Tell us about your weekend ride

2 weeks till the big duathlon, and I'm stuck in with the kids with a nasty head cold.

The annoying thing is the weather is dry and mild, with daylight lasting till 23:30 at night. So its usually around now I get to put the most miles in. Been beating my self up on the turbo, doing sufferfest vids, instead. Friday 'The Wretched', Saturday 'The hunted'.

I should post a pic of my darkened living room, bike drapped in sweat soaked towels, agonising profiles with abusive messages on the tv, and a mountain of snot filled tissues that would'nt look out of place in the Dolomites.

I'll spare you though.

Still off work, so some nicer pics next week.

125km in the lake district, 2000m climbed, got to the hardknott pass at 100km - couldn't believe how steep it was!

Quads now ruined after 20km running on friday in the hills.

Hopefully find a suitable lake for a swim later :)

Found a roadkill snake in the mountains yesterday.

http://app.strava.com/activities/56099600

My buddy attempted to inflate it back to life with his mini pump.

I ride with the best people.

I had just over three hours to get some riding in yesterday after a long and tiresome car journey to Devon, involving massive traffic jams and much back seat whinging

It was sunny and reasonably warm, but windy. I began the long drag from Exeter to Mortonhampstead into a stinker of a head wind, which got worse the further and higher I got into Dartmoor. The wind got so bad on the high moor that I found myself crawling along at a painfully slow pace. By the time I got to the point where I turned back I felt spent and was beginning to dread the thought of Widecombe climb.

This was my third ascent of Widecombe and it was as bad as I remember it being. Just over a mile of 10% average gradient with a few spells at 20% for good measure. I didn't have the legs to push very hard but I made respectable progress and once I crested the top I knew that the worst of the climbing was behind me. I now had a following wind and the anticipation of booze and dinner in my mind. I was able to crack on and managed to turn my embarrassing average speed into something a little more respectable.

It is beautifully sunny this morning and we will be heading out for a family ride to exmouth and back along the cycle path. Flat all the way - sweet!
http://app.strava.com/activities/56214231

125km in the lake district, 2000m climbed, got to the hardknott pass at 100km - couldn't believe how steep it was!

Quads now ruined after 20km running on friday in the hills as well.

Hopefully find a suitable lake for a swim later :)

Familiarisation ride around the new NCC MTB trails yesterday, as may be working the grand opening tomorrow. Defo great fun to be had there keeping in mind it's a short loop in a city green space.

2 weeks till the big duathlon, and I'm stuck in with the kids with a nasty head cold.

The annoying thing is the weather is dry and mild, with daylight lasting till 23:30 at night. So its usually around now I get to put the most miles in. Been beating my self up on the turbo, doing sufferfest vids, instead. Friday 'The Wretched', Saturday 'The hunted'.

I should post a pic of my darkened living room, bike drapped in sweat soaked towels, agonising profiles with abusive messages on the tv, and a mountain of snot filled tissues that would'nt look out of place in the Dolomites.

I'll spare you though.

Still off work, so some nicer pics next week.

Whereas my preparation today involved tooling round the Kent countryside with the Brixton Cycles lot, and very enjoyable it was too.

I've set a target for Nibberittet on Strava, so it must be happening now.

Today, for those who might have any interest.

Ride No.1

much win. Expect Tynan to be dropping us all on night rides soon.

Yes, if he goes down that route.

There has been no ride no.2. I just didn't feel like it when I woke up. Played football with Tynan in the park and started writing a short story for the library newsletter instead. Plus some baking.

Sounds nice. I have also been baking today - we can swap tips next time I see you ;)

I have failed completely to do any meaningful riding this weekend. 40km of junk miles in town in the pouring rain on Friday night, felt crap at the track yesterday and today I woke up and thought for the first time in ages "I really don't want to ride my bike.". My body isn't over whatever it had last week and between Tuesday night, and the TT efforts I did on thursday I have sort of given it a hard time.

Might go turn the pedals for an hour this afternoon and ride tomorrow morning. Who knows, I might not ride my bike at all and go finish my book in the sunshine.

