Ride Reports

Kieran_Burns

itboffin wrote:

I'm told only 8% of people climbing the Tourmalet ever see the mystical Llama

It's true. Normally he's in Nepal:

jzed

There's only maybe 40....45...up there, so understandable if you miss them.

mrc1

I love the chance to post our website - see the picture of said lamas on the right said of the main page:

http://www.ledomestiquetours.co.uk/

Only two mind

clarkey cat

sent a mate your way MRC1 the other day but dates didnt work out. I'm going to try and get a few days away (wife permission pemitting) in the new year. Looks amazing.

Just got back from my first 'proper ride' in ages. A windy and fairly hilly 45 miles into Bookham, Ranmore, Holmbury, Peaslake, Shere and home. Just lovely out there but carrying a bit of timber + weedy legs = long time getting up hills.

adam0bmx0

Bit like the above post, actually did my first ever rode ride today! 65 miles from central London out to Surrey, up Box Hill then back in again.

Jeezus, my legs are shot! Not done any cardio for like a year (Just weight training in the gym) so really felt it! Kept well hydrated and fed though.

Also went to Richmond Park for the 1st time, was really nice, can see why so many people go there now.

meanredspider

I did a 32-mile lap of the Black Isle - was soaked to the skin in the first 2 minutes and got rained on the whole way around - loved it though

chadders81

adam0bmx0 wrote:

Bit like the above post, actually did my first ever rode ride today! 65 miles from central London out to Surrey, up Box Hill then back in again.

Jeezus, my legs are shot! Not done any cardio for like a year (Just weight training in the gym) so really felt it! Kept well hydrated and fed though.

Also went to Richmond Park for the 1st time, was really nice, can see why so many people go there now.

It gets easier. Did my first run out there a few weeks ago and repeated it a couple of times since. First time I was crippled for about three days.

optimisticbiker

Nice 40 miler out in the Chilterns, nothing too strenuous. It was very windy on the outbound westerly and northerly legs but died down on the return legs so no tail wind to speak of But the rain held off until I got home.. as I walked the door it chucked it down

CiB

Looked at the Stats and concluded that 32 miles today plus the couple of commutes in the week would see me clear 500 for the month. All the family are out on various excursions & gatherings to which yours truly isn't invited so went out to knock off 30-odd miles. After initially hitting 15 & thinking a few more wouldn't hurt, then maybe aim for the pub on the canal at 25 miles, then the radio masts at Rugby, then settled on dropping in on the farm for a cup of tea, a hello and remind the folks that I still exist so not to write me out of the will. So 47 miles out then, into a headwind most of the way in 2:56:33. Problem now is it's half 2 and i need to be back by 6 as I have the doorkey.

The return 47 miles was a bit of an effort considering this was very much a whim to go out that far but the odd gel & 4 in 1 powder from last week's sportiv saw me home, 2:37:34. V enjoyable, and the first time I've done the There And Back in the same day, maybe even the same weekend.

Chuffed with it.

Edit to say cracking photos above, except for the over-enthusiastic llama with the cheesey grin.

mrc1

clarkey cat wrote:

sent a mate your way MRC1 the other day but dates didnt work out. I'm going to try and get a few days away (wife permission pemitting) in the new year. Looks amazing.

Just got back from my first 'proper ride' in ages. A windy and fairly hilly 45 miles into Bookham, Ranmore, Holmbury, Peaslake, Shere and home. Just lovely out there but carrying a bit of timber + weedy legs = long time getting up hills.

Cheers - much appreciated but shame about the dates. We are doing our best to add as many extra dates as possible at the moment. We have just added some August dates and may also be having an end of summer trip in September to allow people to use their summer fitness to nail some good times up the Cols.

mrc1

Oh and you lot should now be able to add your times to our Strava club

http://app.strava.com/clubs/9180

notsoblue

So I did the BikeBath sportives at the weekend. I did both 60's.

Overall, lots of fun. Quite a small sportive, but there were enough people there to be rarely be riding on your own. The route choice for the first day was OK, some nice climbs. The last 15 miles could have been better though, lots of narrow potholed, steep and muddy country lanes. Day two was much better. Wiltshire is brilliant for cycling. Most of the roads were well surfaced, wide, and quiet on a Sunday morning. The route took us through some brilliant scenery, some of which we had to work hard for on the climbs.

http://app.strava.com/rides/11517081
http://app.strava.com/rides/11610165

The talks the night before from Robert Penn, and Graham Obree were interesting and a nice touch and I hope it'll return next year.

cjcp

Finally got round to sorting out some photos of the recent trip to MRC1's place in the Pyrenees.

