Today's Bike Ride

[Marco]

10 degrees with a very slight Northerly wind. Full sun, with hardly a cloud all the time I was out. Started off with shorts and short-sleeve top with arm warmers, and stayed with this until near the end when I became too hot for the arm warmers. 42-2km, 161 metres of ascent - 90 minutes.

Headed NE to cross the River Tame near Croxall, and then continued in a NE direction to Catton Hall (where the Bloodstock festival is held) in South Derbyshire. Absolutely glorious day for cycling, so I turned right here and climbed the, steep for round here, 1 in 10 ascent of 28m out of the Trent Valley. Two instances of wheel spin on the climb, and I'm only using 81psi on the back, so I'm not totally convinced about these Vittoria Graphene 2.0 tyres.

Lots of cyclists today, I lost count at 20. Overtook 10, including 2 e bikes, before I reached Lullington. Almost missed the turn (my fault), which isn't easy to see, so ended up doing a tight swerve on a dry road with loose gravel - queue a big rear wheel slide. Fortunately the Vittoria tyres are very forgiving in circumstances like this so I continued, with what Graham would refer to as sprezzatura.

On to Grangewood and then South to reached the highest altitude on the ride at 100m. Lovely views before descending to cross the River Mease, and enter Staffordshire, at Clifton Campville. At this point I spotted a completely dark grey-clad cyclist about 200m ahead, and there commenced what can only be described as an 4km individual pursuit to catch him in Harlaston. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be associated with a cyclist that dressed the same colour as the tarmac, so when he spotted me and decided to up the power I was happy to let him build up a 200m gap again.

There was more egg-citement towards the end of the ride, when I slowed to give way at a crossroads. I was going straight across the main road, and across the road was a woman marching from right to left on the pavement whilst holding something. Yes, you guessed it. As I crossed the road she stepped out into the road in front of me - without looking. In my earlier years I would have shouted out something about her eyesight, but experience has proved it seldom has a positive result - even though it always makes me feel better.

The second option was to stop, but in the split second I had to decide I didn't see why I should be penalised for her stupidity. I therefore took the third option, which was to swerve her as close as possible without making contact (in the hope that a close encounter might make her consider that crossing a road without looking wasn't such a good idea). It was at this stage I noticed she was carrying a dozen eggs in her arms, (not free range, as they were in a box made from that transparent single-use plastic). I didn't make contact, and I didn't hear any screaming, so can confidently report that no eggs were damaged in this story

[Graham Breeze]

The sky may not have been celeste but it was certainly blue enough for me to treat my taut and tuned post-service best bike to a 40 mile 3500 feet treat along a favourite route: Addingham, Bolton Abbey, West End, Greenhow, Grassington, Linton Falls, Burnsall - just yummy with lots of views of the ravishing River Wharfe. (But alas one that will change because the West End idyllic country road environment [between the A59 Skipton-Harrogate and the A59 to Pately Bridge roads] will be destroyed when the Kex Gill bypass is built). One short section around West End has always seemed a bit steep and now, thanks to Strava, I see it is 24.5%. Fortunately my brilliant Vittoria Graphene tyres (unpuctured in 2400 miles) topped up to 110 psi before departure, coped admirably - and why wouldn't they?

The B6265 betwen Pately Bridge and Grassingon also has its ups and downs (in additon to glorious moorland views) with two 16% descents. Since I last rode this route two huge signs have appeared near the top of the western descent down to Dibble's Bridge warning cyclists of a steep descent of 16% and referring to checking brakes. Well OK - but I doubt if anyone looking down this long straight descent needs advising that it is steep but what would be helpful to know is that at the bottom the road does an "S" over the narrow bridge over the River Dibb for which you do need to be well prepared or all your earthly cares will be over. Interestingly a little later there is another 16% descent but no special notice at all. In either case I knew my Campagnolo rim brakes would stop me on a sixpence. In the current Cycling Weekly Mr Froome suggests that he is warping his discs on alpine descents. Really Chris? I think he needs the publicity.

The road from Bolton Bridge up to Kex Gill is steep, three lanes, a couple of miles long and fast (60 mph limit) and so is a favourite haunt for police "safety camera vans". As I trundled up it I noticed descending cars were flashing the ascending traffic to warn of the police van hidden in the bushes. Naturally I slowed from 6 mph to 4 mph while I pondered that speeding is not yet universally regarded by drivers as such a henious a crime as, say, drink driving - or overtaking me and immediately turning left so tightly that my front wheel comes within a metre of your bloated Volvo estate. Volvo drivers?

[Llani Boy]

What a fantastic day.

I set off up to Taddington and then straight down into Millers Dale and then Tideswell. Left at the Anchor and then the back road towards Castleton before another left up over Bradwell Moor to join the A623 above Peak Forest. Down the hill into Peak Forest, left at the crossroads and over to Buxton via Tunstead Quarry which is a huge hole in the ground.

From Buxton up Manchester Road and then down into the Goyt Valley which was heaving with people. There was surprisingly no queue at the Mr Whippy ice cream van at the roadside so a 99 was woolfed down.

