Cycling 2025

[Nickslikk2112]

Seeing as there's Rain or Drizzle in the forecast every day until Christmas Eve I had to make use of a dry day. Wasn't feeling totally up to it, but forced myself out.

Again tried to take it steadily, but there's not enough flat round here and hills have to be surmounted to get to the flatter roads. Well, they're not really  hills in the great scheme of things, but when you ride up them into a headwind it makes them much harder. Oh be still my beating heart.

Ended up just doing the Winter take it easy ride round Heath, good for 35 miles. It'll do.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16713041467

[Nickslikk2112]

Well, no rain today and maybe no rain tomorrow, we'll see. Managed to get out for another 36 miles, tried to keep it as flat and easy as possible and still end up with a ride saying it was at VO2 max level. All because of a couple of little hills on the way back where the old heart had to work a bit.

Really must give the bike a clean, the amount of mud sticking to it must be slowing it down as will a filthy chain, but I'm suffering from cantbearseditis at the moment. I sometimes wonder if I leave it long enough that Mrs S will step in and do it, but no such luck. She'd do it wrong anyway.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16731233763

[Thenop]

Finally, with the help of 2 neighbours, my old bike is running again. Really have to thank them (which I did) for chaging the tyres, and taking apart the cassette and freewheel, looking at the chain and making it all work again.
Considering I have not done any type of exercise, or even a normal walk in over 5 months, an 8,6 km, (32 min) ride was quite enough. The weather was absolutely lovely so that helped.
Even though I am happy with the bike, it's more of a 'go to the shops' type of thing. It is heavy, bulky and feels like it is doing it's utmost to give the maximum amount of resistance. Oh well, it peddles so that's fine for now.

Pic is at the 'Zevenhuizerplas' which is near where I live, and a full round there is just over 8KM, free of cars with a separate bikelane (and even a separate one for pedestrains as well), which makes it ideal for short runs like this. Plus there are plenty of places to stop, sit and watch the birds.

Highslide Image Viewer

[Slim]

Half-decent weather was on the cards and I was determined to do a fondo today. But a pretty substantial fog didn't clear until about midday so I settled for a Twycrosser.

I did a fairly short version, cutting across from Sheepy. But I went a bit further eastward than I usually would on the way up. Went through Nailstone and Ellistown.

Stopped to rest and eat a pasty at the bench at Sibson, where I took the photo. Oddly, a few middle aged folks of both sexes were standing around in various parts of the fields behind me, some wearing wax jackets and flat caps, some with walking sticks and binoculars.

Highslide Image Viewer

Then I noticed a pack of fox hounds about 400 metres in front of me, to the south-east. I didn't see any horses but I did hear a hunting horn go off in the distance. Scumbags.

Listened to 5 Live, LBC and Bowie's Let's Dance album. Back on 51.32 ten minutes before sunset which, here in NW Leics, occurred at 1550 and 12 seconds. But tomorrow, it's 3 seconds later.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16732586202

[Fishy]

30 miles in this morning.. it was cold but dry and tomorrow looks even better then it's downhill with the weather ..so today was the usual routes around south Ayrshire but tomorrow I'm planning on heading to Prestwick/Troon and beyond if I can track down some suitable routes. I've done the national cycle route 7 to Troon a few times but never ventured further

[Fishy]

25 miles today.. hoped to get to Irvine but road was being worked on so turned back at Barassie and headed back on route 7 thru Troon and Prestwick on the coast.. head wind all the way back.. it was a sunny day but bloody cold

[Nickslikk2112]

A dry day, eventually. Didn't expect to wake up to rain this morning after seeing last night's forecast. The clearance must have been running a bit late, but it had stopped raining at half ten and I was out - just - before eleven.

Didn't try for anything strenuous out of a genuine desire to take it steadily and build up a winter base. Didn't happen, I thought I wasn't putting too much effort in, but the Garmin still reckoned I was at VO2 Max level. I think it's taking the piss.

Very similar ride to Sunday's but rode out half way to Tibshelf. Wasn't feeling man enough to go all the way. Headed off down towards Astwith and found a bit of a flood, luckily not too deep and no hidden terrors.

Got up to 37.5 miles, would have liked 40 but didn't ride quickly enough.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16757862069

[Slim]

I was hoping to do a longish one today but although it wasn't raining, the roads were wet and conditions were a bit cold and damp until about midday. I set off eventually at about 1230.

My first thought was to do a Twycrosser backwards. But just after I set off I had a different idea - something I'd considered, but never tried: just looping round the village repeatedly. There is a triangular loop of roads that can be used for this purpose that's about 2.25km long. It has four road junctions, but two of them are very easy - you can usually just sweep round without stopping. One has a set of traffic lights.

I thought it would be an interesting experiment if nothing else. I was curious to see if I'd be able to cover a decent distance in good time compared to a sensible ride.

Actually I quite enjoyed it. I did 14 or 15 2.25km laps, then I decided to fatten the loop slightly by taking in Jenny's Lane. This added another road junction, but a pretty easy one. Made up for it by avoiding traffic along Leicester Road.

Did another 10 laps or so. Decided to call it a day after the sun went down.

Highslide Image Viewer

Pros: decent distance:time ratio. Not much climbing - pretty flat. Cons - having to cope with traffic or a junction every few minutes. And of course I didn't really go anywhere. I wasn't as much as 1km from home at any point.

I did think that this strategy might have a serious disadvantage: the absence of a discreet venue for a wee. But I solved that by taking an excursion off piste for half a klick along Heather Lane.

I think this would work a lot better on a Sunday or early morning with less traffic around but even so, I may not do it again. It's another 58.79 km in the bag in any case.

Beautiful sunset this afternoon. A huge orange disk.

