Tell us about your weekend ride

TNRC Kent I (St Mary Cray) this morning.

Another really nice route - headwind all the way out, so a bit of a free ride on the way back.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/88716411

My second favourite TNRC route :0)

Gutterish riding for me, with Tynan on the pavement (apart from a couple of very short/quiet sections). About 3.5 miles, and he managed to navigate his way around all the tourists with aplomb at the hotspots en route. He wore his new Grupetto cap under his helmet, and hit 12mph riding up the slight gradient of Farringdon Rd pavement towards the Holborn Viaduct - souplesse! :) Don't panic, there were no peds at that point.

Nice work Tynan :0)

30 mile round trip to southern outskirts of London. Took on the might of Succomb's Hill that Uncle BMMF introduced us to on his excellent SMTNRC route. Forgot how step that baby is. Last time I has a 27 on the back, but forgot I was running 25 today. Got up ok, but had to concentrate on the sphincter in case it wobbled on the last step section!!

rolled round the new TNRC Hemel Hempstead route with shoots and clint a good little crew of non-forumengers this morning.

scarlett, that is a winning route. keen to do it night. will pm about the next TNRC.

55 miles in drizzle
10k run in the sun

The run was much more enjoyable.

Friday, your epic weekend rides are inspiring. Did you go west to east?

edit: today I did a fast lap of regents park for an evans test-ride then got lost and ended up on oxford street grrr.

because I work 4 on 4 off my weekend isn't always at the weekend, if you follow.... however this Thursday I'm very much looking forward to riding Liverpool to Leeds along the canal... will be around 140miles by the time I ride home afterwards. Fingers crossed for good weather and favouring winds, and that I don't end up in the canal like last time!

@ jonny - told you so :)

280 miles of gentle riding.

Nice one Clive.

Just shy of 40 miles late this afternoon on a loop round Maidstone. Some hills (incl the 17% climb of Lidsing Hill), some drags, no real flat sections. 17.4 avg, seems to be getting my legs back after 2 weeks of doing nothing apart from sitting on a beach eating burger after burger and drinking beer after beer.

I rode in to town. And then out again, gently.
Nick, incredible; really well done.

@Sam - we used your route out to Canterbury (Forum ride from a couple of years ago: http://www.lfgss.com/thread8826.html) today. It was brilliant! (Although I was weak and went geared - and was glad I did).

We even went to the Dolphin at the end - great pub. And the rain held off till we got on the train. Perfect.

Glad you enjoyed it :0)

Once out of Swanley it's a lovely little route. I rode about 10 miles of it this afternoon, although in the opposite direction.

I cycled for 3.5 hours into the wind on Friday. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had on a bike, but it wasn't the least either! It sapped energy but at least I found some nice sections of blacktop, and a nicer route to the folks house than following the A4. The route: [ame]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/445452[/ame
[/ame]
And the song accompanying me this week was:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_kez7WVUU

hats off to you, cliveo! well done. 280miles. bet routes were anything but gentle.

i did http://www.bikemap.net/route/998604 on monday. planned on doing the legs of steel route (would've been 150+kms) but somewhere along the route, i lost the will to continue...headed straight home from peaslake.

dunno if it's the wind gusts, burnout or my shty sleep patterns but, apart from the very casual ride to windsor, it was a pretty shity (riding) weekend.

Yep - that's me. (I hope that's bulging woolen jersey pockets making me look that shape...). Not really been to mid-Lancashire before - some lovely roads, even if Nick O'Pendle was a bit steep :)

Photos from http://www.cyclesportphotos.com/section483233_416078.html (I have paid for a set; not just ripping them off!)

Is that you in this weeks comic?

Edit - write up of the Vintage Velo has Graeme on Ellis Briggs interviewed...

Went for another run of the loop that I posted here a couple of weeks ago. It was awesome. Edited a small section of the route by Dormansland that made all the difference, making it lanes almost all the way. It was sunny and warm, bit of a stiff breeze, but I was helped as much as hindered. Flew down Gangers Hill. Smashed the section before Cowden at pace, which was glorious. With some new wheels I felt like I was dancing on the pedals up some of the inclines, which was a strange (but good) sensation. I had thoughts about going up chalk pit lane and humbling myself before riding back, but the station called and I decided not to taint my ride with a boring roll back into town. Much quicker than last time too due to almost zero route faffing.

A good day.

Liverpool Leeds along the canal yesterday, did it on the cross bike and my wrists, palms, arse, toes and back are telling me I should've done it on the MTB.... it was a tough day, the towpath is really bumpy in places... hard work 128.8 miles in alot of hours... set off from hotel in Liverpool at 7:00, by the time I got my hands on a pint in Leeds it was 21:30...

