Cycling

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Had a few trips away in our camper van recently and took the bikes with us. We stayed a few nights at Abergavenny and took the opportunity to ride over the Gospel Pass between Abergavenny and Hay on Wye. It’s actually not a bad climb from the south side, climbing gently for several miles though it does get a bit steeper near the top. It’s the highest mountain road in Wales. The next day we did the famous Tumble climb, just south of Abergavenny, this is a real monster and climbs 1400 feet in 3 miles. Took me 30 mins and I was surprised to see on Strava that someone has done it in 12 mins.

I’m stilling getting out 3-4 times a week despite the weather, averaging about 140 miles a week and recently passed 5000 miles for the year so far.
 
I’ve seen on another thread that Matt is taking a break from the forum.

I’m still riding and yesterday went over 1000 miles for the year so far. I’m probably doing about 100 miles a week on average currently, though the weather recently has been a bit of a challenge. I try to get out on the bike at least 2 or 3 times a week and do 30-40 miles each time. I managed 2 rides at the weekend, both 35 miles and on local roads around the Vale of Belvoir. Very windy on both days but dry and not freezing cold, though the wind chill is a factor.
 
TrevA said:
I’ve seen on another thread that Matt is taking a break from the forum.

I’m still riding and yesterday went over 1000 miles for the year so far. I’m probably doing about 100 miles a week on average currently, though the weather recently has been a bit of a challenge. I try to get out on the bike at least 2 or 3 times a week and do 30-40 miles each time. I managed 2 rides at the weekend, both 35 miles and on local roads around the Vale of Belvoir. Very windy on both days but dry and not freezing cold, though the wind chill is a factor.
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That will, explain his absence.
 
I’m still cycling despite the current restrictions on life, as exercise outside is still allowed. I think it’s important to maintain your health in these worrying times. I’m staying local but still getting out 3 times a week, for an hour or two.

The attached photo from my ride last Thursday, around the Vale of Belvoir. It’s the church at Dry Doddington, complete with leaning tower!

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Managed to get out on the bike 4 times this week. The weather turning warmer has helped. Tuesday 35 miles up on the Belvoir Ridge, quite cold with a nagging NE wind. Thursday, a SW wind so we (I mostly ride with my wife) headed over into Leics for a loop out towards East Leake. Saturday, a circuit of Belvoir Castle and another 32 miles and we’ve been out today and done a similar circuit using slightly different roads for another 35 miles, with quite a strong southerly wind.

That’s 135 miles for the week and 1486 for the year so far.

The photo is the magnificent Belvoir Castle.497F6068-F293-43CA-B5D5-2A6A9B1E81AB.jpeg
 
But I thought we were supposed to be staying in? Isn't anybody telling you off? :D
 
The guidance says you are allowed out once a day for exercise - walking, cycling or running, so that’s what I’m doing. I do 35 miles but in a loop so that I’m never more than 15 miles from home.

I walk on the non-cycling days, exploring the local footpaths. I’ll continue to ride until outside exercise is banned outright. Then I’ll have to get the dreaded turbo out!
 
LOL what is the turbo? At least you're not near peoples if you're whizzing past them. Kudos.
 
The turbo (trainer) is a machine that turns your bike into an exercise bike, by clamping the back wheel against a resistance roller. So you ride along going nowhere. It’s an instrument of torture and boring as hell. It makes time pass much more slowly, 5 minutes on the turbo trainer feels like half an hour. If it comes to that, I’ll give up cycling altogether.

I see hardly anyone on my rural rides, deserted roads, no pedestrians, the odd car and other cyclist or horse rider. I don’t stop, I don’t touch anything other than my bike. Whereas if I go for a walk, I’ll see lots of people.
 
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TrevA said:
The turbo (trainer) is a machine that turns your bike into an exercise bike, by clamping the back wheel against a resistance roller. So you ride along going nowhere. It’s an instrument of torture and boring as hell. It makes time pass much more slowly, 5 minutes on the turbo trainer feels like half an hour. If it comes to that, I’ll give up cycling altogether.

