Bike Diary

A dry day, anticipated to be warm in the afternoon and not too windy. The wind was coming from the south-east so I thought a southbound fondo was in order, either down to Northamptonshire as usual or down Fosse Way.

I had to reroute at Earl Shilton due to a road closure. Usually I try to sneak the bike past whatever obstacle has been put there to annoy me but no chance this time, the road (Thurlaston Lane) had been dug up right across and into both grass verges. So I backtracked and plotted a new course to Stoney through Elmesthorpe. Also at Earl Shilton – an old bird walking along the pavement flagged me down for a chat! She must have been at least 80. Told me how she used to do a coast to coast walk as a young woman. And her dad bought her first bike when she was 12. Bless her.

By the time I’d got to Stoney Stanton I’d decided to go down Fosse Way. So I did. Got as far as about 5km past Brinklow when I decided to turn back. I did want to go a bit further, but the headwind and the up-and-down hill climbing had started to grind a bit. Stopped for a bit of a feast at the village shop in Brinklow. Always like to sit and watch the world go by there, especially in the sunshine.

Back on 105.01km.

Listened to LBC and 5 Live mostly. But also, on an inexplicable whim, the Alphaville album Forever Young and Zappa’s Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar which I bought as a triple album boxed set in 1981. Requires a particular mood.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14255724161

Rain was due over at 1600-ish today supposedly, so I didn’t want to go too far. Last night while idly toying with a route planner, I devised a different southbound route – one that would use the usual route as far as Bagworth, meet it again at Broughton Astley, but go through Desford, Thurlaston and Croft on the way there.

On a map it looks more direct but in practice it’s more hilly, not really very practical. Made a nice change though. Some stretches of road I hadn’t done before. Some nice scenery. I went down as far as Broughton Astley then came back up the usual way. Stopped at the Co-op at Stoney Stanton and had a bit of a feast at the Belarus Bench (actually a massive tyre bearing the text MADE IN BELARUS) near Potters Marston.

A very light rain started to descend at about 1400. It was tolerable, but of course I didn’t know if it was going to stay tolerable so rather than coming back through Ibstock as I intended, I came the quick way through Donington Le Heath. The rain did start to come down a bit heavier over the last few km.

I listened to Adrian Chiles on 5 Live and the 2017 British Sea Power album Let the Dancers Inherit the Party. I’m never sure if it’s perhaps a bit better than its successor, Everything Was Forever.

Anyway, something a bit different and another 63.67km in the bag. 571 this month now, 3077 this year. I’ll be happy enough with another 200 this month but what I really want is a warm day with a light easterly wind so I can pedal over to the Fens and back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14213450931

Cloudy (mostly) and cool, with rain threatened in the afternoon. But I thought I’d do 60km or so. To make it interesting, I planned to do one of my regular Twycross Bypasser routes, but in reverse. I thought it might be a challenge to remember the turns the “wrong way round”. Clearly it was, because I took the requisite right turn on the way down a bit early, at Barton instead of Carlton. Actually looking at the track now, I took a short unintended detour at Swepstone, as well.

Anyway after that I mostly did what I’d intended, but I made better time than I thought, partly because I’d inadvertently used a more economical route. So I took a detour to Measham on the way up and approached Ashby via Heather rather than by Gallows Lane. Actually to be honest that latter detour was mainly because I’d confused myself.

So yep quite an interesting challenge. The headwind was a bit annoying. But there was occasional sunshine. 62.32 km done.

Checked the Boardman wheels when I got home. I’d managed to get the very slight wobble out of them by tightening the hubs, but it’s come back a little bit. So I have to either change the bearings myself, get someone else to do it or buy new wheels. Maybe an excuse for an upgrade.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14176144423

Didn’t think I’d feel like cycling today after walking around London for seven hours on Thursday then maintaining my old legs in an upright position for two hours at a gig last night, but – it was the last day of a nice run of weather and a particularly pleasant one, so I thought I should do at least 65km.

Pleasantly warm when I set off. Didn’t know what I was going to do really. Just wanted to busk it. I did the southbound route as far as Kirkby Mallory, then I cut across to Sutton Cheney and did a sort of Reverse Twyrosser from there.

