

The mornign was a prologue up the Law, and the afternoon was a mostly flat stage (4.5 laps of a flattish circuit) in gorgeous countryside and weather, with an uphill finish.

Piccies here and here

Tomorrow is the second stage and it is much hillier

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #616 on: 24 May, 2008, 10:40:20 pm »
50 miles on the anthrotech trike from slough to leatherhead and back  :). the ride down the towpath from staines to chertsey bridge was idyllic  :thumbsup:. hard work into the wind though.
the slower you go the more you see

Maladict

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #617 on: 24 May, 2008, 10:53:27 pm »
210km audax in the wind.  Despite the conditions, my fastest 200k by some margin (about 50 mins faster per 200km).

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #618 on: 25 May, 2008, 07:50:25 am »
107k yesterday around the 'Tour of East Lothian' route generally experienced on a bitter February day.

Yesterday was colder by far than the unofficial run staged in Feb this year.  This easterly wind has been blowing here in Embra for the last month and is making me feel a bit odd.  I'm expecting at least a flight of Mary Poppins' to arrive any time now.

Still, a grovel up to the top of Redstone Rigg with the last gasp of mortality seemingly clasped to my bosum was followed by lunch in sunny Dunbar and a wind-assisted blast home.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #619 on: 25 May, 2008, 11:05:39 am »
150 km yesterday on the Tour of Wessex stage 1 - Great ride despite strong NE wind -
Castle Cary, Alfreds Tower, Bruton, Wells, Burrington Combe, down Cheddar Gorge,
Wedmore ,Glastonbury and back to Castle Cary.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #620 on: 25 May, 2008, 11:19:44 am »
52km. Out to the road end at Tolsta and back. Its one of the few routes that would give me a tail wind home. Fed up of 4 weeks of slogging into a headwind on the return leg on my most common routes.

One scary moment when I was descending to Gress at 71kph and got hit by a gust of wind from the side  :o

Domestique

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #621 on: 25 May, 2008, 05:09:31 pm »
My usual run around the town, completely spoiled with the seafront diversion in operation and some asswipe is a souped up canary yellow Renault  :(
At least the rain held off  :)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #622 on: 25 May, 2008, 05:19:29 pm »
Final stage today. Windy but blue sky, green fields and trees, yellow gorse and bluebells.

Thje lap is brutal and there were a number of snapped chains. Many competitors got to watch the finish from the sidelines.

A fast sprint for a small bunch. Same winner as yesterday, but a different runner up.

And then pootle up Balgay hill with the kids on their bikes. A stiff climb for those not used to it.

..d
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #623 on: 25 May, 2008, 07:15:45 pm »
I've wanted to get out with Pollards Hill cyclists for a while. Today they were meeting at Dorking station for a ride around some hillyish bits of Surrey, so I took the opportunity to get some hill practice. I took the optimistic view that it would clear up later, as it was peeing it down as I cycled to Clapham Junction in my overshoes etc feeling like a nutter.

It was dull in Dorking, but the sun started to come out as we set off. Almost instantly we hit a gravelly/rocky bit of track. I knew there would be some off road, but it had said on the website that it would be a 'good surface'. I knew right then that we had differing ideas of what constituted a good surface. Personally I am quite a fan of tarmac...(it's in my London veins..my mum had a thing for sniffing fresh tarmac when she was pregnant with me!)

This continued for a while and I am not sure what I found worse, the uphill offroading or the downhill offroading. I was bloody terrified of coming off, as I know my slick tyres, fat as they are, don't like that surface and they were skidding about. There were cattle grids which I was having none of, got off for them although no one else did. As I passed within inches of him, a bull started doing things to a cow that, as a city girl, I have never had the dubious privilege of witnessing.

Then we hit a road and it was announced we were going to do some serious climbing. I did not find it too serious, maybe it was the FNRttCs, but I managed it no trouble. The pub appeared, and very nice it was too. The sun had come out in earnest by then.

After lunch there was a bit more up and down, the down bothering me more than the up (I am a nervous descender). We visited an absolutely beautiful waterfall hidden somewhere in Surrey (someone took photos so I will link to Flickr once they are up), it was gorgeous. Like some kind of fairytale grotto. Then we cycled on back up the steep hill from whence we had came (think someone said 1 in 8?) , and I liked going up it better than I had liked going down, because I was not rigid with terror...in fact I was first to the top. But only because my lowest gear is higher than it should really be.

We cycled up Leith Hill, that I thought would be bad from what I have heard, but it really wasn't. The rough track bothered me a lot more than the gradient, and my bike slipped at one point but I magically clipped out and managed to stay upright even when the bike was sprawled on the floor. Went to the top of the tower and looked at the view (there had been breathtaking views on this ride, absolutely amazing). On hearing that the way down involved a 'very rough track' (and considering the others were supposed to have been good surfaces!), my sense of self preservation overcame my reserve and I said I wasn't happy and asked to be shown an alternative where I could meet them at the bottom. Two others came with me on the road alternative, whether because they wanted to or because they felt sorry me I don't know.

It was downhill almost all the way to Dorking, and I was dropped as they made the most of the downhill and went hell for leather while I just whimpered to myself and hung on for dear life, braking for much it it. They did wait though, they were very nice. Really, the downhills made me feel worse than the uphills, I am just so scared of going so fast, especially on bendy roads with cars around.

A very pleasurable day despite the scary parts. Either those hills weren't that bad (it was billed as a hilly ride but then PHC pace is supposed to be very gentle) or I am getting better at them. I am reliably informed that that ride was unusual in including so much bumpy off-road and usually their rides were mostly on proper roads. I know for next time eh. Around 20 miles I think, usually they do 30 but had cut it to allow for the hills.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #624 on: 25 May, 2008, 08:35:52 pm »
Today I got the train to Falkirk with a couple of friends (actually we were thrown off the train at Polmont, but that's by the by), cycled from Polmont to the Falkirk Wheel, visited the Wheel, then cycled back to Edinburgh. I'll put some pics in the gallery once I get time to upload them. It'll be later in the week. The Wheel is fantastic.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.