Tell us about your weekend ride

After a 2 mile test cycle earlier in the week, I decided to venture out and see how tough a ride to High Beach would be, it's around a 15 mile round trip.

It's only the second time out in a year due to injury/illness. I told myself I could abort at any time if I felt like I was dying, and to take it slow. (That means snails pace to you!)

I did it all, aside from the final incline where you turn off from the roundabout at High Beach to the pub. I wasn't breathless; my legs weren't hurting, but they'd definitely had enough.

A quick pit stop before cycling home.
The whole ride felt a lot easier than I thought it would be. I guess I'm not as unfit as I was the last time I was unfit. ;)

I know 15 miles isn't much compared to others, but after everything my body has been through it's a total win. I'm hoping I can build up my saddle time from here, with the aim of doing a Southend ride before too long.

Heading to an alleycat after atleast 2 w 1 year since before last summer from injuries

I still get butterflies in the stomach

Did 82.5mi yesterday with a mate. That's the furthest I've ridden for a good couple of years. Out from Hunsdon up to Saffron Walden and back, mostly via little lanes. Felt good up to about 60mi but my legs felt pretty dead after that.

I'd only eaten a couple of bowls of shreddies in the morning and we only had a couple of muesli bar things and a loaf of Soreen between us. Stopped in Saffron Walden for a coffee and almost got a plate of chips but decided against it (was feeling fine then). Definitely need to make sure I eat more next time.

There were some awesome bits of road, particularly remember a stretch heading SE out of Nuthampstead. It was generally a tailwind home, which was absolutely needed. Also started the ride thinking I'd nailed a change I'd made to my saddle angle, but it got gradually more uncomfortable. I realised at about 40mi that it was gradually moving more nose up every time I hit a bump, so sorted that out when we stopped.

All in all a good ride, reckon we'll try for 100mi next time and stop for a proper lunch.

My new to cycling friend has asked that I ride to Brighton with her this summer, so we've been training up.

Pootles around the local area became jaunts town, then a ride to Richmond Park and back before, this weekend, hitting Kent.

We did 30 miles with 2000ft of climbing, with her on a single speed charge plug. A few pedestrian ascents finishes but all in all she did amazingly. Huge grins came as standard.

I now feel totally sure that we'll make it to Brighton with effort to spare and that it'll be a great day. Two months more training should make it a breeze.

Well done Toni.

Start instigating the idea of riding back to London then!

Ha. I can imagine her face if I were to suggest such a thing!

Had a lovely ride around central yesterday, weather just got better and better so can't complain. 45ish miles all over the place.

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Wales.

All of it.

As a public sector employee with many, many years of service I get loads more holiday than my wife so I had a week off to myself doing nothing but riding round Kent. 500km achievement unlocked.

i had a little ride out from Coventry through kenilworth into berskwell, stopped off for a pint or two and manged to get this picture. some robin chillin on my bars..

here it is

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ha! The basket on the front of your bike looks like a rubbish bin, ha! (again).

Rode from Dewsbury to London. Amazing experience

https://www.strava.com/activities/974350354

Did it make you feel better?

Up until about 4am Sunday.

Is that the time you were done riding?

I had a crack at the Cyclone24 event in Manchester velodrome over the weekend. Great fun, already looking to having another go at one in the future :)

Train to Oxford Saturday morning then rode to Reading via Sonning, then Twyford, Windsor, Staines to East Finchley. 80 miles. Felt good. Cheeky easterly wind on my nose at times. Cheeky curry and ales afters. Building up to 100 mile days for a trip from London up the East Coast to Sunderland.

No, I started 6pm Fri and finished ~3pm Sunday. That doesn't include the train to/from London. Maybe only 44hr ride time but sleeping in bus stops and people's driveways made it feel a lot fucking longer and the hills, oh woe is the man who lives on beer and kebabs and wants to ride in Wales...

Well, nice tribute to Mike, and well done in general, complete training, including sleeping discomfort.

Did you have any luck finding your mojo?

I definitely smelled like I'd raced the TCR by the time I got the train home.
I definitely did some things that 'normal' people wouldn't want to be caught doing haha

"lower your standards" :)

I dug deep into my cave of hell, kicked open the suitcase of pain, draped the cape of misery over myself and got it done.

So, I'm still not sure if I actually enjoy riding my bike for days on end but I went into it with a few mental exercises to try and did pretty well until I had a complete meltdown about 3am Sunday, but then I slept on someone's cardboard recycling in their drive until the sun came up and felt much better. Formed a new finish plan so I didn't miss the time cut and finished it off pretty well.
So, I'd rate it a success.
Also tested some new kit which was cool and found myself picking better bivvy spots which may or may not be useful in TABR (I think hotels might be better for my sleep quality, with a superlight bivvy as a backup).

I think hotels might be better for my sleep quality

You'd hope so