Tell us about your weekend ride

me n Jess taking the mtb's on a short local razz once got my second coffee down

Yesterday was the day for a good road ride but we sacked it off as June got a bit confused and arrived dressed as November.

Popped out for some cake on our fixehs on Saturday with the bendix and onelesscardigan. We were fighting a headwind all the way out which has been a pattern in my riding recently, but we got some tailwind on the way back. I think. Unfortunately about 70 miles in Rosie's hangover caught up with her a bit, then her new tyre punctured, then Si's chain decided to come off due to a stripped lockring. But fortunately this was late afternoon when the sun had come out, which made these events a bit more bearable. We were heading for a nice average though until 'stuff happened'.

We took the way back I've used to head out for quite a few of my Essex rides - coming down Murthering Lane, instead of up it. I've never ridden it back into London before and it was a whole new perspective on somewhere I've got used to and stopped appreciating because I ride it a lot. It looked beautiful in the early evening sunshine with all the verdant greenery.

The cake at Knead Food was very good. Would recommend.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/184818777

Popped out for some cake on our fixehs on Saturday

:)

We took the way back I've used to head out for quite a few of my Essex rides - coming down Murthering Lane, instead of up it. I've never ridden it back into London before and it was a whole new perspective on somewhere I've got used to and stopped appreciating because I ride it a lot. It looked beautiful in the early evening sunshine with all the verdant greenery.

The cake at Knead Food was very good. Would recommend.

+1 to all that. and the quiche.

i now think that section of chainring teeth with the snapped tips was not the cause but an effect. if the cog moved out a bit and the chainline became angled when we were descending the chain could've snapped the ends and and hopped off? i fid it hard to believe that my chainring has been like that for a while and i've not noticed.

here's Fox when we took a shop stop just before the gremlins attacked our ride

My weekend rides, and my ride today, have been on the Cornish coast. Most of the roads here seem to be an endless succession of short steep hills, and not only did I bring my tarck bike I forgot to bring the bigger cog I had intended to fit.

I think I've learnt a lesson here (I really regret not bringing gears) but I've also improved my fixed climbing technique and spun faster than I thought I could manage on the many descents, so it's not so bad.

100 miles and 4300 ft climb. Great ride.

went out to surrey on a hill-climbing adventure on saturday. did a couple of loops that incorporated whitedown, leith hill, coldharbour lane, box hill and a new one i found (thanks to those '100 hardest cycling climb books) that is undoubtedly the hardest in the area...

For those that are interested, it's called barhatch lane and heads north out of cranleigh. starts deceptively easily, sharpens up to 20%, then eases off again, at which point you think the pain is over. then you turn a bit of a bend and you're faced with about 25% up to the summit. thought i was gonna fall off at the end.

box hill had been shut off by a cop car on my second loop as there had been a cyclist-related incident. hope he's ok.

then did about 60 miles around my trusty essex lanes today. punctured after about 8 miles and was in a foul mood as my hand pump falied to give me anything like a decent pressure. however, got up to the tea hut at high beach and spotted three burly MTBers with a truck and loads of gear - including a floor pump, which i purloined. they were very excited about getting covered in filth all morning. made me feel like a pit of a ponce with my pathetic little tyres and lycra get up.

good weekend's riding all in all.

Wiggle Magnificat, 127m of rain and quite warm.

More Rapha than you could shake a stick at plus various Serrotta et al.

Pet hate - peletons of good climbers who can't descend for shit and think that it's ok to barge past you jjust before the crest and then sit chatting in a large bunch on the down.

We did 4.5 hrs mtb exploring around Hope & Edale yesterday. Involved some pushing (e.g. Jaggers Clough) but plenty of fun.

Fish 'n Chips at the Nags Head in Edale was great.

8 hours on the TT bike yesterday.

I did some drafting of Swindon Tri Club around the Fairford airbase on 48x16, in the rain.

:-/

I rode my turbo in the rain. #belgianwannabe

My turbo now has a LAN Party mode

Multicolour cadence pyramids or it didn't happen etc.

I went on the fnrttc effort to Whitstable. Was a very enjoyable ride despite the rain. And quite frankly if you're thinking of cycling out to Dartford, the middle of the night really is a good time to see the place.

I just rode 85k and climbed 1300m solo in Wales in the pouring rain and wind. I feel pretty fucked. Scenery was beautiful, but so many relentless up/down, greasy, tough climbs - 15% when it's too slippery to get out of the saddle is no fun. Going down the other side not much fun either!
Met some nice farmers while I was waiting for them to move sheep, had good coffee and enjoyed the moments when the sun peeked through the rain. Also have to admit to loving riding on handbuilt wheels with 320tpi vittoria's after riding mostly on 50mm carbon clinchers for the last couple of months, I forgot how comfortable and supple softer wheels and tyres can be.

