Cycling 2026

[Nickslikk2112]

And today I managed to get in my third consecutive 40 mile ride for the first time since the first full week in May. Be nice to keep it up, I need consistent rides of that length to keep up what fitness and form I have.

Felt like hard work, it was warm and muggy today. TMI but my jersey and shorts were sodden when I got back, was hoping to use them another day but they were so wet and salty I decided to risk the wrath of Mrs S and put them to the wash.

Just clipped into Nottinghamshire today, normally on a ride like today's I get to the outskirts of Worksop, but today I cut off through Whitwell for the first time since 2018, then headed up past Creswell Crags and then on to Cuckney to rejoin my usual route back through Langwith. Surprised that it only took about a mile off what I'd normally do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18970856591

[Slim]

A lovely day, a bit too warm in the afternoon for cycling arguably but in any case I wanted to do a short one today to conserve energy for a (possible) long ride on Sunday. So I thought I'd do a Twycrosser. And I did.

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Stopped for a sausage roll at the bench at Witherley, which is where I took the pic. Lovely out there. 51.33km which leaves me needing 194 to hit June's modest monthly target.

Listened to 5 Live and the fallout from yesterday's by-election.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18983005156

[Nickslikk2112]

Despite the temptation of too much cycling to watch, thought I'd better make some use of the weather before it gets too hot again. Wasn't that cool today, due to it being quite humid but just better out than in.

Decided to do an up and downer, up the Col de Wigley and back down through Cutthorpe. Didnt enjoy the up bit, third time I've done it this year and got slower every time. Enjoyed the down, now that the tarred and gritted has settled down. Was able to get above 40mph again without fear of skidding out.

Back on 30 miles to go over 400 for June.

https://www.strava.com/activities/18996617871

[David L]

Having a few days down in Milford On Sea again and decided to cycle out to the Vibrant Forest taproom close to Hythe, Southampton. We know they brew great beers so thought we'd take a crack at it regardless of the hot weather. As it happens, at 28 or so degrees, it wasn't blisteringly hot.

I planned a route that was not as direct as it could've been to avoid the busier roads and it turned out to be quite pleasant. The only really gnarly bit, traffic-wise, was the road out of Beaulieu with a number of cars and a few lorries passing a little too close as we made our way up the climb.

We arrived at Vibrant Forest after 22 miles. Situated on a rather uninspiring industrial park, the taproom is, actually, a really good set-up. A nice bar area inside the unit and an outside space with plenty of picnic benches and a visiting food truck selling flat-iron steak with chips, salad and a selection of sauce. The food was great too! But the main attraction is great beer and the ability to order a 'flight' (3 beers in 1/3 pint glasses) meant we were able to easily try most on offer.

We took a more direct route back through East Boldre and East End where we stopped to quench our thirst on lager shandies at the East End Arms just outside Lymington. This alternative rout clocked in at 17 miles by the time we got back to the campsite.

The mtbs performed without issue although Clare dropped her chain once on the way back. We were pretty spent but both agreed we would make the trip over there again in the future.

[Slim]

Wanted to do a long one out east yesterday. Minimally to the Eastern Hemisphere, but possibly to my most hallowed cycling destination, a place called Foul Anchor in east Lincolnshire.

I hoped to set off at about 0430. But I didn't really sleep. I dozed until about 0315 and was away at about 0410.

Apart from the necessity to go through Loughborough to avoid the new bridge works at Zouch I made another couple of modifications to the route - most notably going east through Grimsthorpe and Bourne, to avoid the dusty gravel I encountered along Morkery Lane last time I went that way.

A bit uncomfortably cool for the first hour or so and I'd started to think I'd underdressed in thin tights and a light nylon top over minimal shorts + top attire, but by the time I was rolling through Loughborough, I was fine. I backpacked the tights and nylon top about an hour later as the temperature climbed.

After 123km, I arrived at the Prime Meridian. It passes exactly through an innocuous crossroads just east of Whaplode St Catherine. I decided to press on into Earth's eastern hemisphere, all the way to Foul Anchor. I got there at about 1310, following a refuelling stop at the village shop at Sutton St James, which usefully is open until 1900 on a Sunday.

I decided I'd come back west the quicker way through Holbeach and Spalding and along the A17, just to make up a bit of time. It's a busy A road for 9km and not pleasant but a lot better surfaced than the minor roads by which I'd made my way east, as well as a shorter route. I rejoined the original route at Pode Hole, 103km from home.

