Cycling 2026

[Thenop]

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I had to look twice, I thought the sign was see-through!

[Slim]

I had to look twice, I thought the sign was see-through!

Just dirty .. perhaps I'll bring a surface wipe next time.

[Nickslikk2112]

Before spending too much time watching people cycling, I went out for a couple of hours.

Don't think this warm weather suits me, even with a helmet on my thinning hair lets too much sun through to my scalp and for whatever reason it saps my strength. Could have done with a much sunnier start to the year to build up some tolerance.

Stayed close to home for my 33 miles, taking in some I'd not done all year. Took them circumspectly as I didn't know what state they'd be in after the Winter. They were probably in better nick than what I spent my time riding.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18026234493

[Nickslikk2112]

A cooler day thankfully, still warm enough to bare arms and lower bits of legs but it wasn't cooking the inside of my head like the last couple of days. Was still feeling a bit cooked this morning, but took to the roads.

Wasn't sure how far I'd do today, could have been a possibility of an early bail out if I felt too sunned still, but taking to the easier roads made things come back together again.

Managed to get 35 miles in and felt better at the end than the beginning. As Mrs S says, I should be grateful for small mercies.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18040197078

[Slim]

A dry day, a bit cold in the morning but milder conditions were promised for the afternoon. I thought I'd do a Twycrosser, but venture down the old Dad's Army Route into Warwickshire at the bottom.

So I did that, along the A5, down past Kingsbury, down past Whitacre Heath. After that I decided I'd take a different way back up, to the east - through Shustoke and Furnace End. Furnace End has a charming butcher's shop that looks like a scene from the 1950s. Don't think I'd been that way before (But I'll check).

A few km later, I noticed that the rear hub was sticking and there was annoying clunking and rattling coming from the rear wheel. The chain was actually slapping against the chainstay.

I stopped at the entrance to a farm with a posh gate and a nice hedge, recessed a few metres from the road. I needed to partially declothe anyway, the temperature had climbed somewhat. As I sat on the grass, pulling off my overtrousers (about 5C when I set off) I noticed the gate swing open of its own accord! The next thing I knew a gentleman in a flat cap had arrived in a nice car. He'd wound the window down. "Taking five?" he wanted to know. I nodded and smiled; I think I was sitting on his grass technically speaking. But he gave a thumbs up and continued on along his half mile drive. His gate swung shut again, as if by magic. Two minutes later and he'd have found me weeing against his hedge, and perhaps our exchange might have been less cordial.

Anyway I inspected the bike (the Planet X). I'd hoped that it was just a sticky hub but it was worse than I thought. The wheel was properly wobbling against the hub. Something must have failed or come loose quite quickly; it had been fine a few km earlier. There was nothing I could do to mitigate it on the spot.

So I mounted it and set off again gingerly. Hoping I could get it home. Didn't want to have to call 'er indoors. I set a course for the quickest route home, up through Atherstone, up through Twycross, Snarestone, Swepstone. Twycrosser route stuff. It wasn't the most relaxing ride with the chain intermittently slapping and sticking at the back, but I made it back. I'd done about 83km by the time I approached the village. I decided that, even with the bike in its present state, I'd get up to fondo distance by pootling around close to home. I went into Coalville. Down toward Ibstock. A few laps of the village. I didn't think the hub was going to get any more buggered than it already was (perhaps a touch of complacency there) and at least I'd be able to walk if it broke completely. Just bloody-mindedness really.

So: back on 100.60km. It was a lovely afternoon, shame it was spoiled. I've taken the wheel off and will have a closer look over the weekend. Maybe it's an excuse to buy a carbon wheelset for the X. The existing wheels have done 18,050km, a decent shift.

In fact I have just bought these:

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Nothing fancy, a pretty basic carbon wheelset. I would have bought the 38mm but these were cheaper. But either should feel zippier than the Visions that I'm taking off. Suppose I should buy a new cassette as well really.

[Nickslikk2112]

50mm, aero wheels!

Just keep a good check on the braking track on Carbon wheels, if it wears out you can end up with exploding wheels!

[Nickslikk2112]

Managed a couple of hours out today. There was a big enough dry window to do more, but I just like to make sure it's fully open.

It might have been dry but it was a bit blowy! Going out through Stainsby I came close to being blown off, then on the bridge over the M1 it was a severe buffeting, good job no tractors and trailers were trying to overtake.

Then coming back down from Sutton Scarsdale it was a bit dodgy going by the field entrances as it was a full on crosswind. All adds to the fun though and 32 miles gets me over halfway to 500 miles for April.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18066266965

[Slim]

50mm, aero wheels!

