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Yet another beautifully warm, sunny day. I left work early and set off to do a Bypasser. I chose the Cannondale, because I wanted to give the new rear tyre a spin. I fitted it a few days ago and it was still encouragingly firm when I checked it in the garage.

I got as far as the uphill approach to Snarestone, having done about 8.5 miles, when I noticed that my bottom was experiencing the road surface a bit more intimately than it should have been. I stopped; sure enough the rear tyre was a bit soft.

I continued on for a little while then stopped just after the turn off for Snarestone. I’d managed to bring a pump, but not a spare inner tube. I hadn’t remembered to put the saddle bag back on after cleaning the bike. I stopped at a convenient spot and tried the pump. It didn’t seem to be inflating the tube. I set off walking again, then tried the pump again in the shade of a tree at the bench in the church yard at Swepstone. No go. I think the valve is broken; the new tyre doesn’t seem to have picked up any trauma.

I called ‘er indoors and she agreed to come and get me after she finished work, at 5pm. By the time she did kindly pick me up near Heather I’d probably walked about three miles in my cleats.

A kind couple in a Range Rover kindly offered me a lift, but shortly thereafter decided that the bike probably wouldn’t fit in the back. I kind of think it would have, but never mind. At least they wanted to make sure I was OK and had plenty of water, which I did.

Ah well! Not something that happens often. 8.89 miles, certainly the shortest ride of the year so far but it was fun while it lasted.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7605188052

I booked this afternoon as annual leave with the idea of doing a ride to Stafford Bingley Hall and back. I have two routes there, one an extension of the Upper Westbound route and the other extended from the Lower Westbound route, itself derived from the ride to Wales a while back.

I entertained the idea of doing one route there and the other one back but in the end I decided to take the Lower Westbound option both ways.

Nice warm weather and mostly sunny, though I did get a couple of spells of light rain (neither lasted more than 5 minutes).

Bingley Hall is now known as Staffordshire County Showground but I know it best as the venue where I saw a number of bands, most notably Rush of course, in my late teens. Back then it was it was a few hours from home on a train but now I live in the East Midlands, it’s a thoroughly serviceable distance for a bicycle pilgrimage.

I hung round the main gate for a minute or two and took a pic, then turned back. I thought of listening to Hemispheres on the way back since that was the current album when I saw Rush there, but remembered that I heard two new tunes from the next, unfinished album Permanent Waves for the first time those two nights. So I listened to those (The Spirit Of Radio and Free Will).

The last couple of miles to Bingley has what must be the worst climb of any bike ride I’ve ever done but the nice thing about it is that you don’t have to use the brakes on the way back down – it tapers off nicely at the bottom and eventually leads to a shallow climb that soaks up the remaining momentum. I hate to waste kinetic energy (and brake pad material).

The new surface on the A51 has bedded in nicely now, since my Wales trip.

The headwind was pretty aggravating on the way out but I think the wind had died down a bit or changed direction after I turned for home. I even had to cope with a headwind again for a time. I felt cheated.

The Scarecrow Festival at Heather is still happening so I took this pic two miles from home:

Nice afternoon out on the bike. 74.06 miles, 136 this month. That was my 18th Fondo this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7588047745

Unexpected rain this morning but by the time I was able to leave work – unusually early – conditions were warm, dry and sunny. A pretty stiff wind coming from the west, though. I felt like going up and west along the Beloved A Road. The August Fondo, perhaps.

The trouble with the Upper West route, as I now know it, is that you start to run out of options after 25 miles. On this occasion I took a right after Sudbury, then a left along a minor road – just making it up as I went along, really. The road started to degenerate into one of those single track roads with lots of dips and bumps with a build-up of gravel down the middle, but it wasn’t too bad.

I stopped at a farm after about 28 miles and was about to turn back, but I thought I’d press on over the next little hill to see if the road improved. It did! A bit twisty with some sharp climbs and scary downhill descents, but the surface improved a lot. Really lovely cycling territory with some brilliant views to the west, and very quiet. I will definitely do that stretch again, but probably on the Tricross.

I continued until I’d done half a fondo and was going to turn back but I saw a sign to Sudbury along a right turn, so in a spirit of adventure I took that. I thought it might be a slighter shorter way and rob me of the full fondo mileage, but in fact it turned out to be exactly the same distance. A slightly busier stretch of road but better for a road bike. I think I’ll base a fondo route on the way back, ie the last 31 miles of this ride.

