Tell us about your weekend ride

That's all very well, but have you seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion or C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate?

Ive seen thing's you people couldnt believe

115 miles and 6th on the rest & be thankful climb... great ride in glorious weather & scenery

http://www.strava.com/activities/147690399/segments/3386112655

That's the easy side.

I did the Eastbourne Cycling Festival sportive today, with Two Omegas.

It was an extremely well organised event, nicely signposted and everyone was very cheerful.

I encountered some issues with my mudguards, so stopped and fiddled with the front one, waving the Mrs on, set off again to discover that it was the rear mudguard making the noise. Boo.

Anyway, I caught back up at the top of a small hill:

And I'd like to point out that yes, I was using deep carbon rims on this sportive:

And I made sure to stop for an ice-cream to enjoy the view at Birling Gap:

Repped for the small hill gag.
Wheres the dalsnibba ride though? ????

Had a long and lazy lie-in this morning, so only a shortish ride today. Up the hill to Chardonne, down the Corniche to Cully, back up the Corniche to Chatel St Denis (again), up to the local ski station and Les Plaiedes, and then a plummet back to Chez Cycliste for a quick curry and a train to the airport.

Overall:

Back up the Corniche:

Descent from Les Plaiedes:

Now waiting for my flight back to Blighty. Being an Easyjet flight, it's late.

Been exploring roads around Munich this weekend, i think it's the flattest place i've ever cycled.

Yesterday got shown around some local roads on the west side of Munich by an Argentinian. Some lovely roads and even better beer gardens.
Rode down the Isar river path south then looped north up to dachau then back down in to town. Slow but rewarding miles.
http://www.strava.com/activities/147684751

dachau

Today tried out the east of Munich, because i've got the nocturne race next week thought i should at least attempt to try and go fast on my crappy create-a-like singlespeed i bought over here. Even flatter than saturday but about 5 times as windy,
http://www.strava.com/activities/148173941

I love hillsides like this so much and always enjoy travelling through the Mittelrheintal (Middle Rhine Valley) by train because you can look at them there.

Unfortunately, it's usually dark when I get the train through the vines at Lavaux so there's not much to see! The Corniche is a great ride though - I can see why the locals ride it so much.

I was in toaster. Ok, Towcester. It was warm. There were no horses.

you could have bunny hopped dat

Only if the laws of physics were temporarily suspended.

I don't have anything of note to say about my weekend ride but I feel utterly wrecked today. Seriously considering having a quick nap under my desk before my boss gets in.

some great reports ls & gs. didn't really touch the bike this weekend beyond errands. but at least get a little fix reading this here thread

I don't have anything of note to say about my weekend ride but I feel utterly wrecked today. Seriously considering having a quick nap under my desk before my boss gets in.

Just tan a few caffeinated gels every hour and try not to shit yourself, you'll be grand.

Only if the laws of physics were temporarily suspended.

I am the laws of physics.

Bergen – Voss 2014

First event of the season, and was pretty excited about it. Plenty of logistics to sort out. But the weather forcast was awesome.

We drove most of the day down to Voss, to dump the car, and take the train to Bergen. By the time we’d collected our start numbers, checked in, gotten everything ready, and popped out to eat. It was a pretty bloody late night. We had a 5:57am start time, with a reasonably fast paced group. Having had 4 hours sleep. We promptly overslept, faffed, and missed the start by 15mins, and started with a group, 7 groups behind ours (2mins between each start time). I was pretty positive about it. The weather was looking to be good, and it meant we might have a more interesting race. I reckon I was right.

Within the first km or 2. I lost patience with the group we were in. It was all over the place. So I pulled off the back and went looking for the group in front. My mate caught me despite me forgetting to signal him (oops), and it didn’t take long to catch the next group. We sat at the back for a bit before working our way to a comfortable spot near the front. Then when the first of the 3 proper climbs arrived, we were rested enough to head off the front and start looking for the next group.

Except they were now broken up and pretty far ahead. After some hard work as a 2 man group, we figured we may as well stop, and fill our bottles at the next feed point. We headed off again and started working. Through the tunnels the message was not to overtake, and to ride easy. But it was pretty difficult not to at least sneak past those that had been dropped from the groups ahead. It was in a tunnel that the Danish express train passed us. We reacted quickly and tagged on the back. The speed they were going I can only assume they had also overslept.

