Tell us about your weekend ride

I haven't had a chance to ride the second edition yet, but I'm determined too this year!

Skinny road tyres won't work too well for this route in any conditions I'm afraid. I found my 25c maxxis mamushi jobs not up to it.

Have put 33c Almanzo's on my bike now in anticipation :)

Entertaining ride around Essex lanes this morning. Caught a guy mid piss in the middle of nowhere: Not a discreet hedgerow job, but standing in the middle of the road facing me as I came towards him while his wife was sat in the passenger seat of his car. Gave him a loud cheery 'good morning' as I passed him and he jumped out of his skin. Think he was fully immersed in the task at hand to see me approaching.

Saw some mystery birds in a field, unfortunately I didn't bring a camera but grabbed a couple of snaps on my bad phone to try and identify them later. They look halfway between partridge and female peacocks. Too large and bushy looking to be partridge I think and they didn't have the crest that peacocks have. They had a bright red patch above their eyes that the camera didn't pick up. Any ornithologists about?

Bit later on I passed 3 guys, probably in their mid 40's to early 50's, on boardman hybrids. Stopped for coffee and a bacon roll about 20 minutes later and as I'm locking up, one of them pulls up beside me gasping for air. Apparently he was tired of how slow his mates were and thought he'd try and keep up with me and drop them. I remark on his decent effort (it was, neither him or his bike were built for speed and I was going a steady 40km/h according to strava) and chat for a bit while he waits for his friends to catch up.

Also passed through the most metal village name, it was disappointingly sedate:

All in all, glad I went out instead of sacking it off because it looked a bit wet and blowy out when I woke up.

Probably Guinea fowl

Yeah that looks about right. Explains why I couldn't find them on the RSBP bird finder since they're not a native wild bird. Guess they're owned by a nearby farm and let out to roam. They were pretty chill when I crept up on them with the camera too.

Some very head windy laps of Regents. At least the sun said hello.

I'm going to be there next weekend, any route/tips to share?

What are you selling?

Any frame bag or areo bars?

Kudos again, been following your dot all along.

I think Jortenheim is my new bestest place in Norway. Brutal though. Climbed 2400m while barely riding over 70km. I don't mind the big clubs. But you hit the top and it doesn't stop.The plateaus have constant undulations which broke me somewhat.

1 Attachment

.

1 Attachment

I just panic bought loads of stuff before TCR and some other stuff that couldn't be returned.

Battery packs, my old bike, sleeping bag, cranks, chainrings, wheels. I've got tonnes of shit I need to clear out but I'll get around to it. I'll hang onto my bags for now. The only 'aerobars' I have to sell are a set of Shiv basebars.

Can't really give you any route advice, as I only had time for the one ride.

Cycling infrastructure is amazing, and there are miles and miles of canals with excellent cycle paths beside them. You really can't go wrong.

My main tip would be make sure you indulge in the local F&B scene - the eating and drinking is world-class.

First ride after getting my back fixed, so thought I'd take it easy and follow the river from Greenwich to Gravesend. Christ, it's a bit bleak round there but at least the sun was shining. Quite a mix of road, gravel, mud, flyovers, and cobbles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/685963065

Dat boat

Desperately trying to regain some semblance of form in time for the hill climb season, so went for a ride on some nice gravel roads round Poolewe.

Need to find a happy medium somewhere between fast gravel and rocky/boggy hell at some point, my theory is that if I ride around enough that will happen.

1 Attachment

At this time last year I did the Alpenbrevet Platintour. 276km and just over 7km of climbing, and it nearly killed me. This year I'm not as fit, thanks to a severe case of stinkymanflu at the beginning of August, and I'm 3kg heavier. So I decided to take the easy option, and do the Gold course with @Cycliste. A mere 172km, but still with 5km of climbing over four Alpine passes - the Grimselpass, the Nufnenpass, the San Gottardo and the Sustenpass.

We set off from Meiringen just after dawn, so climbed up most of the Grimselpass in the shadow of the Alps. It was a scenic as ever, particularly up by the reservoirs at the top:

At the feed station at the top we refuelled whilst being serenaded by a trio of Alpenhorns.

After the Grimselpass came the highest point in the ride at 2,477m, the Nufnenpass, with its long sweeping hairpins and glacial views up at the summit.

At the bottom of the Nufnenpass was Airolo, where the split between the Plantintour and the Gold route takes place. It's just as well I wasn't trying to do the Platintour this year, as I missed the cut-off for the longer route by just over half an hour.

Next up was the San Gottardo, with many many cobbles to add to the hairpin fun. And it was hot. Really hot. Just over 33 degC at the bottom of the climb.

The little red blob is @Cycliste. If you look carefully, the shadows create some interesting optical illusions. The bloke behind her was not, in fact, riding a very small penny farthing. The way down from the San Gottardo featured tarmac rather than cobbles, and I set a new VMax on a road bike of 92.9kph. Strava seems to think I managed 114.9kph, but that's wrong. Trainingpeaks has confirmed it was a mere 92.9kph. Seemed plenty fast at the time.

At the bottom of the descent from the San Gottardo there was a feed station at Andermatt. Since I was taking a more relaxed approach to things this year I took the chance to catch some rays in one of the deckchairs they had available.

Contrary to first impressions, I wasn't in fact having sexeh fun times with my waterbottle. It's just where my hands were comfortable. Ahem. Moving swiftly on, the last pass was the Sustenpass. I really struggled up this climb last, and it wasn't exactly easy this time. The descent is still magnificent though.

Apart from quite a few bicycles, my list of vehicles overtaken this year includes 14 cars, 4 motorbikes, a coach, a cement lorry and an ambulance. It didn't have the blues and twos going, so I decided it was fair game. Leaving a total ride like this:

Going to have to go back next year to try and do the Platintour again though.

L2B with a mate. Strong head wind at the top of ditchling - which is still my nemesis after 3rd attempt (note - been off the bike for 2.5years) - had me holding quite tight. Lovely ride. Back to regents i think to catch a turn with bc guys. Long awaited

85km bimble in the Surrey Hills and then slowly back to SW15.

1000m climbing in the first 52km. My legs did not like that.

Very slow up everything, carrying too much weight (as usual).

Rode tandem to Isle of Wight, camped, rode back. Bottom gear got a lot of use. I have a new understanding of flexy.

https://www.strava.com/activities/693419185

https://www.strava.com/activities/693419361

Afan with a group of Soho Bikes regulars.

Saturday - what rain. Can't remember the last time I've ridden in driving rain for three hours. Good fun though with much climbing, descending and navigating misty wooded areas and exposed hillsides. Much cake / coffee at Skyline cycles.

Sunday - @t_w showed us around 'The Masts'. Rather full on steep and rocky descents for which I will need to up my skills game in future. Seemingly invulnerable to the effects of crashing the Soho Bikes lads pressed on; 'over the bars three times' is apparently a good day out. Smiles for miles, so mission accomplished.

@danstuff - whatever your job is....I want it!!

Epic!

Spent the last week in Vaujany near Alpe d'Huez, got a few rides in. That place is stunning.
Hit up Col de le Croix de fer, Alpe d'Huez, Col du Telegraphe and Galibier, interspersed with beer drinking, lake swimming and cheese eating. 214miles and 37,500ft in five days, new legs please.

Fuck yeah.

beautiful

wow .. I am planning something very similar for end of October, I've never been to France for cycling is that a wrong time to visit this part for cycling?