Author Topic: Have you been out today? (Read 3883257 times)

Kim · « **Reply #22350 on:** 02 March, 2019, 07:34:31 pm »

Quote from: cycleman on 02 March, 2019, 06:55:19 pm

29 miles today out to Cookham costa with jonathen notp. He is getting slower each time I ride with him it seems. His average speed is down to 4 mph now. He still seems to enjoy himself so alls good ☺

It's better than walking

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #22351 on:** 03 March, 2019, 12:25:01 pm »

Short 32km wet and windy blast this morning, got blown about quite a bit tbh, lucky the roads were quiet. I reckon I must be daft, what do you think?

phantasmagoriana · « **Reply #22352 on:** 03 March, 2019, 01:26:19 pm »

Club ride in the wind. We managed a headwind in both directions.

Still, nothing on the bike broke today (though I'd forgotten what a heavy beast the Pinnacle is; just as well it was a flat route).

menthel · « **Reply #22353 on:** 03 March, 2019, 08:23:15 pm »

Type 2 fun ride out with the club, 74km with some testing hills and wet and wild weather. Good ride!

Canardly · « **Reply #22354 on:** 06 March, 2019, 03:45:52 pm »

Some 6 of us on a shorter and very blustery 28 mile roundabout visit to enormous portions of calories. It started raining the moment we got back home. Travel broadens the stomach.

Adam · « **Reply #22355 on:** 06 March, 2019, 08:45:29 pm »

Finally, 9 months after moving and supposedly taking early retirement, I've managed to coordinate my diary so that I'm not busy doing other stuff, to get out with the local CTC group. A nice 33 miles around and through the Goodwood Estate and other bits. The longest bit of riding I've done all year. And only a few drops of rain.

T42 · « **Reply #22356 on:** 07 March, 2019, 09:25:09 am »

98k yesterday. Headed for a nice little forest road about 50k from here that climbs up to a local tourist trap called La Petite Pierre. Like an eejit, though, I went via the lumpiest route I could find, so that when I reached the nice little road I thought 'not today' and went on to lunch - nice little road incorporates a couple of bloody steep climbs and my legs were already hurting. Quite a nice ride home thereafter, with a powerful SSW wind pushing me, only marred by my 4th puncture in a month - fed up with that. There was lots of wood on the roads, twigs and tree-removal detritus after the gales of last weekend, and also a lot of glass on our local cycle track - bottles tossed from cars, etc. I'm seriously thinking about going tubeless.

Lots of storks & buzzards about, also saw a trio of red kites cruising quite low and close. Nice to see.

menthel · « **Reply #22357 on:** 08 March, 2019, 02:39:40 pm »

Cheeky lunchtime trip around as many parts of Richmond Park as possible with a friend. Was a bit windy!

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #22358 on:** 09 March, 2019, 04:56:54 pm »

Saw the weather forecast was for WIND and so hatched a cunning plan, of riding along little lanes in the lee of the Berkshire Downs as far west as possible. Not only did this work pretty well, it was a scenic delight, especially around West Woodhay. Our roads might be falling to pieces but what sits between them is still pretty good. Joined the Kennett Valley Run route at Burbage, where I began to run out of hedge cover. My early start meant I was ahead of the event.

I'm not sure whether other people are like me, but on Audax events I do regularly I often look at turns and wonder where they go. Today I had the chance and turned in Market Lavington to do Lavington Hill, which was helped considerably by a tailwind. A dog walker looked at me in the way one might observe an escaped prisoner. At the top, in the full force of the wind it was quite hard to hold the front wheel straight and I did quite a bit of the descent in the little ring. Then it was mostly a tailwind blast home. I found a cafe in Tidworth (on the road up to Tesco) which did a nice cheese and ham panini. Home in time to watch the Eurosport coverage of Strade Bianchi. Just the longest ride of the year at 115 miles. My cunning plan turned out quite well.

Kim · « **Reply #22359 on:** 09 March, 2019, 09:13:57 pm »

Came home a day early in anticipation of the already muddy ALC meet turning a bit Glastonbury, with heavy rain forecast for most of the night.

A ride of three halves: Annoying crosswind until I'd escaped Alcester, at which point the annoying close passes from Wankpanzers became more of an issue. I opted to avoid the worst of them by bailing to the Sustrans route before Redditch, which was relatively quiet, and lacked the navigation issues and cloud of midges I experienced on the way down. After that it turned into the boring uphill slog of my regular rides, which seemed to take forever.

mzjo · « **Reply #22360 on:** 11 March, 2019, 09:15:25 pm »

I didn't get out yesterday for various reasons, some linked to family and others to humid precipitation. Today it was much nicer and so I insisted a bit (with 12 days to go before the first club outing and a total lack of road ~~miles~~ kilometers. NMF!)
So a very good ride was had: 58kms in 3.5 hours so not at all fast but 840m of climbing according to Open Runner. I chose to head for the hills with some particularly steep forestry roads (tarmac, not dirt all the same).

Only downside. My handlebars creak now. Still they came with the frame which was free and they must be over 30 years old so they don't owe me anything. Need to change them next weekend

T42 · « **Reply #22361 on:** 12 March, 2019, 04:18:19 pm »

Brutal wind, cold, occasional sun, arboreal debris all over, good coffee, so-so sandwich, arse-pummeling roads, stiff Ti bike instead of comfy Trek. 74k, knackered.