Stopped at the petrol station near Sutton to buy some food and as I parked up, a young guy in cycling gear strolled up to me and asked me, sheepishly, if I had a bike pump! I did of course so I lent it to him while I went in the garage. He and his mate were doing an audax. 2 lovely bikes, 0 bike pumps. Anyway he was very grateful when he handed it back a few minutes later.

Really lovely out there. I took it easy and just soaked up the nice weather and the relaxing Saturday vibe. Listened to LBC, then footy chat on 5 Live. Back on 69.06km.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14157187853

Yet another sunny day, but this time the wind was supposed to be much lighter than of late. Almost warm, as well.

I wanted to do a longer one. Ideally, and if I may invoke imperial measurements for a moment, I’d have liked to do a 100-miler. Alas I had to be home by about 1830, and my Echo Dot was claiming that the temperature was fridge-ish before about 1000.

I did the eastbound route, but a bit further than last time, past Stainby. Would have loved to go another 20 km further east, but maybe next time. Went through Stanford and Burton on the way out, Wymeswold and Rempstone on the way back. Used the longer route through Griffydam and Peggs Green over the last few km.

Really, really nice out there. Glad I did do the eastbound route though because the wind was a bit more forceful than I was led to expect.

Speaking of ’70s sitcoms, as we were earlier in the thread, or at least alluding to them – Bob Grant, who was Jack in On the Buses lived in Waltham, which is on this route, in the 80s and 90s. I sometimes stop at the Deli there.

135.82km.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14118987569

Another sunny day, a little bit cooler than Friday. Still too windy for a particularly long ride, but I thought conditions were just about decent enough for a fondo. The wind was coming from the east. I thought I’d do the southbound route. I’d have a sidewind both ways, but not too much of an annoying headwind.

I did that, down to Sibbertoft Gliding Club the usual way, penetrated Northamptonshire for a few metres then came back up the “old” way via Blaby and Enderby. My original idea was to cut across to the “new” route on the way back up after Blaby to avoid the busy traffic near Desford. But I didn’t bother and in the event it wasn’t too bad.

On the way up I took the Wood Road detour which added a bit of distance. But after Ellistown I came the short way through Donington Le Heath. I wished I’d set off back up a few seconds later than I did, because I saw a huge aircraft-shaped shadow cross the road in front of me. Stopped the back and twisted my head round just in time to see a glider landing. It must have passed over the road behind me, just a few metres over my head. Would have been a spectacular sight if it had been in front of me instead.

I decided to use my Casio GPS watch to track the ride, which I haven’t done for a couple of years because the Android app that syncs to Strava had always been unreliable. I thought I’d see if matters had improved, and thankfully they have. It does seem to work decently now. On the other hand the watch itself didn’t start tracking the ride until I’d done about 1.5k. I fixed the track with a GPS editor. Annoying but I think I can put it down to not having used it for a long time. GPS devices use a dataset known as an “almanac” which is updated when they’re used. My watch would have had to download a big chunk of new data from the satellites before it could start tracking.

As I emerged from a petrol station carrying an all-day-breakfast sandwich and a cheese pasty, a kind bald gentleman passed a nice compliment on his way in. “Lovely bike!” he said. I thanked him warmly of course. That’s nice, isn’t it?

Oh and I performed a good deed. I stopped for an impromptu picnic near Amesby, at a farm gate. There was a single item of litter, a flattened coke can. So I brought it home with me to recycle.

I listened to LBC and footy on 5 Live. Fulham vs Liverpool (very entertaining) and the first half of the Manchester derby. Dull.

Beautifully sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky and I had a nice view of the Moon in the afternoon, in fact I see I’ve caught it in the pic. But I did get a headwind intermittently both ways, depending on the particular direction of travel of course.

Back on 101.95km, pleased with 241km so far this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14101265110

Sunny again, and touted to be warm in the afternoon. I didn’t set off until 1050, by which time I judged it was warm enough for bare legs.