Listened to 5 Live.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16759383304

[Nickslikk2112]

After an increasingly miserable hour and a half on Wednesday in which I did laps of Brim and then as many roads as I saw fit round Hollingwood - too many short, steep climbs, today looked set fair for a better quality of ride.

And it was. Didn't do what I wanted to though. A road which has been closed for about ten weeks is now open, hoorah! But a quick look on Google Maps and the traffic flow showed that the road I wanted to take had been closed due to an accident. Boo! Bloody drivers 

So I went out to Tibshelf instead. Roads were a bit busy and it's probably best that I didn't go out the way I intended as all the local schools were chucking out early and I'd have been stuck in traffic. As it was I ended up coming back against the flow.

Another 38 miles done. Almost up to where I should be for 500 miles in December. Festive Feeding may preclude that.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16784757884

[Slim]

Another rain-free day with a strongish wind from the south. Wet roads. But nice and sunny, so it looked like a fondo was on the cards. I thought I'd either go down Fosse Way or the Meriden Gap. I thought the roads would be less muddy down Fosse Way, so I did that.

I went all the day down to Brentford then took the turn toward Coventry (rather than continuing down Fosse Way) for two or three klicks. Turned back, came back almost exactly the way I'd come.

Nice and sunny mostly. Getting uncomfortably cold in the mid afternoon, but the temperature seemed to rise a little later on and I was fine again.

I regretted not wearing contacts. My cycling specs picked up some spray from oncoming lorries which compromised my view a bit when riding into a bright sun.

I wore a GPS watch I hadn't used for a while and although I thought I'd started it when I set off, I hadn't. Strava missed out on the first 3.46 km but I haven't bothered to fix the track, I just worked out the distance on a GPX editor and added the deficit to the spreadsheet.

Listened to 5 Live, including Matt Chorley's end of year quiz which was quite entertaining.

Back nearly an hour after sunset but I didn't bother getting a proper front light out of my backpack, I just made do with a flashy blinker. Illumination from oncoming cars was helpful over the last few km.

About 500m from home, I heard an announcement on the radio to the effect that, at that moment, the UK was entering the busiest period for holiday traffic. Good timing.

105.4 km, 481 done this month. If I can do another 324 this month I'll have done 7,000 imperial miles in 2025 which would be nice. Depends on the weather. Probably not quite doable.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16786513811

[Nickslikk2112]

I thought today was supposed to be sunny. Woke up and even though the curtains were shut I could tell there was no sun. Opened the curtains to find it was foggy. Worse than rain really as it gives drivers even more reason to not see you.

Luckily it had cleared to a mistiness by midday and Mrs S was prepared to let me out for a couple of hours. Being the man I am I took an extra six minutes

Checking the roadworks page I found that a set of traffic lights had been set up starting today! Why? What are they going to do? This semi-scuppered my plans as I was just going to ride up and down the Markham Vale Industrial estate road. I ended up doing it, but had to extend my ride further out and then turn back again before hitting the roadworks.

Anyhow, it gave me 32.5 miles and my second flattest ride of the year, the Garmin relented from saying I had ridden at VO2 Max and said I'd ridden Tempo. I'd have liked Base, but I'll accept it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16793679445/

[Slim]

No rain in the forecast and almost mild. I intended to get up at about 0800 and be away about an hour later but I woke early, didn't get back to sleep and ended up setting off at about 0740, 36 minutes before sunrise.

A light wind was blowing from the east so I thought I'd do the usual eastbound fondo.

Roadworks are still happening along Rempstone Road - I think they're modifying the railway bridge - so I detoured through Sutton Bonington, which is always pleasant anyway. Went to Eastwell, came back the same way as far as Long Whatton, where I took the time-honoured Diseworth / Top Brand / Coleorton diversion to add a few km.

Highslide Image Viewer

I had thought of doing about 130km, maybe even going past Waltham since I'd set off early. But although it didn't rain, the weather was a bit murky. Misty and damp.

Listened to Times Radio, 5 Live and the Bowie album Black Tie, White Noise.

Back on 115.50 and that's 11043 km this year.

The outlook for the rest of the month has cleared quite nicely.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16811741225

[Nickslikk2112]

Not foggy today. Not particularly nice though. It did look like it might brighten up, but that was just a false dawn.

What was bad today was the amount of bloody traffic. We've got a Sainsbury's near us and it was almost gridlocked in the vicinity as people were trying to get there. Not good when you're a cyclist. Then up in Brim where the poor people live, they've got a new Aldi and the roads were bus round there, leading to me having to scoot along.

Even the "country" lanes were busy. I nearly got taken out by a Porsche driver at one junction, he was behind give way lines, I'd indicated to turn, then as soon as I started to manoeuvre, he pulled out ibn front of me which meant I had to turn back out to the way I was heading previously. What gets into the head of these twats? Even if I'd been going straight on he should have stayed where he was. Prick.

Apart from that it was a nice gentle ride, got another 37.5 miles in, could still get 500 miles for December in. Weather permitting of course, as there'll be a few days I'm not allowed out on.

https://www.strava.com/activities/16810918705

[Fishy]

Managed a 30 miler earlier with some old dear telling me to use my bell as I slowed right down behind her on cycle route 7 cos her dog not on a lead was all over the place.. she obviously saw me cos she pulled the dog in.. managed to hold my tongue just and cycled on..

[Nickslikk2112]

Managed a 30 miler earlier with some old dear telling me to use my bell as I slowed right down behind her on cycle route 7 cos her dog not on a lead was all over the place.. she obviously saw me cos she pulled the dog in.. managed to hold my tongue just and cycled on..

And if you'd used your bell she'd have moaned because scared her and the mutt!

As a cyclist you can't win.