Today's Bike Ride

[Graham Breeze]

On the gravel bike and a mix of road and off road, 30 miles with 3500ft. My longest so far and felt ok, pleased with that, it's the long off road hills that sap the energy from my legs but becoming stronger.

I did the last 25 miles of the 128 miles Leeds - Liverpool Canal yesterday from Burscough (I drove 60+ miles to get to Burscough with my bike, but that's what you do for a fell race). It was cold and very windy and whereas on last week's 25 miles I encountered football crowds of people enjoying the sun, yesterday was merely a few hundred. Which is good because cycling along narrow tow paths etc etc.

Whilst there isn't much climbing on tow paths the scene can vary from bucolic tranquillity to derelict decaying industrial buildings - all within a few miles. Yesterday I saw a field full of blazing poppies and then redundant gas holders. It seems odd to me that no photographer has published a book showing the astonishing contrast - and how living by a canal has now become an attractive proposition for new build housing, unlike when canals were half empty dumping grounds for bikes, rubbish and dead animals with rotting locks gates.

Some things change for the better.

[anthonykay]

Didn't get out until 5.45pm today, intending to spend around 2 hours pootling around the lanes to the north-west of here. Then I caught sight of the church of St Mary and St Hardulph, standing above the cliff face (actually a quarry face) at Breedon-on-the-Hill; and I knew I had to go up there. [For those not familiar with the area, Breedon church is as significant a landmark in the local landscape as Stoodley Pike or Mow Cop Castle.]

Had a wander round the churchyard, admiring the views to The Roaches and much of the Peak District, and reading gravestones; including the four stones, side by side, commemorating the Mugleston sisters. The four sisters died at ages ranging from 17 to 27 years, between 1849 and 1853. People now are shocked at the death rate due to Covid19, but we forget how common deaths at young ages were less than 200 years ago.

Got back home at 8.30pm; roads still relatively empty, compared to what one would have expected on a Sunday evening before the pandemic.

[molehill]

Today I wore my Steambunny Tour de Galles cycling top, I feel like a proper cyclist

Managed 32 miles with 3900ft ascent, mainly off road.

Dim Wibblio as it says on the back of the top.

[wheezing donkey]

Well done Matt ...... you're flying the flag for the Steam Bunnies!

Today I wore my Steambunny Tour de Galles cycling top, I feel like a proper cyclist

Managed 32 miles with 3900ft ascent, mainly off road.

Dim Wibblio as it says on the back of the top.

[PeteS]

Yesterdays bike ride was 60k exploring some lanes I had not been down and others I had not done in a while. This combined with taking a clockwise loop rather than my normal anticlockwise, meant it felt like whole new terrain even though most of it was familiar territory. Good to mix it up a bit. Didn't specifically go out for a hilly ride but such is the nature of North Worcestershire, I clocked up just over 1000m. Weather mainly warm, fine and dry though did manage to find the only rain in the area for a brief spell. All in all a lovely way to start a Sunday morning.

[Llani Boy]

After resting the legs for a week I decided to go out on the bike this morning for a couple of hours. Ended up doing 70 miles and 6,000 feet in 4hrs 41min around some of the Peak District hotspots. At 0900 climbing up to Curbar Gap I could not believe how many cars and people were about and this was to be the theme of the day.

Over to Owler Bar and Ringinglow then up to Burbage Bridge. Absolutely heaving. Down to Stanage and Bamford before my biggest mistake which was to go alongside the dams to Fairholmes, location of last years Fell Relays, and on to the Kings Tree where the road ends. It was snided with so many people that my average speed was down to about 12mph on what is a relatively flat road.

Back down from the dams and passing the Yorkshire Bridge pub I was passed by a group of 8 or 9 cyclist and I cheekily jumped on the back, quickly realising from their tops that it was the Clancy/Briggs Cycling Academy. I immediately recognised Ed Clancy. I sat with them and had a chat to the rider at the back whose calves were bigger than my thighs! I stayed with them until Hathersage where they stopped for coffee.

The interesting thing about it was that it was my first experience of riding with a group and I could not believe how easy it was sitting on the back getting sucked along. I usually cycle on my own, with my son or with a pal now and then. That 3 miles was my highlight of lockdown!

I then continued up to Abney Gliding Club where I saw a girl fall off a horse, nothing to do with me. She landed on soft grass and was OK. Plenty of gliders in the air and then beyond The Barrel at Bretton half a dozen hang gliders.Down to Eyam and then Tideswell and down into Millers Dale. The climb out is my least favourite climb, it seems to go on forever and it bit me today. Had to stop and consume my emergency gel, which was out of date but did the trick and got me up to Taddington from where it is 6 miles mainly downhill home
Apart from the amount of traffic and the knobhead drivers, in fact the rider I was chatting to said he had never been abused so much as in this last 2 weekends, it was a great day out.

But if the truth be told I've over done it a bit!

[Graham Breeze]

I did 66 miles (4800') from Ilkley to Halton Gill and then along the glorious high route (the one with the sign saying 20%) to Stainworth, looking at the less well known side of Pen Y Ghent Moor, before turning off to Malham.

Malham was like a football crowd and up on the moor towards Street Gate there were cars everywhere. The Gordale Road had been closed by the police because, a very chatty resident told me, "thousands" had tried to visit Gordale Scar. Actually it wasn't that nice a day but if tourists have been starved of "honey"...anyway the car park attendants seemed to be content!

[Stagger]

After a few weeks golfing the old Claud Butler came out for a trip on the canal Bank of the Leeds Liverpool and back via the bank's of the river Aire.

Plenty of folk about.

Lovely weather.

[PeteS]

Worcestershire Council have set about top dressing a lot of my usual cycling roads. Uffmoor Lane, a relatively easy ascent was now nigh on impossible with my back wheel slipping in an ocean of loose chippings. Thankfully none of my descents had been done in what appears to be quite a random approach to road maintenance. 26km 550m in just over an hour. Probably 5 minutes slower due to the road surface. Hoping for a deluge over the weekend to wash it all clean again! 😁

[PeteS]

67km/1000m out to Rushock and back. A swirling breeze made it a bit tough at times but otherwise a most enjoyable outing around North Worcestershire. Twice over the Clent Hills which I wasn't really feeling the love for on the way out but on the way home, the competitive spirit kicked in as I spotted a couple of cyclists up the road. Spurred me on to a sub 6 minute PR for St Kenhelm's so there's obviously life in the old dog yet!