Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 9,134
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
Looks like it's going to be a headwind slog tomorrow morning going into work, but and even stronger tailwind home (if I don't do something silly like the extended route home of ~40 miles on Saturday and 20 miles today, which isn't too likely as currently thunderstorms are predicted from mid afternoon).
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Sep 2008
- Posts
- 10,120
- Location
- Burscough
I think I just got mocked by Ned Boulting on twitter. A new high point in my life!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1021486882
107KM on Sunday but riding entirely solo meant I reckon it's the hardest ride I've done this year. Way, way harder than the 105 mile I did a few weeks back thanks to chunks of that being a group and as hard as the TdY Sportive which had 700m more climbing in a shorter distance.
I seemed to be fighting a horrible head wind for large parts of the ride which added to the suffering. Just as I hit the bottom of the The Burway (100 Climbs #39 - see here), it started to rain. It properly chucked it down, so whilst I normally refuse to stop on a climb, I did to throw on my new Pactimo ultra-lite rain jacket (picked it up last week for £25 in the sale). It's not totally waterproof but it a did a damn fine job of keeping me warm as I slogged up the worst of the climb (20%). There was a sportive heading the same way, so I slowly picked off a few people doing that. The feed station on top of the Long Mynd was taking a hammering (no shelter up there at all) and as I passed one girl, she stopped saying "I can't do this".
The decent off the summit was very dicey - singletrack, blind bends, sopping wet and loose gravel everywhere, a fine recipe for gravel rash. The last 15km (including the evil climb over Stipperstones) were just about surviving as I was feeling pretty empty (I'd eaten everything I had with me).
107KM on Sunday but riding entirely solo meant I reckon it's the hardest ride I've done this year. Way, way harder than the 105 mile I did a few weeks back thanks to chunks of that being a group and as hard as the TdY Sportive which had 700m more climbing in a shorter distance.
I seemed to be fighting a horrible head wind for large parts of the ride which added to the suffering. Just as I hit the bottom of the The Burway (100 Climbs #39 - see here), it started to rain. It properly chucked it down, so whilst I normally refuse to stop on a climb, I did to throw on my new Pactimo ultra-lite rain jacket (picked it up last week for £25 in the sale). It's not totally waterproof but it a did a damn fine job of keeping me warm as I slogged up the worst of the climb (20%). There was a sportive heading the same way, so I slowly picked off a few people doing that. The feed station on top of the Long Mynd was taking a hammering (no shelter up there at all) and as I passed one girl, she stopped saying "I can't do this".
The decent off the summit was very dicey - singletrack, blind bends, sopping wet and loose gravel everywhere, a fine recipe for gravel rash. The last 15km (including the evil climb over Stipperstones) were just about surviving as I was feeling pretty empty (I'd eaten everything I had with me).
Link, yo.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Sep 2008
- Posts
- 10,120
- Location
- Burscough
Haha, brilliant.
Zwift last night was brutal/'fun'. Good to ride with OMS for a while 
Reverse for me... Thankfully have some things at work to pickup so the other half will be swinging by on her way home and I can snaffle a lift back! Although it does mean a 40mph headwind for my ride home at lunch... Ride back will be fun though, 40mph tailwind!
Great ride & climbing, well done! I really need to have a crack at The Burway, my other half's parents live in Ludlow so would be quite easy for me to take the bike when visiting one day. I've also got friends in Church Stretton, one of which did start to ride last year but stopped upon arrival of their first child. Might drag him out there as an introductory ride (!)
Haha, think he proper had you, although hard to tell without some emoji's!
Sun has been out here since 11.30ish although I did have a few spots on my lunchtime commute (not worth dressing for). The winds were brutal, although not as bad as expected. I really enjoyed the ride back to work with a rare tailwind, strong in places! A lorry struggled to overtake me!
EDIT: Created a segment for it. Still only 4th ffs!
EDIT: Created a segment for it. Still only 4th ffs!
Last edited:
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Sep 2006
- Posts
- 4,265
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Chain gang in 15 mins and a small shower just went past to cover the roads in water. And I cleaned my bike the other day. NOOOOO!!!!
Sun's out now so hopefully it'll dry up a bit soon
Sun's out now so hopefully it'll dry up a bit soon
Found a rogue sock in my raincape at the roadside today 
promptly dropped it after setting off again and picked it up an hour later on my way back Brief shower but otherwise pretty pleasant if not a touch on the windy side. Deep sections were a bold choice 
https://www.strava.com/activities/1024076520
More interesting than the turbo at least trying not to be blown off into the bushes!
promptly dropped it after setting off again and picked it up an hour later on my way back Brief shower but otherwise pretty pleasant if not a touch on the windy side. Deep sections were a bold choice https://www.strava.com/activities/1024076520
More interesting than the turbo at least trying not to be blown off into the bushes!
Good luck & get out there! No excuses now!
I initially read that as the rogue sock not being your own!Found a rogue sock in my raincape at the roadside today
Rubbish & changeable weather forecast for the rest of the week here and saturday morning (club rides) looks a write-off (heavy rain & winds). The other half is off work this saturday too so she had requested me at home... Sunday does look a clear forecast so may go out then. I'm overdue an 'epic' 50+ mile ride with a bunch of climbing (to test some form), or could do another turbo session/race this week (or two) with a normal-ish ~20-30 mile ride on sunday. Choices, choices! I guess the main thing is checking how much of a clear pass I have on sunday, if I get my chores done on saturday like a good boy...
My first experience of riding in heavy winds last night mixed with a couple of light showers. Not a pleasant experience
Especially with the ridiculous gusts, wind was bad enough then a 30-40mph gust would hit you on top. That said, I was all for the wind on the first half of the ride when I had a tailwind
Especially with the ridiculous gusts, wind was bad enough then a 30-40mph gust would hit you on top. That said, I was all for the wind on the first half of the ride when I had a tailwind