A very similar day to yesterday – mostly sunny, too windy, occasional fierce showers. But with the likelihood that the precipitation had dried up by mid-afternoon, I set off at 1500 on the Lower Westbound route. Since I did 30 miles yesterday I only wanted to do 30 or so today. I got as far as Croxall then turned back to come home the same way.
Here’s an odd thing. The last mile or so of the ride up to and including Croxall didn’t seem familiar at all .. I’d started to think I must have missed a turn. But I hadn’t, I was definitely on the same route I’ve done at least six or seven times.
Anyway .. back on 32.35 miles, and that’s 198 this month.
I listened to Scotland vs Cyprus, then Gilles Peterson on 6 Music, then Steely Dan’s Aja. Then, just because it was next in the alphabetic sequence, my music player app kicked off Chick Corea’s Akoustic Band album unprompted. I hadn’t heard it for years. My mum bought it for me as a Christmas present in 1993.
Really beautiful out there, perfect weather for that particular route with its lovely views. What had started as an initiative just to add a bit of distance to the monthly total turned out to be one of my favourite rides of the year so far.
Back ten minutes after sunset so I was cutting it fine; I didn’t have a front light of any description with me.
Mostly a pleasant day today, but just as I was thinking of defying the weather forecast to ride a bicycle, a brutal shower passed over.
But it was back to business as usual ten minutes later. Half an hour later I decided to risk it. I assumed I probably would get rained on, but I hoped it would be short-lived.
Very mild, mostly sunny. But very windy. I did a Twycross Bypasser. The headwind proved a struggle over the first half of the ride, but I enjoyed the tailwind when I looped back north and east.
I didn’t get rained on.
Back on 30.10 miles, which brings the March total to a paltry 166 miles. The weather for the rest of the month looks poor but maybe I can get it up to 240 or so. Damage limitation really, but there’s plenty of time to make up the distance later in the year.
Frequent showers were touted to be likely this afternoon, so I sneaked out for a couple of hours at lunchtime in the hope of avoiding them. The wind was coming from the south, and the rainfall radar suggested I was more likely to avoid getting rained on down that way, so down south I went. I did the southbound route as far as Kirkby Lane and came back.
I didn’t get rained on at all and actually it was really nice out there. Sunny and spring-like. Back on 23.07 miles. That was only the third ride this month and they’ve all been short, but fingers crossed I’ll get a fondo in on Sunday. 70 miles done this month.
Didn’t think I’d get an opportunity for a first ride back from my holiday today but the weather was relatively pleasant, so I took an extended lunch and did a Twycrosser. Didn’t want to do more than 20 miles really as it was highly likely to rain later in the afternoon. I was half expecting to get rained on while I was out.
A bit windy. I ended up doing 26.36 miles. I picked up a very slight hail shower, and a few spots of rain but mostly it was sunny. I did see rain in the distance a couple of times, as captured in this pic at the Gibbet Post. But I dodged it successfully myself.
That’s a mere 47 miles so far this month, and I think the March target (311) is a long shot given the weather outlook.
A rain-free day was promised, not too cold and not overly windy. Clearly I had an opportunity to do the March fondo on my hands.
I’d intended to set off at about 1000 this morning but slept in until 0950. But I was off on the Roubaix by about 1040.
I did the Upper Westbound route, which has now been modified so that it doesn’t take a left turn to Marston Montgomery at the north-western end, because that turned out to be a bit rubbish last time – gravelly and twisty. So I pushed up Ashbourne Road and turned back after about 31.5 miles.
On the way back, after Melbourne, I decided on a whim to take a left turn to Wilson instead of coming back the usual way. Partly because I couldn’t be bothered with Rotter’s Rise, but partly because I thought it would squeeze a bit of adventure out of the ride. I don’t actually know the best way home from Wilson so I thought it would be fun to navigate my own way back. As it happens I took two really stupid turns that elongated my ride significantly, in both cases because I thought it would be the quickest way back.
I did come to regret my impromptu orienteering because I had to negotiate quite a lot of sharp climbs. Still – nice run out overall. Back on 66.06 miles.
Listened to the rest of the Reacher novel, The Hard Way. Very good. The story moves from downtown Manhattan to rural Norfolk, and I must say the voice actor who reads the audiobook doesn’t come anywhere near getting the Norfolk accent right for the locals who speak in the book. They sound something like a cross between a slow-witted Irishman and an Eastern European.
I enjoyed being out on the Roubaix again for the first time since August but I think the saddle is set a bit lower than my other bikes. But I may acquire a carbon seat post for it soon.
Not a lot of time today, but I wanted to do 20 or so to get the March campaign off to a modest start. A cold wind was blowing from the NE. I went up through Coalville toward Zouch, then turned for Long Whatton and came back down via Diseworth, Top Brand, Coleorton.
I didn’t wrap up warm enough and I was too cold. But at least it was dry. Back on 20.52 miles.
One thing I’ve noticed about the S Works is that it’s much better geared, at least for me, than the X. I definitely find myself using a greater variety of gears over both chainrings, whereas on the X the big chainring doesn’t get used that much. Something to think about if/when the time comes to replace the cassette.
Nice run out. The conditions weren’t so hostile with a bit of a tailwind.
Note the flimsy-looking frame pack currently attached to the frame. It was very cheap, but it’s very light. I had to truncate the velco straps with a hot paint scraper, they were far too long.
With the wind blowing from the east again and a dry day promised, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to do my favourite fondo, along the eastbound route. I set off at about 10:35. I took the S Works. I inspected and relubed it last weekend after the chain skipped a couple of times on its previous ride, so I was keen to see if it would behave this time (and it did).
