Author: james

Another day off work today. The forecast was for dry weather, and I decided I’d give the Planet X a run out, for the first time since August. Wanted to do the November Fondo, and I chose to do what’s pretty much the default Fondo route, wind direction permitting – the eastbound route to Eastwell and back.

I set off at about 10:10. The X felt extremely agile after weeks of only using the Boardman and Tricross, I must say. Very zippy. Conditions were bright, but a couple of minutes after setting off I glanced across the fields to the rest of the village and was surprised to see a light fog obscuring the view. As I made it through Coalville and up to Belton it became highly noticeable in the view of the road in front of me; proper foggy conditions. Not really the best weather for a Fondo but I assumed it would lift, ignored the thin frost of moisture building up on my clothes, and pressed on.

It had lifted a bit by the time I stopped to take this pic, near Cotes. Disappointingly, just out of shot there was a small pile of beer cans, firework packaging and spent fireworks. Do people imagine that these things will just dissolve in the rain, or not give a toss that other people have to clear up after them?

By the time I hit Burton on the Wolds it had lifted nicely and the sun was out, but I had a different problem – my intended route was closed off by a large set of roadworks. I managed to find a detour on my own initiative, although this involved pedalling along a footpath by a stream that was about a foot wide, if that.

I kept on keepin’ on to Eastwell, where I’d intended to turn for home. But I took a turn at the crossroads there to go exploring for a bit. I hadn’t gone far before I started to descend the slope that runs downward, to the north, for miles north of my route. I didn’t really want to climb back up it so I turned, for the bench at Eastwell. Ate a pleasant lunch there that I’d brought in my backpack. Then homeward.

From Six Hills I decided to take the old route back through Wymeswold and Rempstone, rather than detour the road works at Burton again.

Cloudy and cooler later, and misty nearer home. Just before sunset I had a glorious view, just back in Leicestershire, of bright sunshine lighting up the mist on the hills and slopes in the distance. Incredibly picturesque. I tried to capture it with my phone but didn’t do it justice. I wish I’d had a decent camera with me. Here it is anyway:

Home on 64.08 miles; that was the 27th Fondo of the year. 156 miles this month, 703 to go.

Listened to the US election coverage where I could find it, and more of the Reacher audiobook. Nice run out and especially nice to be out on the X again.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4297849496

I had the day off work today, booked so that I could stay up until the early hours this morning to watch coverage of the US election. I stayed up until 03:20, then got up again about three hours later. Then I went to bed again at about 06:45. Got up again at about 10:30.

A pleasantly sunny, dry day so I mounted the Tricross at 11:20 and set off with the idea of going up through Melbourne, over Swarkestone Bridge and west along the A road that runs by the river. Given my general condition – slightly debilitated from lack of sleep and consumption of Jim Beam while following events on the other side of the Atlantic – I thought that thirty miles or so would do.

However, I perked up quite nicely in the sunshine, so I decided to attempt a route that I devised a few days ago – the ‘Western Grand Tour’.

Broadly speaking, I have two westward cycling routes. One takes me north first to Swarkestone Bridge, then west to Hilton or beyond, and back. The other takes me south-west to Measham then west through Coton in the Elms, Walton on Trent, Barton under Needwood and sometimes further, then back.

The idea of the Western Grand Tour is to combine them, by going outward along the former route and homeward along the latter, joining them up with a new stretch running north to south from Hilton (roughly) to Barton under Needwood (approximately). This comes in at a bit under 50 miles so I had plenty of time to be back before sunset.

The new stretch is quite pleasant, taking me through a few villages I’d never heard of. Quiet, but not particularly scenic. A bit hilly. But it was really nice especially to be coming back the “old” way through Barton under Needwood, Walton and Coton in the Elms as I hadn’t done that for a long time, over a year I think. One reason I wanted to do that was that I had a sort of flashback of a little village that I remember riding through, and I wondered where it was. I assumed it was on this route, but it wasn’t. So that remains a mystery. I’ll have a hunt around on Google Street View if I get time.

Back a minute after sunset, nice timing.

I listened to more coverage of the US election on my DAB personal. Then an entertaining PMQs – I particularly enjoyed the PM’s tribute to the Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, on the first anniversary of his election to the role, for “Making the Speakership Great Again”.

