Todays ride

[FLV]

Got on the turbo.

Wowsers, that is a hateful thing. Don't think I'm in a hurry to get back on that. Dull as old dishwater.

Cycling it is not...

I'll go outside again tomorrow

Not a ride as such in the spirit of the thread, but certainly a reminder that going outside is better by far.

[Jurassic]

Got on the turbo.

Wowsers, that is a hateful thing. Don't think I'm in a hurry to get back on that. Dull as old dishwater.

Cycling it is not...

I'll go outside again tomorrow

Not a ride as such in the spirit of the thread, but certainly a reminder that going outside is better by far.

At the start of lockdown one I bought a smart trainer. I did this for a couple of reasons, I thought we might get locked down like they did on the continent and might not be able to ride outside and secondly I thought that my buddie's bike shop might struggle during lockdown and I could afford it so thought I'd put some money his way.
How wrong can you be? Cycling boomed and bike shops cleaned up! Hindsight is always 20/20 but I often think how much premium bad weather cycling gear I could have bought instead! I did four Zwift sessions on it in the hope that it'd be more entertaining than turbo trainers of old, turns out it's still mind numbingly boring. Oh well, some you win.............

[Verena]

Love all your photos of Liverpool. A little city break there is now on my top three list of things I want to do as soon as we're allowed to travel again...

Let me know if you need a city, beach and countryside cycle guide up here

I'm counting on you

[FLV]

Got on the turbo.

Wowsers, that is a hateful thing. Don't think I'm in a hurry to get back on that. Dull as old dishwater.

Cycling it is not...

I'll go outside again tomorrow

Not a ride as such in the spirit of the thread, but certainly a reminder that going outside is better by far.

At the start of lockdown one I bought a smart trainer. I did this for a couple of reasons, I thought we might get locked down like they did on the continent and might not be able to ride outside and secondly I thought that my buddie's bike shop might struggle during lockdown and I could afford it so thought I'd put some money his way.
How wrong can you be? Cycling boomed and bike shops cleaned up! Hindsight is always 20/20 but I often think how much premium bad weather cycling gear I could have bought instead! I did four Zwift sessions on it in the hope that it'd be more entertaining than turbo trainers of old, turns out it's still mind numbingly boring. Oh well, some you win.............

I got mine a few winters ago. I did use it a bit, but not loads.
I reset it up as the weather was getting to my head a bit and I thought it may boost fitness.

But if nothing else it's reminded me I'd rather be outside in the rain and less fit....

[Verena]

If we could all remove one piece of litter every time we're out, it'd make things better.

Nice one.

This made me think, do people fancy a February litter pick challenge (FLPC)?
Pick up a few items of litter each time you go for a ride this month, post evidence, we take a vote and most impressive collection of litter pickings gets sent a nice little prize by moi?

[sean_iow]

most impressive collection of litter pickings gets sent a nice little prize by moi?

I've been picking up litter on all my rides/runs for over a year now, although I do occasionally forget

Good idea for a competition, but have you seen the state of the countryside? If I went all out I could get a bin bag full every trip, I'd have a large skip full in a month. And how I'd carry old tryes/sheets of timber/prams/shopping trolleys on the bike I don't know - and these are just the large items I've seen this week

[slarge]

Got on the turbo.

Wowsers, that is a hateful thing. Don't think I'm in a hurry to get back on that. Dull as old dishwater.

Cycling it is not...

I'll go outside again tomorrow

Not a ride as such in the spirit of the thread, but certainly a reminder that going outside is better by far.

At the start of lockdown one I bought a smart trainer. I did this for a couple of reasons, I thought we might get locked down like they did on the continent and might not be able to ride outside and secondly I thought that my buddie's bike shop might struggle during lockdown and I could afford it so thought I'd put some money his way.
How wrong can you be? Cycling boomed and bike shops cleaned up! Hindsight is always 20/20 but I often think how much premium bad weather cycling gear I could have bought instead! I did four Zwift sessions on it in the hope that it'd be more entertaining than turbo trainers of old, turns out it's still mind numbingly boring. Oh well, some you win.............

I got mine a few winters ago. I did use it a bit, but not loads.
I reset it up as the weather was getting to my head a bit and I thought it may boost fitness.

But if nothing else it's reminded me I'd rather be outside in the rain and less fit....

I bought a dumb turbo 10 years ago to help recovery from a broken ankle - was mind numbing (didn't help that the garage didn't have music and the workouts all manual). Dusted it off last year as we set up a home gym, but then promptly got ill and put it away again for a year. Bought a smarter turbo from Brothersmith and signed up to Zwift, and I have to say it has been worthwhile - especially as my commutes do not exist any more. Some music on, and a fan, and it is a good way of getting an efficient workout. However it is not "cycling" in that if you ride a bike to be outside then a turbo trainer inside is never going to cut it. Went out in the actual outdoors this morning - seems harder than the turbo but 100 times more enjoyable!!

