Author Topic: Have you been out today? (Read 4270884 times)

cycleman · « **Reply #26650 on:** 19 July, 2024, 06:57:47 pm »

Langley and back to pick up apollo for the weekend. Mild weather today 😌

T42 · « **Reply #26651 on:** 21 July, 2024, 10:28:44 am »

Yea, and verily have I been out, a sparkling 4.43 km on the antient, honourable and motorless MBK Oceo to the next village & back to get a lettuce. Felt almost human.

The ride didn't last as long as it took to put all those colours in.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #26652 on:** 21 July, 2024, 11:42:44 am »

We had to avoid the RIAT area so had breakfast at the Watchfield McDonald's then meandered back via Shrivenham, the railway bridge at the former Ashbury crossing, then the springline road to Wanborough. The brake bridge clamp on my mudguard fatigued and snapped, so it was rattly.

cycleman · « **Reply #26653 on:** 21 July, 2024, 06:14:37 pm »

Out to little chalfont to a cafe that was not open with apollo and then retraced to chalfont St Peter where lunch was acquired. Refueled back to Slough via Gerrard Cross and black Park. 21 miles moving ave 7.3 mph. We both rode through the ford on the way back

ElyDave · « **Reply #26654 on:** 21 July, 2024, 08:21:40 pm »

65km on the bent, windy, hard work

Tim Hall · « **Reply #26655 on:** 21 July, 2024, 08:42:55 pm »

Yesterday 50km up to Tooting in a World Record Time to give platelets, then a similar distance home.
Today a massive 10km towing the Gorgeous Grandchildren to a country park for paddling and swings,then 10km home.

"Come on dad-dad"

On balance today was better.

JefO · « **Reply #26656 on:** 21 July, 2024, 08:56:40 pm »

Yesterday a fabulous 60km on the semi-recumbersome.

Stopped at Bruisyard RTC for photo shoot - lovely blue sky.

Then stopped at the first pub (Poachers Pocket, Saxmundham) for a blackcurrant, lemonade and soda (they don't have diet lemonade and their lemonade is too sweet straight).
Bike perfomed perfectly, on way up hill by pub. This is good, because I somehow managed to break the final drive chain on our previous attempt of said hill (late last summer).

Stopped for second round tower church photo shoot - at Theberton.

Route took us off road through Minsmere woods, then out onto Westleton Heath, where after 60plus years, I finally noticed the connection between heath and heather.

Then down to Dunwich beach... Scampi, Salad and Chips, and copious amounts of tea, followed by a walk and much swimming.

When we used to go diving from boats (as opposed to shore diving), I used to thoroughly enjoy "drift diving". This entailed jumping off a boat and dropping down towards the reef, then drifting with the current until the end of the dive whereupon we would surface hundreds of metres from the entry point and get straight onto the boat which had miraculously reappeared in the correct location (probably by following our bubbles).

So, from this I have developed "drift swimming" basically walk to the entry point, swim out a very short distance (just out of our depth seems to work well), bob along supported by the seawater and keeping constant distance from the beach, drift for a sensible distance then swim to beach, get out far enough to enable paddling up to one's knees, then walk back to start point, rinse and repeat.

We did that for enough time to get cold (covering about half a mile of swimming and walking combined), then dried in the sun, before sauntering back for more tea and an ice cream. Then after changing into dry cycling gear, we carried on on our route back to the digs. We arrived back safe before the sun got low enough to endanger us from cataract suffering car aimers.

Loving the Suffolk Lanes and patient drivers.

barakta · « **Reply #26657 on:** 22 July, 2024, 01:35:09 am »

9.8km to the local park, a loop, down the cyclepath and home - admittedly on full assist the entire route. Furthest I have cycled since May when everything was aggravating the stupid hips. Not planning on expanding this much till everything stabilises but this suggests I'll be OK to cycle round Betteshanger for the World HPV Championships.

cycleman · « **Reply #26658 on:** 22 July, 2024, 09:21:52 am »

Well done barakta

.don't overdue it though

T42 · « **Reply #26659 on:** 22 July, 2024, 02:45:32 pm »

47k to nearest-but-one den of sweet iniquity with coffee. Mostly remarkable for getting leg stung through shorts by the wasp that was occupying my seat before my Arsos'd ass descended on it. Poor beast: being of semi-Irish descent I can sympathize.