Just keep a good check on the braking track on Carbon wheels, if it wears out you can end up with exploding wheels!

They've arrived today and handily, they've come with brake pad cartridges. Swapped the front ones out already. The Mavic carbon rims on the S Works have a durable (and noisy) braking surface which needs harder (not softer) pads, but these ones don't.

Was going to reuse the alloy brake pad cartridges I've just taken off the X on the Boardman, but on close inspection the Boardman uses blocks (not cartridges).

Still waiting for new cassette and chain. I need to wash the bike before I put the new wheels on, really.

I wonder if you can get cassette pad holders to replace single unit blocks? I could reuse the old cartridges then.

[Nickslikk2112]

Was a cusp day today, was it warm enough for skin exposure or not. I decided not. For a lot of the ride that was the wrong call, but with decreased temperature at altitude and the wind it was the right call. If I go out tomorrow I may pretend to be from Newcastle.

More or less did the same ride as about three weeks ago, but more quickly, a lot of that being down to being able to use the Cutthorpe descent, the rest of it being down to a Southerly breeze and not a Nor'Wester, made it substantially quicker going up to Longhshaw, but holds you back coming back, but as that's mainly downhill that's no too bad.

Quite a few others out cycling today, mainly old men with moustaches. Must grow one to fit in. Also the old couple from Ripley were out on their tandem. I was on the return leg when I saw them, normally I overtake them.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18104041658

[Slim]

I thought that I'd go down the southbound route then go north-east from Kimcote, as I've done a couple of times recently. So I did that and went a bit further - as far as Saddington, a place I haven't been before. I'd done 54km at that point. That'll do I thought, so I turned back, intending to return exactly the way I'd come.

I missed a turn almost immediately, which became apparent when I found myself in Fleckney, another place I'd never been to before, although it did feel familiar. Funny how these North Warwickshire / South Leicestershire large villages / small towns all seem the same.

Anyway I decided to keep on keeping on to see if I could find an alternative way home. A few km later though, inevitably, I consulted Google Maps. I plotted a course to Foston Road and Countesthorpe, part of the "old" southbound route. It fell out of favour because of heavy traffic at the south-western outskirts of Leicester and it was pretty annoying today, as well. I was also coming home by a more direct route so I added a diversion over the last few km from Ellistown to Bardon then through Hugglescote along Grange Road. Hadn't been along there for a long time (May 2020 - just checked).

I passed over the bridge on Gilmorton Lane where, on Friday, a car went through the crash barrier and met a minibus on the M1 below. The car's teenage occupants were killed.

I couldn't see any sign of damage to the barrier or railings, they must have been repaired already. A police van marked "Collision Investigation Unit" was present, and two teenage girls were examining the scene. Friends of the two teenagers, perhaps.

Tried the new shoes again - tightened the bolts properly this time and they seem fine.

Listened to Times Radio - nice to hear Trevor Phillips presenting on there - and 5 Live. Back on 101.18 km.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18106232800

[Nickslikk2112]

Well today was certainly warm enough to be exposing the arms and legs, even with a brisk breeze, but it was a Southerly breeze so not too chilly.

It was a bloody frustrating day though. First off I forgot my bidon. Luckily hadn't gone far, went back and I hadn't even filled it! Then in Holmewood I got an exceedingly close pass - about eight inches - from a white Audi. I saw it pull into a petrol station just up the road and so went in after it, but no sign of it at the pumps. Went round the back and there were three white Audis parked up for the shop. So I just shouted WANKER at at all of them and rode off only to be nearly taken out by a black Audi making a rapid escape from the pumps.

Riding up to Tibshelf the chain dropped off. I thought I could ride it back on but it stuck and needed a bit of effort to free it. Then, riding up through Pilsley I could feel my left ankle bone hitting something, looked down and the Crank Arm Fixing Bolt had almost come out. I pulled over to screw it back in and by the time I stopped it had fallen out, luckily I managed to locate it. Just screwed it back in and a mountain bike I'd overtaken earlier came by, he must have wondered what was going on. I got back on and whizzed by him again.

After this I was stopping every few miles to try and screw the bolt back in. On returning home the crank arm clamp bolts were very loose. Either they weren't tightened up properly after it was serviced or the rough roads have shaken them loose. Who can say.

After that things went quite smoothly, apart from getting stuck behind a grass verge mowing machine on what should have been the rapid descent home. Apart from all that a nice relaxing 40 mile ride out.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18117835058

[Nickslikk2112]

And today was a third 40 miler in three days. First time since October last year, can't say as I'm feeling any fitter yet, but at least all of my left hand crank stayed together after yesterday!

Managed to almost get as much climbing in as when I went out to the Peak District on Tuesday. There's too many hills round here, but I will learn to tolerate them again if not love them.