Here's a view from half-ish way down the Cap de Long:



It was unrelenting in parts, so this was well deserved at the top:



Another view on the way down:



Getting a pic of this made the 1.5-odd hours of suffering which preceded it a little more bearable:



Start of the descent down the La Mongie side of the Tourmalet (you'll note the absence of llamas):



View from the Tourmalet down into La Mongie (there is however a donkey down there somewhere, just wandering the streets):



Shot from the top of the Azet, looking across to the Pla D'Adet (the ski station in the middle, just to the left, is the summit):



And here are a couple of shots from half-way up the Pla D'Adet looking back the other way. Somewhere in the village below is where we were staying:





Had an awesome time. Completely different experience to cycling in the UK. Very well looked after by MRC1 and his better half. Can't recommend it enough. Would certainly go back.

optimisticbiker

OK - well maybe not on a par with the above DIY versions of the TdF - but linky to yesterday's Dunwich Dynamo

mrc1

Some great pictures there Chris - glad you all had a great time. We are now on permanent Llama watch.

woodnut

After waiting weeks for a nice day to happen to fall on one of my days off, I decided to ride the Strines. Hated every minute of it, while I was doing it...
http://app.strava.com/rides/14233761
The first few miles heading north east were ok, legs felt a bit like blocks of wood, by the time I got to Penistone I'd warmed up a bit and pushed on a bit up the climb up through Cubley. Horrible descent next, should be able to fly down there but glare in my eyes and grit all over the road because of the recent rain..
Another 2 mile 600ft climb, I seem to be making hard work of it, then I can see the delicious drop down to Broomhead wood, and the fist car I've seen for 15 minutes overtakes me on the brow and then does 18mph all the way to the bottom :evil: bastud. When I get to the top of the next climb I realize a ride across the moors when there's a strong south-westerley blowing is best done with the wind behind you, rather than right in your face. There follows a succession of nasty stand up climbs, none of which I do in the right gear. By the time I turn down Hollow Meadows, I'm about ready for home, luckily the near seven mile of gentle downhill cheers me up enough to face the last fume filled climb home.
I walk into the house, Mrs Woodnut says "good time?",
"Brilliant!" I reply, and, strangely, I mean it.

itboffin

Fitted new wheelset with new tyres and headed out for a test ride taking great care not to push to hard, about 8 miles out I feathered the brakes down a sharp twisting and very steep hill which comes out onto the main road A4.

Turn onto the road and BOOM the front tyre explodes off the rim jamming in the front brake, I skid across the road and manage to unclip put my foot down and just about stay upright :?

Having almost lost the skin off both thumbs fitting these tyres I wasnt looking forward to a road side repair but anyway as I happens fitting the replacement tube was a lot easier. Now here's the thing, the tube has a slit a good 5" long right along the seam, no visible signs of a puncture or pitch, could i just have been a defective tube?

So pumped up to 60 psi I head for home, that's when the heavens opened up and someone hit the winter switch, good job i'm wearing the thinnest lightest jersey and bibs I own. :evil:

Nursed the bike the remaining miles home through a river of mud, stones and crap just like a normal days commuting, the whole while the bike complained bitterly about being subjected to such conditions as was my goose bump numb body.

Once home and dried off I cleaned the bike but now I have a ever so quiet but noticeable pinging noise which might or might now be the wheels :evil:

woodnut

You were lucky, I guess, if it had burst a few seconds earlier....?
I was just going to remark on the "bike weight" thread how nice the new wheels and tyres looked.

itboffin

Thanks the wheels and tyres are great and the reduced weight is very noticeable, I suspect just bad luck with a detective tube, then again it could have been the stans rim tape.

I should add that grip in the wet is identical to the dry with the fortes.

CiB

Digs up old thread:

Had a decent few days on the bike this week. Did a bit of sunning on various beaches the week before, returned to find that visiting the in-laws would be A Good Thing. Fair enough, and it's an excuse to take the bike up for a pop at Blackstone Edge.

Opted instead to go solo, in hops. Spent a nice chunk of Monday ambling from home to the farm (46 miles, nice run), spent the night there whilst OH + sprogs drove up to just past Manchester. I followed up on Tuesday using a slightly different route to the way I've gone before due to not fancying the hills between Buxton and Glossop and heeding our caped friend Mr Burns' advice that cycling the A515 out of Ashbourne will result in death. I've survived weekend rides along it but a Tuesday afternoon trip along it didn't appeal, so I opted to hit the edge of Ashbourne then hit Leek & Macclesfield instead. Would have been a good plan if it weren't for the longest hill for miles around being on that road, about 4 miles of steady climbing from the Mayfield roundabout towards Leek. Thought it was never going to end...

The rest of it was uneventful, unless you count getting lost in the Oldham roadworks after missing the turn for Shaw, and being directed by not one but two different locals onto the A627M. Errr...no thanks. Finished the run off by doing Blackstone Edge (a good climb) only to find the pub at the summit was closed. 115 miles, no pint at the end.

Returned yesterday from t'grim north to the farm, 109 miles door to door, this time with the benefit of the 4 mile descent near Ashbourne (40+mph descent in full tuck mode no pedalling), and then almost managed to get lost in the sequence of lanes between there and Hatton, but followed my nose and gut instinct to make it out alive. Despite all the dire warnings of severe weather across the UK for Saturday there were only two minor showers to contend with en route, until I was almost in sight of the end when the heavens opened. It's rain. What's the worst that can happen?

