Cycling 2026

[Slim]

Didn't really feel like doing a bike ride today. Looked really dull out there this morning, gloomy even. And yet - as if compelled by some primal instinct, like a parasitic wasp attacking a spider, I found myself clothing myself in cycling attire at about 1045.

Cold, but the wind was light. I took the Kegworth detour again. But before I got to Rempstone, I took a right turn to Stanford on Soar, so I could do the Paudy Lane version of the route as far as Six Hills. Then eastbound as usual until Nottingham Road. I turned back there but took a left turn Wartnaby to go exploring a bit - looking for the mythical Lost Cafe from about ten years ago. But when I got to Ab Kettleby I realised I'd done the same thing a few weeks ago.

Took the Barrow upon Soar detour to avoid the steep descent through Walton. After that I'd decided I'd come back via Loughborough. Thought it would be nice and quiet on a bank holiday, which it was. A much more direct route than going through Kegworth but I thought I'd probably done enough km to ensure I returned home on a fondo distance.

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Then - on a whim, I took a left turn along Charley Road. I knew this would mean more climbing, but thought it would be a nice change. I missed a turn for Abbey Road but recovered, after consulting Google Maps, by cutting across via a lane called Oaks Road. I'm sure I'd never been along there before. It's very quiet and there's a tiny hamlet there called Oaks in Charnwood. I sat at a bench outside the church there to eat something. The church bells were ringing out. I couldn't see an occasion taking place. But I've just read that the church "was listed for ringing during the Leicester Diocesan Guild half-yearly meeting on April 25, 2026".

All very nice, but - I'd forgotten about the steep (I could say "breakneck") descent leading to a crossroads that awaited me about 2km later. I hate to use the brakes coming down a hill, proper waste of kinetic energy that is. Perhaps that's why my rear brake pads lasted about 28400 km and the front ones are still going at 28600.

Managed to make my way through both Kegworth and Loughborough without consulting a map, I think I've got those routes down now.

Even with the unintended detour through Oaks in Charnwood I could see I was destined to return home about half a km short, so I took a slight detour along Ibstock road. Back on 100.55.

The weather forecast promised 15C in the afternoon, didn't feel like it! Just as well I decided to wear a fleece under my tunic, and tights. I'd expected to be backpacking them but I was still slightly too cold at 1500. The temperature did seem to climb a degree at about 1630.

I listened to 5 Live, including an enertaining game of footy between Chelsea and Forest. And another couple of Dredd short stories, one of which was downright weird and slightly incomprehensible. Need to listen to that one again.

That's 30 fondos in a row then and 202km this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18373926275

[Nickslikk2112]

I'm getting idle in my old age. Passed up on a Bank Holiday ride yesterday, but then I'm retired so Bank Holidays don't really exist any more.

Today was Tuesday though, I do tuesdays, unless it's raining. For the secind ride in a row I went out up the Col de Wigley, was substantially slower than Saturday, but that may be because I've remembered what it's like and held back a bit. Don't think it was down to the wind.

After that it was up to Owler bar and out to the Longshaw Estate and back. Glad to find that the road back through Cutthorpe is now open and free from traffic lights at roadworks. Hope it is all done and I didn't just strike lucky.

Once again a 40 miler, felt longer though.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18384886385

[Nickslikk2112]

Out again today, Wish the tempetature would settle down, appreciably cooler today, for the first time in years I dug out the arm warmers. A wise choice, it never warmed up enough to remove them and mercifully they stayed up, they always used to fall down my pipe cleaner arms.

Felt a bit stiff in the left thigh today, so did a flatter ride out via Tibshelf, had to avoid a few sets of roadworks which had sprung up. On the way back had to do a route replot due to a road being blocked by a bin lorry, parked cars both side of the road. Time theu=y charged for on road parking, it's a road not a car park.

Somehow managed to set a couple of best ever times for me on a couple of segments on the way back. Uphill ones too. Maybe I'm not as old as I feel.

Back with another 40 miles. As ever it'll do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18398498680

[Nickslikk2112]

Warm enough to forego the arm warmers today. Which was nice. Wish it had been sunnier though, got to work those tanlines.

Today I intended doing what I was going to do last Thursday if I hadn't taken the wrong turning. Unfortunately, the road after which I took the wrong turning was closed today. No worries, a diversion round Clowne led to me coming out at the same point on Worksop road, but from the opposite direction.

