Ride Reports

Kieran_Burns

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/58941282

100K total distance which gave me a record 50k time, my first 50 mile time and my first 100K time recorded on endomondo.

I am completely exhausted but very happy and have some stunning footage of the Peak District to boot! (I even managed a sub 3- minute mile on the Tissington Trail )

rick_chasey

Good news: Had a very enjoyable 3 laps around RIchmond park yesterday - late afternoon. Achieved a milestone too - my first sub 20 minute lap on my SS.

Bad news: Ride left me with a cough. See here for more details. .

welkman

Norwich 100 yesterday, really great ride but I think I broke my riding partner.

Hot Orange

Yeah, I did the Norwich 50 - my first ever 'event'. It was great - beautiful weather, beautiful countryside and a beautiful free pint at the end. I was extremely tempted to turn left onto the 100-mile route where the routes split, but decided to play it safe.

spasypaddy

120km on saturday morning. wembley -> richmond park -> box hill -> home

now can someone explain why box hill is so revered? it was my first time there and i cant see any reason to go back other than to put a proper time down on strava as i was expecting some 12% for 17miles type hill i spun up in a tiny gear just chilling waiting for the behemoth to start and it turned out i was at the top. it didnt even kick.

swains lane is a harder climb.

Agent57

38 very sunny miles around Arnside and north Lancashire yesterday.

http://app.strava.com/activities/9445772
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/182468845 (same ride, different analysis)

My first ride of longer than 3 miles for about... a year. =/ So I'm quite happy with the 16.9mph moving average. Got my HR up to 182 doing a sprint for a 30-sign. Managed to hit 33mph, but didn't even get into top gear, so could probably push that a bit more if I were fitter. (It is a very slightly downhill stretch. http://app.strava.com/segments/1455203)

So much wind though! I had a headwind out along the prom, so I was looking forward to a tailwind on the way back. Nope! Seems the wind had turned round by then. =(

Then my mate trumped me out of the park and mentioned he'd done 114 miles on King of the Downs:

http://app.strava.com/rides/9468363

The bastard.

okgo

Its because its close to the southern hub of cycling that is Surrey/ SW London, its not that hard so the fat 'all the gear' types from Fulham can get up it (unlike Leith, as that is actually steep in parts) and its got some switch backs. Also the view is pretty good, and although its easy you do climb a fair few feet. And lastly its used as a benchmark for many riders to see how they're going, our club has a thread of times now the new surface is down, its a good 5 minute ~ effort.

Must get down and have a go before they put the speed bumps and the more harsh surface in!

Blonde Cyclist

86 km club run on Saturday - beautiful weather, nothing particularly fast, but some smooth group work which always makes me smile.

210 km London - Brighton - London club ride yesterday. We got lost a few times, but I guess if you're going to get lost yesterday's weather was the right weather for it. Great company, ice cream and fish and chips at the beach and some very tired legs as a result!

dhope

okgo wrote:

Must get down and have a go before they put the speed bumps and the more harsh surface in!

Waaaaat? Was there yesterday and the new surface is lovely. It just carries you up without any effort. Speed bumps :? :evil:

BC - 296km weekend? Chapeau. Not tempted to sneak in a quick 4k around the block to make 300?

okgo

Yes, I read that apparently the grade of tarmac they've laid is actually too fine for the Surrey regulation, so they will be going over it with something else and then putting the lumps back in.

All this re-surfacing that is happening, part of me thinks , you've had 4 fecking years, why leave it all to the last 2 months? Useless, like a student not doing his Dissertation till 2 days before deadline.

Kieran_Burns

okgo wrote:

Yes, I read that apparently the grade of tarmac they've laid is actually too fine for the Surrey regulation, so they will be going over it with something else and then putting the lumps back in.

All this re-surfacing that is happening, part of me thinks , you've had 4 fecking years, why leave it all to the last 2 months? Useless, like a student not doing his Dissertation till 2 days before deadline.

because it deteriorates and they want it to be as fresh possible for the day?

Gussio

Chiltern 100 yesterday in a very sweaty 27C - phew! 177km with more up than I would have liked. Good ride, mind you.

Kieran_Burns

In other news: after 6 hours out on the bike with no suncream - my cyclist tan is EPIC

spasypaddy

okgo wrote:

Its because its close to the southern hub of cycling that is Surrey/ SW London, its not that hard so the fat 'all the gear' types from Fulham can get up it (unlike Leith, as that is actually steep in parts) and its got some switch backs. Also the view is pretty good, and although its easy you do climb a fair few feet. And lastly its used as a benchmark for many riders to see how they're going, our club has a thread of times now the new surface is down, its a good 5 minute ~ effort.

