Cycling 2026

[Nickslikk2112]

Another non rainy day, and thankfully I managed to get the bike and drive chain well cleaned up yesterday and not have it go straight back to square one the next day.

With there being no imminent threat of rain I cut back on the endless looping, put a few in because it's become baked into my routine, but managed to head out into the wild blue yonder much earlier than I have been.

Got all the way out through Tibshelf and then back through Pilsley, altering my original plan slightly because of roadworks, but I still would have got the 35 miles I did in. Bit of a slog at times on the way out with the wind, but a nice helping hand on the way back, apart from it was a crosswind and I nearly got taken out by a sudden gust when signalling right after looking behind me.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17505574976

[Slim]

I've been looking forward to a chance to go down the Meriden Gap route again, and today was it. Mild, no rain, wind coming from the south. I didn't go all the way down to Meriden. I turned back after about 45km, with the intention of making up the fondo distance on the way back. I did that by doing the second half of a Twycrosser after Grendon Road.

As usual I did the Edge Hill detour on the way back to avoid going all the way round the scary roundabout over the M42. I did an unintended detour just after Kingsbury, but found my way back on track very easily a few km later.

Really nice down there. There's a stretch of road that I particularly like called Castle Lane, and that's where I took the pic.

Highslide Image Viewer

A little bit damp in the morning, but beautiful warm (yes) sunshine in the afternoon. Had a very pleasant ten minutes at the bench opposite the oil terminal at Kingsbury.

Definitely descended into Warwickshire, so that's another neighbouring county box ticked for 2026.

I must avoid Sibson Road for a few weeks. I managed to get past the road works along there but it was shockingly muddy and gritty.

I restarted the Reacher novel and listened to 5 Live.

Back on 100.18. I've exceeded my February target by a few km now and if I can do another 17 before March, I'll have made up for the deficit in January.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17508033634

[Nickslikk2112]

Thought today was supposed to be warmer than yesterday. It was a degree cooler. No sunshine either, not until I got back home anyway. Still, I managed with fingerless gloves for the first time this year and it's much better riding without overshoes on. You feel more like a cyclist and I don't hear them rubbing against the cranks and seat stays due to how my cleats are aligned!

More or less repeated a ride of a couple of weeks ago, up through Dronfield to Dronfield Woodhouse, but instead of going up Stubley Lane I went up Gosforth Drive for only the second time on a bike, hence I managed to pick a few Golden personal bests for the first time in months! It also meant I didn't have to stop and turn back like I'd intended, instead I could loop round.

Got overtaken uphill by an electric Mountain bike again. If I can get up under my own steam then younger people than me should be able to! Managed to claw my way back as the road flattened, but then it went up again and off he went. I probably could have done 15mph but I'll be buggered if I'm going to try!

Back on 33.5 miles, as ever, it'll do. Also completed the Strava monthly climbing challenge.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17517815271

[David L]

Fabulous day for a ride. 27 miles on the mtbs..........in shorts

[Nickslikk2112]

The forecast for today was a dry morning and a wet afternoon. I woke up to a wet morning and it is now a wet afternoon. Luckily there was a dry slot which I managed to use for an hour and twenty five minutes.

Only time for 21 miles, but it's 21 miles that this rain avoider thought he wouldn't get in. Got back just in time to fetch the washing in for Mrs S before it got too wet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17529541694

[Nickslikk2112]

I think Mrs S keeps infecting me with coughs and colds she brings back from the school she works in. The old lungs were a bit productive this morning. But what's the best way of clearing them? Why, a bike ride of course!

Not much of one as I had an afternoon of Spring Classics, the opening weekend with Omloop Nieuwsblad. For the first time in months I was able to go out the Chesterfield Railway station as the road closure beneath it was finally lifted today, letting me do my own mini Flanders Classic - well, there was one short punchy hill to do.

The last fifteen minutes were completely miserable as it started raining. Not the light rain that was in the forecast, but big stinging raindrops that were pelting down. Washed all the salt embedded out in my helmet lining out into my eyes so I couldn't see. I've been out in rain for a couple of hours before and not got as wet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17552726027

[Slim]

I've set up my local folder  "database" of cycle rides using the activity history I downloaded from Strava. Unfortunately it's not complete, it seems that I didn't upload some of my rides in late 2015, for example. Unless Strava's lost them, somehow. But anyway I don't have some of them.

