Author: james

Very cold. I did a Twycrosser, coming back east through Upton and Shenton which I hadn’t done for a while.

The other half has been a bit militant about my preference not to wear a helmet, of late. I much prefer a woolly hat in cold weather. However, although I don’t like to appease her usually I did wear a helmet this time, with a cover on and a cycling hijab underneath in the hope that it would keep my head warm. I’ve bought some head torch helmet clips to keep a head torch band in place. Worked well enough.

I’m not sure if my head was as warm as it would have been in a “dutt”, but then again my feet and hands were unusually cold as well. Took the pic a few minutes after sunset, and wished I’d brought my other phone. It would have taken a much better photo.

The road between Sibson and Shenton is lovely cycling territory. Every time I do it I resolve to do it more often in future. Then I don’t.

Anyway back on 32.66. 297 done this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10589972016

A bright sunny day, but a bit windy and very cold. I devised a route that would see me cycling in four counties after work. Not as ambitious as it might sound – the border between Leicestershire and Staffordshire is only about 2km long, with Warwickshire at one end and Derbyshire at the other. None of them are very far from Chez Slim.

So I headed down that way, through Heather, Swepstone and Snarestone, then west to Appleby Magna.

I hadn’t been through Appleby for years – it used to be on my Wales route, though I wouldn’t go that way now. I got slightly lost and ended up taking a different route through and out of the village than I intended, but I was happy I did – it was really beautiful along there in the cold sunshine. Reminded me of going on winter walks with my grandmother when I was (at a guess) six or seven years old.

I exited Leicestershire to enter Warwickshire at No Man’s Heath, at 1607. Six minutes later at 1613, I entered Staffordshire along Main Street. Another nine minutes later I penetrated Derbyshire along Netherseal Road, following a right turn from Clifton Campville at 1622. I connected with my usual Lower Westbound Route thirteen minutes later, and at 1551 I successfully performed re-entry to Leicestershire again, at Acresford.

So: over the 15 minutes between 1607 and 1622, I had cycled in four counties.

I should say that for the purposes of this exercise I was using the modern “ceremonial” county boundaries, not the historic ones. I didn’t actually visit historic Derbyshire at all. All of the Derbyshire territory along this ride is actually in historic Leicestershire. Derbyshire annexed a chunk of Leicestershire a century or two ago, in return for land elsewhere. But I definitely visited both versions of Staffordshire, so that’s another neighbouring country ticked off.

I’d never done the road between Clifton Campville and Netherseal before – it was lovely just before dusk. Very quiet, almost like a secret place. I’ll try to remember to do it again.

I hadn’t been through No Man’s Heath for a few years and I was pleased to see that the road surface was better than I remembered.

I went up through Ashby on the way back to add a couple of miles. Back on 27.61, not as many as I wanted really but it was seriously cold after sunset so I don’t feel too bad. My average distance figure is a bit rubbish so far this year, but on the other hand I’ve done 264 miles which is more than acceptable 16 days in.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10571186309

Originally, ie earlier in the week, the plan was to do a fondo today. But the forecast changed to threaten rain in the afternoon so since it was rather cold anyway, I decided I’d settle for 40 miles or so.

I left the house at about 1020. The wind was coming from the north-west. I went up to Swarkestone Bridge the long way through Isley Walton, then west along the Beloved A Road. I was going to stop after 20 miles or so then come back an even longer way through Ticknall and Hartshorne, but when I saw a right turn to Etwall, I thought – why not have an excursion into Derby? So I did; all the way through Etwall and Mickleover and right into Derby city centre. I’ve done this a couple of times before, though I took a different route through the centre this time.

I took a wrong turn near Mickleover and quickly realised that I was heading the wrong way down a one-way entrance to the roundabout I’d just left. Worse, the occupants of a police car queuing there in the other lane observed me doing this. I pulled up sharply, manhandled the bike onto the verge and retreated quickly. Fortunately they didn’t trouble me. Ten minutes later I got bored of waiting for the lights to change at another road junction so since it was clearly safe to do so I went right through a red, only to find another police car waiting at the same set of lights around the corner. Happily they didn’t seem to be bothered either.

