Cycling 2026

[dom]

Ever watched On The Buses, in its day I thought it was great, but looking back it's abysmal! Nasty, lowest common denominator, shite.

It was so bad I felt sorry for Blakey, the dictatorial supervisor as he was relentlessly picked on and mocked by the 2 main "heros" of the show.

I'm sure the actor himself was a decent guy

[Slim]

Some of those old sitcoms have aged really badly. The ITV ones especially, really. Actually I think I'll start a sitcom thread, it's quite an interesting topic.

[Nickslikk2112]

I thought I'd do a shorter ride today as the Tour Coverage had an earlier start today, but things have a habit of changing.

I went out over some roads I'd not done for seven years, I remember why now, climbs! Not long ones but steep rampy ones. Got over them OK, probably better than my riding on the flat today, but that involved some roads I'd never ridden before which weren't as flat as I thought they would be.

When I decided to make my return home I came across a "Road Closed" sign, now I hadn't seen anything about a Road Closure on the Derbyshire roadworks site and normally I will give it a go to get through, but I chickened out on this as if it did turn out to be closed I'd have had to come back up a very steep ramp, which I did not fancy. The nearest alternative chucks you out at Motorway junction so I took the long way back to rack up 42 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19431197628/

[Slim]

Wanted to do a fondo today. I'm quite keen to break my monthly distance record and would have liked to do more, but as usual recently the forecast for the afternoon was "too warm". So I set off reasonably early, at 0850. Late enough that I didn't have to take a fleece and tights, though I did wear a thin nylon long sleeve top for the first 25km or so.

The wind was coming from the west so I did a Lower Westbound. But rather than going up to Abbots Bromley from Kings Bromley, I went down the A515 toward Lichfield, then looped round Handsacre, then up the A515 to Yoxall. Just nice, flat, well-surfaced, easy kilometres.

Then back down to Kings Bromley and back the way I came, except that I took a detour into Alrewas to sit and refuel on the bench there. Only done that once before, and I recall that I was listening to an LBC report on how disastrously the Tories' election campaign was going. Rishi had just returned early from the D-Day commemorations and some senior Tories were privately saying the election was already lost. They weren't wrong. So it was two years ago already.

Anyway.. nice out there, it wasn't really too bad in the afternoon. I wish I lived on lower ground though, every bike ride involves climbing the last 15-20km.

Back on 105.26km, 165 to squeeze in before August.

That's eight fondos in July and I've only done that many in a month twice before.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19459829082

[Nickslikk2112]

Didn't even get a half Fondo in today, but that was fine by me. I was exhausted from watching the TdF today! Told Mrs S I'd be out for 30 miles and that's what I did. I'm getting good at telling her a time or distance I'll be out for and then nailing it. Must be doing the same rides over and over...

Actually, today was a bit different, instead of turning round half way up a climb to get back on the right distance I carried on to the top to do a loop round and got back on the right distance. Set my fastest ever time up the climb which was satisfying, especially as I wasn't really going for it to start with as I was looking for the turn round spot. Once I'd decided to press on I pressed on. In my mind I was Torito.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19462469217

[Nickslikk2112]

Well, that was unusual, well, unusual for the last few weeks. It rained. I was hoping to get another 30 miles in to get to my cyclingest ride of the year setting out at 14:30 so I could see the last stage of the tour.

Well, 14:30 which was the time by which the rain should have stopped was rainier than at any other time of the day. It also looked on the rainfall radar that there was a conveyor belt of showers heading my way. Bum.

However, at three they started melting away so, nearly an hour late I managed to get out and I managed to get my 30 miles in. I also burned round my parcours in my probable fastest average speed of the year. It was helped by a semi favourable wind on the way out, but which was a semi unfavourable one on the way back. Luckily although the Tour stage has started they were still pissing about and not racing properly. Result.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19475317316

[Slim]

Thought it might be rather nice to go down the Meriden Gap today, but my main objective was to do about 110km, to get the monthly distance record within easy reach.

I set off at about 1010. Encountered a ROAD CLOSED sign down Ashby Road toward Twycross and it didn't look like I'd get past the roadworks, so I took a detour to the east. Usually I only come up (ie northward) that way, not down, and looking at the map now I took a pretty illogical route. But that was fine, I quite enjoyed the challenge. Rejoined my intended route at Sheepy Magna.

Then along the A5 for a bit and down the usual way through Kingsbury, south through Whitacre Heath as far as Maxstoke. Then I came back up, via a slightly shorter route.

Highslide Image Viewer

Nice run out, a bit different. Back on 109.69.

Cloudy and cool early on (I could almost say cold) but I wrapped up warm. Hot and sunny by 1400 or so, by which time I was down to minimal attire.

That's 1283km this month, which curiously is exactly the same distance I did in July 2025 to within 150 metres, over the same number of rides (13). But.. I have time for at least one more ride this month.

Pic taken along Castle Lane, my favourite bit of the Meriden Gap. About 15km to the east of Birmingham city centre, and about 5km from the outskirts of the city, not counting Coleshill.

Listened mostly to 5 Live.

Trialled my new Reactolite varifocals - they go from completely clear to sunglasses dark. Very handy for cycling.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19487912428

[Nickslikk2112]

Got the new week off to a start today. After feeling good on Sunday it felt like a slog today, I think it was a change from a WNW to a SW wind that did it, got more of a cross tail wind on Sunday, more of a cross headwind today. It started warming up a bit as well.

I had planned on heading out to Baslow and the Peak District today, but finding that roadworks had sprung up in Baslow changed my plans. Now it's the Summer holidays it can get snarly round there at the best of times so better avoided, you get too many folk wanting to come by as soon as the lights change.

So as ever when changing plans I headed out to Tibshelf - and beyond - managing to vary the way by taking a bit of road I'd never ridden before. Which was nice, if a bit uphill.

Plenty of other people out on bikes today, normally don't see so many out that way. Maybe they'd decided to avoid Baslow too. Once again another 40 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19499345803

[Nickslikk2112]

Seems like it's getting harder. Might be a weather thing, I noticed a local rider who I follow on Strava said that for his ride yesterday the air felt heavy - and it did and it did again today - and he's just back from riding in France. Just felt like more effort to do anything yet the power meter was as normal.

Anyhow, enough moaning, for a couple of seconds, as I did my slowest time of the year - out of three - up to Barlow Grange. Should get quicker as the year goes on, but looking at it the wind direction has been more against me every time. That's it, blame the wind.

Yes, the wind that in the BBC forecast was a gentle breeze most certainly wasn't. It is now, but it wasn't when I was on the road. The wind even led me to get a PB on a segment on the way back. I'd have been even quicker, but a load of flying straw bits from a field being harvested got stuck in my throat and made me cough. It's a hard life.

Got my forty miles in though, that's all I wanted.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19514300824

[Nickslikk2112]

Well today, I set off into the rain. Didn't thonk it was set in, but it took about five miles to fizzle out, not that there was too much intensity to it. It did keep trying to make another appearance, but it never threatened an intensity where you would have to man up. The air didn't seem as thick today either.

Once again the ride I'd planned to do didn't happen as loada of new roadworks had sprung up which looked as if they were causing delays. So I just rode abuut quite locally doing what in my mind was a mini Flanders classic, lots, well three or four, of little kicker hills. Managed to getmy forty miles in without even getting as far as Tibshelf.

That's July's cycling done for me now, got in 725 miles with 47,000 feet of climbing.

https://www.strava.com/activities/19528281572