Same way back from Sudbury.

Lots of ladies out in shorts. Not to be sexist or objectifying or anything, but I saw a phenomenal specimen in Melbourne on the way back. Tall, athletically slim and fit but curvy, long brown hair, about 30 and wearing tight black shorts that only covered half her bum. I nearly fell off the bike.

The headwind over the first half was a pain, but of course I enjoyed the tailwind on the way back. Conditions stayed more than warm enough for the whole ride and I was back on the dot of sunset.

Really a terrific run out, possibly my most enjoyable normal-distance fondo of the year so far. It was a breeze as well, despite the up and down twisty bits. Felt more like 40 miles than 62.29.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7578014995

Didn’t think the weather would be suitable for a run out today but the rain had dried up by midday, and by the time I got home from a restaurant at about 4:45pm, conditions were set to be warm and dry for the rest of the day. Not a hint of a puddle when I set off at about 5:10pm.

I wanted to do 36 miles, to bring my yearly tally to 3300 – because that would mean that I only have to fulfil the remaining monthly targets to end up on 5,000 miles in 2022.

The wind was coming from the west, and a bit stronger (I thought) than advertised on the forecast. I did a Twycross Bypasser, going through Upton and Shenton to Bosworth.

Really nice out there and visibility across into Warwickshire from Orton Lane was superb – I had a really clear view of the tops of the tall buildings in Birmingham 19 miles away and wished I’d brought binoculars.

Saw a hare running towards me on the road between Shenton and Bosworth. It stopped when it saw me, then when I got within 40 metres or so it turned and ran the other way before darting into the hedge.

A few powered hang gliders were pootling around in the skies near Norton – one of them appeared to be coming in to land in the field on my right but it swooped up and took to the air again. Looks like a lot of fun.

It’s Scarecrow Festival weekend in Heather. I was pleased to see a lot of people out and about and enjoying the various creations people had put out in their front gardens when I passed through in the car earlier – nice that these quaint rural traditions are still popular – and I stopped to have a closer look at one of them when I came back through later on the bike. It featured the Queen on a makeshift balcony, the Red Arrows represented by inflatable toy red aircraft strung up above and Prince Louis with his hands over his ears. I did take a pic but sadly the phone didn’t focus it properly.

Was pleased to see when I got to Bosworth that I was going to end up on 36 miles pretty much exactly if I came the quickest way home from there, so I did.

36.02 miles, 574 for July.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7561507879

Quite a nice afternoon – cloudy but quite warm, and only light winds. There was a mild threat of rain in the forecast, though. I thought to do about 40 miles.

Since the wind was coming from the east I decided on the eastbound route. But when I got to Prestwold Park I decided to go left through Hoton, along the “Lost Road” then back home the old way through Wymeswold and Rempstone.

After Zouch though I detoured through Shepshed to avoid the crappy road surface on Ashby Road. I’d forgotten about that for the outbound trip, might take the detour both ways next time. Pleasant change, anyway.

Back on 38.15 miles. The weather looks iffy on Sunday and I have a lunch appointment that day anyway, so that may well be it for July.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7549635968

A year or two ago I had the idea of doing a bike ride that would take in every village in North-West Leicestershire with a name ending in “stone”. I think I did plan a route back then, but I never got round to it.

Last night I planned a new one anyway – it came to about 36 miles, perfect for this evening because I wanted to be back by about 7pm to stand a decent chance of not getting rained on.

So I set off at about 3:30pm and pedalled through Thringstone, Swepstone, Snarestone, Bilstone, Congerstone, Shackerstone, Odstone, Nailstone, Barlestone and finally Ravenstone.

Mostly roads I’ve already done before many times on previous rides but there were a couple of parts I hadn’t done – Church Hill near Thringstone and the road through Barlestone.

I had to keep referring to the GPX app on my phone on the handlebars so it wasn’t the most relaxing ride but anyway, glad to have done it.

I was threatened by some very dark clouds and was convinced I was going to get rained on at some point, but I wasn’t.

Back on 37.35 miles (and actually I could have done it in fewer but I took the long way through Ibstock on the way back). And that’s 500 this month.