Discovered that Assos bum crème de menthol takes the heat out of wasp-stings quite nicely.

T42 · « **Reply #26660 on:** 26 July, 2024, 01:23:48 pm »

Yesterday, deadly slow 120k grind round various waterholes with El Prez.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #26661 on:** 26 July, 2024, 02:02:06 pm »

Drove the motor to the tyre dealer for new tyres, then produced the Bendy Bikefrom the bootand pootled on into town. Some Frightful Oik shouted out of his car window "You should be wearing a helmet mate." I countered his advice with the suggestion that he should fuck off mate.

Bought a pair of trainers then extended the pootle out of town and up a Bad Mannered* Hill. As I'd not equipped the Bendy Bike with a means of sercuring stuff to the rack, I was doing this one handed,with the box of trainers in the other.

Progess was slightly laborious. A Small Child leant out of her car window shouting "Come on, you can do it" accompanied by a big grin. A much more positive encounter.

*Not as steep as a Rude Hill, obvs.

Andy W · « **Reply #26662 on:** 26 July, 2024, 09:47:40 pm »

On the hardtail this evening. Mostly bridleways in North Herts. 15 miles flat out along some parts and tried my best up some inclines. Was a joy to be immersed in rural setting with all the mid summer foliage in full bloom. At 63 i feel very fortunate to be able to bash along bumpy tracks.

trundle · « **Reply #26663 on:** 27 July, 2024, 05:38:17 pm »

A gap in carer duty lined up with Kew Bridge steam museum being in steam - hurrah.

They are in steam again tomorrow if that is your thing, and you are near West London.

https://waterandsteam.org.uk/

Lots of little videos on my strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/11995084059

It is magical in winter, when you can relax with a tea, listening to the gentle hiss, trundle and hum of gert big steam water pumps running in the background.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete · « **Reply #26664 on:** 27 July, 2024, 06:18:32 pm »

A little bit of an exploration, picking up some off-road squares to improve my Veloviewer Max Square. Some roads - those around Stanford Dingley and the Pot Kiln were familiar, just from pre-Strava rides - but the section around Oare was new. Then I travelled south of Newbury to take in a section of the Wayfarer's Walk. The first section was really good but the descent had been badly cut-up by off-road vehicles. I rejoined tarmac at the top of Watership Down and dropped down to pick up a section of the Harrow Way. This was the one I was worried about, but it was perfectly good riding. Made it home in good time to watch the Olympic Time Trials. Max square moved from 21x21 to 24x24, with plenty of options to make it bigger.

cycleman · « **Reply #26665 on:** 27 July, 2024, 09:22:21 pm »

Slough Eton wick Dorney across the m4 bridge and turned left to fifield and up to the drift road. Onto hogoak lane the first of today's bridleways which with a short section of b road got me to moss end garden village cafe where I had hoped to have lunch
.unfortunately it was full so I rode on to dinton pastures where I was able to refuel 😋. I rode back via Hurst sherlock row white Waltham and maidenhead for a 40.15 miles at 7mph moving ave. Sore knees again but I still managed to enjoy it

Wowbagger · « **Reply #26666 on:** 28 July, 2024, 08:25:30 pm »

31k of the usual loop, involving Rebels lane, where I saw a multitude of swallows and house martins looking as though they were preparing to leave, Barling, Wakering, Wakering stairs and back along the sea front to Pier hill, then home.

A guy at Wakering Stairs stopped his car and asked me for directions to Southend. I don't know how he found his way onto that remote, often closed, road but missed the entire metropolis.

