Today's Bike Ride

[anthonykay]

South to Kirby Muxloe, then west to Kirkby Mallory. Didn't encounter any more Kir(k)bys on the rest of the ride, but did get a very annoying nosebleed, which I couldn't stop until I got home. About 38 miles, moderately hilly.

A sight which would have gladdened the hearts of Llani Boy or Molehill: within the first four miles I saw two roadkill grey squirrels on the road. They had obviously been drinking too much in their New Year celebrations, and hadn't been watching for traffic on their way home.

[Llani Boy]

A very cold road ride today, but on the Arkose with knobbly tyres, which was hard work with the lack of rolling but handy on the patches of snow and slush still lying on some of the minor roads.

The objective was to visit the Trig on Merryton Low which overlooks the Roaches. Out to Monyash, Longnor and then up into the Staffordshire Moorlands. Had to push the bike the 200yds to the Trig which has a plaque attached to it which commemorates 4 members of the 5th Staffs, C Company, Leek Battalion of the Home Guard who lost their lives in WW2.

Was able to ride back down to the road and then a very cold descent to Warslow then on to Hartington, Parsley Hay for a latte, and home via Conksbury.

30 miles and 3,212 feet in 2hr 26 min. Roads were very quiet and I only saw 2 other frozen cyclists.

[Llani Boy]

Even colder today than yesterday for another tarmac ride on the Arkose. Headed in a generally NE direction down to Rowsley and up to Beeley Moor, No 127 in Simon Warren's Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs. Not a very challenging climb but there was a lot of ice on it from water running across the road and I was pleased that I was going up it and not down.
The object of the ride was to tick the Trig at Harland South which is the high point of Beeley Moor. To get to it I leaned the bike against a drystone wall had a half mile of knee deep, out and back, heather bashing in cycling boots!
More icy roads over to Wadshelf and on to Curbar Gap before steeply down into Curbar. I have never seen so many vehicles parked at or near Curbar Gap and the coffee seller in his retro Citroen Van must have been making a fortune by the size of the queue. And no I didn't partake even though I was frozen.

Down the valley to Baslow, along the 13 bends to Bakewell and up the hill home. 26 miles and 2,500 feet in 2hr 12min which was quicker than expected as I was descending some hills nearly as slowly as I was climbing them due to that horribly dark grey glassy sheen on the tarmac.

[bigfella]

More icy roads over to Wadshelf and on to Curbar Gap before steeply down into Curbar. I have never seen so many vehicles parked at or near Curbar Gap and the coffee seller in his retro Citroen Van must have been making a fortune by the size of the queue.

People seem to have discovered Curbar, was it the Derbyshire Police drone publicity early last year? I tend to avoid it at busy times and head over towards Eyam or Longstone.

[Llani Boy]

Back on the bike today just after lunch in what appeared in the BBC forecast as a weather window. I should have known better!
Out to Monyash with a bitterly cold taily and up to the 515 where a bit of cyclocross over a field, warmed me up a bit, and took me to todays TP known as Parsley Hay Farm.

Back to the 515 and a loop over to Flagg where the weather window disappeared and was replaced with a sleet filled 20mph+ headwind nearly all the way home. Riding up the mile long Horse Lane I kept telling myself that this sort of thing was character building, but those days are long gone I'm afraid!

Anyway 20 miles and 1,759 feet in 1hr 36min on roads that were mostly orange from a cocktail of cowshit and salt.

[noel]

That sounds like a lot of fun. I think I'll get my bike out in March.

[molehill]

Riding up the mile long Horse Lane I kept telling myself that this sort of thing was character building, but those days are long gone I'm afraid!
.

LOL, know exactly what you mean, did my character building 20 years ago and now happy to settle for enjoying fine weather and good views

[Graham Breeze]

Back on the bike today just after lunch in what appeared in the BBC forecast as a weather window. I should have known better!
Out to Monyash with a bitterly cold taily and up to the 515 where a bit of cyclocross over a field, warmed me up a bit, and took me to todays TP known as Parsley Hay Farm.

Back to the 515 and a loop over to Flagg where the weather window disappeared and was replaced with a sleet filled 20mph+ headwind nearly all the way home. Riding up the mile long Horse Lane I kept telling myself that this sort of thing was character building, but those days are long gone I'm afraid!

The weather forecast said "snow" so naturally with thoughts of Bernard Hinault and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1980) * in mind I leapt out of bed and was away.

Alas despite 31 miles (1500 feet) on a circuitous route via Pool/Arthington/Weardley/Eccup to Bramhope, snow there was none - even though my Garmin recorded zero degrees (Centigrade that is). Still 64 miles since New Year's Day (+ 12 miles walking) - who really misses fell running?

* This one race perhaps more than any other underlined Hinault's credentials as "le patron" of the peloton. It represented a day that the Badger, then 26 years old, showcased his ability to suffer for the sport which he dominated; a day that Hinault braved the elements to show the world that he was in a different class from his peers; a day the frostbitten Frenchman gave the metaphorical two fingers to his rivals – and almost paid by losing two fingers of his own.

After more than seven hours in the saddle battling what has been described as the worst weather in Ardennes history, Hinault was the first of just 21 riders to finish the race. The man who came second, Hennie Kuiper of the Netherlands, crossed the line 9 minutes 24 seconds down; the Lanterne Rouge, Norway's Jostein Wilmann, came home a massive 27 minutes in arrears.

There's no two ways about it: Hinault's astonishing win in 1980 is a sporting feat that will probably never be matched again in cycling.

[Graham Breeze]

I preferred the 1982 Liège-Bastogne-Liège when Silvano Contini, riding for the Bianchi team, produced a staggering late sprint to beat the Belgian favourite.

Taught me a lot, and I've lost count of the places I made up in the last 15 metres of cross country races using the same technique.

You can always run faster. It's all in the head.

[Graham Breeze]

Yes, you're correct - once you've been shown how to do it.

Back to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the 1982 race also had snow and atrocious weather. Whilst only 21 out of 174 completed the 1980 race, in 1982 there were only 33 finishers out of 261. Amongst the abandonees were Guiseppe Saronni, Freddy Maertens, Didi Thurau, Greg Lemond and, er, Bernard Hinault ...

Well that made me laugh.