It was a bit blowy again though, by the highest point of the ride I'd managed to get my average Heart rate down to 130 bpm, coming back down it went up to 132. No fun. There was a decent uphill within that though.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18131416018

[Slim]

I wanted to do about 130km today. With the wind coming from the south-west, I thought I'd go down my most south-west-oriented route, down the Meriden Gap. I did that, all the way to Meriden this time, which I haven't done for a few months.

I had forgotten how disgusting the road surface is over the last few km to Meriden, once you turn off after Maxstoke. I made a mental note not to do it again. I might do it on the Tricross.

But the nice part of that ride is the part between Shustoke and Maxstoke. I suppose I need to develop a fondo route that doesn't go down to Meriden.

Anyway the idea had been to come back the same way but I was so put off by the state of the road north of Meriden that I whipped the phone out and plotted a different route back up instead, up through Fillongley and Furnace End, rejoining the original route south of Kingsbury. Then instead of returning home along Spon Lane, Sheepy and Twycross I crossed the A5 and went up into Polesworth. I soon remembered why I don't really do that (I've only done it maybe three times). There's a steep descent down a crappy urban road overpopulated by parked cars. After that the route was a sort of reverse Bypasser, past the zoo again where the building work is ongoing and the road is covered in muck from the construction vehicles. But the mud all over the road from farm vehicles after Norton Juxta Twycross was even worse.

My intention to do 130km fell by the wayside somehow and I was back on 107.38 miles. But I don't really have any established long ride routes down that way.

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I passed a "Welcome to Warwickshire" sign on the way back up, which puzzled me for a moment. But of course I hadn't left historic Warwickshire. Must have entered the modern-day county known as "West Midlands".

I listened to 5 Live and started Len Deighton's Fighter, which was first published in 1977 and is a very thorough history of the Battle of Britain. Reminded me of the Lewisohn Beatles bio in that he explores the personal histories, rivalries and so on of the key personalities in detail. Lots of context and scene setting, and there's a brilliant introduction by AJP Taylor.

I stopped at a log near Orton and rescued a fruit fly from a spider's web at a gate. There was no spider, hence I felt I wasn't really interfering with the ecosystem. A minute later it was back in the web. So I left it. You had your chance, sucker.

Nice day, a bit cloudy and windy early on.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18133235170

644 km this month, 2870 this year. I'm only 143 km behind where I was this time last year which suggests that I might be on course for another 10,000 km year.

[Nickslikk2112]

A sunny, if still a bit blustery saturday. Good enough for a couple of hours out though before the usual slump to watch a bit of cycling. Galicia looks a nice place. Supposedly nice for cycling too. A bit far though, I'll stick to the delights of Tibshelf instead.

More or less the same ride as I did last Saturday, but instead of going up to Hardstoft and the Tibshelf I carried on up through Stanley, for my first foray into Nottinghamshire this year. Big msitake, it's a single lane road which usually I see no traffic on. Today it was rammed. I really do think the roads round here have got busier since fuel prices increased. Bonkers.

Bonkers gradients too - for Notts - got up to over times, I knew it would having been that way a few times, but there can't be many steeper roads in Nottinghamshire, I go there for flat rides!

Back on 34 miles, up to 425 for the month now. Surely the weather can't thwart me reaching 500?

https://www.strava.com/activities/18158097878/

[Slim]

Today's plan: to do the Upper Westbound route, with the detour to Isley Walton both ways.

Set off at 1000 on the Tricross, which hadn't seen action since February. It felt remarkably heavy when I lifted it down from its perch in the garage. I wanted to explore a road called Grove Lane, at the remote end, near Doveridge. Noticed it on a map last night and thought it was worth a look.

It looked alright on Street View but even on a gravel bike it's a pretty horrible little country lane really, potholed and liberally provided with grit and stones. But I reached the half-fondo distance after only about half a klick up there, and turned back.

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Quite an enjoyable run out. Mostly sunny. I was a bit too warm with the sun out and a bit uncomfortably cool when it went in, so I must have got the clothing stragegy about right.

I listened to Times Radio, footy on 5 Live and more of Len Deighton's brilliant history of the Battle of Britain, Fighter.

I noticed an odd thing as I came down Top Brand. A sign to the "Clound Trail". it is of course the 'Cloud Trail', a cycling route that runs along canal paths and a former railway. I couldn't quite believe it and yet when I got home, I found that the mis-spelled sign has been there for more than five years! I must have passed it 100 times in that time.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/council-left-red-faced-after-6143187

Back on 100.59km, that's 25 fondos in a row now. 745km this month, which is over target.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18174431681