Summer epics

i was just about to say it's looking better, but the time it has taken me to sign in has allowed a new barrage of grey clouds to bowl in.

on the one hand i think it's lame to let drizzle and a bit of a breeze to scupper our plans, but on the other, it just may not be that much fun. i'll go if people are up for it. if anyone is just reading: post your thoughts.

also, bare in mind that there will be ample opportunity to shorten the ride - we'll pass earlswood, wythall, lapworth and henley in arden train stations at least - if it starts of pleasant and then gets worse. there are plenty of country pubs where we can wait out the rain...

Ok well I'm on my way. I'll leave now and shoot out towards the alcester road. I'll pm you dan with my phone number incase i'm a bit late

30 miles in wet and cold is not much fun.

30 metres in wet and cold is no fun.

wet and cold.

Was alright I only rode to moseley and then basically rode home again via Earlswood.

Hope the others made it.

yeah, we made it. it actually brightened up intermittently and never actually rained enough to get wet. for the last ten minutes it was beautifully sunny.

the weather is almost never as bad as it seems in england. when you're sitting inside staring out of the window, you think it looks awful, but once you're out on your bike it's actually okay.

it's a bit disappointing that only 1.5 people from the forum showed up (plus a mate of mine on his mtb). even more so after there was such strong interest. perhaps we should add 'weather-permitting' post-scripts to all suggested rides/events?

That's why I didn't put my name on the list... had a feeling I'd be too tired.

You're right about the weather not being as bad as it looks from indoors.

Who's 0.5 of a person? Or do you mean Dave went on half the ride

....even more so after there was such strong interest.

I must hold my hands up to this... sorry to have been so lame.
I put a fair few miles in yesterday after the memorial ride - so i felt less inclined to get out in the "not so great conditions"....
HTFU, i guess...

yeah, dave made it half way, but to be fair he did ride almost the same distance to moseley in the first place.

no worries to those who didn't make it - riding should be fun and if you're not into battling the conditions it won't be, so no hard feelings. roll on some well-timed good weather!

yeah he lives bare mission away, i dont blame him!

Right, I didn't put my name on the list for obvious reasons, but a longish ride has got to be done soon, otherwise we're all pussies. What say ye people to a long-ass Welsh ride in the Summer? I have had this National Cycle Network Lôn Teifi & Lôn Cambria route map since 2007 and never used it, and it would be a shame to put it to waste.

I was thinking the 113 miles from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth looks doable in a day, we could certainly do it in 8 hours, say if we get a really early train one Saturday, do the ride then camp in or near Aber overnight and get the train back to Brum from Aber.

What do yous reckon? Doable or too hardcore? Too much potential for rain?

I think some European rides should be done too.. I don't think I'll be able to do one other than Paris to Amsterdam this year, but something like Lyon to Marseille would be cool...

this sounds like a capital idea. something to totally fuck us up.

one major concern though - isn't the train to shrewsbury and back from aberystwyth going to cost a mint and be a bit of a ballache?

isn't wales a bit hilly?

I dunno, and yes

well. i think a century-and-a-bit in hilly wales may be a step too far for me, personally. if i ever get a road bike it'd be the kind of thing i'd be interested in, but i'm sure once i'd done it once i wouldn't do it again. if i'm going to have the hassle of driving for a few hours or submitting myself to the indignity of public transport, i think i'd prefer to go mountain biking.

however, i think a century ride around birmingham, or at least starting or ending here, would be a good thing to aim for. perhaps mid summer? longest day?

if anyone's interested, i've started doing semi-regular (ie once or sometimes twice a week, various days) pre-work rides for about two hours, usually covering about 30 miles, starting 7.30am. as much as i love my ipod/speaker/bagstrap combination, some company may be good. anyone?

also, i am going to be doing some evening time trials this year. they're thursday nights, near the nec.

sounds good to me.... whats a good destination that 50 miles away at most?

I just posted this on Summer Plans thread ?

Oooo what about, a cycling weekend to and from a kent or sussex area vineyard, with camping gear, weekend tasting ( drunk ), camping and cycling in the sun ?

Anyone ?

vineyard? brewery more like

Could any of you be tempted to ride out to a music festival at the end of August? It's in Northants, and will probably be "assisted" in one way or another...

Lol... by assisited, I mean support van for bags/tents etc... not like EPO and Speed.

:D

I'd prefer the latter

sounds good to me.... whats a good destination that 50 miles away at most?

I can lead a ride from Brum to Shrewsbury if anyone is interested. Would be about 50miles, first 15 on busy roads until we clear Wolverhampton, then nice quiet lanes the rest of the way. Stop at a cafe in Ironbridge Gorge on the way for Coffee and Cake.

Can then either ride or catch the train back from Shrewsbury

I want to go continental for at least a couple of days.

I can lead a ride from Brum to Shrewsbury if anyone is interested. Would be about 50miles, first 15 on busy roads until we clear Wolverhampton, then nice quiet lanes the rest of the way. Stop at a cafe in Ironbridge Gorge on the way for Coffee and Cake.

Can then either ride or catch the train back from Shrewsbury
Sounds farkin good to me, I'd be up for that.

I want to go continental for at least a couple of days.

Meet me and Mark in Belgium and ride to Amsterdam with us :)

REVIVE THE STRATFORD RIDE

Let's do it the weather is getting really good.
My mate did it in just over two and a half hours on sunday.
Lets face it, us pasty bunch of midlanders need a ride to top up that good old fashioned english novelty tan.

When do people think they'd be up for it?

we could do it post-work now i reckon. as long as we leave by 6 and bring lights just in case. would that be easier for people to squeeze in?