Other things to do today but I had time for 30-odd miles. Much cooler today but the roads had mostly dried up after yesterday’s rain.
My first idea was to go up Top Brand, up to Isley Walton then hook a left to Melbourne then perhaps the Beloved A Road for a bit, but as I was pushing up Top Brand I decided to go right up to Castle Donington, then west to Shardlow. Wasn’t sure what I’d do from there – I briefly entertained the idea of going into Derby again – but in the end I came back down through Aston and Weston, to Swarkestone Bridge. Back the usual way from there.
A bit different, don’t think I’ve ever done that stretch between Shardlow and Swarkestone that way round before. Made a nice change.
Took the pic near Weston. Lots of poppies out today, and a few fields of lavender. Very pretty.
My nostrils were assaulted by a powerfully pungent smell on Top Brand. I noticed some sort of tanker spreading a noxious liquid on a field about half a mile upwind. I was very glad to get past it. I wonder if our farmers have been buying processed sewage from the Dutch again?
The dead deer I noticed at the side of the road south of Melbourne was a bit whiffy as well.
It was cool at first, and rather cloudy. Regretted coming out in bare legs for the first half hour. But conditions warmed nicely later, and the sun came out.
Too hot tomorrow and it’s going to rain all weekend apparently, so I booked this afternoon off work. I was going to Bingley Hall and back, but I changed my mind before I set off this morning. The wind was blowing lightly from the south, so I thought I’d do roughly the same distance along the southbound route.
Really warm out there. I had my absolute lightest cycling clothing on, including my lightweight meshy camo top.
I went right down through Welford towards Northampton. I did briefly entertain the idea of going right down there, but decided against it. I’d just about have enough light, but not much time for a couple of beers, a bath and a decent meal when I got back. It is, after all, a school night.
I stopped at the village shop at Gilmorton on the way down – nice to see that the table and chairs have been deployed outside again – and had some sort of bacon and chees pastry object, a coffee and a Magnum ice-cream lolly in the sunshine there. Very civilised. I was joined there by another cyclist whom I took to be roughly the same age as myself – he had a very smart Trek Madone with electronic shifting, and he admired my Roubaix. Told me he had three of them himself! We had a nice old chat about bikes, and long rides. I told him I was 61, and that I never would have thought I’d be doing long rides at my present age. He told me he was 74, and still did 8,000 miles a year. Made my day.
I’ve caught a bit of sunburn – my legs were pre-tanned so I think they’ll be fine, but my arms haven’t been exposed much this year and they’ve gone a bit sore. Ah well.
I stopped at Spratton on 41 miles, then turned back.
Listened to Colin Murray on 5 Live, sitting in for Naga. Then a few minutes of Nihal Arthanayake’s awful programme – he must be the most painfully woke, pitifully one-dimensional broadcaster on Earth. The first item in his show today was about lesbian parenting. I switched him off and listened to the Reacher audiobook for a few hours. It kept my attention but so far isn’t drawing me in so much as previous Reacher novels.
A little cooler and more cloudy later on, which was a relief. Stopped at the petrol station at Welford on the way back and gorged myself on a sandwich, a mini pork pie, a flapjack, and more coffee. I never even touched the cheese & onion pasty I took with me out of the fridge.
Anyway – 83.04, 429 this month which is over target.
Nice to go a bit further down to Northampton, I’ll go all the way down again one day this year.
A warm afternoon, bone dry, sunny and a light wind. I managed to escape work fairly early and set off to do a longish Twycross Bypasser.
It’s not often I set off in minimal clothing with short sleeves, but today was one of those days. However – within half a mile I was starting to regret it because it was cooler than I thought. I seriously considered going back for a long-sleeved jacket.
Another mile further on though, I’d warmed up nicely and later on I was too warm if anything.