After he had gone on his way, I watched a marsh harrier wheeling around near the Foulness Island security checkpoint, and on Pier Hill I stopped for an large Rossi's ice cream.

Canardly · « **Reply #26667 on:** 29 July, 2024, 07:04:25 pm »

An overnight car assisted adventure in Norfolk with a cycling chum. Two x 60km rides including the Broads and a visit to the coast in simply wonderful weather. Fabulous. Now back home.

Jurek · « **Reply #26668 on:** 29 July, 2024, 07:23:23 pm »

Quote from: trundle on 27 July, 2024, 05:38:17 pm

A gap in carer duty lined up with Kew Bridge steam museum being in steam - hurrah.

They are in steam again tomorrow if that is your thing, and you are near West London.

https://waterandsteam.org.uk/

Lots of little videos on my strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/11995084059

It is magical in winter, when you can relax with a tea, listening to the gentle hiss, trundle and hum of gert big steam water pumps running in the background.

That was a good day out when I lived in Harrow.

Wobbly John · « **Reply #26669 on:** 29 July, 2024, 07:27:59 pm »

Quote from: Canardly on 29 July, 2024, 07:04:25 pm

An overnight car assisted adventure in Norfolk with a cycling chum. Two x 60km rides including the Broads and a visit to the coast in simply wonderful weather. Fabulous. Now back home.

Wish I had been able to do similar. Family ferrying and grandson sitting duties, along with moody partner, have limited my ability to get out much, but I did manage a 60 km ride into Norfolk on the soot bike, in just over 2hr 30min.

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #26670 on:** 29 July, 2024, 08:20:55 pm »

25km - the first outing for the newly overhauled expedition tourer. Managed a top speed of 40 km/h on the flat route. The 1.75” tyres smooth out the bumpy bits nicely.

T42 · « **Reply #26671 on:** 30 July, 2024, 02:30:24 pm »

Exhilarating 102k, mostly through the lumpy country just north of the Rhine-Marne canal. Started early and went like the clappers to get home before the thermometer went over 30°C. Made it by 27. Fun.

JefO · « **Reply #26672 on:** 30 July, 2024, 08:27:01 pm »

3 day (2 night) break in Suffolk, from Sunday to today. Couple of 50+km rides, a couple of 30+km rides, and some walking to and from the pub. Lots of off-road and the road bits were either short sections on fast roads, or on roads that have a lot of character and not much tarmac! There were actually some great sections of single lanes too. Weather was astonishingly good, throughout the time I was away with my three "Monday Night Club" buddies!

MattH · « **Reply #26673 on:** 30 July, 2024, 10:41:21 pm »

A lovely day, so I wanted to cycle to work as I'm not likely to get a chance for the rest of the week. MrsH fancied swimming this evening. So I rode to work, then to the lake where I met up with MrsH, nice outdoor swim (just what we needed in this heat) then cycle home. She came in her little car, so no chance for me to wimp out and shove the bike in the back. 42km for the day, with 1500m of open water swimming.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #26674 on:** 02 August, 2024, 05:52:49 am »

Actually got out for a leisure cycle last night. Took the club tour largely because couldn't be arsed to sort lights for the fast bike and the club tour has dynamo lights

Was a make it up as go along sort of ride. Went accross part of the new Beaulieu estate/village in Chelmsford. They've put the fancy houses in since last time I went and then got to ride over thr new bridge from the Boreham interchange

We then dropped back into country lanes and gor a bit silly, well I'd been silly all ride but one of our group who's a girl but was given honourary stupid boy membership sprinted past me on a down hill, I managed to get back past and got a good gap. Was watching her to see if she came back when somehow asbhis bottom brackets creaking like anything the third member of our group managed to fly past me downhill so another stupid sprint to chase him down

Caught him and then we both decided to slow and let the tractor out ahead of us as wouldn't be able to pass and it's peak harvest. I then sprinted up to slipstream the tractor and trailer which was fun till it moved towards verge to pass a car and I gor pa face full of grit.

Just under 40km and a lovely eve for it