Author Topic: Have you been out today?  (Read 3813563 times)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21650 on: 11 February, 2018, 11:13:00 pm »
I was aiming for Bellerby Ranges today - and hurrah! The red flags were down, and it was safe to cross. It's a live, active, firing range.




It was also glorious. If hard work into the nor'westerly.



However, you may see in the photo that the cloud and rain were pouring down Swaledale. As I was approaching the lee of the hill, I couldn't see how dark* it was getting to the west, but there were some gentle snowflakes falling out of the clear blue sky. At the top, I could see the weather fronts, and bravely abandoned my offroad trot down to Wensleydale - instead, I rolled down Whipperdale with a lovely cross tailwind.



I did think of picking up my route along the high ground to the south of Wensleydale, but I know when I'm beat. And the weather caught me up over Wasdale Head.

 

It may be worth pointing out that the last two photos were taken about a couple of miles and fifteen minutes apart.

Just over 50 miles for the day, all on a SS offroad bike, but with only about 5 miles of offroad. Which I could have ridden on almost anything (wind and gradients permitting). I love the Dales.

*Dark. Very very dark.

Steve GT

  • Crediamo in te, bici!
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21651 on: 12 February, 2018, 04:18:55 pm »
Nice photos Deano.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21652 on: 12 February, 2018, 04:23:41 pm »
Yes! (File under "git")

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21653 on: 12 February, 2018, 05:02:58 pm »
After two weeks of weather unfit for human consumption, a pleasing 50k toddle with El Prez to a pâtisserie we hadn't tried before. Possibly the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever tasted was the reward.  Apart from that we had, much like Deano, a mix of wind, dancing snow, rain and sun, and a pleasant helping of hills. At one point we looked back and saw that the hills we started out under had completely disappeared; the missus told me later that our village had had a complete white-out. Sorry I missed that.

Temperature veered between 2°C and 4°C which is below what the cardio allows me, but I figured that a margin of 0.72% wouldn't much matter.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Samuel D

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21654 on: 13 February, 2018, 09:06:50 am »
Temperature veered between 2°C and 4°C which is below what the cardio allows me, but I figured that a margin of 0.72% wouldn't much matter.

With the right wind and humidity, that can feel like absolute zero.

I cannot remember such a bad winter as the present one in Paris. I went nine days without putting a leg over the bicycle until Sunday, and even then I slipped and slid on slush for half the ride.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21655 on: 13 February, 2018, 07:05:03 pm »
A potter to Windsor and back home. Cold and damp both ways . I spent a couple of hours talking to staff at the bike shop . I have got fed up sitting inside watching the rain   :)
the slower you go the more you see

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21656 on: 14 February, 2018, 01:24:44 pm »
Aborted my lunchtime loop today on account of a blizzard.
Hopefully it will have passed by home-time.

I think it's the planets coming into alignment for the Tour of East Lothian this weekend.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21657 on: 15 February, 2018, 08:22:43 pm »
A very windy and cold 55 miles down to Squires Cafe near Sherburn in Emlet.The wind was mostly from SSW but sometimes it was funneled in the completely opposite direction by the motorway embankment and bridges.However,I did manage to stay dry.
 Longest ride of the year so far.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21658 on: 16 February, 2018, 06:28:30 pm »
Yes!  First ride (other than a couple of abortive shopping trips) in about a month.  Fucking lurgy.

I managed a whole 30km and didn't completely collapse with exhaustion.  After the initial shock of the cold, my lungs seemed reasonably resigned to the whole thing, but the rest of my body was objecting.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21659 on: 16 February, 2018, 08:00:43 pm »
Dinton pastures potter with Jonathan notp in pleasant sunshine and light winds . After dropping off Jonathan I was riding through Eton on my way home when I fell into conversation with a racing cyclist and ended up ridding through slough at 12/14mph  :o. It will probably take me days to recover  :D
the slower you go the more you see

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21660 on: 17 February, 2018, 08:16:32 am »
Yesterday, a cold, grim 70k with El P. to find out that our favourite coffee hole in Germany is no more. Lovely Italian place it was that served ice-cream made in-house and really good espresso. Even the shop-sign has gone.  :'(

I was underdressed (10°C on lying-dog thermometer at home, more like 5°C on the road but no time to go home & rectify), fingers & toes frozen white. Finding the shop shut was the cherry on top. Bah.

I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

essexian

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21661 on: 17 February, 2018, 08:52:43 am »
Having been off my bike for nearly two weeks bar a quick ride into town and back and an hour over two sessions on the turbo, I felt up to trying my back out to see if it would stand a ride. So, off around the lanes of Haughton and Church Eaton I went last evening.

Nothing much really to report: 14 miles in a shade over an hour but thankfully my back held up and apart from being a bit stiff this morning, there doesn't seem to have been much of a reaction....shame I can't say the same for the back of my legs and hips which came out in sympathy with my back and the time and don't seem to have got the return to normal signal. Ouch.

Nevermind.... I have a 50km ride planned for today including nearly 1000m worth of climbing over Cannock Chase to Rugeley and back....or I might go the short way around which has half the amount of climbing..... nah, lets really test the back out: I can always get the train home if it all goes Pete Tong.