I went right across to Kisses Barn Lane, along Mythe Lane (where I passed a group of seven ducks taking shelter under a roadside bench) and right along Fenn Lanes. I stopped at my favourite bench at Sutton Cheney. It was replaced a few years ago and it really was a beautiful thing then, smooth red wood with sharp edges. But it’s grey, cracked and weathered now, with all the edges worn down.
Back up the usual way but I extended the ride a bit by going through Burgoland, then Ibstock.
Listened to the cricket on 5 Live, I wouldn’t normally but the Drive programme mostly switched to coverage there when it became apparent that England were putting in something of a historic performance.
I passed one of these at Cheney. I guessed it was probably a guinea fowl, and I was right.
I was served guinea fowl in Dieppe once. Very similar to turkey.
Lovely weather again, apart from the wind (again). Blowing directly from the west. I had two ideas for a Fondo today – the first was to do one of the old westbound routes, Abbots Bromley and back – and the other was to go up over Swarkestone Bridge, then west along the Beloved A Road. It’s not easy to get 31 miles out of that so I knew I’d have to improvise a bit at the remote end.
I took the Beloved A Road option, because the fridge was a bit short of cycling supplies. There’s a very serviceable petrol station with a decent shop near Hilton.
So I battled the headwind to the petrol station, got myself a nice selection of snacks including an Ice Cream Bounty – then continued on to Foston, where I found a bench and consumed them.
I’d only done 24 miles at this point and I couldn’t go any further without going on the A50 which is never a good idea on a bike, so I turned to come back. Shortly afterwards I saw a left turn named Hay Lane. I wasn’t sure if I’d been along there before so I thought I’d explore for a bit. The road surface was a bit scrappy here and there. At Alkmorton I saw a familiar sign for a farm “honesty shop” and a bit later on, a tractor business with an odd Christmas Tree installation on the roof. I’d definitely seen these before so I assumed I must have done this road at least once. However I’d taken a different route there previously, along a parallel road as it turns out.
My hope was that I’d be able to find some other way back home by exploring, rather than coming back the same way. And happily, that’s what happened.
Just found my write-up of the last time I’d been along this way, here – complete with a pic of the odd Christmas Tree structure atop the building at Alkmonton.
On that occasion I came back the same way, but this time I plotted a course to Derby along a road called Long Lane. I definitely hadn’t been along there before. This was terrific fun. It was a decent but quiet road with lovely views, I had a tailwind now and I felt like I was having a bit of an adventure.
I continued on and into the outer reaches of Derby – Mickleover and Littleover, then onto the ring road. Obviously this was pretty urban but I didn’t mind weaving through the traffic. It was really nice to be back in Derby.
I turned off along Moor Lane to visit the old Rolls-Royce Leisure Association. I used go shooting there every Friday evening. I went right into the car park. I hadn’t been there since 1994. There are a lot of new buildings now but it’s still recognisably the same place. Really strange to think that I hadn’t been there for all that time and to think of everything that’s happened since, yet as I turned out of the main gate and onto Moor Lane, it felt like no time had passed at all.
I continued along the ring road until Allenton, then came down through Chellaston and back onto Swarkestone Bridge. I wouldn’t have done 100km if I came home the usual way, so I went over to Isley Walton and came home from there. The fields on my left, and occasionally on my right between Melbourne and Walton had been repurposed as car parks for the Download festival, and some of the young revellers were out and about. I counted three Motorhead t-shirts and it did occur to me that none of their wearers could have been born when I bought the raucous trio’s first record in 1977.
My four-miles-to-go landmark at Coleorton (a public footpath sign) told me that I was still going to be short of a Fondo, so I went half a mile or so in the direction of Ibstock before coming home. Back on 62.76 miles.
Listened to 6 Music, and the Grand Prix coverage on 5 Live, then Northern Ireland vs Cyprus. Quite an enjoyable game to listen to even though both sides were dire. I’m really surprised to have got about nine hours from the cheap rechargeable AAAs in my DAB over two rides, because I’d left them discharged for years. I only charged them up and gave them a go to confirm that they’d had it. But clearly they haven’t.