All plain sailing after that because it let me come back through Hardwick Park rather than dropping down the "road" from Ault Hucknall. Led to slightly less elevation gain than last week, but a better average speed. Pity I couldn't quite make it to a 17mph average. Today's 43 miles means 125 in three days, that'll do. Giro starts tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18411802544/

[Slim]

I thought I'd given up my chance of getting a cycling day in before the rain comes over for the rest of the week by visiting a garden centre, then a pub with 'er indoors yesterday. Clearly my selfless sacrifice had fed my karma though, because today's weather forecast cleared up nicely.

With a light wind coming from the south, I decided on the usual southbound route. It wasn't until I was approaching Stoney Stanton that I thought to myself - why not go down Fosse Way? The "other" southbound route, and actually a bit more south-oriented than the usual one. So I did that.

I got to Brinklow then since I'd nearly done the requisite first-leg kilometerage, I thought I'd take a right turn at the end rather than left, and explore a bit.

I happened upon a sign to Nuneaton almost immediately. The route home from there is very familiar, so - why not? I looked at Google Maps. The only real drawback was that I'd have to come a sizeable and busy Warwickshire town, but at least I knew my way round there.

It wasn't a bad route at all, quite pleasingly flat but a fair proportion of it is urban, coming through Bulkington and Nuneaton. Glad I did it but I probably won't bother with it again. I could, I suppose, work out a route that goes up to Bulkington then crosses back to the usual Fosse Way route. Anyway once back on familiar territory after Fenny Drayton, I did the first half of a Twycrosser backwards. I estimated that the Atterton Lane version would get me home on 100km and I was pretty much spot on. I pedalled an extra 0.25 km for a margin of error.

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Temperatures forecast for today were pretty much exactly the same as last time when I was a bit too cold, so I wrapped up a bit warmer. In reality it was noticeably warmer. Had to backpack the tights after a couple of hours.

I stopped to eat the rest of my food supply at the bench at Snarestone. Two little girls were picking daisies on the grass there as I got up to leave. They came over to me. For a moment I thought they were going to offer me a daisy, which would have been a lovely gesture. However, they just wanted to sit on the bench.

Back on 100.51 and that's now 31 fondos in a row, however the weather looks a bit inclement in the following days and I will no doubt end up doing a shorter ride soon.

Listened to Times Radio, LBC and 5 Live which were unusually dull due to the necessity, mandated by broadcasting rules, not to cover domestic politics today. However I also listened to a couple of Dredd short stories.

First run out this year for the Cannondale.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18413735969

[David L]

I stopped to eat the rest of my food supply at the bench at Snarestone. Two little girls were picking daisies on the grass there as I got up to leave. They came over to me. For a moment I thought they were going to offer me a daisy, which would have been a lovely gesture. However, they just wanted to sit on the bench.

That was possibly their intention, until they got close enough to see the outline of your huge manhood in your tight cycling shorts. Traumatised, I suspect 

[Slim]

Very keen to test the new wheels (and cassette, and chain, and brake pads) on the X today. A bit breezy, not that warm, but dry. I decided on the eastbound route.

I wanted to do the Kegworth detour version but when I arrived at the right turn onto Ashby Road, I found that it had had dusty, sharp graval piled onto it. So I turned back along Gracedieu Lane and headed for Loughborough. After that, I intended to skirt Barrow upon Soar to meet Melton Lane then Paudy Lane, but I found that my usual route that way had been piled up with gravel as well. Clearly Leicestershire County Council are keen to bugger up as many of my cycling routes as possible at the moment.

I didn't bother to consult Google Maps and ended up taking a riduculous detour via Sileby and Seagrave. I'd never been that way before but it wasn't particularly interesting. I'd done 38km by the time I found my way to Paudy Crossroads.

I continued eastward as usual and turned back after about 54km. I hadn't done the maths but I guessed that if I came back through Loughborough I'd end up on about 100km. Before I turned back I checked to see if the AA batteries I stashed at a secret location in a sealed bag were still there. They were.

I had a brief excursion along Pitsford Drive in Loughborough, for a sentimental visit to my ex's parents' place. Even after coming back via Peggs Green and Coleorton I wasn't going to end up on 100k so I had a brief trip into Coalville. Back on 100.50km.

