Cycling 2026

[Nickslikk2112]

A cloudy day today, but a warm cloudy day. Don't know if it was the warmth but I felt like I was riding through treacle today. I certainly didn't get back today thinking "I'm Alice, I'm Firing, I fell fantastic". Got back home to find out that our electrician had turned up early to do some jobs and he said "You look half dead mate" I felt it.

Started out feeling OK, but then I found a road closed which I was hoping wasn't so I could get warmed up on a gentle loop, so it was straight into a long climb and that's when the legs stopped responding. Good job I didn't go all the way to the tops as I'd found my intended route back had been tarred and gritted -thanks fellow riders on Strava - didn't want to do a fast sweeping descent on gravel covered roads.

To try and get to 40 miles I kept adding in out and back bits of road, I was sure I'd calculated it correctly, yet pulled up our drive and stopped the Garmin to see it read 39.99 miles, arse. If the electrician's van hadn't been there and I'd done further up the drive I'd have got it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18594718729

[Nickslikk2112]

Wasn't feeling up to it today - again =  yesterday's car journey had taken it out of me. Only a 100 mile round trip but I'm becoming a bad passenger, the boy's driving was a bit offputting. Strange eating patterns also led to me waking with indigestion to go with my still spinning head.

But, just in case it got too warm in the afternoon I forced myself out just after eleven. Didn't do too much as I wanted to be back to watch the Giro - mountain stage, can't miss the mountains - and I didn't miss not having mountains round here.

Wish I'd missed a dropped chain. Was going downhill, realised I was still in the small chainring, changed up to the big ring and off came the chain and couldn't ride it back on. With all the traffic behind me I just had to coast downhill and roll up the next uphill to a convemient place to stop.

Didn't quite get up to 30 miles, but the indigestion went and my head stopped spinning. Started spinning again due to delayed dehydration.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18620445245

[Slim]

My initial plan was to do Cheshire and back today, part of a new route I'd devised to Wales and back, which is a (substantial) extension of the Upper Westbound route.

I thought I'd set off at about 0700. But I woke up at about 0330, didn't get back to sleep so I thought I'd get up and do the proper Wales and Back thing. I set off at about 0455.

The new route has a brand new 35km stretch which joins the Upper Westbound to the old Wales route from Sudbury to Stone. I liked it - I really felt like I was in the back of beyond. The roads were a bit rough in places, not too bad. But it was pretty hilly. Pleasingly rural compared to the usual method along the A51 but a lot more taxing.

I'd brought the camo bag so I stashed some clothing with a tin of water and a bike light in a hedge after 54km. But even with minimal clothing it was getting uncomfortably warm.

I listened to 5 Live, Ellie Oldroyd and Jeanette Kwachi presenting the breakfast show. They wanted listeners to text in what they were doing in the warm weather weekend. I texted in, so Ellie announced to the 5 Live listeners that I was doing a 150 mile ride to Wales and back. She also told me off on air for not including my name.

Sadly - by the time I approached Shropshire I decided I'd have to let the listeners down. I'd just do Cheshire and back instead. It would cut out more than 20km of the ride. So that's what I did. I came back the same way apart from getting slighly lost and off track a couple of times.

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Even in its reduced form, that was a knackering ride. Whether because I ate too much and drank too much coffee at Costa at Stone on the way back (a "medium" coffee is like a large bowl of caffeine soup), because it was too warm, or involved too much climbing I was really struggling over the last 40km. Rotter's Rise north of Melbourne was a real killer. I felt dizzy a couple of times when stopping at junctions. I suppose having about 3 hrs sleep last night didn't help. I'd forgotten how hilly the 'old' part of the ride is, between Stone and Cheshire.

That was the 3rd most elevation of any ride I've done (1,967 metres). I'm not going to do that one again, even on a cooler day. Probably won't do the old version either, the A51 stretch that I superseded today is flat, but a drag and not pleasant.

Back on 204.37km.

Saw a fox at the edge of the village just after I set off. About an hour later I saw a squirrel go right under a car and survive! The car went right over it but it was, so to speak, between the wheels.

Listened variously to 5 Live, LBC, Times Radio, more Dredd short stories, a Sheila E album and Jay Graydon's Airplay For The Planet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18626599690

[dom]

90kms in the beautiful sunshine today. Left the flatter roads of Meath for the slightly steeper ones of Louth and I felt it. My legs took a double battering as I didn't put any suncream on and now, unsurprisingly, after 4 hours in the sun, they are a much brighter shade of red than looks strictly healthy!

[Slim]

Yesterday was the first long ride that I bothered with sun cream. I decanted a bit of Tesco SPF30  into a small plastic travel container and applied it by the roadside before midday. Worked! Didn't get burned.

[Nickslikk2112]

I've never bothered with sun cream. I start exposing my skin quite early and it seems to pick up a slow tan. This year last year's tan hadn't faded away so I got off to a good start.

Only problem I get is my thinning hair lets the sun get to my scalp through the helmet vents. Can send me a bit bonkers.

[Slim]

A very hot day today but I thought a couple of hours before the worst of it kicked in wouldn't hurt. I set off at 0845. Did a fairly typical Twycrosser.

