Bike Diary

A dry day for a change and unusually mild with it, although the wind from the south was fairly strong. I left work early with the idea of doing a decently long ride, possibly even a fondo, down the southbound route. Once again I came right down the A444 over the first few miles, rather than going through Ellistown and Bagworth.

Delightfully, I found the village shop at Gilmorton open so I bought some goodies.

I turned back after 30.3 miles, along Station Road near Husbands Bosworth. I was going to take a longer route home and I didn’t want to do more than the fondo distance. I reckoned I’d be home by about 2100.

It was getting dark by this time, and I took a wrong turn down Lutterworth Road. My more serious error came after Stoney Stanton, when I failed to take the left turn to Potters Marston. I do enjoy cycling in the dark but I’m definitely more likely to make navigation errors. I realised I’d gone badly wrong when I found myself in Huncote, a place I don’t think I’d ever been in my life.

Google Maps to the rescue then and I plotted a course homeward, but within a few miles I’d missed a turn again and found myself in Croft. That was particularly annoying because I’d  descended a steep hill completely unnecessarily, and of course I had to come back up.

By this time I was convinced I wasn’t going to get home until after 2200, but in fact I hadn’t gone that far off track. I came back up through unfamiliar territory (Thurlaston and Desford Rd) then nearer home, the quickest possible way, through Donington le Heath rather than Ibstock and was back home on 64.58 miles. I’ll put the road through Thurlaston on my list of places to revisit.

Very glad to have the tailwind on the way back, it made a big difference.

I did regret coming through Donington le Heath. It used to be fine, but there’s a steep descent called Standard Hill which has been resurfaced in a bizarre wavy, ripply texture and although it’s alright in a car it is absolutely boneshaking on a bike. Horrible in the dark especially.

Anyway, glad to have given the March distance tally a bit of a boost. It’s been a rotten cycling month. 219 miles done and I’ll be happy enough with 400.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10954222829

While looking through my bike routes on RideWithGPS this morning I came across one I’d devised, but never tried that goes eastward by a different, more southerly route through Bagworth, Markfield, Rothley, Trussington and Hoby before looping upward through Ragdale to join the usual eastbound route near Six Hills.

So: I did that this afternoon, after leaving work early. Plumbed the route into my eTrex so I wouldn’t get lost.

Certainly made a nice change, but I could have done without all the hill climbing on the lower part. Nice and quiet though. Nice views. I think I did something similar a few months ago.

I had half a mind to do a fondo, so to that end I continued east for a bit when I got to Six Hills. But it was getting a bit cold so I turned back after about three miles. I don’t often do more than 50 miles without doing a fondo and I did think about maybe an excursion into Coalville and back with a few miles to go. But there’ll be longer, warmer days soon.

Saw a baby deer strolling along the grass verge at Stanford on Soar. It disappeared into someone’s front garden when it heard me coming.

Back on 54.61.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10918338796

Lovely cycling weather again, mild dry and sunny. Low winds. But not so much time this afternoon unfortunately. I hoped to get about 30 miles in nonetheless.

Decided I’d do about 15 of the eastbound route then come back. However, after about 12 miles I took a fancy to a left turn I hadn’t taken before (I don’t think), signposted to West Leake. And once again I discovered some very pleasant cycling territory along there. Before long I saw a sign to Sutton Bonington, so I took that, and as I expected, eventually I looped back to the main road through Zouch.

I’ve been through Sutton Bonington a few times. It was a favourite destination when I was still building up my ride distances after buggering my knees. That part of Nottinghamshire is pleasingly flat. But I’m pretty sure I haven’t done the road that loops round to it near West Leake.

I must make a note to go exploring over that way again.

Anyway I came back after hitting the main road again. Took the slightly longer route home after Belton, through Griffydam.

Back on 28.35. Not quite as many as I intended. But as a wise man once said, any miles is good miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10897865173

Very good weather for cycling – low wind, dry, sunny and reasonably mild. Decided to do the Southbound route, and set off not long after 1000.

Remarkably, I missed the turn for Ellistown after about two miles. My mind was somewhat preoccupied with bathroom renovation activities. However I ploughed on down the A444, took a left along Grange Lane and was back on track in no time. Actually a more direct route, which cuts a mile off compared to going through Ellistown. I normally avoid it because I’m not keen on pedalling down the A444 any longer than I have to, but today it was fine. Something to think about for the next Northampton excursion.