Deano · « **Reply #22362 on:** 13 March, 2019, 09:45:42 pm »

One of my favourite loops* - Hamsterley, Shull Bank to above Weardale and back along Howlea Lane, Morley, High Lands and Low Lands (no Cockfield Fell tonight) back to Darlo.

Early finishes are great. As is getting a train to Bish to avoid the rush hour traffic. Getting a train 13 miles north-west into a howling nor'westerly didn't hurt, either. The lanes round there are gorgeous, like the proper hills farther west in miniature.

* I reckon it's about five years since I last rode it, mind.

pdm · « **Reply #22363 on:** 15 March, 2019, 11:07:07 am »

Tried to but failed...
Climbed (grovelled) up into the Peaks against a little headbreeze but got stopped in tracks and almost blown over several times...
Clocked said breeze at 66kph plus strong gusts.
Discretion being the better part of valour, came home tout suite.

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #22364 on:** 15 March, 2019, 08:07:05 pm »

commute today, 20km tailwind, 20km headwind, full on! I'm bushed.

Canardly · « **Reply #22365 on:** 17 March, 2019, 05:28:55 pm »

40 miles outing in very blustery wind with black threatening clouds interspersed with dazzling blue skies. One heavy rain session and oftimes cold. Bridge works resulted in a significant detour along a busy main road and all subsequentl internal dining places were taken bah. Otherwise lovely ride.

cycleman · « **Reply #22366 on:** 17 March, 2019, 06:33:09 pm »

30 mile potter "2o with jonathen notp"to moss end garden village. Jonathan managed 4.4 ave speed and we had a good ride. A ham and mushroom omelette each and tea and chocolate and Guinness cAke was enjoyed before we pottered homeward getting a few drops of rain on the way

MikeFromLFE · « **Reply #22367 on:** 18 March, 2019, 05:13:59 pm »

Mrs M couldn't drive herself to the gym this morning (new car - it's an automatic - don't ask

) so I took her and the bike, and went for a bit of proper exercise, which of course included a decent cup of coffee and a jam doughnut, before collecting her sweaty self a bit later.
Hardly a record breaking ride, but the furthest I've ridden since last May, all of...... 28k
Bloody freezing, and no, the wind hadn't dropped as much as I'd expected.

T42 · « **Reply #22368 on:** 19 March, 2019, 02:05:36 pm »

Wanted to do 5 or 6 hours, but it was past 10 o'clock before temperature was over my 5°C cardiac threshold and by the time I got out it was 10:55. Then my back tyre went pfft on my warm-up loop round the village so I went home & switched to the Ti Carthorse, only it needed the tyres pumped up etc etc so it was 11:40 before I got back on the road. Meanwhile the wind had got up and it was bloody cold for the kit I had on, so after half an hour I said sod this for a game of sodding things and went home. A whole 23 km. This month is a shambles: puncture every 2 rides and bloody horrible weather in between. I blame Macron. Went home and had an coronarily illicit 3-cheese pizza, ice cream and an overdose of espresso. Yay.

Socks · « **Reply #22369 on:** 20 March, 2019, 02:20:19 pm »

It's got warm again, can't keep track of this weather. I cycled to the gym for a pilates class, I always feel better after one of those - physically 'stretched' as well as mentally relaxed. Just as well, on the way there a couple of incompetent drivers overtook ridiculously close.

Nice ride back, along a couple of bridle paths that I haven't used for a while. Despite the recent rain the surfaces were good and the countryside is looking ready to burst into life. Only about ten miles each way however an enjoyable combination of cycling and gym.

Luke · « **Reply #22370 on:** 21 March, 2019, 03:22:56 pm »

First bike commute for a couple of weeks this morning.

A much better start to the day.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #22371 on:** 21 March, 2019, 03:35:10 pm »

Quote from: cycleman on 17 March, 2019, 06:33:09 pm

30 mile potter "2o with jonathen notp"to moss end garden village. Jonathan managed 4.4 ave speed and we had a good ride. A ham and mushroom omelette each and tea and chocolate and Guinness cAke was enjoyed before we pottered homeward getting a few drops of rain on the way

Is that a cake made of chocolate and Guinness or is it a slice of chocolate cake and a pint of Guinness?

cycleman · « **Reply #22372 on:** 21 March, 2019, 07:35:01 pm »

The cake was made with guinness and chocolate mixed together .surprisingly good

robgul · « **Reply #22373 on:** 22 March, 2019, 05:45:54 pm »

Not out today . . . . but I'm off to Poland on Saturday morning to be mechanic and support van driver for a charity bike ride starting over the weekend.

Sunday 24 March is the 75th anniversary of the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III - there is a commemoration event with the Chief of the Air Staff and other bigwigs from the RAF and Poland - as well as, so I hear, Carol Vordeman in her role as an Honorary RAF Group Captain.

The camp was at Sagan in Germany but a border change and it's now Zagan in Poland. A group of serving RAF officers are riding - starting from Zagan station and then via Colditz, the Mohne Dam, Rotterdam, Bruges and Dunkirk before getting back to the UK and visiting the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne near Folkestone - then to Canterbury and finishing at Faversham on Monday week.

There's a video/media crew for the Sunday event and some other stuff for the ride itself - there may be some TV coverage (I'll be the bloke that's obviously somewhat older than the riders!)

Rob

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #22374 on:** 22 March, 2019, 06:21:42 pm »

Żagań. Second syllable rhymes with "brine", sort of. Not that you'll have to know that, I expect. Gotto admit I'd never made the connection before. So you'll be away for just over a week? Sounds a great trip!