Cycling 2025

[Fishy]

Managed 40 miles today.. started off very warm with a nice breeze but ended pretty dull quite windy.. found another couple of single track roads cross country with very few pot holes which was nice..

[David L]

We did 31 miles on the roadies today. Lovely weather for it too.

I cleaned and lubed both chains yesterday (Slim's tips employed!). Both drivetrains sounding and working slick.

However, for the second time (as far as I remember), I forgot a pump! I usually stuff my tiny Blackburn pump in a pocket of my cycling jersey when I go out on the road bike but it slipped my mind this morning. Paranoia set in a few miles out so I popped into Mountain Mania cycle shop in Carterton. The cheapest option was a fairly tidy item by Oxford Products which I attached to the bike immediately. £20 I should not have had to spend....grrrr! Anyways, I could have taken a chance, as it turns out but fate may have conspired against us had I not made the decision I did.

On returning home, I checked whether the Blackburn pump was where I assumed it would be and confirmed what I thought, it is considerably lighter. I still have the box with the frame bracket so I decided to swap the pumps over. I'm not sure why I've never fitted it to the bike but it will eliminate the chance of making the same stupid error again. My only concern is that it might introduce a slight rattle on our poorest of roads. If it does, I'm sure I can be inventive enough to silence it. It's a lovely, light little pump. Only around six inches long with a telescopic double-action it does look neat on the bike, matching the frame colour nicely.

I may use the new one on the mtb, although it already has a half-decent pump fitted on the frame. Oh well, nice to have a spare, I suppose.

[Nickslikk2112]

Went out for a gentle spin today, thinking it might be a bit warm, but it wasn't that bad really, known it warmer already this year. Still, not a bad idea to have a steady ride.

Came back with 35 miles, which'll do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14848906672

[Nickslikk2112]

Now today was warm. Three hours on and I've still not cooled down. Plenty of other cyclists out today, either heading to the tops or coming back, I wasn't going to go that far today too warm for that sort of thing. I turned round halfway or when the gradient got over 8%.

Only out for 32 miles, but got though two bidons, I'm well on course for 500 miles in June so it'll do. Probably end up with non-stop rain until the end of the month now, whatever the forecast says.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14859244338

[Fishy]

Managed 35 miles this morning.. thought I'd get out before it warmed up too much.. nice breeze to cool things down a bit but still very warm and muggy..  came up with a nice Dalrymple loop taking in a new pit stop of Patna which was a shit hole.. but was a nice segue into a route into Barbiestoun.. enjoyable ride...

[Slim]

I got up early, because the hottest day of the year was forecast. Easy enough, because my body clock is still on Greek time. I set off on the southbound route at 0805.

At some point between home and Stoney Stanton I decided to go down Fosse Way instead of down to Sibbertoft. So I went straight over the roundabout at Stoney, through Sapcote, High Cross, Brinklow.

After Bretford I'd already done 49km and didn't want to do much more before turning back, so I took a right to explore. A couple of klicks later I was in a village called Brandon, where I took the pic then turned back.

Stopped at the village shop for a posh sausage roll and a Magnum at Brinklow. I like to have a break at the bench there. Nice little ritual. Conditions were pretty hot by this time, but before long a thin layer of cloud came over, enough to prevent the bike from casting a shadow on the road. Still very warm and humid but a nice break from the sun.

I'd expected a straggly strip of rain to come over from the rainfall radar forecast. Felt a few spots from midday, then light rain half an hour later. Then it stopped. Then over the last few km, persistent rain. Not quite heavy, but not light either.

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Listened to LBC and a bit of tennis on 5 Live, then more of Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip by Simon Hart.

Very pleased to see that a long stretch of road between Ellistown and Bagworth has been resurfaced - properly - with luxuriant, smooth tarmac. Bravo, Leicestershire County Council. But what makes one part of the road network merit a proper resurface when other parts just have loose, dusty gravel tipped on them, I have no idea.

Unfortunately they haven't quite finished yet so I had to put up with a temporary road surface for 100 metres or so. A bit rattly. But no big deal.

Back on 102.26km. Glad to be out on a bike again after a ten day break, mostly due to holiday commitments. More on Monday when the weather is set to be a bit more moderate, with a stiff wind coming from the west.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14870451516

[Nickslikk2112]

Just went out for a short one before lunch as it was hot and rain was forecast for the afternoon. It started raining whilst I was out and about, nut not much and at least it was warm rain. Started to properly rain just as I got home, which was good timing for once. Just the 25 miles today, but it felt like enough.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14869565272

[Slim]

The Meriden Gap is a ribbon of rural England that runs down between Birmingham and Coventry. I've been down that way a couple of times - it's a sort of extension of the Dad's Army route - but never as far as Meriden itself. I did intend to visit the place last time I went down that way but made a couple of substantial navigation errors and turned back early.

This time, I uploaded the route to my eTrex and dutifully attached it to the handlebars before setting off.

A nice day, cool when I set off, too warm later.