Possibly the most enjoyable ride this year. 62.76 miles and that’s 303 this month. That was the 13th Fondo of 2022.
Warm, sunny and no chance of rain. But a powerful wind was blowing from the south-west. I thought I’d do the southbound route as far as Stoney Stanton, but turn off there to go down Fosse Way for a bit. Hadn’t done that for quite some time.
But when I got to Earl Shilton, I decided to do something different and took a left turn, instead of a right. I have done this before, but I couldn’t remember were I ended up. So clearly, I was in for a bit of an adventure.
I ignored the first left turn, to Desford (which is probably what I did last time). I took a left fork at the next junction though I ignored subsequent left turns to Thornton and Markfield, wanting to press on in a spirit of exploration. I saw a sign to Ratby, and I took that.
I’d passed the Poundstretcher head office a few miles earlier. I must admit it makes me envious to see people working in offices; I could see people at their desks through the windows. The signage and branding there is very much in keeping with their brand philosophy, it looks very cheap. I’ve definitely passed that place on my cycling travels at least one other time. I must see if I can work out when, from a segment or something.
I had only a very rough idea where I was by this time. But I’d only done 20 miles or so and definitely not in a straight line, so I couldn’t be far from home.
I ignored another Markfield sign and continued on to Groby. Then I arrived at a junction with the A50. Regrettably, I had pushed my luck too far. I wasn’t going to turn back the way I came and in the circumstances, the A50 seemed to be my best bet for getting back home, so I took it. It’s one of the main roads west out of Leicester. I’ve done it many times in a car, but I never thought I’d be doing it on a bike. it was very busy and to make matters worse, it’s quite an uphill slog as well. My old Talbot Sunbeam used to struggle up there every weekday morning in the late ’80s and I didn’t fare much better myself.
But I got to Markfield. From there I took a relatively quick way home which meant rejoining the same busy road for a stretch, but not for long.
Something a bit different, certainly. But I sort of wish I’d just done a Twycrosser. Would have suited my Friday afternoon mood better.
Still – 35.25 miles and that’s 240 this month. Shame to waste so much evening light and come back relatively early but it was too windy for a long one. Quite annoying at times.
Curious that so many places on the outskirts of Leicester have names ending in ‘by’. Enderby, Blaby, Groby, Ratby. It’s Viking in origin, apparently.
Nice warm afternoon but rain was due over at 6pm-ish. I left work as soon as decently possible and set off on a Twycrosser. Funny how familiarity puts me off longer routes, but it’s the very thing that appeals to me on shorter rides. The Twycrosser and Twycross Bypasser in their many variants are a regular part of my routine now.
I was going to go down to Pinwall and across through Ratcliffe Culey, but the road south of Sheepy had clearly just been resurfaced. So badly, that after about 5 metres of it I had to turn back, and come back up through Sibson instead. I’ve seen roads round here surfaced with sharp gravel before and I usually tolerate it as long as it’s not a long stretch but this was gross – massive quantities of coarse, dusty bright grey gravel a couple of inches thick in some places. It had definitely been overdone. Took another five miles for the dust stripe to wear off my tyres.
Will take a while for passing traffic to wear that down, I think. Scandalous.
Sunny at first but the clouds came over quite soon. It hadn’t rained by the time I got back, on 29.26 miles. It still hasn’t started, over two hours later and the sun even came out after I came back in the house. Should have stayed out longer.
I listened to 5 Live, and today in addition to the regulation Boris-bashing there was a piece on the difficulties facing bisexual people – who often suffer prejudice from gay people as well as straight folks apparently, and are sometimes denied representation for their rich history and culture. I was taken aback by the number of times the woman interviewed used the word “queer”, has that been reclaimed for usage in everyday discourse now?
I learned that bi women often pretend to be gay in queer spaces. If they come out as bi, gay women tend to distrust them – sometimes suspecting that their attraction to women is mainly to please men for sexual reasons.