Then more Reacher audiobook action on my MP3 player, then back to the DAB for more US election news. By this time it seemed that Joe Biden was more likely to win, though that’s still not certain as I type.

Really nice run out. It didn’t stay sunny for long but it wasn’t too cold, and it didn’t rain.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4285648887

48.90 miles and that leaves 767 to go.

Didn’t think I was going to get the November campaign going until Wednesday, but this morning the meteorologists promised a brief respite from the rain, until around 5pm this afternoon. It was very windy, but nonetheless I set off just after 11:30 on the Tricross, bringing an end to a run of seven rides on the Boardman.

The roads were a bit wet but the sun came out not long after I set off. I went up through Coleorton and Melbourne and west along the A road through Willington to Hilton, then back the same way until Melbourne, from where I continued on to Isley Walton and came back down Top Brand.

The wind didn’t bother me until the last 9 miles, when it became a powerful headwind. Felt like I was struggling for every few metres; in that respect not a brilliant choice of route.

The clouds came over near Willington and I got rained on, on and off. But the last 15 miles or so were dry. Listened to more of the Reacher novel, then footy on 5 Live. Saw a couple of dead buzzards on the road.

An enjoyable run out on the whole, and I’m happy to have got 43.51 miles in when I wasn’t expecting to get out. Every 10 miles is significant at this stage of the game. 816 to go.

I’d love to think there’s another 100 miler in the 2020 locker. Depends on good weather coinciding with time off work.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4272668707

I’d given up on doing a final 40 miles or so for October by this morning, when the weather forecast threatened rain all day. But it didn’t rain that much and by 4pm when I downed tools for the day, the BBC weather site was claiming that it wouldn’t rain again until ~9pm. So I swiftly attired myself for cycling activities, and mounted the Boardman.

I went up through Swannington, unusually. If I remember correctly I was going to go eastward for a bit, but changed my mind. Up Top Brand, up to Isley Walton, left to Melbourne and up over Swarkestone Bridge, west along the usual A road between Derby and the river. I’m glad I discovered that one, it’s very pleasant and easy; well-surfaced, flat and more or less a simple straight line. It was dark by the time I was crossing the bridge.

Back pretty much the way I came except that I bypassed Melbourne via Kings Newton, and came back through Coleorton instead of Swannington.

I was back by 8pm. It didn’t rain, and it was pleasantly mild. My Garmin bike computer ran out of juice a few miles from home so I used my phone to track the rest of the ride, and concatenated the two tracks. Consequently I wasn’t able to see the distance I’d done. I was fairly sure I must have done 40 miles but I hadn’t; I’d done 39.89. The diversion around Melbourne cost me a bit of distance.

Listened to some quite touching tributes to Nobby Stiles on 5 Live from people who’d worked with him and knew him. Mark Lawrenson had some wonderful anecdotes.

Anyway, that’s probably a wrap for October. 487 miles, not bad considering the weather. 859 to go.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4263665551

On call again today, but I wanted to do 54, to bring my remaining distance requirement for 2020 under 900 miles. Set off at about 10:40. It had rained earlier in the morning and the roads were a bit wet here and there. I took the Boardman. Started off by heading over to Ellistown through Ibstock, but was impeded by a Road Closed sign and a set of roadworks. I detoured via Donington le Heath. When I got to Ellistown I decided to take a left along Beveridge Lane, past the huge Amazon distribution centre and other business premises.

Ended up riding round Coalville, Whitwick, Belton and up to Diseworth. Then back toward home until Sinope, where I tacked on a Twycrosser, coming eastward through Barton and Nailstone to Bagworth, from where I pedalled back to Ellistown then rode around Coalville and the various industrial / business estates again. Not what I usually do, but something a bit different.

Conditions were sunny when I set off but a very light rain set in an hour or two later. However it was dry for the last hour or so and I would have done another 8 or 9 miles to chalk up another Fondo, but by this time the temperature had dropped a fair bit and I was feeling a tad uncomfortable.

Listened to an interview with Wilko Johnson on 6 Music – he picked music by Neil Young and Dylan; would have thought he’d have gone for some frenetic Rock’n’Roll. Then I listened to a few chapters of the fourth Reacher novel – he’s being blackmailed by the FBI, can’t help thinking that won’t go too well for them – then the football on 5 Live (Southampton vs Everton, sounded dismal).

