Tell us about your weekend ride

So glad every day is a weekend fo me.
Wicked weather.

I'm not fucking cycling in dungarees and a beret. Not for you, not for anyone.

come on eileen!!
oh gino..

Had a mooch around Richmond and worked out a good 20mile loop with hills, flats and a bit of fun stuff with AFDS..

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m521/CHUG_IT/UMAD_zps1afbc651.jpg

went out yesterday. 60 odd miles out to windsor and then back in via kingston . Had to curtail the distance and rather than going via Richmond pk to hammersmith . I went north from Kingson via Twickenham to Gillette corner to greenford.

got cut up at some lights by a learner who was turning left. just as he got in front of me, the lights changed and he did an emergency stop 2 foot in front of me. I rolled round to the passenger side and "give it" to the driving instructor.
The instructor remaind calm and simply nodded. I noted at the time how smartly dressed and professional she looked,

i realised a couple of miles down the road that it was more than likely a driving test and that he had just failled.

Mind you, i seemed to be cut up or pulled out on every 10 or so miles . older people mainly . They either dont see ya or miss judge your speed.

I was powered by water and malt loaf. and 1 cup of tea.

Thinking about it. todays weather was far more favorable

Club ride with the good people of Cycling Club Hackney. My first time out with them and I had a blast, especially during the pace-line on the way back into London. Legs felt good, due in part to this stuff:

Club ride with the good people of Cycling Club Hackney. My first time out with them and I had a blast, especially during the pace-line on the way back into London. Legs felt good, due in part to this stuff:

I heart Soreen

50p in Co-op at the moment, down from 77p.

50p in Co-op at the moment, down from 77p.

ugger, I was in a co op today, I didnt look as we have half of one in the cupboard. Did buy Tunnocks caramel bars .

Back, showered and fed after 3 snowy, windy hours in essex. Fortunately I had my new toy (garmin) to fiddle with as I went round to keep my mind of the numb fingers and toes.

The rest of the day will involve gawping at the data from the garmin, drinking coffee and beer (not simultaneously), watching rugby, and eating a massive steak. GET IN

Cycling, stats, beer, coffee, rugby and steak. You sound cool.

^ the women are smashingdown my front door right now. I've had to make a barricade. Tenners, you may be as desirable as me one day.

^What were the roads like North of London?

It's tricky to judge from inside. It's bloody cold, is what it is, but there's not much ice about.

Some ice, but very dry and little standing water. Perfectly manageable.

75 miles of Essexiness with Bigpaintbrush and hms this morning. We felt pretty smug sitting outside the High Beech tea hut to be the only cyclists braving the snow and stuffing themselves with cake. I was roundly mocked for my second expensive winter glove fail - £75 down and still suffering from numb fingers. Fortunately, hms lent me his Ski-Dubai uber-gloves so I could regain enough sensation to change gears (the horror...) and brake.

The roads were mostly fine, but there was an occasional sheet of ice, so we were fairly cautious, although hms's monster tyres gave off an air of invincibility in any event. The sun almost came out for a brief interlude, and I got a very subtle, but nonetheless palpable, sense of the season starting the shift into spring - bring it.

Excellent company, as always, who were lucky enough to be regaled with scintillating tales of fishing derring-do from my misspent youth, and who in-no-way took the piss when I spread my arms out wide to earnestly describe the enormity of a salmon I'd once caught. The only thing missing was the company of Wrongcog, who was doing something called "moving house", which apparently interferes with a persons ability to go bike riding. Missed your shapely legs and dewy beard mister!

^ Caught? Or Poached? Even accounting for the fact you are twice as big (tall) now as you were then, those arms were spread pretty wide. Especially when you said you considered making off with your catch on your bike.

Anyway - great ride out: remember - it will only get warmer.

Ice Cold in Essex
http://app.strava.com/activities/41943928

^ Think I may have seen you three sat at the side of the hill leading out of Theydon? I exchanged a frozen nod / wave with one of you

Only assuming it was you lot as I saw no other groups of three out yesterday. Either way, chapeau for going out for so long, my ride was a purely functional get out and back in as soon as possible type affair.

Was that the road out of Theydon toward Abridge? We had to stop for a second to pick up a dropped water bottle. I nodded to someone coming down toward Theydon. You're right though, very few people out in the lanes. Hello again if it was you!

Yep, that was me - hello! I was wondering why TF anyone would decide to just pull up and have a little social at the side of the road where there isn't the promise of a hot drink nearby - the lost bottle explains all.

Had a look at your strava thing - I ride the roads you were on all the time (although will be less in future now I've got the garmin up and running), if you're heading back out there and fancy a 4th member of the group would be ace if you give me a shout

Wrongcog and Bigpaintbrush ride out that way a lot. Benj and I come out from South London once in a while. It would be good to link up next time we are there..