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I'd stashed a tin of water in the off-road undergrowth at the East Midlands Electricity Board installation a week earlier and was pleased to see it was still there on the way back yesterday. Saved me a stop at the petrol station at Burton on the Wolds. I also checked on my secret 2 x AA battery stash along Clawson Lane. Couldn't see any sign of water ingress into the sealed plastic bag, but they were stuck together! May just be that the plastic sleeves had bonded together. Anyway I left them there.

The afternoon was uncomfortably warm after the sun came out. Conditions were mostly cloudy going east, which was ideal. I didn't get round to applying sunscreen until 1600 unfortunately, and my arms did get burned a bit. Legs already had a bit of a protective tan and seem OK. I was actually a bit too cool again by the time I made it to Burton on the Wolds, so I put the tights and nylon top back on. Fine after that.

I'd printed off a little spreadsheet to plastic-tie round the handlebars as follows:

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.. showing distances between the waypoints, odometer distance, approximate timing (based on an 0430 start).

I got slightly off course a few times going east, so the odometer distances went out of sync by a few km. But by the time I'd returned to Pode Hole the quicker way, they were back in sync to within 0.1km! Handy coincidence.

I had a few rest stops of course. I took a small tub of mascarpone from Tesco with me, but forgot to bring the plastic spoon! Fortunately I had some wet wipes, so I used two fingers, then my tongue. Just like old times.

Back on 274.54km. I can't say it was a breeze, the last 40km were a bit of a slog. That was my 7th longest bike ride (going through Loughborough saves a few km).

Glad I did it. Hadn't been all the way to Foul Anchor since 2024. But I don't think I'll do it again. Partly because I tend to use more boring roads on that route after having been bitten by a puncture near Bourne a few years ago and partly because I've done it a few times now, the sense of adventure has gone a bit.

I entered Cambridgeshire briefly, so that's another county on the 2026 list.

I listened to live World Cup footy on 5 Live - not often you get a game at 5 in the morning. Also more Reacher and endless speculation about Sir Keir Starmer's future on LBC and Times Radio.

Set off about 20 minutes before sunrise and got home about 20 minutes after sunset, so I made good use of the year's longest day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19015698582

[dom]

I always look forward to your epic rides!  Fair play to you on another monster!

[Slim]

Just a short one today - didn't want to be out much after midday, since the weather was forecast to be 32C this afternoon.

I set off at 0945 and did a Bypasser. It looks like the building works for Twycross Zoo along Orton Lane have settled down a bit now; the road's not too dusty along there.

Really lovely out there for the first couple of hours, with a very thin layer of cloud giving a bit of cover. Bright enough for shadows, but not punishing. Too warm after that, certainly.

It's a few years since I mentioned my knees in every cycling post but since I did 275km on Sunday I did wonder if I'd get a bit of knee pain today. But they were fine.

I took the Cannondale, it did feel a lot zippier than the Roubaix did on Sunday, with its semi-solid heavy tyres. But knowing you're very unlikely to get a puncture is a welcome luxury on a long ride.

Back on 53.77km and that's 748 this month, well over target.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19034451229

[Nickslikk2112]

Funny how now I have all the time in the world to get out I'm rarely out before 11, this morning because of forecast heat I tried to get out earlier. Did it by all of 30 minutes at 10:30.

Didn't feel too bad when I set off, a thin layer of hazy cloud had helped keep things cooler but that melted away after an hour and the temperature picked up. I just kept it steady and just rode along the gentle up and down roads avoiding the ramps and sustained climbs. Didn't really notice the heat until I got home and stopped, the breeze from moving helps a lot. Hydrating every 2.5 miles instead of 5 probably helped too.

Back on 35 miles and the last downhill even got me over a 17mph average. I'd avoided trying to average 17 during the ride as that may have led to over exertion, whenever it nudged up to 16.9 I started to pedal more easily.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19034395729

[Nickslikk2112]

Today I was delayed by having to wait for a delivery. I needn't have bothered as Mrs S still hadn't buggered off to work when it arrived. Even so I was unsure whether to go out or not with it being a bit hot and me being a bit old.