Home on 55.13 miles. 447 this month, 5315 this year and that’s 899 to go! If I can crank out another 100 miles this month, less than 400 to do in each of November and December.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4242915711

Didn’t feel I could afford to waste a dry evening, so I climbed aboard the Boardman straight after work with the intention of doing at least 40.

Started by heading up through Coleorton and up Top Brand, then left through King’s Newton and up over Swarkestone Bridge. From there I went west along the A road along the river, but not very far. I had a brief excursion along Sinfin Lane where I took this pic at a bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal. Then, since I’m still on call, I came back.

I must admit the lure of home was quite strong as I passed within a couple of miles of Chez Moi but I’d only done 26 miles, so I resisted it. I went over to Packington, down to Snarestone and Swepstone then back through Heather.

For some reason a long stretch of Measham road was absolutely cobbled in clumps of mud, some of them a hazard to navigation in the dark. I felt the front wheel kick sideways a touch once or twice as it collided with them. Almost wished I had a cycle helmet on!

Realised I was destined to do a touch less than 40 miles as I neared home, so I did a lap of local roads. Home on 41.35 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4230122598

Only did about 23 yesterday, so I dutifully mounted the Boardman again at about 3:30pm today. Windy, but dry. Sunny, at least when I set off. And almost warm! 

I’d actually intended to take the Tricross, which has a magnet driven bike computer so since I was only going to do 20-odd and my phone happened to be full charged, I decided I’d track the ride on the Android Strava app. Because I switched to the Boardman on a whim at the last minute, I wasn’t able to see the distance done while I was riding. But I knew I’d done 5 miles by the time I reached Gracedieu Lane, and thought I must have done about 14 as I hit Melbourne.

I was going to go up over Swarkestone Bridge and left along the river again, but just before Stanton I took a sharp left to Ticknall, instead. I’m not sure if I’ve ever done that road to Ticknall before. It was quiet with nice views, but a long uphill grind. I came back the usual way (or a variation thereof) from Ticknall. I believe I let out an involuntary whimper when I saw Bastard Hill looming in front of me.

Getting a bit dark as I rolled through Ashby. I guessed I’d probably done 25 when I arrived back at my garage. Actually 27.44. I noticed that the garage door was spotted with rain, but I hadn’t been rained on myself. Lucky.

351 this month, and just 782 miles to go to reach my target of 6000 in 2020. But I’m starting to think 6214 (10,000 km) is doable.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4220848951

I wanted to do 40 or so after work today. I’d felt tired all day, and a bit debilitated from incautious cocktail consumption at a restaurant yesterday. Nonetheless I manfully mounted the Boardman wearing warm clothing and a woolly hat at 16:45.

I was, as is far too frequently the case at the moment, on call. I decided I’d do the southbound route as far as Kirkby Mallory, then west to Sutton Cheney, then I’d wing it from there. However, I didn’t do that. I got cold feet (only metaphorical, fortunately) going along Kirkby Lane, starting to worry about being too far from base while on call. So I did a U turn and came back mostly the same way (I detoured Bagworth again like I did on Saturday).

A couple of miles from home I was still wondering how I was going to extend the ride to 40 miles, but shortly thereafter the Cycling Inverse Square Law kicked in, the force of attraction being exerted by the prospect of an earlier dinner (and possibly a beer) being inversely proportional to the square of the distance from my house. I came straight back home from Ibstock, and finished on 22.87 miles.

However – if it’s not raining, I’ll do another 20 tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4216907759

I woke at about 0600 this morning and briefly entertained the idea of getting up and setting off on a bike at about 0700, but fortunately I fell asleep again and didn’t get up until 0945.

Didn’t seem the best day for a bike ride, really. A bit cold and gloomy. But I wanted to add at least 45 to the October score. I wrapped up warm and set off on the Boardman at about 1130.

Low winds today so I had the unusual luxury of heading off in whatever direction I fancied but in all honest I didn’t really fancy any of the usual rides much. I think I’ve done them too often recently. I decided to pursue the southbound route, maybe as far as Gilmorton (24 miles away) then turn back. But by the time I got to Gilmorton conditions had brightened up nicely and I’d decided to make a Fondo of it. I was somewhat too warm by this point as well. But I stopped for a snack on a bench and stuffed my nylon outer layer into the back pocket of my jersey and was completely comfortable after that (though I suspect that the temperature dropped a bit as well).

