Tell us about your weekend ride

damaged by drinks can according to the tweet?

That's what they want you to think...

Haha. I slid on the mud for a good bit, and there was a bent up fosters can where I slid. I've never known a tyre to fail like that, so assumed it was the cause - I didn't know they had form, it was indeed a Conti, a GP400S II.

Discovered there's a 'come-and-have-a-go' MAMIL cycling club in my new village just outside Cambridge so after a couple of emails back and forth in the last few weeks since I moved I headed along to the 'Intermediate Road Ride' at 9am on Sunday. What was advertised to be a couple of hours at 16-18mph turned out to be just that, although we came in a touch under 2.5 hours in the end due to a couple of stops to bunch up after hills/sprints and whilst the average speed came in just under 17mph, In reality I'd have liked to go a little faster. That said, the group's only been going for 3-4 months so far, so it seems people are just getting a feel for each other/abilities - it'll be interesting to see how many people turn out as the weather gets chillier/wetter in the coming months, but I'll definitely be back - with a 15 month old and another on the way, a regularly-scheduled weekend 2-3 hours leaving half a mile from my door is a bit of a god-send.

Absolute belter of a day for it with a touch of wind on some of the more exposed roads but overall a very pleasant ride clocking up around 38 miles on a loop around the outly-ing Cambridge villages. I managed to pick the pace up a little in the final few miles after mistakenly thinking a chap who had to get home quickly was 'attacking' and reeled him in (without much help from my compatriates, I must say) with a few minutes sat up at around 25mph afterwards to ensure I got my workout.

Overall enjoyed myself, met some nice middle aged men, drooled over one titanium bike, got many compliments on my steel over others' carbon/aluminium and was home in time to get a solid afternoon of family lolz in. 8/10 - would ride again.

Next weekend we're staying with some friends in Oxford and I was vaguely thinking about solo-ing the 90ish miles from Cambridge - anyone got a good, dual carriageway-less route they'd care to share before I think better of the idea?

P.S. Picked up one of those new-fangled Team Sky smoothies for afters (the coconut and pineapple one) as well and it was BLOODY DELICIOUS. Just add rum for a protein-laced pina-colada, innit.

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Thanks!

Just finished a 9 day unsupported 1600km Lands End to John O'Groats with the girlfriend.
I liked the compactness of the official Deloitte Ride Accross Britain but was put off by the huge cost (£1600 - £1.00 for every km), the fact they camp every night, and don't really like mass organised events.
So, I found the GPX files for the 2012 RAB online and booked a series of £20.00 travelodge rooms, YHA's and B&B's, booked trains (£39.00 sleeper tickets = bargain), filled the Carradice and began to win at life.

My thoughts on the ride were as follows:

• What an amazing and hilly island we live on. The route pretty much follows B roads and the route master also organises lots of sportives so no main roads but pretty much seeks out every hill in the land (15,000.00 metres in total for the trip)

• With the exception of the first day where it rained nonstop, we largely had the weather gods on our side with a tail wind on 8 of the 9 days (but a savage 30kph headwind on Day 6).

• The first 2 days in Devon and Cornwall were certainly the hardest with some steep climbs of up to 20% (Anyone know Cothelstone?!?)
  The climbs on Scotland went to greater elevation but were generally much more gentle in getting there.

• Seen just about every type of animal as roadkill (realised that I've still never seen a live badger but plenty of dead ones)

• Crossing the Severn Bridge, crossing the Manchester Shipping Canal Toll Bridge, Cheddar Gorge, Shap Fell, Cumbria, and coming up through the Scottish Highlans are also hugely memorable.

• Riding was all fairly easy in the scheme of things but it's quite relentless having to chop 100+ miles every day back to back with luggage for 9 days. Day 3 & 4 were mentally the toughest.

Route was as follows with embedded strava files. The ride with GPS files can be found on my profile here:

Day 1 - Lands End to Okehampton
Day 2 - Okeampton to Bath
Day 3 - Bath to Ludlow
Day 4 - Ludlow to St Helens
Day 5 - St Helens to Penrith
Day 6 - Penrith to Bothwell Bridge
Day 7 - Bothwell Bridge to Fort William
Day 8 - Fort William to Bonar Bridge
Day 9 - Bonar Bridge to John O' Groats

Get out there and go on an adventure before you're too old to do so. What a fucking magical trip. Major bummer to be back in London.

chapeau sir! I hope to do LEJOG one day ..

I miss rep.

awesome 7ven

third last pic is incredible. got some roads like that round here, love living in glasgow

Well done this is on my todo list!!
You got the GPX files you found, to share

Search for Strava user George Corey (that's where I got mine from) , or alternatively, they're on my ride with GPS profile linked above but start and end points slightly tweaked with differing accommodation options.

Great ride and even greater attitude. So glad you enjoyed it.

(Not to dwell too much on what are, truly, trivial details but what did you carry with you? I see two bags that I would guess would be "too" big for credit-card touring..? Also whether you would change any of the route - 2 of you vs. 100s of Deloitte riders might result in a different road choices.)

Inspiring stuff.

what a ride, great! Inspired to do that trip myself with a couple of mates next summer, might pm you for more info some day if I may...

What a perfect day today was.
Ride.
Sun.
Shandy.
Now to work... less good.

Ramsholt Arms.

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Super chapeau to @7VEN

Cracking, if leisurely ride around Northants/ Bucks with the Mrs. Met a lovely bloke in a café whom took great pride in announcing himself as Victoria Pendletons dad!

However on the return route some chavs in a van chucked a porno mag at me as the passed!? More in front of me really. I didn't know what to make of it this. I kind of put one hand in the air in a WTF gesture but on recognising what the magazine was, gave them a thumbs up.