I see hardly anyone on my rural rides, deserted roads, no pedestrians, the odd car and other cyclist or horse rider. I don’t stop, I don’t touch anything other than my bike. Whereas if I go for a walk, I’ll see lots of people.
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I have a very low threshold for boredom and an aversion to physical exercise in public (or if I'm 100% honest in private too :D ) but I've started enjoying using my exercise bike since I bought an Oculus Go virtual reality headset.

I just did 15 minutes (which for me is my usual exercise over a week!) on my bike while being immersed in a trek through the Himalayas.
There are better experiences to do while cycling - like a ride along a canal bank in the Netherlands and a friend of mine has put some hour long rides onto Youtube but I didn't have the time to go searching for them this time. I'd taken a 2 hr post prandial reading after 'testing' a piece of sourdough bread and it was at 9.7mmol/L !!! I wanted to get on the bike fast and sort that out.

Happy that after the 15 minutes my reading is back to 5.9 and I am now going to go back on to see what else I can see. Maybe go on a roller coaster. I don't get bored at all if I cycle while on VR and I stop noticing I'm cycling because I'm too busy looking around. Oh just remembered there is a coastal drive in County Antrim and I think I'll go do that next.
 
I’m not sure I could ride with a VR headset strapped to my head. It would fill up with sweat in no time!

Still riding outside and did another 4 rides last week. Tuesday was a lovely sunny day. I stayed on the flat roads of the Vale of Belvoir for a total of 36 miles. Thursday was a more hilly ride, climbing up past Belvoir Castle and onto the ridge that runs south west into Leicestershire for another 37 miles. Friday, a loop northwards up towards Newark for another 35 miles. Then another ride on Sunday, out into west Lincolnshire, around Hough on the Hill, between Grantham and Newark, 42 miles. Lovely weather, quiet roads with few cars, but quite a few other cyclists out in singles, husband and wife pairs and families.

That’s 152 miles for the week and 1620 for the year so far. A bit colder today but weather looking up for later in the week. Happy cycling.
 
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Another 4 rides last week and another 148 miles in total.

Here’s a couple of photos taken on my rides.

The top one is about 3 miles from my home, in the village of Scarrington, Notts, with lots of cherry trees in blossom.
The bottom one is outside a farm near Long Clawson in Leics.
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The problem I have us since there have been less cars on the road the average cyclist has even less respect for others like pedestrians. I would fine them £1000 for ignoring lights, pedestrian crossings, No Cycling signs, etc. and also crush their bikes for cycling in the pavement! As for lycra louts..
 
TrevA said:
Another 4 rides last week and another 148 miles in total.

Here’s a couple of photos taken on my rides.

The top one is about 3 miles from my home, in the village of Scarrington, Notts, with lots of cherry trees in blossom.
The bottom one is outside a farm near Long Clawson in Leics.
View attachment 13983View attachment 13984
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Good to see your photos.
Thanks.
 
MikeyBikey said:
The problem I have us since there have been less cars on the road the average cyclist has even less respect for others like pedestrians. I would fine them £1000 for ignoring lights, pedestrian crossings, No Cycling signs, etc. and also crush their bikes for cycling in the pavement! As for lycra louts..
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I’ve not seen any of this and I’m out cycling or walking every day. I’ve seen lots of families out riding, people out walking. We all give each other space - I pull over to the other side of the road, if I pass another cyclist or walker. I avoid shared cycle paths, as it’s impossible to give each other space on them. This just shows how rubbish our cycle infrastructure is. I ride on the road instead. I’ve noticed lots of speeding cars, though.
 
An awful lot of cycle paths in France are also the only pedestrian route to wherever and being a pedestrian sometimes cause obstruction since I can't always get out of the way quickly whether for myself or any other user of the path, and not having eyes in the back of me 'ead frequently don't even know they are behind me. I now hate using shared paths, because both categories of users frequently have no patience, or manners.

When you accidently bump into somebody - when was it we collectively stopped both instantly exclaiming 'Sorry!' ? I still flippin' say it when it was an inanimate object.
 
The top one looks like the cycle route I go on when I'm in VR but my route is in the Cotswolds.

Yours looks lovely.
 
The restrictions have allowed me to get out on my bicycle considerably more and so far in April I’ve ridden 205 miles in 14 rides, which I’m really pleased with.

Reduced traffic has also allowed me to ride on some roads that are usually far to busy.
 
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