Polished it all off with the 2½ hour run back down to here this morning, nearly breaking the PB in the process. A good few days; net benefit climbed 4 places on the Stats nonsense.

Kieran_Burns

Glad to see you took my advice If you want to know the best route back to Hatton from Ashbourne (or alternatives) let me know and I'll sort out a route for you.

Hang on... rather than the A515 you did the A52 and A523 instead????

Fook :shock:

CiB

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Glad to see you took my advice If you want to know the best route back to Hatton from Ashbourne (or alternatives) let me know and I'll sort out a route for you.

Managed ok thanks - i'd never done it in the other direction and it looked different. Was ok once I'd spotted the Y junction that took me back onto the National Cycle route and a few farms started to look familiar. Hooked up with a bloke from Derby on a loop for a few miles till nearer to Hatton; thought afterwards it could have been you on a Saturday ride-out.

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Hang on... rather than the A515 you did the A52 and A523 instead????

Fook :shock:

Yup. It was v quiet on Tuesday afternoon save for the odd truck and they were well behaved. Coming back it felt like the Saturday that it actually was - busy around the towns but otherwise no issues at all. I had the flashing rear light on all the way and a very visible top. TBH I was more bothered by being on a nice bike going through towns on the edge of Gtr Manchester. Never mind the local toe-rags having the wheels, I had visions of being stranded in just shorts & socks.

Wheelspinner

After some considerable time, I've finally managed something I'd consider worthy of a "Ride Report". Progress! Have recently re-located to a place we call "Bleak City" (Melbourne) for a while. The last month has certainly justified the moniker and then some; cold, wet and windy for weeks. Sunday morning was the first blue sky I'd seen in 4 weekends. I've taken up residence in Bike Central however, with a lovely run round the edge of the Bay. It's pretty flat (ok, billiard tables are relatively lumpy in comparison), and while there is still plenty of traffic around, there are sufficient bikes to basically keep one entire lane car free for the whole run.

So, an easy cruise for the first 12km south with a slight tailwind, coffee and a chat to some friendly locals, then about 30km back to the other end of the loop to sit on a bench and watch the kite surfers crashing, and a time trial home. Slightly downwind for 18km, on an MTB with slicks averaging 32 km/h, and that's with only a 36*11 top gear. First proper sweat I've raised in 8 months.

Overall, a complete bludge by any reasonable standards, but it was nice to be reminded of *why* I love riding my bike so much. Sunshine, fresh air, friendly people, endorphins. Excellent.

Kieran_Burns

I might just have a hill (that we struggled up last night) that you lot may not berate me for being crap at it

http://youtu.be/6Rw4z7sOPvY?hd=1

It hurt.

roger_merriman

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I might just have a hill (that we struggled up last night) that you lot may not berate me for being crap at it

http://youtu.be/6Rw4z7sOPvY?hd=1

It hurt.

And it's on strava! http://app.strava.com/segments/1233248

and you do get one arrow on OS maps so 16% or so at some point, so steep ish looked like good views from top?

Kieran_Burns

How in Gods' name can someone AVERAGE 19mph UP that hill??????

You couldn't do that in a car!

rick_chasey

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How in Gods' name can someone AVERAGE 19mph UP that hill??????

You couldn't do that in a car!

Ah the curse of strava....Finding out there are a lot of people who are a lot faster than you!

roger_merriman

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How in Gods' name can someone AVERAGE 19mph UP that hill??????

You couldn't do that in a car!

Plenty of fast guys/gals do staggering speeds up hills, partially relatively low % grade hills such as that one. rode up this today on way home, as you can see some folks do manage high speeds up it.
http://app.strava.com/segments/653847 and thats in london town! ;-)

woodnut

Did the Way of the Roses last week over 2 days. First day (Morecambe to Ripon) was in lovely weather but quite hard work. The climb out of Settle, though short, is evil.Beautiful scenery and, for the most part traffic free byways make it a great experience.
Second day, (Ripon to Bridlington) it pi$$ed down all day, well, I tell a lie, it stopped for about 4 minutes near Tibthorpe . If anyone fancies doing this route, don't take your best lightweight carbon racer, parts of the route just east of York are on quite rough farm tracks and when it's wet it knocks hell out of your bike. Again though, barely saw a car all day.
All in all a great couple of days (some take 3 days, the real hard cases do it in one :shock: ) and highly recommended if you fancy doing a coast to coast.
http://app.strava.com/rides/20250671
http://app.strava.com/rides/20251051

greg66_tri_v2.0

I'm doing a sponsored ride on Sat. 75 miles, 5000' of climbing. First half is undulating. Second half is up.

Test rode today (Thurs) from the finish to the midpoint, turned and rode back.

It was horrific. What's worse that uphill? Uphill into a headwind. My spacktard bike out here was giving me cramp at the base of my right hammy, by the inside tendon. And the left hammy, where it joins my, well, anus, if I am honest, was like a tennis ball for the last 15k. And not in a good way.

"too little, too late" was a phrase that kept lurching into my head.

It was really fecking hot too.

And I don't have my glasses with me, and I'm on an iPhone, so if there are typos in this, too bad.