I did 48.03km. Still a couple of klicks short of the May target. But that's fine. Wednesday looks a bit cooler at the moment. Perhaps one more May fondo.

Actually quite nice out there until about 1100, by which time the temperature had climbed to about 27C. But I didn't have far to go. A doctor on LBC was advising listeners not to spend time outside after 11 am. I could certainly see what he meant.

Along Sibson road I saw a jogger coming the other way. She didn't look like the most experienced athlete - pale-skinned, a bit flustered and red faced, and - I'm not going to say she was fat, but she would have struggled to get into Keely Hodgkinson's running shorts, let me put it that way. So, perhaps a bit presumptuously, I shouted "don't stay out too long" as I passed her. She smiled.

Nice run out on the whole.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18646313843

[dom]

I've never bothered with sun cream. I start exposing my skin quite early and it seems to pick up a slow tan. This year last year's tan hadn't faded away so I got off to a good start.

Only problem I get is my thinning hair lets the sun get to my scalp through the helmet vents. Can send me a bit bonkers.

That added to my mistake - first time out with exposed arms and legs!

[Slim]

I always wear a cap on a long ride if it's sunny. Actually I was glad of it on Saturday, I turned it round to keep the sun off the back of my neck coming back east from Cheshire.

[Nickslikk2112]

I always wear a cap on a long ride if it's sunny.

I did today. It was my intention to - not that my intentions always come to fruition - but Mrs S insisted on it.

Wasn't sure how many miles I'd get in today in the heat and I did set off earlier than normal. If it weren't for the fact I'd stuck the Summer wheels on the Bianchi I might have stayed in, but I wanted to make sure they were set up right.

They did feel faster, yet my ride today was no quicker than a very similar Winter wheel ride on Saturday. I did put a bit less effort into it today.

It was certainly warm out there, but I didn't really feel it until I stopped in the Sun, then it hit you. I think the sun also managed to find spots it hadn't caught before. Back on 30 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18659549361/

[Nickslikk2112]

Supposed to be a cooler day today. It was a cooler day, all the metrics said so. Still felt warm out there despite being 10C cooler.

With it being cooler I headed for the hills. Plenty of others seemed to be doing the same. Actually, they'd already headed out to the hills and were waiting for me. Don't wait suckers, I'll come straight by, eat my wheels!

I remembered not to come back down through Cutthorpe with that having been tarred and gritted. I did have to traverse about 50 yards of it, thankfully it was flat, but all the tar had melted. Would not be nice picking up loads of tarry gravel on my tyres. Managed to get 40 miles in and get over 500 miles for May.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18674251935

[Slim]

Not quite so warm today. A fondo wouldn't be a problem. I did the usual eastbound route, with the detour through Kegworth both ways. Through Cotes and Walton on the way out, Wymeswold and Rempstone on the way back. I also took the detour through Diseworth then down Top Brand after Kegworth on the way back, mainly because I forgot to do the left turn along Smithy Lane. Didn't go so far east as I usually would, due to the detours. Didn't want to do much more than 100km.

Actually very pleasant out there in the warm sunshine, the headwind going east was a lot more annoying than the heat. Warmer by 1500, but tolerable.

Some terrific views of aircraft taking off from East Midlands near Kegworth.

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back on 103.46. Over target for May now.

Listened to 5 Live and more Dredd short stories.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18676133455

[Nickslikk2112]

Out again today. Warmed up a bit again so I decided to do a ride somewhere between the length of Tuesday and Wednesday's rides, so that'll be 35 miles then.

Nothing too out of the ordinary just out and through Tibshelf and back. Very few cyclists out, but then it's not a very nice area when you have the Peak District so close. Just saw one bloke on a Time Trial bike.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18688060394

[David L]

Me and the Mrs did our 'standard' Charney Bassett 30-miler on the road bikes this morning.

We waited until after 10:00am to set off, to ensure we didn't get tangled up with all those poor angry bastards that have to work for a living. It felt cooler, in fact it was perfect (for me) with a nice cooling breeze. Still in the mid-twenties though, I guess.

We stopped for coffee/tea and flap-jacks at Munch in Southmoor on the way out. We considered extending our route but decided against it as the heat built towards midday.

Stopped at The Market Tavern for a pint of Complot IPA (Damm) with a dash of lemonade - beautifully thirst-quenching. Considered a second but decided to get home for a late lunch. As we made our way back the skies became slightly ominous and it looked like we may get a soaking. However, it stayed dry until we got home. As I was wiping the bikes down, I was forced to pay a little less attention than usual as a few spots of rain fell. It didn't develop into a shower though and now the sun is shining and it feels like a furnace in the lounge again. I'm surprised because I honestly thought the weather would break today (we had a storm in the night).

Absolutely knackered now and unable to slake my thirst. That might be because I ran just under 5k on the treadmill yesterday. Good to get out though after the heatwave-induced break.

[Fishy]

Bike was in with local bike bloke... gear changes weren't happening very well.. some went fine others taking 10-15 secs to complete.. anyway new gear cable and all is well... pity ive missed all the good weather as its back to normal around these parts from tomorrow..