Have you been out today?

[Tim Hall]

Out on the New! Shiny! bike today. A shakedown ride for me, to see how well it fits and to count how many envious glances from other riders I got (sadly very few). A shakedown ride for Pippsy too, the first bit of serious solo riding for her for a while.

Not long after the start she detected a bumpiness in her rear wheel and I saw a softness.  Stop, whip out the (heavily patched) inner, spot a likely leaky culprit, fit a new one, squirt in the CO2 and off we go. A bit of a drag up and then we were on the level, heading towards Rusper. Through there and we stopped at tanhouse farm for a quick bit. Top nosh in the form of beef (as pink as it should be) and horseradish sandwiches for me, ham and mustard for Pippa.

After lunch headed north then across to Capel. Crossing the A24 we found our way onto the finest lane in the South East (© His Leggship), Weare Street. A gently descending lane of wooded loveliness.  After that a quick burst on the A29, a couple of lanes, dodging a shower and home.

[Jurek]

Out on the New! Shiny! bike today. A shakedown ride for me, to see how well it fits and to count how many envious glances from other riders I got (sadly very few). A shakedown ride for Pippsy too, the first bit of serious solo riding for her for a while.

Not long after the start she detected a bumpiness in her rear wheel and I saw a softness.  Stop, whip out the (heavily patched) inner, spot a likely leaky culprit, fit a new one, squirt in the CO2 and off we go. A bit of a drag up and then we were on the level, heading towards Rusper. Through there and we stopped at tanhouse farm for a quick bit. Top nosh in the form of beef (as pink as it should be) and horseradish sandwiches for me, ham and mustard for Pippa.

After lunch headed north then across to Capel. Crossing the A24 we found our way onto the finest lane in the South East (© His Leggship), Weare Street. A gently descending lane of wooded loveliness.  After that a quick burst on the A29, a couple of lanes, dodging a shower and home.

Sounds like a choice day out 

[Cudzoziemiec]

About 45 sunny but chilly miles up Burrington Combe to the Hunters Lodge on top of the Mendips for some tasty, filling cyclist food at a remarkably decent price accompanied by a pint of Potholer then down to the cafe by Chew Valley Lake for yet more nosh. We were there barely an hour after leaving the Hunters Lodge but Mark notp managed to wolf down two large scones accompanied by about half a jar of jam and two cows' output of cream. Mind you, the rest of us weren't far behind. As Sarah also notp said, "This is one of the fattening rides." Too true! But we did go up Dundry on the way home.

[perpetual dan]

I had a rolling ride west along the foot of the downs today, with a couple of tracks as well as roads. I haven't been that way for a while (east - west in Sussex tends to be more bitty than north - south because of farmers trading, which also means it is harder to avoid busy roads). I also rediscovered the bridleway that looks like it will be a way over the A23 but isn't. In doing so i met a woman with an old drop barred Peugeot heading straight up onto the downs.

Eventually, i pushed up onto the ridge of the downs (by the youth hostel), with skylarks singing, then a freewheel down into the wind to encourage the marathon runners at Shoreham.

Now a train home to end a good day out as Brighton's mobbed and supper needs cooked.

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[LittleWheelsandBig]

After yesterday's 200 perm to Kidderminster, today's jaunt was a social spin - the Veteran-Cycle Club's Memorial ride. Everything from solid-tyred safeties and high bikes through to carbon and e-bikes. A lovely time but now a long train trip home.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Had a weekend in Basel (normally I'm only out there for one working week or fly back but it was easier to stay this time.  Packed the Airnimal.  Yesterday, with the weather being an unseasonably low -3C at night I chickened out of the Balmberg and Weissenstein, two very steep and sustained hills and stuck mostly to the valleys, although still managed 3000m ascent in 190km, with lots of lower climbs that no one has ever heard of.  It was very pretty but hazy so impossible to capture the grandeur of the landscape.

Today I headed off into France to ride up Ballon d'Alsace, the first ever mountain to feature in the Tour de France.  I felt old enough o have ridden in that edition in 1906 as I grovelled up the steep side from Sewen.  It was about 0C on top and the cafe had no food.  The descent was freezing, even with my full winter Rapha gloves, bib tights, base layer, full winter top and two gilets.  There was fresh snow on the fields and houses north of Belfort at 350m above sea level and latitude 47.  Today added 185km and 1900m ascent so a good weekend despite the weather.  Hopefully it will warm up in the UK for Easter so I can thaw out.

[Ashaman42]

Eventually. Half planned to leave at noonish but was gone two by the time I actually left the house.

A nice twenty miles in the end. Via Polegate to the Yew Tree at Arlington then a lap of the reservoir to Michelham Priory and home again.

[mzjo]

Last test ride out with the Osgear equipped bitza bedore saturday's vintage ride, the Marcel Jourde - named after a local framebuilder. It is going to be hilly so I thought it time that I tried myself out on the hills. 2h30 but I don't know how far. came through ok but top gear was playing up, chain jumping off on the up changes. 46/22 might not seem particularly challenging to the fixed and ss fans but it was challenging enough for me. On the other hand if I can't use the 16t top sprocket on saturday it isn't the end of the world, the 18t 3rd gear will see me through.

Tomorrow no work so I will try to do 70kms route checking (with a more modern bike!)

[mzjo]

By calculation the 70kms was in fact 68. Gorgeous day, partridge and hawks and falcons in evidence along with a flock of alpaca, only downside the north-east wind (in my face when I needed to climb at the end) but even that pushed me along nicely on the outward half. Days like that I really think how lucky I am to live here.  