The world is so complicated now, especially on the BBC.
I set off at about 04:35 yesterday morning, headed for the Norfolk border near Sutton Bridge. Attentive readers may remember that I attempted this last June, but fell short of my intended destination due to my Garmin eTrex failing, and some unanticipated roadworks.
I hadn’t had more than about 90 minutes’ sleep. I actually got out of bed at about 03:00, restless with anticipation. But I didn’t want to set off too early, because I knew it would be cold out there for a couple of hours at least.
I’d wrapped up fairly warm, with the intention of taking off the excess layers and relocating them to my backpack later in the day. Conditions were tolerable over the first twenty minutes or so but by the time I was pedalling along Gracedieu Lane, five miles in, I was very uncomfortable. My fingers were icy cold even in gloves and I was shivering. I’d descended about 250 ft closer to sea level at this point; cold air tends to cling to lower ground and clearly, it made a big difference.
So I decided to change course and head east through Rempstone and Wymeswold rather than Normanton, Stanford and Burton on the Wolds. I’d be on higher ground much more quickly. Sure enough as soon as I’d ascended the West Face of Rempstone Road, the ride was much more tolerable. Half an hour later the sun had burned away the early morning mist and I’d warmed up nicely.
I must say the scenery had been spectacular in the bright morning sunshine with the landscape shrouded in swathes of radiant white mist.
I maintained a steady pace against a light headwind and was in Bourne by 10:00. After that it was flat Fenland all the way to my destination.
There’s something faintly post-apocalyptic about the Fenland, east of Bourne. It’s like no other place in the country; reclaimed marshland criss-crossed by straight, narrow roads and drainage channels. It has a curiously desolate aspect, especially in bright sunlight.
I reached Sutton Bridge by about 13:20. I crossed the bridge and continued on to my destination, the border between Lincolnshire and Norfolk, by a circuitous route intended to avoid the A17. But this was so poorly surfaced that I decided to take my life in my hands and returned to the bridge via the busy A road. Not much more than a mile of it, thankfully.
I’ve done this ride four times now, never by quite the same route and this last one was definitely the best compromise between efficiency and scenery. I’d spent many hours preparing it with a route planner. The route I did yesterday is well served by petrol stations and village shops, making it easy to find somewhere to pick up more food and hydration. The key to doing a long ride like this is to keep eating.
Warm and sunny most of the afternoon, really nice weather. I took a sunblock stick with me to apply to my nose, as it often suffers a bit of sunburn on a day out on the bike when the sun is shining. About 50 miles into the ride I stopped by a farm gate to dig my MP3 player out of my frame pack. I noticed the sunblock stick fall out of the pack and into the grass. I made a mental note to pick it up before I set off, but I didn’t. However it was still there when I stopped at the same place on the way back, 77 miles later. Fortunately my peaked cap (I eschew a helmet on comfort grounds for long rides) appears to have protected my face quite nicely.
I replaced my misbehaving eTrex with a newer touchscreen model, this was the first time I’d used it and it worked very well. Much more ergonomic and a bit lighter. The map display looks a lot better on a phone to be fair but the AA batteries in an eTrex last a very long time.
I listened mostly to coverage of the various Platinum Jubilee events on 5 Live. Despite being a republican myself I did find it quite interesting. Also listened to more of the Reacher novel, although when it turned out that the whole first chapter is an elaborate deception intended to set you up for a plot twist, I got a bit annoyed with it.
The sun set at about 21:15 and twenty minutes later, it was time to power up some bike lights. I’d intended to bring a powerful little LED front light as well as my head torch (another reason not to wear a helmet) but after searching my backpack, frame pack and clothing it became apparent that I hadn’t. I had two rear lights but I only had the head torch to use as a front light. Although it’s very adequate, I don’t like to have a single point of failure and I’m never sure how long they last between recharges. Fortunately it was still going strong when I arrived back at the garage door.