Sounds like your body knows full well it wants a rest.

Yup. Afternoon with Camus it is...

Nice morning in the sun with Jaminroussel and Jogger. I keep missing the good weather and finally I was able to cash in all the brownie points I earned in the sleet and wind of winter. The ride was a good'n. It wasn't long and by recent forum standards it wasn't geographically significant but I needed it and now I feel great. Having not gone far we rinsed our legs out a bit on the way back into town which was fun. The best part was that I can feel my fitness returning. I kept giving it as much as I could - assuming that would be me done only to find that I could go again just as hard a few moments later. Shenanigans like that ususally leave me cramped up or bonking.

Good also to note that Jaminroussel and Jogger like a rest stop as much as I do. Our Strava graph is hilarious. Three big chunks of fuck all amidst a series of little spiky bits.

Great day for it. Lots of very shiny hardware on display at the Epping Hut. Everyone had their bling out.

Jim 1985 if you're reading this (and I know you do) did you say you fancied one of these one day? I notice you're going longer and faster these days - so probably not. Have look at the Strava and see whether you'd enjoy joining or whether I'm a bit pedestrian for you. Going to try to get out there as often as possible.

Hi to th chap on the black Bob J ss if you're 'on here'. That car overtaking in the other direction scuppered my plans to say more. Somewhere out neare Bournebridge Lane if I recall.

http://app.strava.com/activities/56354625

After yesterday's toil on the moor today was about the most perfectly leisurely ride imaginable. Cruising down the Exe valley with my wife and son, the sky was cloudless and the countryside conformed to some sort of platonic ideal of beauty. Having grown up in this landscape I was suffused with a sense of nostalgia for a good portion of the ride.

Olivia was riding my mum's clunky mountain bike and was pretty slow as a result, but she was happy for jago and me to race ahead for a couple of sprints. It was an amazing feeling sitting at 25 mph for a 2 mile stretch riding neat through and off with my ten year old son - superprouddadmoment

The ferry crossing from starcross to exmouth was a highlight. Jago is a bit obsessed with animals and I had said there was a chance of seeing a seal from the ferry. Although in reality it isn't very common to see them in that part of the estuary. However, halfway across, there, frolicking on a sandbanks, was not just a seal, but a seal pup, magic! The ride back from exmouth was spent mostly trying to field awkward questions from Jago, such as: " what is the point of there being so many million millions of particles in the universe? " and "what effect does gravity have on time? "

Fortunately, these ponderings were brought to an end by a lunch of the best fish and chips in the universe at Dart's farm, which is middle class foodie heaven just outside Exeter. We scoffed them down next to an enclosure of llamas and then feel asleep in the sun. Pure bliss! And made all the more intense by virtue of the horror of the day before.

Oh, one thing I forgot- we were travelling in a big bunch, side by side but then singling up for cars as they came up behind.

At one point a car came past with an old woman in the back pointing a camera out of the window at us- I thought it was a bit funny.

Anyway, it turns out that they stopped further up the road and the elderly woman plus a middle aged woman were standing in the middle of the road taking photographs of us all- I gave them a cheery wave and said "Morning!"

I suspect that Brixton Cycles/the Police/whoever the MP is for that area/the local paper will be receiving photographs of us all enjoying cycling in the sun with a peroration with regards to hanging us all attached.

people are such idiots.

Maybe she thought you looked scrummy and wanted to have a strum over you in the comfort of her own home later.

That does seem likely- we were looking tres dashing.

They seemed a bit surprised that we were all so cheery, waving and greeting them.

I'm telling you. Wank bank.

At one point a car came past with an old woman in the back pointing a camera out of the window at us

That was tynan.

You leave BMMF's son out of this

Tour of Wessex Day 2 - chose the short option so only 83 miles rather than 116.

Clive refused to draft me today.

You leave BMMF's son out of this

No, bothwell's attention to non-caps was faultless.

Damn. I'd assumed it was lazy grammar.

O'Shane nerged for the wanton casting of aspersions.