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The new wheels have transformed the bike - it feels really light and zippy now, a lot like the S Works which has a similar (albeit more upmarket) wheelset. The SRAM shifters seem happy enough with the Shimano cassette. I can change into the top gear at the back now (just needed a limit adjustment). And the new chain's fine.

I wish I'd bought another set of the Prime wheels for the Cannondale while they were discounted.

I listened to LBC, Times Radio, footy on 5 Live and more Dredd.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18454713734

[Nickslikk2112]

After seemingly spending most of the last three days watching cycling - wish I'd had a ride during the first three hours of yesterday's Giro - I got out for a couple of hours today, once I'd finished watching the Giro and managed to flush away my pre-ride dump 

As ever, a couple of hours aim for 32 miles. Got back with 32.44 miles with a moving time bang on two hours. I know my local roads too well.

Actually today I did the Wilkin Hill to Barlow Grange climb which I'd not done in ages. Went to Strava to see how my time compared to days of yore and no segment there. Looked in the hidden segment section and there it was. A Strava User had flagged it as hazardous. Why. OK it's a road, a single lane road, traffic uses the road, but not a lot. Yet segments which cover every bit of the climb haven't been flagged as hazardous, surely if the full climb is its constituent parts must be.

I blame Horse riders, there is a riding school along it, probably trying to deter cyclists. Haughty self-centred bastards are horse riders, you can't do right for them. I'm probably wrong, just some self-righteous chickenshit cyclist may have done it because they couldn't cope. FWIW my ascent time today was about slap bang in the middle of my range for it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18455564366/

[Nickslikk2112]

Another Arm warmer day today, I'm not going back to long sleeves, it's May!

Thought today was going to be a dry day, at least until the early afternoon, this morning's forecast said differently. Rainfall radar said incoming. So it was a day of riding out, doing a loop, seeing what the weather looked like and doing a longer loop or repeating shorter loop depending on how things looked.

Looked to me when I got to Tibshelf that it would stay dry so I pressed on. Should have just gone straight round the mini roundabout and come back as when I dropped down to Morton spots of rain were in the air, the road ahead looked to be riding to nice weather, but it was coming on from my left, heading to block out the bluer skies.

In Heath the heavens opened, arm warmers don't keep out the wet. Luckily after the next right turn it dried up. Not much real rain after that but the road was switching from very damp to dry every few hundred yards.

All in all a decent enough 40 mile ride out let's see how damp the next couple of days will be.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18476422917

[Nickslikk2112]

Glad I didn't go out yesterday. I'd have got very wet and very cold. THe forecast today said slightly wet and quite cool. That'll do. Didn't feel up to it though, woke up feeling quite shitty, but by eleven I'd come round a bit.

Felt likr hard work though, maybe I am ailing. Once again did a ride with lots of bail out points in case of rain. Was aiming for 30 miles, but when I got to the point where I'd turn back for thirty it started raining and hailing, if I'd gone back then I'd have ridden back through it, so I pushed on up to Owler Bar and turned back there, which let me see the shower going away from me.

Thouught I was going to die on the way back - ever the dramatist - as I ate a Stoats bar and an oatflake went down the wrong way. I wasn't choking - I could still swear - but I was trying to ciugh my lungs up like a 40 a day man. Not enjoyable.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18503529076

[Slim]

A north-westerly wind today. Usually I'd do the Upper Westbound route by default, but I've had a nagging feeling recently that I'm expending too many kilometres on the same roads. So instead I thought I'd go up to Kilburn, north of Derby, through Spondon and Morley - then back down via Coxbench and Little Eaton. Something I've done only twice before.

So I did that. Up through Donington, Shardlow, Borrowash then a right turn and up through Spondon, then up north of Derby.

I didn't bother with sentimental visits to ex-girlfriends' houses in either Kilburn or Spondon.

So I came back down the main road, right into Derby, then along Nottingham Road and back to Borrowash. Detoured to Aston to add a bit of distance, then later through Belton.

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It's really nice to go back to places I used to visit often in the first couple of years I lived in Derby, in the early '90s. But I must devise a better route that doesn't involve all the traffic in Derby. I did have to go halfway to Ibstock and back over the last few km to get the distance up so perhaps I need to extend it a bit at the northern end as well. Maybe up to Ripley.

Nice views of planes taking off near Donington. I listened to 5 Live, LBC, Times Radio.