Meriden is the site of the Cyclists War Memorial, constructed in 1920. One one side it features an engraving reading "TO THE LASTING MEMORY OF THOSE CYCLISTS WHO DIED IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1919". It was rededicated in 1963, with the plaque shown in the photo. The memorial is 50.6 km from home, making it an ideal destination for a fondo, and that's where I turned back.

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Very nice run out although the hills on the other side of the A5 are a bit tiring. I listened to LBC, then more of Simon Hart's memoir / diaries from his time as a chief whip. Getting to the juicy stuff in 2023, with Suella resigning and Nadine insisting she was short-changed in the honours. Oh yes and Matt Hancock swanning off to Australia without receiving permission (albeit he did ask for it, a few hours before his flight).

The Meriden Gap is a really nice, quiet bit of rural cycling territory. In Meriden itself, you're about 4km from the extreme outskirts of Birmingham and about the same distance from the very edge of Coventry. I suppose it will be subsumed by one or both of the great urban conurbations that flank it eventually.

Back on 101.34.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14891655636

[Thenop]

I like that, a memorial for cyclists.

Also, very nice pic with the contrast of blue skies in the back and the overcast upfront. Gives a bit of a dramatic touch.

[Nickslikk2112]

Fully intended to go and do my first ascent of the Froggatt climb this year, but a check of the local roadworks revealed that an inconvenient set of temporary lights had reappeared on an uphill stretch of road. I really don't like having to put out over 400W for a minute or so to avoid being hit by cars from behind so a change of route was planned.

At least on my changed route the roadworks had disappeared from the slight uphill bit where they have been for weeks. No sign of anything much having been done, but hey-ho. It was a nasty old headwind on the way out though, more like the middle of winter than midsummer, but at least it was warm and there weren't more than the odd spots of rain.

Completed the 40 mile ride at an average speed of 0.05mph above that of the last time I did it. Strava says I rode at 99% intensity today compared to 93% last time. That'll be the headwind then.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14900233645#

[Nickslikk2112]

Another 40 miles done today on yet another Tibshelf variation. Once in Tibshelf I kept seeing "ROAD CLOSED AHEAD" signs, yet must have ridden about three miles before actually getting to the closure. From looking at the local roadworks they had flagged it up, but no diversions so I thought it may be passable but had planned to do the way I did go for a change anyway.

Another nice day for it, sunny yet not too sunny, warm yet not too warm, a bit of a breeze but not a howling wind like of late. Nice to get an above 17mph average ride in, but if I were fit I should be doing 18+ mph, maybe now I'm just old. Got me to over 500 miles for June.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14910937693

Since getting back, I've ordered a new set of wheels for the Giant TCR. Bought a new back wheel a few years back when I was told it's braking surface was knackered. The front one must be too by now as it's done over 20,000 miles. Thought I'd get a pair as rim brakes are fast becoming a thing of the past, especially Carbon Fibre ones, so being as Hunt Wheels had 30% off a pair and are currently offering an extra 10% off I thought I'd get some. Hope I can cope with 50mm Aero wheels.

[Slim]

I had half a mind to do another fondo today but I seem to have come down with a virus, which is not unusual straight after a cruise. The symptoms are mild so far though, so I thought 55km or so wouldn't hurt.

Wind coming from the south-west today, ideal for a Twycrosser. I did the relatively short version that goes to Carlton via Bosworth Road from Sheepy, but I went up through Packington and Ashby (where I took the pic) at the top end.

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Listened to LBC. Aasmah Mir, who used to present on 5 Live, was sitting in for Shelagh Fogerty - who also used to present on 5 Live come to think of it, but is an idiot. Then 5 Live.

Very warm out there. Had my most diaphanous gear on. 57.31km and that's 730 this month, decent considering I was out of the country for a big chunk of it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14912270049

[Fishy]

34 miles earlier today.. bit of drizzle to start but it soon disappeared.. warmish day with a bit of a breeze.. followed national route 7 out of Ayr to Maybole and Crosshill then going d a new B road that I'd never been on.  Into the nice little village of Kirkmichael then cross country  back into Dalrymple then Ayr.

[Nickslikk2112]

Back to being windy again today. A brisk Westerly. Didn't want to end up slogging out to the Peak District into it, so just rode randomly around local roads, like what I do on Winter when it looks like rain isn't far away. Not that it looked like rain today. Well, not that much, there were a few spots but nothing distressing.

Another 35 miles onto the yearly total

https://www.strava.com/activities/14921417901

Crikey! I forgot that I saw a Red Kite on my ride today, first time I've seen one within five miles of home before. Saw it on a couple of occasions as I - and it - circled round.

[Fishy]

37 miles.. found a nice single track outside Kirkmichael which had another couple of roads coming of it at various points so will need to investigate them later.. would like to have got to 40 miles but the gusty winds and the fact I was knackered meant it didn't happen...

Off to the isle of Bute then Inverness next week so that'll be me until early July..