I could possibly extend the ride to take in Aylestone and Whetstone one day, but those are a fair way to the east and would add about 25 miles I suspect.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7538851342

The rain came down in bucketloads a couple of times during the day but by 4pm, when I’d removed the X from its perch, only a few puddles remained. A pretty powerful wind was coming from the west, but I only wanted to do 35 or so. I wanted to examine the view from Little Orton through binoculars, which I took in my backpack – so I did a Bypasser.

Once again, warm enough for bare legs. I must be on the longest unbroken run of legs-out cycling in my cycling career. Decently bright when I set off, but by the time I was pushing along the right turn to Norton Juxta Twycross, conditions had gone ominously crepuscular and a couple of spots of rain had made their presence felt. I was actually glad of the wind I was struggling against because it looked like it was going to push the rain clouds over and make way for blue skies. And it did. Twenty minutes or so, nice and sunny. I did a bit of the Dad’s Army route at the bottom, just to give myself a tailwind for a bit longer after I turned back. Which was very enjoyable.

The sky went a bit gloomy again for the last half hour, but it didn’t rain.

Back on 38.26 miles. 463 miles this month, which is 63 over target. If I can do another 60 this month, I’ll only have to exceed the remaining monthly targets by 50 in total to hit 5,000 this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7527605789

Hoped to do about 40 today. A pretty much perfect day for cycling, easily warm enough for bare legs but decently mild, and the wind was light. I decided on a Twycross Bypasser, mostly because I wanted to pursue my hobby of identifying distant objects on the horizon, but also because the wind was coming from the south-west.

I did a long version, going up to Packington at the top, across to Warton on the left, right along Fenn Lanes at the bottom and right over to Kirkby Mallory on the right.

Unusually, I came back home through Hugglescote from Ellistown, rather than through Ibstock. I used to do this quite often a year or three back and I’m not sure why it fell into disuse. I was only reminded of it a week or two ago when I was with ‘er indoors when she was driving back from Ellistown, and she came the same way herself. Probably 99%, literally, of my rides involve coming home along Heather Lane, or down the main road from Ibstock, or along Ashby Road from Coleorton. So today’s ride was in the 1%. A nice change.

Back on 42.62 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7515627945

I’d picked out today as ideal for a post-work Fondo out east from the weather forecast a few days ago, but light rain struck unexpectedly. It had stopped by early afternoon, but the roads were a bit damp when I set off. Not for long though. By the time I was in Coalville, two miles away the roads were completely dry, so we must have had very localised weather.

I wasn’t troubled by precipitation for the rest of the ride either.

Very annoyingly a stretch of Ashby Road near Zouch has been resurfaced, if I can dignify what they’ve done with the term, by scattering heaps of sharp, dusty gravel on it.

I turned round after 30.8 miles, because I intended to do a detour via Diseworth on the way back – to avoid some of the gravel. Nice to have a tailwind on the way back. I especially love to see wind turbines pointing in the right direction, in the distance. I did the Rempstone / Wymeswold route on the way back.

Nice weather for it, intermittently cool and slightly warm. I thought a lot about my mum, and our home in Hartlepool leaving the family tomorrow, especially as the afternoon drew on. I felt an urge to be there again one last time, to see the sun go down in the back garden where I played as a kid.

I’d been looking forward to doing the eastbound Fondo again for a while but I was so preoccupied that it mostly sort of washed over me. But it was good to get out for a few hours.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7506778428

63.26 miles.

An intensely hot day. I hadn’t had a chance to go cycling for a few days so I decided to brave the heat after work. Left it until about 5:35pm before setting off. It was still 36 degrees C out there, but at least the UV levels would have diminished somewhat.

I did a short version of the Twycrosser, that takes a left to Bilstone and Congerstone then comes up through Shackerstone.

Obviously I took it easy, but I really wasn’t too uncomfortable. Nonetheless I thought it best to keep it short. Drank plenty of water, even though it was warm after half an hour. Maybe tea’s the thing to take in your bidon in weather like this.

I didn’t see a single other cyclist out there for the first 18 miles, after which I did see a young man in t-shirt and shorts on a hybrid.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7490589329

22.71 miles, 319 this month, 3045 this year.