Saw a dead calf by the side of the road near Six Hills. I’ve seen a lot of roadkill in my time, but I think that was a a first. Looked to have been moved there deliberately, it was lying exactly parallel to the road and only just visible in the long grass. Grim.
First time I’d used the Roubaix since October. It feels pleasantly comfortable and reliable but actually the S Works or the Cannondale would have made slightly lighter work of the distance I put in front of it.
Back on 175.91 miles, my third-longest distance. I was glad to have completed that successfully after last year’s failure, but I think I’ve squeezed all the juice I can out of the Norfolk trip now. I’ve done it four times and the novelty’s worn off. I’ll do something else next time.
I felt rough this morning. Low on energy and washed out. Took me until 10:40 to get out of bed. But with rain forecast over the next couple of days I thought I should go out and do 30 or so. I’m on call so I couldn’t do a long one anyway.
With the wind coming from the north-east, I thought I’d do the eastbound route for a bit and come back. When I got to the A6 junction though I pondered the road sign to Loughborough and thought – why not? So I took the A6 into Loughborough.
My visit to the celebrated Leicestershire market town mostly consisted of cruising along its dual carriageways, but at least it was quiet. I did take a brief detour into the suburbs though to visit my ex-girlfriend’s parents’ house, where I stayed a few times in the late ’80s when I was still living in Hartlepool. I don’t think they’ve lived there for many years, but it was a nice sentimental excursion along memory lane.
After that I was faced with the choice of coming back homeward along the main A road, which I didn’t think would be particularly safe, and the more urban route along Snells Nook Lane and Copt Oak Road, which I knew would involve a tedious uphill slog. I settled on the latter. At least it made a change. I could just have come home the way I’d come of course but I probably wouldn’t have remembered the way.
Picked up a few spots of rain in Ibstock, but only for a couple of minutes.
Back on 27.24 miles, seemed like quite a lot of work for that distance but I was already over target for May.
It was unusually cold so I wrapped up warm, with my Union Jack dutt. Lots of flags out for the Platinum Jubilee so I must have blended into the surroundings quite nicely. Saw a couple of persons of colour out on their bikes and I made a point of giving them a friendly smile and a wave – because cycling is for everyone, and our flag stands for respect and inclusion.
When the sun came out I overheated a bit. Nice run out nonetheless. Something a bit different for a Sunday afternoon.
Another warm, sunny afternoon, but too windy again. Undeterred I left work early and did a Twycross Bypasser. Wanted to do at least 31 miles to hit the May target (400 miles), but I did a bit of an excursion down the Dad’s Army route, and ended up on 36.01.
Came back through Shenton, I should do that more often. Lovely along there.
Saw a helicopter taking off near Measham again. A red one, looked very shiny in the sunshine. I have no idea why there’s an ad-hoc heliport in a field next to a B road near Measham.
Nice ride apart from the irritating occasional headwind.
Showers were forecast for the late afternoon but dry conditions were promised later. I had a feeling I was wrapping up a bit too warm as I prepared for the ride, but after I set off I was glad to have tights on, and three layers on top. The westerly wind was surprisingly cool.
I decided to go up over Swarkestone bridge then west along the Beloved A Road. I did that, then turned back after 22.5 miles. Encountered a drizzly shower going over the bridge but it only lasted for seven or eight minutes. After that it was dry all the way, and the sun came out.
Really a joy coming back along the A road in the sunshine with a bit of a tailwind. I seemed to be flying along. And the temperature seemed to have climbed a bit as well – I was actually a bit too warm by this time.
I like to do this particular ride in the dark; it’s a lot easier in daylight of course but I miss those post-sunset rides.
I listened to 5 Live Drive, which this evening was mostly about how the police are racist, and the criminal lack of gender equality in musical festival lineups.
45.04 and that takes me to 370 this month, 2025 this year.