Loved it!

^ Chapeau! I rode the Rochdale to Hebden Bridge section a while back on fixed. Defo mtb next time.

no riding last weekend

my ride today was 8 lads on a stag weekend activity break from Sussex to Dorset,
took them on to the Purbeck hills, past Corfe Castle, down into Rempstone forest and beasted their hangovers out of them back on to the ridge for a howling descent to finish. grinners are winners. 2 hours.

spun out to a do an orienteering run after that near Wareham then to the beach with the one who never gives up for a swim.

love weekends.

Liverpool Leeds along the canal yesterday, did it on the cross bike and my wrists, palms, arse, toes and back are telling me I should've done it on the MTB.... it was a tough day, the towpath is really bumpy in places... hard work 128.8 miles in alot of hours... set off from hotel in Liverpool at 7:00, by the time I got my hands on a pint in Leeds it was 21:30...

Loved it!

Sounds like a rough way to get 100+ miles in. Bet that pint tasted good.

4hrs on the Kinesis today. Quite windy.

Gonna test the 'support crew' out tomorrow on a ~10hr TT ride.

"Sounds like a rough way to get 100+ miles in. Bet that pint tasted good. "

ha! if I did proper ride reports it would make sense....

they were paying me the bitches.

hope its not windy tomoz or fyl

Finally back on the road bike. I had been rather jealously reading others accounts of weekend jaunts on this thread, and a few weeks ago was concerned that I would never be able to return to riding. So to be honest I was really anxious as to how bad things would be today. Plans were made that if I needed to bail and get to a station or hospital these would be available options.

I have been back to commuting for the past few weeks, but today was the first time on a proper road ride. There was something nice about preparing yesterday. I had to put on new tyres, and thought a 25 on the rear might give me a bit of extra cushioning. At the same time put in latex tubes. All bumps at the moment hurt so this seemed like a reasonable idea to increase my comfort. Shaved my legs yesterday, the scars became really clear as a result.

So this morning i gingerly got ready, there was a genuine sense of tension and anticipation as the lycra was pulled from the wardrobe and put on, chamois cream and embrocation applied to the correct areas. Heart rate monitor, head to to Rapha and ridiculous disco slippers were all in attendance.

My mind was full of thoughts about what happens if the leg keeps on swelling up - can I just rest it, will an ambulance be needed, what happens if I have a bump... I left the house and cycled to Richmond station to catch the train over to Staines to meet up with Clubman and the Hounslow and District Wheelers. Generally I would cycle over but I really had no idea of what I would be capable of post op and given my break from cycling.

Quickly everything came into place on that simple drag to the station, and wow, suddenly my bike just flew along, and 18mph seemed easily achieved. My mind started to be put at rest. I then got to rest on the train to Staines before going to the club meeting point at Staines Bridge. My intention had been to go on the slowest of the three rides, but when I realised the average intended speed for the intermediate ride would be 17 mph and that Clubman was going to do that I decided to embark on the medium ride.

It was the right choice, we set off and maintained a reasonable pace. There was a lot of pain to contend with, at times each pedal stroke sent a shock through me, and any bumps in the surface felt like the scar tissue was being torn apart. But riding a bike felt so natural, and having a great bunch of people to ride with and chat to was a perfect distraction.

The miles were just eaten up and quickly we arrived at the cafe stop at Seale. I love stopping for cakey goodness, so rewarded myself with carrot cake and millionaires shortbread. It was so good. Reasons to love cycling no 1 - eating 2 puddings or 2 bits of cake when offered.

It was good to rest my leg, but actually the exercise seemed to be doing it some good. One of the problems I have been having is that the leg swells if not active. When I take my socks off at the end of the day the elastic mark can take over an hour to subside. However today my sock and bibshorts did not leave such a deep impression. The exercise was clearly helping the blood pump back out of my lower leg.

My concerns from earlier in the day never materialised. I was able to make the return leg of the journey towards Staines and then even decided to not use the return half of my ticket, instead choosing to pedal back to Kew with Clubman (via a stop to catch up with his son).

Am now sitting at home a very happy content man. Am even thinking that next week I ought to go for the ride with the fast group. I am sure that will be much more of a challenge. This week I really needed to take it easy and just see how I would get on and the results have been a huge relief. Yes I am not as fit as I was but am hoping that a relatively full recovery is now looking likely.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/90285178

Great to hear, James.

Great stuff, James. I'm astonished, in a good way, by the speed of your recovery.

Great news, James