I wanted to go out east again, preferably into my Cycling Happy Place to the east of Waltham and beyond. But the headwind was really aggravating. Not merely because of the additional force I had to apply against it, but because of the roar of wind noise going past my head while I was trying to listen to the bloody radio with earbuds in. So I decided a fondo would do. I went to Eastwell, sat on the bench and had lunch consisting of cheese rolls and a flapjack, then turned for home.

I went eastward through Normanton and Stanford rather than Rempstone and Wymeswold, which has been the norm of late. I came back westward through Wymeswold and Rempstone, but used a different road to detour that way than usual. Hadn’t tried it before. Quiet, but nothing special.

Enjoyable ride on the way back with a headwind. Back on 102.86 km.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14078885678

Another sunny day, warm enough but fairly windy. Had a lunchtime appointment and not that much time, but I didn’t want to go far anyway. I did about 17km of the Twycrosser route, then came back up the same way. The wind was pretty annoying and since it was coming from the north-east, I didn’t choose an ideal route for it. Strong headwind on the way back.

But I only did 35.75km. Had a quick excursion to Ashby on the way back, and a bit of a detour round the village over the last klick, where I took the pic.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14059370129

Lovely day. Coolish in the morning but sunny with very low winds. I planned to do a fairly long one, partly a repeat of a ride I did a few years ago in which I entered Rutland from the eastern side, then pedalled through England’s smallest county east to west, for about 20km. I did that one on a sunny day in 2021 (four years ago yesterday actually) and have always remembered it as being delightful – scenic and very quiet.

I’d hoped to set off at about 0930 but I slept in longer than I expected, no doubt due to the clocks going forward at the weekend. I set off at 1040. I did the usual eastbound route as far as Buckminster, where I stopped at the village shop to stock up on food and a Maltesers drink. Then I dipped south and east to South Witham, then decended into the rightmost bit of Rutland.

Rutland was just as I remembered it from last time – almost spookily quiet and very pleasant. Idyllic villages with very little traffic passing through them. Normally when I tick off Rutland I penetrate it only superficially – just over the border for a bit and back. But it’s a lovely part of the country. I missed a turn after Thistleton and looped back up tthe way I’d come, but I recovered.

I re-entered Leicestershire just after Whissendine and came back what I might call the “usual way” from there, except that I’ve only been over that way four or five times. Through Little Dalby and Great Dalby. Then up to Six Hills and the usual eastbound route via Asfordby and Shoby. Home through Wymeswold, Rempstone, Zouch, Belton as usual.

Setting off a bit later was probably for the best as conditions were a bit warmer by then and I was able to wear lighter clothing. I stuffed a pair of tights and a fleece into my backpack after the first couple of hours. I was home long before sunset anyway, in fact I did ponder extending the ride to make it an “imperial fondo”, or 100 miles. I didn’t but in any case it was a glorious day out on a bike, probably one of my top ten favourite rides ever.

Listened to LBC, 5 Live, Jeremy Vine on R2 for a bit.

Back on 146.12 km and that’s a pleasing 1141 km this month, which is my highest ever monthly total for one of the first six months of the year, and my fourth highest monthly total overall. I did seven fondos in March and interestingly I’m 300 km ahead of 31st March 2024.

That was my first visit to Rutland this year and the final neighbouring counties box ticked for 2025.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14042242019

Not a particularly warm day and I had a commitment in the afternoon. But I had a plan to investigate the fertile territory south of the A5, aka the “Dad’s Army” route, without having to go on the A5 to get there. This would take me through Polesworth, through a place called Stoneydelph, then down through Hockley.

So I did that and unfortunately it was not a success. The new part of the route was hilly, depressingly urban, often poorly surfaced and busy with traffic. It was a relief to get down to Kingsbury. Actually I failed to take an intended turn at Hockley, but the worst of it was behind me by then anyway.

So I came back the usual way and put up with the A5 between Dordon and Old Grendon. It’s not so bad going that way anyway, since it’s downhill.

Quite enjoyed the ride on the way back. Another 67.23 km in the bag anyway.

Saw a couple of hares frolicking like dogs in a field near Norton Juxta Twycross.

Listened to the BBC News channel, then Fulham vs Crystal Palace in an FA Cup game.

https://www.strava.com/activities/14022559369