Bits of the section in the Vienne were a bit long, straight and boring and the pub at Charroux was shut at 11am. The cable pulled through the clamp on my (cheapo Shimano) front mech but cable clamping on the cheap ones is not a strong point and I was probably a bit too violent with it. Being cheap it needed a spanner which I didn't have as I was using the Vitus' toolkit (which is all Allen key fitting) but I had enough to stick the chain on the middle ring and block the mech. 34t ring and 12-30 block (7s) more than adequate for a little ride like that.

I looked at my Osgear last night. A certain amount of the chain derailing in 4th is due to the fact that it's a 3s mech and the chainline issues will never be correctly resolved. Solution - forget the 4th gear. I am thinking of making my 4s 16-22 into a 3s 17-22 but will probably leave well alone until after saturday. No point in looking to make problems!

[SoreTween]

Noodling about on the MTB most definitely in the FoD today.  48km and 1004m with maybe 200mtrs on road.  Several buzzards and 3 groups of boar, 8 adults and at least that many humbugs.

No real goal except hours in the saddle.  I didn't even care how far or how fast just so long as I kept moving.  I've been hitting a wall at 2 hours recently so just working on breaking that down. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/2291974037

[seasider]

I don't normally bore you with my thrice weekly rides, but this lunch time myself and some fellow riding friends were going over Lamb and Tatham Fell (between Slaidburn and Higher Bentham) when we passed a rider with a yacf jacket on.First time I have seen a jacket or jersey being worn.A wave was passed and on we went to our lunch in Wray.So that's the end of the big news from Lancashire.

[T42]

Yesterday, revisited this thing for the first time in a long time:



It's a menhir that would do Obelix credit, and it probably stood there for 2500 years before some 18th-century twunts carved all their rubbish into it.   I used to love coming up here from the west because there's a wonderful steep swoop down on the northerly side. Over the last few years the road has been neglected, and the last time I did it there were so many incipient holes I was scared stiff, so yesterday I came up that way instead.

Fun ride, I'll do it that way again.

[Canardly]

Very pleasant small group Cambridgeshire pootle of 31 miles in glorius spring sunshine and which included a most agreeable lunch in Cambourne. Left knee modal still giving me some gyp despite cleat and seating amendments.
Surprised to see that the St Ives CC peloton was out in force on a Wednesday, so quite what is going on there I do not know.

[Wowbagger]

Three rides today totalling about 22 miles.

Two Tree Island for a walk with Penny.

To the dentist's with Jan on the tandem.

To Waitrose for some hot chicken for dinner.

[Kim]

York to Skipton for the ALC meet.  50 miles of glorious sunshine, helpful tailwind, and only a few hills.  There may even have been a bridge.

[sg37409]

On the tandem round Millport. First tandem ride with Sharon in about 4 years, and it was a great wee run.

[phantasmagoriana]

Yes, but only 40 miles because it's cold and windy here in Mallorca. Meanwhile, folks back home are enjoying hot sunshine, apparently.

[Basil]

Yes, but only 40 miles because it's cold and windy here in Mallorca. Meanwhile, folks back home are enjoying hot sunshine, apparently.

Points.

Laughs.

 

[rafletcher]

30 miles in glorious warm sunshine, even got a bit of sunburn despite the sunscreen. Same again tomorrow  .

[rogerzilla]

33 miles to the Cotswold Water Park cafe and back.  Had a big fry-up (reassuringly expensive, the place is full of west London twats), so it's just as well the route back is fairly flat.  Took the Holdsworth after its total drivetrain replacement yesterday.  It runs with a spooky lack of noise.  The "new" fork* has quite a lot off offset and, in addition to curing the brake rub on climbs, has also cured the sloooooow steering.  it handles quite neatly now.

*secondhand, sold to me as 531 but I'm not totally convinced.  Needed realigning in every dimension, cutting down from JIS to ISO and the steerer tube shortening (thankfully it had a lot of thread). I did all that, and then Argos resprayed it to match.  You wouldn't know it wasn't original.

20190420_104041 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

[Wowbagger]

Yes, but only 40 miles because it's cold and windy here in Mallorca. Meanwhile, folks back home are enjoying hot sunshine, apparently.

Points.

Laughs.

 

Andrij was right...

[T42]

20190420_104041 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

That is very pretty indeed. Health to ride it, as me Da would have said.

---oOo---

Today I damn near slaughtered myself in a mere 50k, taking a cunning route up hills and through valleys to evade our horrible NE wind. Unfortunately the wind was cannier than me. It's wonderful how it'll wrap around a hill and blow against you on both sides. I'm knackered.

We're getting more and more days of bright sun and strong wind. If it persists through the summer the way it did last year, PBP is going to be a hecatomb.

[essexian]

My first ride in over 3 weeks  to Yarnfield and back for the football.... Rylands won 5-0 and won the league. The "crowd" of 51 was almost all visiting fans..... A grand total of 25 miles including 4 personal bests on the way back which confuses me as I am totally out of shape at the moment...must be the nice weather....although I did suffer badly on the only "climb" on the route!

I might go back on Monday for the local derby between both Stone clubs... could be a right bash.... and if I do, I'll head out towards Eccleshall first to try and take in some more of what passes for hills around here.

Anyway woke this morning totally dehydrated and with very sore hips. I just think I am getting old!

[Flite]

Yes, just 25 hilly miles on minor public roads around the Delightful Durham Dales.
Easter Sunday, and I saw more cyclists than moving vehicles!

I have no idea why gullible cyclists will pay big entry fees to ride a closed road sportive in this area!

Much better will be these 3 mid-week audax in the North Pennines:
Wed  22 May,  19 June,  17 July, 

[phantasmagoriana]

I think I'm possibly the only person in this neck of the woods who *hasn't* been out today (cracking weather now I'm back home... ). I'm tackling the laundry mountain instead!