Once again I took the bypass round Earl Shilton to avoid the hill.

At Gilmorton I was delighted to find the village shop open, with the enticing prospect of a Cornish pasty and a lemon curd crumble slice. I went in, took my phone out of my pocket and realised I’d brought the wrong one. I have three phones, all provided by my employer. But the one I’d brought with me doesn’t have a SIM card. No Google Pay, no treats. I left.

I still had a Tesco cheese pasty, an oat bar and enough water on me. So I pressed on. I turned back after 31 miles though, thinking that it wasn’t prudent to stray too far from home without a working phone or money. Maybe I should keep an emergency £10 note in my usual bikes.

Alas, on the way back I somehow turned left on Lutterworth Road instead of crossing straight over. Too much on my mind again. I decided I’d just press on and see if I could follow my nose home. This took me, eventually, to a place called Bitteswell. I decided to consult Google Maps, in the hope that I was in my “local area” offline map region, downloaded automatically by the app for offline use. I didn’t have a mobile broadband signal, of course.

I wasn’t, but at least the app told me roughly where I was in relationship to it even if I couldn’t see the local roads on it. So I aimed the bike in the right direction and hoped for the best. Fortunately I saw a road sign to Broughton Astley a few miles later.

I added 8 or 9 miles, but I must say the new roads were idyllic cycling territory, especially on a day like today. Must remember to go down that way again.

Fortunately the food I had on me was more than adequate. I ate a lot of lasagne last night for reasons that have nothing to do with cycling, and I think there’s definitely something to be said for carb loading.

I was irritated by a woman driving a Range Rover following me along Broughton Lane. She had loads of time and space to overtake me but she wouldn’t, and after a few minutes she had a tail of traffic half a mile long crawling behind her. Naturally a couple of them decided it was my fault after she did eventually overtake, gesticulating or beeping their horns as they passed.

I listened to footy on 5 Live. Burnley (surely going down now) vs Bournemouth and the first half of the Manchester derby.

Back on 71.42 miles. That was this year’s sixth fondo.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10882836844

I felt sure I wasn’t going to get out again this month due to rotten weather, but happily the forecast for this afternoon changed. I’d abandoned my desk and set off on a Twycrosser by 1545. Only wanted to do 30-odd miles since it was likely to rain later, but that would see me over 400 for the month.

Stopped along Gibbet Lane on the way back to put my lights on – and found that I didn’t have a rear light attached to the Tricross. Well, no matter – I was bound to have a strappy one in my backpack. And I did, but the little plastic hook that tethers the two ends of the silicon loop had gone missing. I tried to fashion a makeshift connection, but no joy. Fortunately the head torch in my backpack had a red light mode, so I switched that on and put it on my head backwards.

Not so fortunately, the red light would only stay on for a few minutes. I have no idea why. I only found that out because I got shouted at, not unreasonably, by passing motorists a couple of times.

Absolutely disgraceful that I didn’t check I had proper lighting before setting off. I must own about 15 rear bike lights, as well.

Still – I didn’t get run down. Back on 33.74 miles. 409 this month.

Very pleasant out there, not too cold and there was even a bit of weak sunshine early on, just enough to cast faint shadows though it wasn’t bright. I didn’t get rained on though I went through standing water a couple of times.

Nice to get a ride in on a Feb 29th.  An opportunity to boost the yearly tally that you don’t usually get.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10863259743

The plan for today, to take advantage of a rare dry day with the wind coming from the east, was to do Lincolnshire and back. I worked out a route last night that would take me to a new entry point to the county of Isaac Newton. Essentially my usual route over to Waltham, Stonesby, Buckminster et al, except that I took a left turn before Waltham along five miles of road I hadn’t done before – toward Grantham, through a village called Croxton Kerrial, then to the Lincolnshire border a bit further on.

So I did that. I can’t say I greatly enjoyed the new stretch of road – the first couple of miles of it were a mostly gritty narrow lane with passing places. The rest of it had a long, steep descent followed by a slog of a climb (which of course meant the same again coming back).

On the way out I took the high road via Rempstone and Wymeswold to avoid standing water. On the way back though I needed to refuel at Burton on the Wolds petrol station because the village shop wasn’t open at Croxton. So I took the more usual route, and I did have to propel the bike through a couple of floods. Nothing dramatic. Just a couple of inches of water.

I detoured via Waltham to avoid the narrow lane on the way back as well. After Belton I came back down through Griffydam and Coleorton, just to do something a bit different.