But hey, it was dry, so I just nipped out for a gentle 20 miler. Nothing spectacular, just nice to be out and about. It actually felt cooler than being in the house.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19048056028

[Nickslikk2112]

And today was the third 30C day in a row that I ventured out. Getting some Heat Acclimation in the bank now, it'll all be gone by the end of next week though, such is the nature of living in Britain.

Once again I didn't bother heading for the hills, just keep to the lower ground, keep it steady and keep hydrated. Today saw me doing further variations of rides out Tibshelf way, I even managed to incorporate a road I'd never ridden up before. Could have sworn I had, ridden down it a few times albeit not for years, but I was sure I'd been the other way too. Wish I hadn't today as it went up to 10% at times and I'm supposed to be avoiding that sort of thing.

Anyway a nice ride out for 35 miles and the completion of 500 miles in June.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19060868042/

[Slim]

Far too hot for cycling an appreciable distance during the morning or afternoon, so I thought I'd venture out at about 2000, when the air temperature was due to have dropped a couple of degrees and the sun was less direct, and do about 50km.

In the end I went a bit earlier, at 1915. I thought I'd just suck up the heat for the first hour.

I devised a simple route - the southbound route down to Kirkby Mallory, then west along Fenn Lanes and up homeward via what's usually the downward part of a Twycrosser. I particularly wanted to take in Fenn Lanes because I went along there last night in a car at sunset. Glorious along there at that time, quiet with open scenery.

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Back about an hour after sunset, I took lights of course, on 58.32km. Don't ride in the dark so much since I retired, so that was nice as well. Really lovely out there after the first hour or so, when it was scorchio.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19067013159

[Nickslikk2112]

Cooled off a bit, but still warm. Never thought I'd say that 28C was cooling off a bit, but there you go. And there I went, out into what was a quite cloudy day. Of course all the clouds melted away when I went out only to reform on my return so my bonce which I hadn't becapped got a bit fried again.

Only stayed out for an hour and a half or so and eschewed the flatter realms of late for some borderline hilly bits. Some melted road bits too. Horsleygate road was particularly sticky, I had visions of becoming trapped in tar to be found a few thousand years in the future like some Sabre-toothed Tiger in the La Brea tar pits. Good job I don't have any imagination.

Got 26.5 miles in so now I'm comfortably over 500 miles for June.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19085229107

[Slim]

Another hot day. A couple of degrees cooler than the last couple of days, but not ideal for cycling. Alas - I had a commitment in the evening so had to go out earlier than I'd have liked (1345), and didn't have so much time. I did a Twycrosser. Down to Mythe Lane at the bottom and up through Bosworth.

Quite a nice ride if a bit uncomfortable. 51.51 km.

LIstened to 5 Live and more Reacher.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19089305504

[dom]

2nd longest ride ever yesterday, 10km less than the 125km spin along the Grand Canal at the beginning of last month.

A lot cooler and cloudier than the previous few days, but still warm enough to be comfortable in shorts. The worst thing was the gusty wind. The plan was to head South into the wind and then homeward bound with it on our backs.

Headed through Dunshauhglin, Ratoath and Ashbourne into Co. Dublin. Then Northbound through Garristown and back into Meath via Ardcath and Duleek.

Back to Navan via Tara Na Ri, Bective, Robinstown and Dunderry. 2 stops in Ratoath and Duleek which coincided with the start and end of the hillier section of the route.Finished up with a lot of messing about round Navan as although I'd comfortably got to 100km, I'd forgotten to restart my watch and I wanted that target on the respective app.

We had a new lad join us yesterday who was unlucky to puncture as we were leaving Duleek. Even though we found and extracted the staple or u shaped piece of wire that did the damage his tube needed reinflating every so often.

His chain also came off at one point navigating a right hand turn. Hopefully that didn't put him off. He managed the distance ok but he was struggling for the last few Kms.

The wind plan didn't quite work out and better planning would have meant going further south on the outbound leg or less North through the middle section. Duleek is North of Navan which meant a South Westerly trip home. Exactly the direction the wind was coming from at that time!

[Nickslikk2112]

Just popped out for an hour and a half today as there were the British Championships to watch. Mercifully it was a lot cooler, it was also a lot windier, but for once I didn't care as I was sweat free.

Just a ride out to Pilsley and back re-riding the road I did for the first time on Friday. Slaughtered my previous time up it. Probably. Was faster anyway. Even got up to a 17.8mph average, might have been 18 if the roads hadn't been so bloody busy.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19097913117