So I have one folder containing all the rides I have data for, all the GPX files. Then using the geographic GPX interrogator tool that I got AI to write in Python, I set up a folder to contain all the rides that passed through Twycross, like this:

$ for i in ../all/*gpx ; do if ~/scripts/GPX/gpx_near.py 52.642502 -1.505484 $i ; then ln $i .; fi; done

52.642502 and -1.505484 are latitude / longitude co-ordinates for a point in Twycross that I pass through. I got them by inspecting one of the GPX files.

This linked 360 files, meaning that I have passed through Twycross on more than 360 rides.

Unfortunately, the very first "Twycrosser" is not recorded - which is a shame because I remember it really well, it was longer than the rides I usually used to do at that time and felt like a bit of an adventure.

Fortunately I have at least been able to find the date on which it occurred. I listened to a radio play about the trial of Oscar Wilde, the dates on which it was broadcast are shown here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047w553

It must have been Saturday, 10th October, 2015.

Going forward I need to develop some scripts to keep the data set and location "views" up to date.

The job to populate the 'Twycross' folder took 55 seconds to run. Not surprising since it had to examine every waypoint of every ride, and a waypoint is typically recorded every five seconds or so.

[The Picnic Wasp]

Interesting. Knowing nothing about cycling terminology I always wrongly assumed a Twycrosser was just a term for a particular length or type of journey. Every day a school day, but happily not literally. Horrible time.

[Nickslikk2112]

Interesting. Knowing nothing about cycling terminology I always wrongly assumed a Twycrosser was just a term for a particular length or type of journey. Every day a school day, but happily not literally. Horrible time.

Interesting fact: Twycross Zoo was the home of the PG Tips Chimps 

[Slim]

A dry day and supposedly warm in the afternoon. So - I got up early(ish) and set off before 0900, with the intention of going down to Northamptonshire.

I went all the way down to Welford rather than to Sibbertoft, which is my usual point of entry into Northants - because I wanted to continue a bit further south, toward Northampton. And I did, but I hung a left to Naseby after a few km. Pedalled through the village then looped back up to Welford via a road I hadn't tried before - a bit gritty in places but not too bad. Then I came back up the same way.

I did take a right through Walton to go exploring a bit, but my way was blocked by roadworks, so I turned back to the main route.

Took the bypass round Earl Shilton on the way back, and detoured Bagworth further up, via Wood Road.

Highslide Image Viewer

Back on 126.65 km, my longest ride since August. My last ten rides now have been fondos.

It was indeed warm in the afternoon, sunny as well. But a little uncomfortably cool for the first couple of hours in the morning.

That's the Northamptonshire box ticked then, just Rutland and Lincs to do.

Listened to another hour or so of the Reacher novel, but mostly 5 Live on another big news day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17577975638

[Slim]

Interesting. Knowing nothing about cycling terminology I always wrongly assumed a Twycrosser was just a term for a particular length or type of journey. Every day a school day, but happily not literally. Horrible time.

You know I have thought occasionally of posting a glossary of cycling terms that I've invented, but thought against it since it seems a bit self-obsessed (moi?).

But perhaps I will.

[Thenop]

Interesting. Knowing nothing about cycling terminology I always wrongly assumed a Twycrosser was just a term for a particular length or type of journey. Every day a school day, but happily not literally. Horrible time.

You know I have thought occasionally of posting a glossary of cycling terms that I've invented, but thought against it since it seems a bit self-obsessed (moi?).

But perhaps I will.

Please do so. I'd be very interested to learn.

[dom]

I'd like to see that!

[Fishy]

35 miles today.. did a reverse run from the previous outing to Dailly then into Crosshill.. Kirkmichael and homeward
Nice sunshiny day but still a fairly cold breeze..

Wish these dog walkers with half mile long leads would fuck right off

[Nickslikk2112]

After a couple of grotty manflu days, just before going to bed last night the miasma pasrtially lifted. Still wasn't 100% on getting out of bed, but didn't feel like not cycling and the sun was shining - at times so out I went.

Once again I went out via the railway station now the road's open, probably be my preferred escape route for a few days just because it's been unavailable for three months. It means ending up going up the drag of the Training centre climb, but at least it isn't cobbled.

Did a loop round Holmewood and Heath before heading up to the Shoulder of Mutton at Hardstoft where I started the return journey, coming back under the shrouded gaze of Hardwick Hall, more tarpaulin than wall.

All in all got 31 miles in, just the last couple where I could feel that I was nowhere near peak powers. Still, onwards and upwards - without too much upwards - and, like Fishy says the 100 yard dog lead people should just FOAD.

https://www.strava.com/activities/17587855621