I came down Osmaston Road to Swarkestone Bridge, then home the usual way from there. Stopped for a few snacks at a petrol station near Chellaston.

Nice sunny weather for the first 90 minutes or so. Then a bit gloomy. Then light drizzle. Then, a few miles from home, tiny hailstones. I examined a couple of them that had landed on my right glove. They looked like tiny shards of glass and they felt like it as well, when they were bouncing off my face. Fortunately that only persisted for a couple of minutes. Regular rain for the rest of the ride.

I entered Derbyshire of course so that’s another neighbouring county ticked off. I did Nottinghamshire last Sunday so that’s three done, four to go.

Back on 46.47 miles. 236 done this year which surprisingly is more than I’d done this time last year.

A Twycross Bypasser is a nice way to close the week after work on a Friday, so I did that. Not quite so cold as Tuesday. No chance of rain though conditions did feel a little damp.

I stopped for a snack in the pitch black beween Ratcliffe Culey and Sibson, leaning against a telegraph post. I’ve done that a few times along there recently. Quite an enjoyable little ritual.

I tried a new pair of cycling shoe covers. They fit my shoes much better than the last pair I had, which used to foul the cleats and got chewed up over time. They seem more waterproof as well. Possibly not quite so warm though, but they do keep the wind out.

Back on 34.62 miles, 190 done this year already. I want to do about 375 this month if I can so I’m on course.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10545605488

A dry and sunny afternoon, but a very cold one, with a strong wind coming from the east. My vague plan was to do about 15 or so of the eastbound route then come back. Didn’t want to do less than 30.

However the experience of riding uphill against a powerful, chilly wind toward Zouch put me off a bit. I decided to keep it short. Took a left for Long Whatton to loop back west and south. I thought I’d add a couple of miles by coming back through Isley Walton and Breedon rather than down Top Brand. Looking at the map though, it makes very little difference. Half a mile at most (at a guess). Nice change, though.

With the wind at my back it was actually lovely out there, even at about 2C. There was a beautiful ambient light post sunset. I did feel I should have done a few more miles, but the temperature had dipped sharply by the time I got back so I might have regretted it. 24.10 miles.

A light wind was coming from the NE and a dry, intermittently sunny day was forecast; ideal conditions for the first eastbound fondo apart from the temperature. Cold out there, 3 or 4C.

I checked before I set off that the road through Zouch wasn’t still closed by floods – https://one.network/ is handy for this. Interestingly the A6 was still closed from the same junction, with a barrier stretched across the road. I saw several drivers ignore this, and drive round the wrong side of the traffic lights to get past it.

Originally I’d planned to take the old route through Rempstone, to avoid the low ground near the Soar going through Stanford and Cotes. However I couldn’t find any cycling food in the fridge this morning. I’m out of cheese rolls, Cornish pasties and mini pork pies. So I crossed my fingers and went that way regardless, so I could stock up at the petrol station at Burton on the Wolds. I did have to contend with a few massive puddles, and a shallow river crossing the road near Cotes. But nothing too alarming.

I was comfortable enough on the way out but the temperature seemed to dip sharply at about 3pm, on the way back. I listened to 5 Live mostly. Some very entertaining FA Cup football in the afternoon.

Back about 20 minutes after sunset, on 62.62 miles. 131 done this month, and my average distance is now a more reasonable 43.65 miles. I like to maintain it above 40.

I hoped to do about 40 miles. No rain and low winds, but it was cold out there and a bit damp. There’s a lot of standing water out there at the moment.

The plan was to do 20 miles or so of the Eastbound Route, then come back the same way. I disregarded a ROAD CLOSED sign at Zouch in the hope that I’d be able to get past on a bike, but the road was properly flooded. At least a foot deep (first pic). I could see water flowing into a drain just a few feet in front of me; you can just about make it out on the photo. But it kept on coming.

My next idea was to go up to Donington, then over Cavendish Bridge and through Shardlow. But the northbound side of the roundabout on the other side of Donington was flooded as well. So I gave up and turned for home from there, albeit I took a slightly longer way past Diseworth.