Experimented with slightly lower pressures in the 700x32s on the Boardman, it's really an ideal bike now for the awful roads in South Derbyshire.

I got the clothing strategy spot on - occasionally too warm, occasionally too cool.

Back on 100.73.

Just noticed 25C forecast for about a week's time. Maybe an excursion over to East Lincs and back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18518812363

[Slim]

I bought some 700x32s for the second Boardman, then I noticed that the rear wheel (a Fulcrum Racing 5) has a slight wobble. Tried tightening the bearing collar a bit, no joy. Clearly it needs new bearings.

Then I remembered that I'd removed my Fulcrum Quattros from the first Boardman, before replacing them with Campag Calimas, because the front wheel had a wobble. A solution presented itself!

Swapped the cassette over and Boardman II now has a Fulcrum Quattro at the back and a 5 at the front. An unusual configuration, but perfectly adequate. It has the new tyres on as well.

I believe that running a shallower wheel up front and a deeper wheel at the back is quite common, the idea being that the shallower rim soaks up road buzz and minimises torque on your handlebars in a crosswind, while the stiffer rim at the back takes your weight. Science! But of course in my case, simply convenience.

Anyway I now have a front Quattro and a rear Racing 5 in need of a service, and a knackered rear Vision Team 35. I also still have the original Mavics from the Boardmen. Bit of a wheel infestation in the garage at the moment.

[Nickslikk2112]

It's about time I got my Summer wheels for the Bianchi prepped, but quite frankly I can't be arsed and I need the weather to be settled. I'll keep the Winter wheels on while ever it looks to be damp. I know it's easy enough to swap them over, but hey, I can't be arsed. The Winter wheels currently have a 28 tyre on the front and a 25 on the rear, which is against received wisdom. But hey, World Tour team Soudal have been doing it on TT bikes recently, so maybe I know more than I think.

Wish I'd thought more about going out today, wasn't feeling that great, but thought I should get out before the threatened afternoon rain. Heart rate on one climb I do hasn't been going over 150bpm by the time I summit it, today it was at 152 at the bottom and averaged 156. I blame Mrs S and the boy, Mrs S works in a school and the boy attends soccer matches and they pick things up and pass them to me.

Still, it was a ride and whilst there were a few spits and spots about it stayed dry in the 28 miles I did. Still well on course for 500 miles in May so that's fine.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18528973897/

[Nickslikk2112]

Hoorah! Made it out today. Did manage a brief ride on Sunday to get to 300 miles for May, half an hour between thunderstorms.

Was hoping yesterday wouldn't be too showery. It was unbroken showers. Showers were threatened again today, but the promise was they would be less frequent, so out I went, otherwise I'd just spend every day on the settee.

Didn't venture far from home today as it constantly looked black over Bill's mother's over the hills and  that was the way the weather was coming from. Should it have been a day for creekit watching in Queen's Park it would have tiddled down, but thankfully it stayed dry.

Put in enough local laps to get to 40 miles in the day. Felt a bit rough first time round on them, but warmed up as I went along.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18581172514

[Slim]

Rain was forecast for this morning. I'm not sure if it did actually rain, I was in the house. But by 1430 or so it was clear that it wasn't going to rain for the rest of the day. No excuses! I wasn't going to start a fondo that late in the day .. although I have before to be fair. But not today.

So I ended my run of 33 consecutive fondos with a common-or-garden Bpasser. First non-fondo since 17th January.

I set off at 1458. Pretty standard except that I had a brief excursion down to Old Grendon at the bottom.

As it turns out if I had stayed out for a fondo I'd have got rained on at about 2000. So no regrets. Quite nice out there, cloudy mainly, sunny occasionally, warm-ish. Actually I think it was good for my soul to do a shorter ride on one of my favourite routes.

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I took Boardman II to try out its hand-me-down rear wheel and new tyres. It has Schwalbe Green Marathon 700x32, same as Boardman I. Honestly - they are a joy, delightfully comfy and on the rubbish road surfaces near Ratcliffe Culey and Shenton and Orton, I actually think they roll better than the old 700x25s.

I will probably just bin the old Quattro 5 rather than fit new bearings. I don't think it's worth the cost and effort since it's a spare now. I'm quite proud that my DIY Amazon-sourced pawl spring repair of October 2022 lasted about 5500km, and was still working fine when I took the wheel off.

Back on 60.48km. I need another 255 to hit the May target.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18586645893