The Dane pulling was a 90+kg diesel engine. We both tried to do our share. Knowing how much we needed these guys. But the same engine came to the front each time the pace slowed by a single Kph. We rode together up the main climb, and I smashed what was (unbeknown to me) a neutralized decent, passing a police motor bike while speeding to boot. After a while we had collected few more riders, and where moving nicely as a group of 12 or so. At this point a paceline was initiated up front. I’ve seen pacelines. I even read up on them while driving down. But I’d never ridden in one. At this point I was buzzing from the unfamiliar speed, and copious amount of caffeine in my suppliments. I was very ready for my first paceline. It moved along incredibly smoothly, and soon it was my pull. Like an excited child on xmas morning, I got on the pedals and started to earn my spot in this tempory team. Except when I eased to the side I saw no wheel. In fact where the fuck was everyone? At this point my mate caught me up and informed me I’d ‘gone off premature’. I rolled back to a grinning group feeling somewhat embaressed.

As the terrain growed more rolling both the paceline, and very much myself, feel apart. I was dropped on every little climb, and had to work on every descent to bridge. It was getting more and more painful. But I stuck with them. Partially because I knew my stronger ridding bud would drop off to help if I got dropped. Which I didn’t want. But in the end the discovery of the Danish diesels near full bidons, contra our long empty ones. Meant waving goodby, and stopping at a supermarket. We were near the base of the last climb. So after 15mins faffing. We headed off and I told my mate that I was pretty shattered, had tight hamstrings, and wanted to rehydrate. He may as well leave me now, as he’d smash me on the climb anyway.

I felt pretty strong after a liter of water. But didn’t want to risk my hamstrings. So I climbed at a constant 230w. Staying out of the saddle. Felt equally strong at the crest, and pushed on. The top of the climb has a long shallow uphill stretch. I pushed along that passing single riders along the way. What I didn’t realize for quite some time was that I wasn’t passing them. I was collecting them. A dozen or so. And after a while I felt the need to rest a bit. But the wheelsucker directly behind me refused to pull. Knowing I had 25km left. I was forced to sit-up and see how theyd react. They didn’t. Then a few guys at the back accelerated instead. Despite tired legs, I needed to catch these guys and claim my rest. In doing so I, of course, bridged with the wheelsuckers in tow. So once up, I dropped off to the very back, and awaited my turn to pull. When it came I did my newly found trick of pulling far too hard and went off the front. I had say 14km left to empty myself, and it was downhill from here.

After a few km, with maybe 10km left, I caught the back of a lorry, itself stuck behind some cars, they stuck behind some riders. Pissed at the idea of wheelsucker guy catching me. I glanced down the other side of the road, saw my chance, and sprinted. Glancing up I suddenly realized the road ahead was blocked with a fence, and loads of people. I slammed on the brakes barely made the 90 degree turn the route now took, and crossed the finish line. Right into the hundreds of newly finished cyclists that had decided it would be nice to hang mere meters from the finish line.
Yes I not only started 15mins late, I finished 10km early! Turns out the race wasn’t as long as I somehow thought it was.

TLDR. Overslept, rode hard but clueless, nearly crashed after I’d finished.

http://www.strava.com/activities/147792897

I don't have anything of note to say about my weekend ride but I feel utterly wrecked today. Seriously considering having a quick nap under my desk before my boss gets in.

Do it.

I miss my old office with the sofa in the store room. Perfect for hangovers but would be doubly useful now that I'm wrecked from da bike ridez every Monday.

Exiting Leyton tube station we rode left and then first or second left again. Politically correct but . . . I had enquired about Lea Bridge Road before.
Fox was leading by the way and was right that Leyton was closer then Stratford where I usually disembark.

Excellent report Smallfurry! Sounds like great fun. Strong average speed with the distance and altitude too. Hatdoff

Cheers.

Was more epic fail than epic win. But I had a shed load of fun.

Indeed, strong work Smallfurry. Nudging evens on a course with over 2000m of climbing is mightily impressive.

Cheers.

Both mine, and my mates, Garmin say around 2237m climbed. Which i believe over strava. Especially as its a ride record for me.

Probably climb over 4000m this weekend With Dammit, and TW2 (you lucky things you). So I'm on a diet of magnesium tablets, and bananas, to reduce cramp worries.

Descent from Les Plaiedes:

Turns out that descent from Les Plaiedes got me to number 6 on Strava for that segment. #boastpost. Brian Cookson's in tenth. And yes, it does appear to be the Brian Cookson. Looks like he does quite a bit of riding.

#trivia

Small furry- awesome.
I've now worn through my bibs, and I've got an epic saddle sore in the making.
But- I've heard of a ride on velodrome in Sineu, so clearly going to have to ride through the sizeable pain (I fucking hate the saddle I'm using).
Or go windsurfing.
Today was relatively chilled- the Tolos lot was led by a TT rider so we had some good pace on the way out and then super relaxed on the way back, about 60miles of really lovely quiet roads.
Then I stupidly did cap fermantor, and it was shit. Beautiful, yes, but too late in the day and headwind and asshole drivers took all the fun out of the ride.