Must get down and have a go before they put the speed bumps and the more harsh surface in!

fair enough, i'll head down there next weekend maybe and put one monumental effort in. decent time on strava and then never darken its doors again. just doesnt seem worth the 40ish miles it took to get there.

okgo

Quite, I ride out in Surrey and down that way nearly most weeks, and I haven't been up Box for two months, there's far more interesting stuff out there I think.

spasypaddy

my problem is im slap bang in the middle from going out into herts (My original stomping ground) and going out into surrey via richmond park.

leith hill sounds more promising, im an atrocious climber but box hill just seemed rubbish especially after all the hype about it

okgo

Depends what you want I guess, we don't have many long hills around, and even box hill at 1.5km is better than most. But if you go and do this one http://app.strava.com/segments/639561 its quite a tough climb, little break in the middle then kicks up again. Also you tend to get less riders and cars out there.

spasypaddy

i'll check it out thanks

Stone Glider

Mrs S G is away this week, on the South coast with daughter & granddaughter, so have planned some longer rides, been doing two to three hours mostly this year. Thought I would take the hybrid and ride some canal tow paths, easy riding, no hills. Set off yesterday a m in glorious sunshine and got home eleven hours and twenty minutes later, having travelled 111.32K :oops:

So what went wrong? Firstly, you should have a map of the entire trip, not just the beginning and the end. Secondly, the path surfaces were far worse, in parts, than I expected; the Leicester Line is very remote and the paths little used, so overgrown and bumpy. Thirdly, although the canal doesn't go uphill, except at the Locks (another story) it does go into tunnels and you have to go over the hill. There doesn't have to be a good, or any road for you to follow. Fourthly, canal-side pubs and shops are not located for the convenience of cyclists. An obvious point upon reflection, just not obvious to this cyclist. Fifthly, on a hot day and it was hot, even 2.5ltrs of drinks should be topped up at every opportunity, not when you think you need to. I ended up drinking 4+litres and never needed to pee!

Anyhow, it was a great day and I finished it still under my own steam. I rode up the last hill with ease, except for my posterior which was not. A better quality chamois would have helped and I had those available :oops: I'm planning the next one before Mrs S G returns, it will feature an absence of all those features mentioned above, I hope, apart from the enjoyment

jonny_trousers

Rode Dulwich Paragon's "Saturday ride" route again this morning. Bloody marvellous! Beddlestead Land: a slice of cycling heaven. Quickly followed by Hesler's Hill: a slice of cycling hell.

Is the route in reverse any tougher?

optimisticbiker

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Rode Dulwich Paragon's "Saturday ride" route again this morning. Bloody marvellous! Beddlestead Land: a slice of cycling heaven. Quickly followed by Hesler's Hill: a slice of cycling hell.

Is the route in reverse any tougher?

I think you mean Hesiers Hill, the long slog up Beddlestead Lane onto the N Downs with the nasty kick at the end? http://app.strava.com/rides/9050855#165025705

itboffin

I'm off work again tomorrow if only I had some motivation

jonny_trousers

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Rode Dulwich Paragon's "Saturday ride" route again this morning. Bloody marvellous! Beddlestead Land: a slice of cycling heaven. Quickly followed by Hesler's Hill: a slice of cycling hell.

Is the route in reverse any tougher?

I think you mean Hesiers Hill, the long slog up Beddlestead Lane onto the N Downs with the nasty kick at the end? http://app.strava.com/rides/9050855#165025705

That's the fella! Guess I must have misread the map. Either way it's a bitch at the end of that glorious sweep down Beddlestead heading north. How on earth do you gear for a situation like that?

optimisticbiker

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Rode Dulwich Paragon's "Saturday ride" route again this morning. Bloody marvellous! Beddlestead Land: a slice of cycling heaven. Quickly followed by Hesler's Hill: a slice of cycling hell.

Is the route in reverse any tougher?

I think you mean Hesiers Hill, the long slog up Beddlestead Lane onto the N Downs with the nasty kick at the end? http://app.strava.com/rides/9050855#165025705

That's the fella! Guess I must have misread the map. Either way it's a ***** at the end of that glorious sweep down Beddlestead heading north. How on earth do you gear for a situation like that?

You get as much speed as you can going down, then get into a low gear early and spin like crazy... worked for me... averages 9%, max is 14% over the 0.6km - it was 4 minutes of pure hell and I can still feel the pain in the legs and the pounding in my ears! I guess it'll be easier during the week than when I did it surrounded by 100s of bikes, many being pushed up the hill, 'cos you'll be able to get a run up to it...

jonny_trousers

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Rode Dulwich Paragon's "Saturday ride" route again this morning. Bloody marvellous! Beddlestead Land: a slice of cycling heaven. Quickly followed by Hesler's Hill: a slice of cycling hell.

Is the route in reverse any tougher?

I think you mean Hesiers Hill, the long slog up Beddlestead Lane onto the N Downs with the nasty kick at the end? http://app.strava.com/rides/9050855#165025705

That's the fella! Guess I must have misread the map. Either way it's a ***** at the end of that glorious sweep down Beddlestead heading north. How on earth do you gear for a situation like that?