I pressed on along the usual route down to the Northamptonshire border, but rather than going down that way I took a left to take me past Husbands Bosworth Airfield. I thought I might see a glider or a light aircraft taking off or landing. Shortly after I took the following pic, a small aircraft came in to land and taxied past the gate. The pilot and a young lad in the back both waved, so I waved back.

I’d done a bit more than 31 at this point so I turned back. I stopped at Gilmorton again seven miles later, donned a face covering and acquired a sandwich, a pasty and some chocolate from the village store. Annoyingly, their coffee machine wasn’t working, so I bought a diet coke instead for my afternoon caffeine shot. Not sure how much of a hit you get from that (actually quite a lot less than coffee, just googled it. Maybe I should take Pro Plus with me for use in similar emergencies). They still haven’t redeployed the tables and benches outside, but the bench across the street was very adequate.

I had thought that I knew the route well enough to do it without using the eTrex but nope, I took a wrong turn on the way back, which I realised when I found myself approaching Lutterworth. I stopped on the outskirts and consulted Google Maps, then plotted a new course that would take me up to Ashby Parva and Frolesworth. This turned out to be quite a fortuitous mistake because I really enjoyed exploring the five or six miles of new roads – a really quiet, pleasant diversion. I’ll have to fashion a (more coherent) route that comes back that way.

I rejoined the usual route at Stoney Stanton and came back the usual way from there (mostly – I did a deliberate detour around Bagworth incurring an extra mile or so, because coming back along that stretch always seems a bit of a grind).

I hadn’t brought a proper front light because I didn’t think I’d need one, and I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t messed up the navigation and added another six miles or so. It was getting quite dark as I got to Battram, where I took this pic, with about five miles to go. But fortunately the whole rest of the route along the B585, Ellistown, Donington le Heath then Standard Hill and home was illuminated by street lighting and the LED blinker on my handlebar was adequate.

I was quite annoyed by a succession of chavs in oncoming hot hatchbacks doing 70 or so in a 40 zone, through Newbold Verdon. There must be a strong case for bringing back National Service. Apart from that though, and an excess of mud on the roads, really an enjoyable afternoon.

Listened to the footy on 5 Live and Huey on 6 Music, then started the next Reacher audiobook. Different in feel from the first three interestingly and I think a trick has been nicked from Iain Banks’ Complicity – the second person narrative describing the villain’s thoughts or actions that pops up here and there.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4207916350

Home on 68.09 and that’s a pleasing 301 this month.

I was able to leave work yesterday an hour earlier than on Tuesday, so I thought a 50-miler was in order. Set off at 16:05. Decided to go out through Coalville, Belton, Isley Walton then up over Swarkestone Bridge and west along the long road by the river, south of Derby. Got as far as Foston on 27 miles, which I judged would probably allow me to come back the quicker way after Melbourne and still clock up 50 miles, so I did a U turn at the roundabout and came back.

Properly dark by the time I came back through Hilton.

I have mental milestones on most of my routes – 15 miles to home from here; 10 miles from there – but I don’t along the Melbourne / Coleorton route until I hit a pub 2.2 miles from home. As I passed it I realised that I was on course to be home on 49.96 miles, so I only had a mere minimum of faffing around to do to get it up to 50. I went up Heather Lane for a bit.

Home on 50.20 miles.

I took the Boardman, mostly because I’d hosed the Tricross out with GT-85 after it got wet last time and hadn’t relubed it yet. Having taken the Tricross on the previous four rides I can say that the red one is definitely less sluggish. There’s something comforting about the Tricross when you’re out in the cold and dark; maybe because it feels more robust, perhaps just because it’s a slightly more comfortable riding position. Perhaps because the bigger tyres spare you from the worst excesses of the road noise.

But the Boardman has a slightly keener appetite for hills and that’s definitely a plus on the way back from Melbourne.

A little bit of light rain over the first hour; I was sort of expecting that from the scene I photographed near Belton (the clue being in the first four characters). But conditions dried up nicely after that.

I got three more hours out of my lithium rechargeable AAs in my DAB, thirteen hours in total. Exceptional.

233 this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4200037893