Cool at first but after a couple of hours I was warm enough to remove my overtrousers and outer nylon top layer. Really nice in the sun. On the way back the temperature dropped quite quickly so I put them back on at the petrol station. Made a very welcome difference.

I had to contend with quite a stiff headwind going east, but the wind speed actually increased gradually over the afternoon which meant that – for a change – the tailwind on the way back was stronger than the headwind had been.

Really glad to be out on a bike for a few hours after a week of rubbish weather. I listened mostly to footy on 5 Live (most notably the EFL cup final).

Back on 76.69. That’s 375 this month which is nicely over target. Also, my average distance for 2023 is up to 45.07.

That’s another neighbouring county ticked for this year, just Rutland to do now.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10836561730

The weather forecast for today had improved substantially by this morning, to the point where I thought I might be able to get a fondo in without getting rained on. I set off at about 1045 to do the Upper Westbound route. That’s an option that’s fallen out of favour recently for apres-work rides due to the irritation of having to share the Beloved A Road with rush hour traffic, but no such reservations apply on a Sunday.

I stocked up on food at the petrol station near Hatton. Crisps, a sandwich and a Fry’s Peppermint Cream. Then, rather than turning south into Hatton I decided to keep on – I suspected that my way would be blocked by a flooded road near Scropton (again) so I wanted to do a bit of exploring. I continued on to Foston, then took a road north called Hay Lane. I’ve been up there before. It’s a bit narrow, twisty, bumpy and gravelly but I perservered until I came to impassable water. Then I came back south onto the main road again. Then I tried a road north called Woodyard Lane until, once again, I came to a watery impasse. I turned back south again.

By the time I was back on the main road I’d decided not to bother going down through Hatton and Scropton at all. I decided just to head for home, but add a few miles some other way. I took a detour through Etwall from Hiilton, and after Swarkestone, I came back the long way via Weston, Aston, Shardlow and Castle Donington.

A nice mild day. Sunny when I set off, then gloomy for a bit with a faint hint of drizzle. Then nice sunshine again. I didn’t get rained on but I went through water on the roads so many times that the bike was filthy when I got back. I actually gave it a cursory hose down and clean with some car shampoo before putting it away, which is a very rare turn of events for me. Only took ten minutes, not a proper clean by any means. But I should do that more often.

I took the first pic at the left turn onto the main road, after Etwall. Water was gurgling into the drain at about a litre a second (at a guess). Both wheels were up to the spoke nipples in it.

Arrived at the road next to the runway at East Midlands just in time to see a plane take off, going west. A 737 I think.

Listened to footy on 5 Live and the rest of the Reacher novel, 61 Hours. Definitely better than the last two.

Back on 65.24 miles, about 45 minutes before sunset. 298 done this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10788995520

Sunny, dry and mild by the time I downed tools this afternoon. A bit windy though. I set off to do 20-odd of the Lower Westbound route, then come back. Got as far as Handsacre then came back.

Quite a bit of standing water from heavy rain overnight, and some of the fields had been transformed into shallow lakes.

Listened mostly to more of the Reacher novel, just a few hours from the (no doubt righteously brutal) climax now. Back on 49.54 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10775648899

Hadn’t been out on a bike for a few days so I was glad to get an opportunity after work today. Nice and dry, but windy and rather cold. I did a Bypasser, with a bit of exploring at the south-eastern end near Dordon. I’d been over that way once before, there’s a nice view looking back into Leicestershire from the high ground there. But I took a different route last time, along a horrible narrow gravelly road (Dordon Hall Lane I think).

Comfortable enough before sunset but very cold after that. Listened to another couple of hours of the Reacher novel.

Back on 40.15, 183 this month. Really looking forward to longer days and warmer weather. But quite enjoying a bit of night riding for now.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10749507606

Would have been a lovely day for an eastbound fondo – very light winds, no chance of rain and mostly bright and sunny (albeit I’d have been coming back in the dark). But I had scheduled work late this afternoon so I couldn’t. So I took a long lunch break instead. I did a Twycrosser.

Once again I saw a helicopter apparently headed for the field near Measham and sure enough it was parked there when I passed the field fifteen minutes later. I saw a well-dressed lady in her 50s in a Range Rover pulling away from the gate, a man of a similar age in a business suit was walking along the path to the helicopter.

Quite an enjoyable run out, if brief. Nice to do the whole thing in daylight, at least. Back on 26.35.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10715495867