Popped out Saturday morning for a little tootle South Eastwards. 4 days and 300 miles of following a purple line on the Garmin and someone else's orange marker arrows later we arrived here. Awesome ride. Would do again!
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Trans Norfolk solo stint today. From a rainy camp site in Stiffkey on the top coast to Burgate a few miles south of the Suffolk border. I went as the crow flies more or less. Scribbled a crib sheet plotting little b roads and villages all the way. The closest I came to 'civilisation' was Dereham... Insert mid Norfolk based wittisisms here.

A head wind all the way meant no freewheeling (perhaps a couple of hundred yards in total), so I basically ground out a 16.5 average (which is actually alright for me). The roads were quiet and pretty, the Roman straights were long and blustery and the one shop which was open after Dereham had Rowntree Randoms. BBQ rack of lamb at my parents place with my camping chums will top it all off nicely!

a new one i found (thanks to those '100 hardest cycling climb books) that is undoubtedly the hardest in the area...

For those that are interested, it's called barhatch lane and heads north out of cranleigh.

Sounds interesting. Needs to be ridden in a north direction then?

Sounds interesting. Needs to be ridden in a north direction then?

Yep, heading north. Barhatch Lane is one of the first roads you get to if you approach Cranleigh from the east side.

I imagine once you've got it done once it won't be so bad as you know what to expect, but the last ramp does take you by surprise a bit first time round.

Popped out Saturday morning for a little tootle South Eastwards. 4 days and 300 miles of following a purple line on the Garmin and someone else's orange marker arrows later we arrived here. Awesome ride. Would do again!
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sounds intriguing wvm, more details please!

Yep, heading north. Barhatch Lane is one of the first roads you get to if you approach Cranleigh from the east side

Thanks will definitely check it out soon.

sounds intriguing wvm, more details please!

This was a privately organised ride with 16 of us plus a support van. Day 1 was the toughest with 85 miles to Dover for an early evening ferry followed by a short sprint to our hotel as the light was fading.

Once in France we basically followed the Macmillan London to Paris route. Conveniently this was also signposted almost the entire route we had in our Garmins by orange marker arrows. The second day took us into Arras at around 75 miles with the ride marred only by a few showers and me getting 2 punctures.

Day 3 was to Compiegne, again around 75 miles. The day started off miserably wet, cold and windy. Arm and leg warmers were a welcome addition. Luckily, at worst the wind was little more than a cross wind and there was one magic few miles of dead straight country road across open fields with not a car in sight and with a full on tail wind of some 15 mph. The whole group flew along at around 25 mph with only soft pedalling required to maintain that speed.

Day 4 was the final run into Paris. This was the shortest day of the whole trip in terms of distance and also, aside from the first day, the warmest and driest. The first half continued the theme of country lanes and villages with little or no traffic for the most part. After the lunch stop (back up vans rock!) it was into Paris. We aimed to head in as one and I ended up on the front for the most part. This entailed needing 10 pairs of eyes to watch the road, the traffic lights (Paris has got a few), other traffic, the Garmin for the route and, of course, the rest of the group. This was a bit slow and tedious but, eventually, we all rolled up the Champs Elysees together to the Arc de Triomphe and then onward to the Eiffel Tower. We then rendevoud with the van to load a few bikes, swap kit, drink champers, etc. and then headed to the Gare Du Nord for an evening Eurostar back to normality.

Highlights must be the amazing scenery of the French countryside and the many villages we passed through. Particularly touching was the WW1 cemetries through the Somme area. The French drivers were almost 100% faultless and considerate in their behaviour and the cheers, smiles and waves from so many people along the way was really great.

The route was great with the worse climb being just outside Folkestone. There were a few others along the way but nothing overly demanding. The roads were generally excellent and the traffic levels were amazingly low. I wouldn't hesitate in doing it again.

tl:dr - Do it, you'll love it!

Do it.you'll love it.that goes for riding track too.
2 hours training with Dr Chester,elimination focus, brilliant fun, defending/pinching a wheel, mock races, no twats in cars anywhere uninteruppted pure fixed gear heaven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHoQ0Kv7JIM&feature=relmfu

^ nice clouds, looks fun.

Car free here so far, 2 x 2.5 hr bmx sessions - last night just getting back on the indoor after a break, today working on various stuff, with mixed success.

Coached youthclub this morning too where a former WC and fave for 2012 was good taking time out to have chat & pics with riders just before her session that followed on...

... tomorrow a club mate leading us upto Snake Pass & Holme Moss. Best go eat.