Same ride as last weekend, but sans wife. Didn't blow up a tyre. Did swallow a bug and see a dead badger.

That might be my goto route south of London.

2hrs on the bmx track then 3 miles of bmx sprint and recover to get to the pub.

Me and my brother borrowed our uncles tandem for a wee spin while visiting the fam in Edinburgh. Good one Scotland and bikes.

I am lucky, the other half encourages me to get out on the bike if I have not had an active week. Possibly this hyperactive ADHD adult needs to get some exercise to stop me being totally unbearable.

So last night it was suggested that I needed to get out and burn off some energy. A trip to Surrey seemed like a good idea, so I found a few potential routes and chose one. The plan was to leave at a gentlemanly 10am.

Dogs woke me early and I fed them, but promptly fell back asleep. 9.45 I was nudged into consciousness and reminded I had said I was going for a ride. Shower, coffee and porridge and then the difficult decision of what to wear. Annie was mocking me for laying clothes out on the bed and then choosing not to use an outfit as I had no clean white socks. When I responded that in future she would not get any help from me when agonising over an outfit, it was explained to me that she puts effort into her wardrobe when she is likely to see people who care about such things, and clearly cyclists do not.

She then departed with the dogs and I got out the disco slippers, they had not been used for a while and the speedplay cleats needed some teflon. Was just about to pump up tyres on the road bike when I realised the rear tyre was fucked, it's a couple of years old and clearly the last time I had used the bike I had locked up the rear wheel and got down to the carcass.

I had wanted to do a few hills in Surrey but was now left with only the option of the fixie skidder. This gave way for more procrastination while I faffed and got tools, pump, inner tube ready and had to ditch things like my gillet from jersey pocket as the bike has no bottle bosses and I needed to carry some fluid.

Eventually over an hour late I set off, the dithering brain had eventually decided not to do a flat loop out to Windsor but to do 3 hills in Surrey - a route I had put onto the Garmin the night before. The route was via Richmond park - last week dog walking I had been bitten by tiny black flies that made my arms swell and resemble a fat baby. Riding through the park I felt a burning sensation in my calf and there was one of the little shits gorging on me again. Swatting it off a let while spinning down a hill was a slightly sketchy moment. Unusually London Dynamo were not visible in the park today, which was a relief, though there were preparations going on for a duathlon - given the state of my knees I shudder just at the thought of running (I assume they are not planning on swimming in Pen Ponds).

Almost every route out of South West London seems to take me on the same set of roads, so there was a lovely familiarity. I was doing my best not to be a roadie douche, saying "Hi" to people whatever kind of bike they were riding. It always amazes me how many "serious cyclists" demonstrate no recognition of people who are not on expensive bikes in full kit. The roads were busy with people, but given my tardy start it appeared a lot were on their way home rather than starting out.

I have an appalling sense of direction and tend to be unable to remember where I have been before. My route for the day that I had stolen off the internet had 3 bumps, the first was through Clandon. I am feeling fat and unfit, I had to stand up and drop my bloated weight onto the pedals much earlier on the climb than I remember doing previously. A pair of cyclists had over taken me on the approach and just disappeared off into the distance, initially I tried to follow but realised quickly that this was a futile effort and that I ought to just ride my ride, not try to emulate others.

Thanfully my weight makes descending easier - or should have done but I had a few moments as I was spinning out today when I would reach for the shifter that did not exist on today's steed. The descent from Clandon was one of those, overtaking a few surprised looking people who had gears it was quite exhilarating, though I had a doubt in the back of my mind - was I going to have to go up the hill which has a bridge go over it?

Garmin was indicating I had a sharp right turn to make - bollocks todays route did involve going up Crocknorth Road, it what it lacks in length it compensates in gradient, as my legs ground away there were cars that also needed to be let past. Today has reminded me that I really need to shed some weight, I'd rather be pedaling not grimacing up hills.

From there on the ride became easier. Box Hill was busy with vehicles, why someone had to beep at me for 15 seconds before overtaking was beyond me. It was on the straight before the zig zags, there was clearly room to get past (which they eventually did) whilst gesticulating that I ought to be over in the hedgerow. This was not the only vehicle driven by someone who did not understand where a cyclist ought to be that I encountered today, the great thing was that I caught up with, smiled and waved at most of these impatient short sighted fools.

On top of Box Hill a few people commented on how odd it was that I chose to ride a bike with one brake and one gear. I do enjoy that honesty of riding fixed, knowing that every cm I have ridden had been pedaled by myself. It does feel like a different kind of workout but is quite rewarding. The cafe was very busy, I started queuing for overpriced shit coffee but thought better of it. Thankfully there was an urn of water and I took advantage. By the time I had got there my one bottle of water was long empty and it was imperative that more fluid was taken on board for the return leg.

Riding solo is something that my mind says is not enjoyable, this year there have been a few excursions like today's and they are actually very rewarding. No pressure to perform, not feeling like the groups rhythm is being interrupted when comfort breaks are required. Climbing and descending at speeds which are comfortable to me and having time to take in the views are becoming things I cherish when out on the road.

http://app.strava.com/activities/193865965

Went to the peaks, forgetting that I don't like long rides or hills. Raced Thursday and did 50 miles yesterday so legs were pretty fucked from about 30 miles in. Things got a bit miserable between Buxton and Winnats, which I managed to get up on 39x23. 75 miles. 8k feet of climbing. #sick

http://www.strava.com/activities/193949758

Bakewell pudding in Bakewell:

Half at the Cat and Fiddle

Winnats Pass, which really is a right old cunt of a hill: