Cycling 2025

[Nickslikk2112]

After a weekend break in surprisingly rainy Manchester it was back to the cycling grindstone again today. Eventually. I thought it was forecasted to be a dry morning and it was sunny when I got up. By ten o'clock it was raining. Just for an hour by rain.

Managed to get out for half eleven and Mrs S wanted me back around one before she went to work. She worries. So, that gave me an hour and a half. Twenty four miles then.

Actually managed 26 miles and was late home. I encountered an unexpected set of roadworks in Cutthorpe, where the lights remained resolutely on Red. There was a fair sized queue at them so I thought they would soon turn green. Wrong. After a couple of minutes and with traffic starting to come through the other way again I turned round and did a Newbold Diversion.

When I got home, looked on the Roadworks website, no sign of any. Google Maps showed free flowing traffic.
Beginning to wonder if it was all an hallucination.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16210509826

[Nickslikk2112]

Managed to ramp it up today and get back to a 40 miler, had to with tomorrow's forecast. The BBC gave today a 0% chance of rain. Of course they did.

It rained, but thnakfully not on me! For once on a 0% chance of rain day I avoided the obvious certainty that it would rain. I managed to cycle out the top side of it and follow it back after it finished. Of course following it back meant I got the icky cold spray feeling on bare legs, but none of the wet clothing.

Also remembered to avoid the closed roads today. I can't believe the amount of road closures and roadworks at the moment and nowhere do they appear to be doing anything. Up above Apperknowle there was a posse of Severn Trent employees who were obviously looking for where best it might be to close a road at random. I presume that's how it works.

Nice to get back up to the Peak District again as well. At my age I feel a sense of achievement now when I get above 1,000 feet. It's these small things that make life worth living - when you're coming down anyway.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16221364785

[Nickslikk2112]

Out for just a gentle spin today. I think the time to dig out bib tights is upon us again. I managed OK in shorts, but it was a bit nippy and if it had rained, it would have been bone-chilling. But then I try not to go out in the rain if I can help it and the showers did stay off until this afternoon.

So just a 28 miler doing nothing strenuous. All the local roadworks and road closures made it a bit busy up in Brim though. If only 10% of these people used a bicycle for their short, needless journeys the roads would move a lot more freely. So come on denizens of North East Derbyshire ON YER BIKE!!!

[Slim]

A cold day was forecast - 7 or 8C all day. I got up earlyish, wrapped up warm and set off at about 0925.

I was determined to do at least 100km today, to keep my run of at-least-quintuple-fondo months going (eight in a row now!). The wind was coming from the north-west so I opted for the Upper Westbound route. Hadn't done it for a few weeks.

After Sudbury I headed north along the road to Ashbourne as I often do, but the traffic was a bit busier than usual along there and anyway I didn't fancy the climbing. So I turned back after 47km. Made up the distance on the way back by taking a detour through Fauld and Tutbury but not quite enough as it turned out, so I did a loop of the village over the last couple of km. Back on 100.55km.

Very changeable weather. Sunny, cloudy, rained on a couple of times. Even the wind didn't seem that consistent today - I think the tailwind on the way back was a bit stronger than the headwind had been, which makes a change.

I listened to LBC and 5 Live.

And that's a respectable 733km done this month. Tuesday looks a decent cycling day so I may get that up to 800.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16211192529

[Nickslikk2112]

A Cold day was forecast, so I stayed in bed. Even in retirement a Saturday morning is a Saturday morning!

I don't think it was any warmer than the morning when I eventually set out this afternoon. There was a brisk NW breeze too, which was very much in my face on the way out. It made uphill drags into full on Mont Ventoux climbs and I was wishing I'd stopped in.

Of course a headwind on the way out is a tailwind on the way back, so it let me cruise back to get to the 30 miles which gave me 125 for the week and 500 for October.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16253710399/

[Slim]

A sunny day. Very autumnal. Cold and very windy. I decided a Bypasser would do. Did a decently long one, taking in Atterton Lane. Back up through Upton, Shenton, Bosworth and Heather.

Nice out there, especially with a tailwind over the second half. Was gritting my teeth a bit on the way down. Pleased to see they've completed the road works at Warton. Nice smooth tarmac now.

Listened to 5 Live.

Highslide Image Viewer

Back on 62.61.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16282626123

[Nickslikk2112]

Sunny day, but a bit blowy. Mrs S cautioned me not to go out, but do I listen? Anyway, the forecast was for the wind to ameliorate slightly as the couple of hours of my ride wore on.

The wind may have dropped a bit, but by 'eck there were some gusts! Going down Peterdale Road which is steep and quick I got caught by a bit of crosswind where there was a side road and nearly had the back wheel taken out from under me, but a quick weight shift and the bike righted itself.

Did a bit of Staveley bypass lower loop bashing to try and get an easier bit of riding in, but the wind was a slowing factor, had to put more effort in than I thought. Also got a clear ride out with no unforeseen roadworks or road closures to get 36 miles in.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16281566924

[Nickslikk2112]

I think it's time for Winter mode to kick in. Just go out and pootle about for a couple of hours. I'm getting old, the thought of endless climbs out to the Peak District is losing its appeal. Not that they are endless, they just seem that way.

The roads seem quieter now it's half term week. I suppose all the folk who work from home are having to look after kids and/or make it seem like they are working at home instead of going out to do the shopping. Got it up to 35 miles again today. It'll do. Saw quite a few Jays flying around today, must be Acorn season.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16292205191

[Nickslikk2112]

What did I say about going to the Peak District? I went there, it was via the easy way, but you still go uphill for a long way, but at a lesser gradient. I'd done a harder climb before I even started the ascent to the Moors.