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21662 on: 18 February, 2018, 09:17:50 am »
I chose possibly the coldest non-snowy day of the year to open my 2018 account. Cold, very cold, numb fingers and thighs. Only managed 4.5 miles but it feels so damned good!
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21663 on: 18 February, 2018, 02:25:38 pm »
To Gawsworth which was a bit of a grind into a cold breeze, then across to Peover and Whatcroft, decided I required sustenance coming through Marbury Country Park so headed to Great Budworth where the cafe was closed until March, which meant I was running on fumes for the last 25km. My longest ride for a while at 109km.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21664 on: 18 February, 2018, 05:58:37 pm »
After a successful electron-assisted 57km or so yesterday, I attempted my 40km loop in an old skool analogue style today.  That was a mistake.  Succumbed to a feeling much like The Bonk (minus the stupid) at about 25km in, and grovelled the way home, because that seemed warmer than seeking out Sunday trains.

I may have shifted the cough, but I'm evidently not over the lurgy yet.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21665 on: 18 February, 2018, 06:37:29 pm »
Jan and I have just taken the bikes on a 1000-mile round trip to Yorkshire. The problem was that the weather was so cold and the roads so covered in shit that we didn't once put them back together. They stayed in the car until we needed the back seat for Jan's sister, and then, after spending the night in her garage, they got back into the car and came home with us.

We did, however, do a good deal of walking in Yorks, including a very nice 6-miler round the roads from Kilburn, lots round Fountains Abbey, rather less around Castle Howard and less still at Nunnington Hall. We did find that the Old Buggers' Relics Club (aka National Trust) membership came in extremely handy.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

essexian

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21666 on: 19 February, 2018, 08:23:17 am »
Saturday…..Well that was “fun”…. No, not the cycling which was fine, but the fact that I went all the way to the ground where the game was supposed to be being played, only to find that the home club had moved the match to a plastic pitch back in the direction from which I had just come….. sigh. I do wish non league football clubs would update their Twitter feeds with such information to save wasted journey’s

Moving away from my moan… I do grumble a lot: sorry… and back to the rides. My first plan was to ride to Brerton over the Chase via Hendesford and then back via Little Haywood. However, as I had never even driven the way via Hendesford, I decided to stick to the roads I know and went via Penkridge Bank…. I quite like Penkridge Bank once you get up there (it’s quite a climb up Camp Road….well for around here it is quite a climb) apart from the car drivers who decided despite me doing 37 mph on the way down in a 40 zone (160 deer’s killed in 2015 shamefully) they just had to overtake me. Quite a nice ride: 15 miles at an average of just over 12.5mph along with about 1000 foot of climbing.

However, arriving at the ground, I found the match had been moved to… Hendesford and was kicking off in 30 minutes. Now Hendensford is about 6 miles away, so if the route was flat, that would be no issue. However, there are some lumpy bits in the way and one of the nastiest roads I have ever ridden on. So, I let the train take the strain… thankfully I got to the station just as it arrived.

After the match… a very well deserved win for the Mighty Penkridge FC, I really enjoyed the ride back: 8 miles at just over 14 mph….most of it downhill.   So, not the 50km (sorry, mixed units) I had planned, but still quite a good ride despite being mucked around by the home club.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21667 on: 19 February, 2018, 04:44:24 pm »
Yes:  As I was passing Halfords, the f.mudguard stay came loose. (Specialised custom 'guards (kind of) held in place by minute torx8 group screws)
I went in and the guy there loctited it back in place and was very friendly in the process. I've always found my halfords to give good customer service, this was typical of them IME.

At the weekend, Spring crept into the west of scotland.
Hint of Spring by sg310, on Flickr

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21668 on: 22 February, 2018, 05:16:39 pm »
Yes. It was bloody cold.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21669 on: 23 February, 2018, 05:02:55 pm »
A walk of 5 miles or so rather than a bike ride, on the sea wall around the Pagleshams. That Siberian wind is flexing its muscles - there's not much between Paglesham and Vladivostok..

I had an extra fleece on and was plenty warm enough.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21670 on: 23 February, 2018, 06:53:12 pm »
Out to Dinton pastures with Jonathan notp .tailwind out and chilly headwind back  :)
the slower you go the more you see

Snakehips

  • Twixt London and leafy Surrey
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21671 on: 23 February, 2018, 07:08:03 pm »
I went out with the intention of doing the 25 miles I needed to hit my target for the month, but it was so taters I gave up after 17 miles. When I uploaded to Strava I found that a lot of people had been out in the same area and done about 60 miles, mostly starting around three hours earlier than me. Hardcore or what! 
An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur?

Jayjay

  • Layin' back a bit these days.
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21672 on: 24 February, 2018, 10:06:20 pm »
Hitched up the trailer and off to Cooks farm shop for a considerable mass of dog feed and bird seed. And a pull cord for the bathroom heater switch. I love farm shops. Not a warm day but sunny and not unpleasant to be out.
"You puttin' all that on your bike?"

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21673 on: 25 February, 2018, 09:09:23 am »
A brisk 10 miles this morning, to keep my streak going.

Only slightly marred by the idiot driver that thought the ideal place to overtake me was on a blind bend that is also the brow of a hill and approaches a T junction!
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #21674 on: 25 February, 2018, 06:22:38 pm »
A local potter to Tesco this afternoon was enlivened by meeting a cyclist called Terry riding on a ratcatcher recumbent bike.He was riding into London and I was able to guide him across to Langley along quiet ish roads . I then rode back to slough arriving just as Tesco closed   ::-) . A enjoyable little ride .  :)
the slower you go the more you see