85 bloody cold miles down to Rye on the Sussex coast for me. I wanted to ride to Dungeness then on to Folkstone, but quickly realised it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go that far unless I really wanted hyperthermia.

http://app.strava.com/activities/41989933

Didn't leave the house until just before 9, which I regretted as there was a lot of traffic in South London, so was glad to get into Kent, although I was feeling very slow. There was quite a lot of snow up on top of Skid Hill and it was coming down quite heavily at that point too. The snow was on and off all the way down. Was freezing by the time I got to Tonbridge and diverted to the High Street and Greggs, where I've never been more glad of a 'cappucino' and a sausage roll. 15 minutes later I'd warmed up again and headed off towards Rye. Saw quite a few cyclists between Crystal Palace and Tonbridge, but then I saw none or almost none after that.

The snow was funny, some fields had none at all (although this one had a big group of swans, which was quite exciting):

While most were more like this:

And some were totally covered. I (fortunately) didn't seem to find any ice on the road but there were definitely some impressive icicles about. I thought this sign looked very welcoming..!

I succumbed to the warmth of a country pub (and more coffee) with about 15 miles left for a final stop, where the locals made me welcome at the bar and we had some good banter. The barmaid also hit her head really hard on a wooden beam while serving my coffee, which was a bit awkward.

Had a lovely moment approaching the bridge over the Wittersham Sewer. From far off I spotted an enormous lone cob swan flying up the valley above the river (it's a sewer in the drainage sense, not the poo sense) at exactly the same speed as me. Our paths met and he crossed over the road bridge as I did, flying low and slow with a crackling buzz with each beat of his wings which sounded very like the pylons I'd passed under earlier.

It was like the avian equivalent of being buzzed by an A380, and I was honoured to have such a perfectly timed close encounter with a fellow lone traveller slowly passing through the cold.

Couldn't wait to get on the train at Rye to warm up, then got a pinch puncture when I hit one of those stupid potholes on Bishopsgate at speed. My fingers were like icicles by the time I'd fixed it.

Have never needed a long hot bath more!

85 bloody cold miles down to Rye on the Sussex coast for me. I wanted to ride to Dungeness then on to Folkstone, but quickly realised it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go that far unless I really wanted hyperthermia.

http://app.strava.com/activities/41989933

Didn't leave the house until just before 9, which I regretted as there was a lot of traffic in South London, so was glad to get into Kent, although I was feeling very slow. There was quite a lot of snow up on top of Skid Hill and it was coming down quite heavily at that point too. The snow was on and off all the way down. Was freezing by the time I got to Tonbridge and diverted to the High Street and Greggs, where I've never been more glad of a 'cappucino' and a sausage roll. 15 minutes later I'd warmed up again and headed off towards Rye. Saw quite a few cyclists between Crystal Palace and Tonbridge, but then I saw none or almost none after that.

The snow was funny, some fields had none at all (although this one had a big group of swans, which was quite exciting):

While most were more like this:

And some were totally covered. I (fortunately) didn't seem to find any ice on the road but there were definitely some impressive icicles about. I thought this sign looked very welcoming..!

I succumbed to the warmth of a country pub (and more coffee) with about 15 miles left for a final stop, where the locals made me welcome at the bar and we had some good banter. The barmaid also hit her head really hard on a wooden beam while serving my coffee, which was a bit awkward.

Had a lovely moment approaching the bridge over the Wittersham Sewer. From far off I spotted an enormous lone cob swan flying up the valley above the river (it's a sewer in the drainage sense, not the poo sense) at exactly the same speed as me. Our paths met and he crossed over the road bridge as I did, flying low and slow with a crackling buzz with each beat of his wings which sounded very like the pylons I'd passed under earlier.

It was like the avian equivalent of being buzzed by an A380, and I was honoured to have such a perfectly timed close encounter with a fellow lone traveller slowly passing through the cold.

Couldn't wait to get on the train at Rye to warm up, then got a pinch puncture when I hit one of those stupid potholes on Bishopsgate at speed. My fingers were like icicles by the time I'd fixed it.

Have never needed a long hot bath more!

been looking at your route. Ive ridden to 5 oak green/ Paddock wood before.
I may use your route onwards to Rye in future. ( if that's ok)

I did ruislip to paddock wood via Greenwich / chisielhurst caves / swanley./ tonbridge.
on a geared mountain bike with slicks fitted a few years ago. you've got me thinking about a Ruislip to Rye now. Cheers

Envious.

Started feeling rough on Friday; situation persisted Saturday; no change today - aimed to trundle gently on turbo during K-B-K; that was cancelled; opted for cyclo-x stream; nothing un-geo-restricted; did 3 x 5min 'endurance' pace stints on turbo in between refreshing the stream page; by the end of the 3rd 5min I was breathless.

Fuck it all to hell.

I've been off the bike since Monday/Tueday. :(

Feel your pain brother... last year popped right knee skim boarding then during my rehab bruised ribs in an alleycat

Speaking of which, lost my beloved cinelli cycling cap during a race bombing down hill yesterday

I was going out on the bike today. Mrs took the kids out shopping. I saw this as a sign that I should go back to bed.