You get as much speed as you can going down, then get into a low gear early and spin like crazy... worked for me... averages 9%, max is 14% over the 0.6km - it was 4 minutes of pure hell and I can still feel the pain in the legs and the pounding in my ears! I guess it'll be easier during the week than when I did it surrounded by 100s of bikes, many being pushed up the hill, 'cos you'll be able to get a run up to it...

Can't imagine anything worse than doing it in a crowd. I need the entire road to chuck the bike from side to side.

I'm sure I could prepare better for it, but the two times I've done it it's been a case of, "Whoa, this road's amazing: I've been going down hill for about two miles now. Hang on a second, what's tha... Oh my god, is that - is that a hill?!? Better pedal like fu... Oh sh*t I'm still in the big... bollocks!

Both times I've considered I'd probably be quicker getting off and walking and both times - I'm proud to say - I've MTFU'd and rode it. At least there's a beautiful pay-off to follow.

il_principe

Just back from a fantastic few days in Cyprus. Went over to visit family but took the bike, as did my Brother. Rode with him and my Brother in law on day 1, then solo on day 2 and with my bro again on day 3. Day 2 was the only time I could really go for it - my Brother is fairly new to cycling, and the bro in law is a MTB'er who'd borrowed a road bike. It's a great place to ride, very hot obviously, but they've thrown millions of EU money at the roads, so it's easy to find quiet routes into the hills on perfect tarmac.

I wanted to get some climbing practice in, so on Day 2 I headed for Mt.Olympus which is the highest point of the island at 1,952 metres. One of my Brother in law's army mates is training for SAS selection and had done the ride from the garrison in 2 Hours 58 mins, I was challenged to beat that, although I didn't think I'd get close. It's a 35 mile ride of which i guess 30 miles are all up hill, with gradients ranging from 3 to 15%, and we'd ridden 51 miles and climbed 6238 feet the day before. Anyway I decided to give it a crack, it was the same route out and back so I could stop to take photos on the way down.

The first 1000 m of ascent up to Pachna went pretty well, fairly shallow gradient and lovely smooth roads. Here's the view from Pachna looking towards the Troodos range and Mt. Olympos - there's a radar station at the top which helps it to stand out - the white speck just visible in the centre of the picture (looks like a golf ball):



And again - radar visible on the far right of the horizon:



Looking back down towards the coast:



After Pachna I was rewarded with a short stretch of Downhill before the road kicked up again towards Omodos. By this stage I was starting to feel the heat a little as the early morning cloud dissipated, but the view looking out over the sea provided a decent distraction:



Below Platres the climbing started in earnest, gradients of 4 - 7% gave way to 7 - 15% and gentle curves became switchbacks:



Platres was fairly brutal, easily the steepest section and a brief storm blew in. I was quite glad of the rain. At this stage I'd been riding for 28 miles and climbing for about 25. I started to think my Garnin was wrong, couldn't quite believe that I still had 8 more miles of ascending ahead. I was running low on water, but couldn't stop and concede the challenge, so guzzled down a gel and pressed on, despite feeling like I had little chance of coming in under the 3 hour mark. Soon after I emerged from the forest and caught a glimpse of the radar dome and the first of the signs for the ski station. The road surface here was far worse, but the gradient slacked off a little. At the resort to Troodos I negotiated a bizarrely Roubaix-esque surface, dodged several tour buses and as the sign to the summit hove into view, caught a second wind. At this stage I was starting to think I might actually beat the challenge. The final mile seemed to last forever, but then I rounded a corner I was confronted with the gates to the base. My Garmin warbled, and I looked down - 2 hours, 57 mins and 38 seconds, I'd only bloody done it.

Gates to the radar station:



The golf ball:



Looking back from the summit over the Troodos:



Cyprus laid out beneath me:



Stopped for a coke (and an attack of the Shivers in Troodos) and then freewheeled most of the way home.

The Stats:

Distance - 35.5mi

Ascent - 7,329ft

Time - 02:57:32

Av Speed - 12.0 mph

Water - 3 500ml bottles

Food - 2 clif bars and a gel

okgo

Excellent.

I'm at a lose end for a week next Feb, thinking of going to one of these islands for some training, cyprus looks good. But Majorca seems to be the default choice for most for some reason.

il_principe

okgo wrote:

Excellent.

I'm at a lose end for a week next Feb, thinking of going to one of these islands for some training, cyprus looks good. But Majorca seems to be the default choice for most for some reason.

Majorca is a damn sight closer - it's 4:30 to Cyprus. Also Cyprus is hotter. It hit 32 degrees at 700 feet on Tuesday...

chadders81

Ave speed of 12mph - pah.

itboffin

You do know that people can end up in prison for taking pics of military bases :roll:

But well done anyway hopefully you've burnt yourself out now, hopefully!