Nice out there after dark somehow, despite conditions being a bit cold and damp.

I have a surfeit of part-used AA batteries from Christmas decorations at the moment so I used a single-AA mini LED torch as a front light. I’d only intended to use it as a “visibility” light but actually it did illuminate the road a bit. It’s not brilliant (pun intended) but I could just about get away with it on a well-surfaced road without fast downhill bits, with a head torch for backup.

Listened to Craig Charles on 6 Music mostly. Slightly surreal as I’ve been watching the 35-years-younger Craig Charles on the first series of Red Dwarf in recent days.

Back on 32.07 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10493895528

A very late night and a few drinks didn’t seem to have caused me too much debilitation by the time I dragged myself out of bed at about 11:15AM. I had a quick breakfast and set off on a Twycross Bypasser not long after midday.

But clearly my head was a bit foggy because I couldn’t find my DAB personal radio, I took the wrong specs out with me and I forgot to take a phone. I took my old MW/FM personal radio with me, and it was fine. I managed OK without my varifocals. And fortunately I didn’t need a phone.

I only wanted to do about 35 miles because rain was due over some time between 3 and 4pm. Bright when I set off, growing increasingly gloomy as the ride wore on, but it didn’t rain.

Listened to 5 Live, mostly footy chat.

Really nice to get out there in the open. I especially enjoyed the view along Orton Hill. And although this only occurred to me when I got back, I went over the border into Warwickshire at the western end of Orton Road, so that’s one of the neighbouring counties ticked off already.

I tracked the ride with a new watch, a Garmin Vivoactive 3 that I bought second hand (on a whim of course) for £30 in well-used condition. The battery meter read 64% when I set off and I got the low battery warning with about two miles to go, although confusingly since finishing the ride and switching off the GPS, the meter has crept back up to 22%. So – I’d guess it should just about handle a fondo on a full charge.

Although I like the colour screen, it’s not as useful for cycling as an Instinct. But it’s another toy to tinker with.

Back on 36.26 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10474360779

I thought I might get out today but rain came down in the afternoon, so I didn’t. The forecast tells me I won’t be going out again before January, so the 2023 cycling campaign is complete.

Although I hadn’t intended to, I covered more distance this year than ever. I managed 6413 miles, beating my 2020 tally by 102 (and last year’s total by 936). September was my highest-scoring month (628 miles), March the lowest (303).

I did 38 fondos this year, 9 of them covering more than 100 miles. My longest ride was Sutton Bridge and back in June, 181 miles. Pleased to have done Northampton and back a couple of times as well, and Wales and back. I’d taken in all of Leicestershire’s neighbouring counties by March.

Didn’t do Newark and back this year which is a shame, will make it a target for next year.

I did 127 rides in all (120 last year).  My average ride distance this year was 50.5 miles which I find amazing really. The median distance was 43.2.

My Roubaix came top of the distance league with 1461 miles done. My least-used bike, despite getting a new pair of wheels in 2022, was the Cannondale (313 miles). Probably because it needs a bit of fine tuning and I haven’t got round to it. I’m pleased to have got 1094 miles out of the second Boardman, because I replaced a broken freehub spring myself in late 2022 with a generic freehub spring purchased from Amazon, and I don’t completely trust it. Perhaps I should.

A dry, bright day out there and I hoped I was sufficiently recovered from my latest round of COVID to do 40 miles or so; enough to get the monthly total to 400.

I set off at midday with the intention of doing about 20 down the southbound route, then turning back. I did feel a bit unstable just after setting off – I don’t know if the virus has affected my inner ear or something? I was getting flashbacks to learning to ride my first bike! But I was OK after 15 minutes or so.

I kept going south for 23 miles, and took a left up Lutterworth Road to explore a little. I’d started to ponder the idea of doing a fondo at this point. But I definitely wasn’t 100% and I decided to play it safe and turn back.

Back on 48.82 miles. Looking at the weather, that might be a wrap for 2023. 409 this month, 6413 this year.

Really nice out there today. Quiet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10440608721