A grey day, but plenty of other cyclists were out and about today. Not what I really wanted as if they are ahead of me and travelling a bit more slowly I itch to get by them, but I was supposed to be taking it steadily today. Luckily, whenever I was about to catch them we got to a junction and they went the opposite way to me. That also spares me the fate of overtaking them and then being caught when the road kicks upward.

Today's 37 miles gets me to 627 for October, with 42,000' of elevation gain, not as much as last October, but it will do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16302223232

[Slim]

Today's weather was forecast to be sunny early on, cloudy later with rain over at about 1600. I did think briefly about doing a fondo but since it was cold before 1030 or so and I didn't want to get rained on later, I didn't. But with the wind coming from the south, I went down the southbound route anyway.

I took a detour after Ellistown along Beveridge Lane, past the enormous Amazon depot that must be visible from space. Partly for a change, partly to bump up the distance over a decent flat stretch of road.

Church Street at Earl Shilton is still closed for road works so once again I took a long detour to Stoney Stanton via Elmesthorpe. Then I turned back. Came the usual way except that I bypassed the road works by taking the bypass.

Very nice for the first hour or so, then gloomy, then light rain, about 90 minutes earlier than threatened. But it encouraged me to give the bike a good clean with a bathroom wipe while it was wet, once I returned to the garage.

Started the next Judge Dredd novella, pretty good so far. And listened to a bit of 5 Live.

Back on 65.34 km, that's it for October with a monthly total of 861 km. Not as good as last October which surprisingly was the highest scoring month of 2024 (1173 km). But it's more than good enough.


https://www.strava.com/activities/16303210910

[Nickslikk2112]

Got November underway today. Was a bit disappointed to see it raining by the time I left my pit, but it soon cleared - thanks to the wind.

Settling into my winter routine a couple of weeks earlier than usual I managed to get out before midday for a couple of hours. Nice enough, if a bit blowy, plenty of Kestrel activity up above Apperknowle. Saw one hovering over the road on my first spin round the Equilateral, next time it was flying away with something dangling from its talons.

Back on 31 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16321540645

[Nickslikk2112]

The sister in law came over today. Means my mental health - such as it is - was under severe threat, so I managed to escape for a bit. Was told to be back for lunch at half one. Could have got a good extra half hour in and in an ideal world I'd have liked to have done an other 75 miles, but even then she's still not gone...

Nice day for it, although the wind was more fresh than gentle. Managed to get 25 miles in. Weather for next week not looking good.

[David L]

We had in mind to get out today as the weather looked as if it would be good. And it was! However, still a lot of wet on the roads in places so glad we opted for the mtbs. Usually we take lunch in a rucksack when we are aboard the mtbs and so it was today.
A very small amount of off-road due to our view that a lot of the bridleways would be too wet. The bridleway from Ducklington to Calais Lane is mostly a mix of tarmac drive (to the farm) and gravel so presented no issues.
Exiting at Brighthamoton near Standlake we cycled through the Rack End area of Standlake and took the single track road through Northmoor. Passing the small hamlet of Bablockythe (which is primarily made up of a mobile  home park and a pub on the banks of the river Thames), then through Stanton Harcourt, Sutton and on to Eynsham. At Eynsham we stopped in the square for lunch where we consumed homemade sausage rolls, crisps, banana cake (also h/made), washed down with a cup of coffee from our flask, in the sun. Lovely!
We then crossed the A40 and headed towards Freeland before turning south along Cuckoo Lane and on to North Leigh. Back home via New Yatt at around 2:15pm. It was a lovely ride in decent weather. Not too cold but I was glad I chose my thicker gloves. Plenty of sunshine.
22.7 miles in 2hrs.

[Slim]

Well that was a mixed bag.

My first idea was to do the Lower Westbound, but after the first couple of km I changed my mind and thought I'd go down the Meriden Gap. However, I took a wrong turn somewhere and realised after 45km or so that I wasn't actually heading that way. But no worries, all I needed to do was do another 5km then come back the same way.

However, at a place called Furnace End I found myself at a junction with a road going to Atherstone - which is a town just below the bottom end of the Bypasser route. So I took that.

That was a more direct route home so after Atherstone I tacked on the latter half of a Bypasser incorporating Fenn Lanes. And when I realised that that wouldn't be enough either I went east to Kirkby Mallory, to come up the Southbound route.

I came the short way through Donington Le Heath over the last few km, which was a miscalculation as it left me having to faff around for a kilometre or so in the village. But: in the end, back on 100.42.

The roads were a bit wet to start from early morning rain, but dried up after a couple of hours.

Highslide Image Viewer

Interesting to come north through the bottom end of Atherstone again, hadn't done that for years.

I passed through a place called Gospel Oak in Warwickshire, curiously. There's a place of the same name in North London.

Back a few minutes after sunset. I took lights, but didn't use them. Good run out, a bit climby on the other side of the A5 though. I don't think I'd adopt it as a regular fondo route.

Listened to LBC, then footy on 5 Live. Very entertaining game between West Ham and Newcastle.

Lovely views of a 2/3 Moon low in the sky in bright sunshine.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16334363654

[Nickslikk2112]

Well, I managed to find a dryish slot to get out and cycle in. Decided to give the Gravel Bike a run out and just ride the local lanes. Might be my only escape route for a bit as yet more roadworks have started up. Well, I can still get out another way, but I'll have to remember that that will necessitate a different way home until mid December.

Could have gone back to shorts and short sleeves again today, it was plenty warm enough managed to work up quite a sweat on my mindless meanderings. Could have got in more than my 22 miles, but it was just good to get out and have a ride, rain was always threatening.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16351767380