Up the Goyt to the Cat and Fiddle which has reopened as a distillery. I have not been in for years, I think its been closed for at least 5 years, so went in for a nosy. Only one room was open selling outrageously expensive Beers, Wines and Spirits along with coffee to take away. I ordered a Latte, £2.90, and as I handed the youth serving me £3.00 he said "we don't have the facility to handle cash" whilst pointing to one of those card machine things. I replied that I didn't have the facility to pay by card and there was an awkward silence which was broken by a very nice lady stood behind me, who said, "I'll pay for your coffee".

I think she must have taken a shine to my new Orange Le Col Cycling Jersey. I thanked her and insisted that she took my £3, which she did.

Back towards Buxton and a right onto the Congleton Road and down to Allgreave. Lovely views across to Shutlingsloe which seemed to have at least a dozen folk at the summit, all stood in a row! Up the Dane Valley and a right to Goldsitch Moss before popping out on the A53 at Ramshaw Rocks. More uphill to The Winking Man, a right, and across the moors to the Mermaid before a lovely cooling descent to Hulme End and Hartington. Up Longdale to Earl Sterndale, over to Chelmorton and Taddington and a retrace of my steps home.

A total of 75 miles and 7,638 feet in a moving time of 5hr 17min. At least 40 other cyclists seen, none of which had the pleasure of overtaking me. (All the good ones must have been going in the opposite direction!)

Back home dead on 5pm in time for the rugby. A glorious ride, Wales beating England and a 99 in February. Days don't get much better than this

[Gambatte]

Local legend on my fav hill is a guy who climbed it 28 times in the last 90 days.

I climbed it 39 times in the last 6 days ��������

[Marco]

A total of 75 miles and 7,638 feet in a moving time of 5hr 17min. At least 40 other cyclists seen, none of which had the pleasure of overtaking me. (All the good ones must have been going in the opposite direction!)

Back home dead on 5pm in time for the rugby. A glorious ride, Wales beating England and a 99 in February. Days don't get much better than this

Epic for February; glad to hear people making the most of it and exercising from home

[anthonykay]

Just a short ride, as I didn't get out on the bike until after 3:30. Visited the 4 W's: the villages of Wysall, Widmerpool, Willoughby and Wymeswold are situated roughly at the corners of a square of side about 2 miles. If you fancy buying a house in Widmerpool, you will need a 5th W; Wealth.

Sorry, Marco, but my shorts are still in the cupboard. At the speed I cycle, I don't generate much heat; and it was actually rather cold by the time I got home just after sunset.

[Fellbeast]

27.6 miles and almost 3,000 feet of climb today. Horton, Stainforth, Dale Head, off-road on the Dawson Close track to Litton, through Littondale to Arncliffe, up to the top of Yew Cogar Scar, Malham Tarn, Henside, Stainforth and Horton. Yorkshire Dales cycling at its best

The climb out of Arncliffe to the cattle grid at the top of Yew Cogar is an absolute rip snorter

[Marco]

The climb out of Arncliffe to the cattle grid at the top of Yew Cogar is an absolute rip snorter

Certainly looks like it on the map, something like 187m/614ft of ascent. What we'd give to have a hill like that 100 miles further South.

BTW completely different weather here today; 6 degrees, cloudy and with a biting wind

[Fellbeast]

Certainly looks like it on the map, something like 187m/614ft of ascent. What we'd give to have a hill like that 100 miles further South.

BTW completely different weather here today; 6 degrees, cloudy and with a biting wind

The Strava segment ‘Arncliffe Killer’, which just does the hard bit of that climb, is the business. 13.3% full bollocks over half a mile

[Graham Breeze]

It is said that, in terms of weather, March comes in like a lion and the Garmin record for today's 36 miles (2700 feet) trip via Burnsall, Linton, Grassington, Cracoe etc showed an average temperature of 32.3 F. I suppose it was the 0.3 F that meant icicles did not form from the tears in my eyes from the cold. I am not someone who, when alone, stops for coffee and cake so people can admire my bike but today I did divert to Grassington for a double espresso and, knowing that no one would believe this dilution of my image, I even took a photograph of the takeaway cup.

I left my bike by the shop door unlocked (the cold and the clag meant Grassington was somewhat devoid of humanity) and the next customer commented that there were now few places where it would not have been stolen, even as I watched it, Grassington being one. However I am sure SPD pedals divert those who still believe in toe clips away from thievery.

Around Ilkley I saw dozens of cyclists but as I moved North virtually none, apart from a small group of ladies in a virtually deserted Burnsall. It was in Burnsall on my last trip out that I met a polite couple who were both riding Bottecchia bikes - the brand Greg Lemond rode, and famously in the Paris time trial when he, to my annoyance, beat Laurent Fignon to deny Laurent his third Tour.

I guess if you ride a Bottecchia you are partly saying "look at me" (or us) which is perhaps not the case on a Boardman. Yet Boardman markets a model that retails at £2300, although whether one would recognise that out on the road is perhaps debatable.

Anyway,wet days,warm days,cold days: 500+ miles so far this year