About a minute after I set off, I noticed that my Casio GPS watch wasn’t recording elapsed distance. I realised that I’d left it on ‘Airplane’ mode. I stopped to fiddle with the menus and as I did so, an elderly gentleman strolled over for a chat. Lovely old bloke. Told me that he’d been a keen cyclist himself in his youth, and during “the year that peace was declared” (1945 of course) he’d cycled around Wales at the age of 14.
The headwind was pretty annoying on the outward leg of the trip, so I was very pleased to arrive at the crossroads at Eastwell, where I intended to turn back. I’d done slightly less than half a fondo distance and I intended to cut across to Wymeswold via Narrow Lane on the way back, which would cut about 0.3 miles off the trip, normally. But I also intended to make up the miles by detouring through Diseworth and down Top Brand once back over the Leicestershire border.
I had an impromptu picnic on the grass verge before I turned back.
As things turned out, I didn’t have to make up any distance because I missed a turn at Wymeswold and continued on to Hoton. I had to consult Google Maps to get back on track. Fortuitous though because that stretch of road is really quiet. It was lovely in the sunshine. I really must go that way more often. It probably saves a bit of climbing as well (I’ll check that).
I did detour through Diseworth and down Top Brand regardless.
I’d forgotten that my right cleat had slipped out of the pedal a few times on the last ride I did with the same shoes, and it slipped out even more often this time. Annoying. Just hope I remember to replace it before the same thing happens again.
Listened to 6 Music, then Spurs vs Chelsea. But I got bored with that fairly quickly so I listened to the second Rolling Stones album, the unimaginatively titled The Rolling Stones No. 2. Very similar to their debut, maybe a bit more light and shade. Definitely better recorded. But pretty basic R&B covers. It was released at the beginning of 1965. They were light years behind The Beatles in terms of imagination, songwriting, production, ambition, everything.
It was a real faff, yet again, to get the track off my Casio watch and onto Strava. I think I’ll give up on using that watch for bike rides.
Anyway .. back on 65.76 miles. That one takes me to 516 miles this month and 1044 this year. Don’t think I’ve ever got to 1000 miles so early in the year before.
Another dry, sunny day so inevitably, I decided to ride a bike after work. My right knee was a bit sore after the last ride and I didn’t want to push my luck, so I decided that 25 miles would do. I taped it up before I set off, haven’t done that for a year or two. I decided to go out through Coalville and up Ashby Road for a bit, which wouldn’t involve any conspicuous climbing.
Took a left to Long Whatton from Ashby Road but rather than heading back I kept on from there to Zouch. Turned back homeward just over the Nottinghamshire border. Came back down Top Brand.
My knee didn’t give me any trouble, happily. I think taping it up does help, I should do that more often, at least on long rides. I only wish I’d kept my legs properly shaved like a good cyclist, the tape was a bastard to get off.
Enjoyable run out and nice to get out after work and be back before sunset. Cold out there. Would have been worse if I’d stayed out another half hour.
Back on 25.06 miles, so that was a pretty good stab at a 25 miler. 450 done this month.
I wanted to do about 30 after work. With the wind coming from the south a Twycrosser or Bypasser seemed in order, but within a minute of setting off I’d decided not to do that again, and I pedalled up Top Brand instead. By the time I’d reached the roundabout at the top, I’d hatched a plan to go west to Ticknall through Melbourne then home through Hatshorne, Woodville, Ashby. And I stuck to it.
I’d been looking forward to this one because it would take me past the 400 mile point for February, and also over 940 for the year, which would mean that I’d made up the difference between last year’s target (4200) and this year’s (4540). 340 miles over target for the first two months, in other words.
Back on 27 miles exactly, not as many as I wanted but more than enough for today’s purposes. 425 done this month.
A bit cold out there, and that was a substantially climbier route than a Twycrosser of similar distance would have been. But it’s nice not to do the same thing all the time.
Got up (relatively) early to do a fondo, and I’d set off by 08:45. With a moderate wind coming form the west, I’d decided to do the Lower Westbound route. Wasn’t sure whether to go up to Abbots Bromley or keep on west through Rugeley, so I deferred that decision until I got to the appropriate road junction, 24 miles in. I opted to go up to Abbots Bromley.
Really lovely out there – sunny and mild. Despite only having had a couple of slices of toast before setting off, I seemed to have loads of energy – perhaps I was using carbs provided by last night’s pasta and beer. I’d gone 29 miles before I ate any of the food I’d brought with me.
The first 30 miles seemed to fly by so I kept going past Bagot’s Wood; further than I’ve been before along that route. Eventually I came to Uttoxeter, where I turned back at a round about. Interestingly I was only about a mile, at this point, from the western end of the Upper Westbound Route. But there’s no sensible way to get to it from Uttoxeter, unless you count cycling along the A50 as sensible.
As soon as I turned back I hit a headwind, which was annoying. The wind direction must have changed so that it was coming from the SE. I was coming south at this point. Irksome, but I turned east again after Hill Ridware so I didn’t have to put up with it for long.
Bought some Quavers and a Fry’s Chocolate Cream at the Co-op at King’s Bromley and had a very nice picnic in the sunshine on the grass verge near Alrewas on the way back. I took the pic at Abbots Bromley.
I listened to 6 Music, United vs Leicester, the first Rolling Stones album (I’ve set myself a task of listening to all of them in order this year) and the final Clash album, Cut the Crap.
Getting a bit too warm and spring-like in the afternoon and I had to stow away my woolly hat an cycling overtrousers in my backpack with about 10 to go.
Saw a rather large buzzard perched atop a dead badger near Measham. It looked quite proud of itself but I think a road vehicle had probably done the heavy lifting there.
Glorious ride out. Back on 71.49 miles. 398 this month.