[Verena]

Well, yesterday's ride. Nothing special at all, just a little local one, made more interesting by meeting my daughter at the athletics track en route for a few laps and drills, apparently to work on my anaerobic threshold for endurance.
Reason I am writing this is that it never fails to amaze me just how GOOD even just an hour or son on the bike makes you feel, but you all know that anyway...
To say that I'd had a challenging week would be true. It comes to something when after a teams meeting, where everyone always sounds like a robot at some point, looks rubbish, and lots of the non verbals are lost, someone calls you afterwards and asks if you're alright, and says that you looked really (hesitates so as to not cause offense), tired
A bit of time on the bike and I felt like a new woman!

[MuddyPete]

If I went all out I could get a bin bag full every trip, I'd have a large skip full in a month. And how I'd carry old tryes/sheets of timber/prams/shopping trolleys on the bike I don't know - and these are just the large items I've seen this week

Welcome to Luton, Sean .
A place that provides you with a discarded shopping trolley, to carry away your choice of discarded litter. Social equilibrium .



(I was giddy with excitement when I saw that trolley, thinking "Ooooo...must get a photo...it may be the only one we find". How naive: we could've had a train of 'em ).

[psling]

A bit of time on the bike and I felt like a new woman!

You know, it's surprising how often I get that thought too....

(sorry, never did get beyond schoolboy humour )

[RIP]

A bit of time on the bike and I felt like a new woman!

You know, it's surprising how often I get that thought too....

[Boab]

Given the impending weather, I figured I should get out for the second day on the trot. Can't see me going out again till the snowpocalypse, either melts, or doesn't materialise. Was all suited and booted and in the shed unlocking the bike, when the havens opened and it started utterly chucking it down. Forty five minutes later, it had mostly stopped, so I headed out towards the gloom, expecting it to move out the way before I arrived, it didn't, I got wet.



So. Much. Water. Flooded roads, ditches, fields, can't remember it ever being quite this water logged.



Got home, sat on the sofa for a bit, painted some more stones, watched Scotland humiliate England at Twickenham, drank gin. All in all a pretty decent Saturday.

[redefined_cycles]

Todays ride was a vitual one for me. I woke up for morning prayers and blocked the day out of my head. I would get this done and either ride up to Wessenden with Stan or complete the full NorthPeaks100 without giving it much thought. Got up, prayed, got weighed, got a full fat breakfast of 2 weetabix raw milk, fair bit of reddyBrek and some of the kids Honey Nut Flakes.

Then went upstairs to finish getting ready and head out into the lovliness. Then I took a peek out the upstairs window. It was wet, but not chucking it down. Just managed to look really really wet without being 'chucking' territory. So I did what ant self respecting cyclist would do. I got changed, again, and went back to bed. Rode the NP100 in the head and it was glorious.

I set out past mine, turn left and immediately right. Down the really steep, 3 steps and Stan made light work of it. Then quickly after a few lefts, and rights, I was up at the start point of the NP100. The mud was dry and the sun was poking it's head. Perfect day I thought. Wonder what th3 weather man was on about. Quickly made my way up the steep cobbles of Netherton and the weetabix came into their own. Straight up Stan went. Must've got the tyre pressures 'spot on'.

Round the corner and before I knew it I was riding past some elderly folks past Blackmoorfoot res. Maawrrning I smiled and 'gudday to ya, young chap.. nice day fawwrr it' they chirped back. Lovely I thought and was feeling strong, 'at this rate I might just beat Karls time'. Quickly upto the start of Wessy (Wessenden Head). No time to take a pic today, that image looked too gorgeous and the camera would never do it justice.

Over Wessy and down towards the back of Holme. Wasn't expecting much down there as it gets super 'pond-like' on that back road there leading to the bottom of Holme Valley. I'd obviously have to get off and find a way around the mucky water. Got there and it was barely a puddle. Rode through it, right through the centre.

45ish miles in and I stop to take a pic. Noone will believe what a lovely day it's turned out to be. Round the last few corners and well past the point where I usually give up. Over Barnsley Way which you'd usually expect to be a bit trail of quick-sludge. Nope... perfect riding ground that even the most picky STWers would love to have ridden.

Got back into Dewsbury and it was still light. Thankfully I didn't need to use the heavy light I'd taken with me but at least it was there. About 2000 calories lost and ready for pizza....

Then I woke up, picked a shift, went to work and looked after a chap that had a pO2 of 4.2 when he arrived into A&E. He was smiling (at being alive) and I was happy that I'd got a decent ride in before work without getting we. Lovely...




Time: about 9 hours...

[ledburner]

I glad you found a perfect weather window.
Your a good egg
For mear mortals what does pO2 mean, is 4.2 good orcritical.?

[redefined_cycles]

I glad you found a perfect weather window.
Your a good egg
For mear mortals what does pO2 mean, is 4.2 good orcritical.?

I always assumed it's cardiac arrest/death. But Covid is showing us differrently. Possibly cos the change is gradual but staying at below about 7.5 for more than a day or few means a real reduction in life length (according to a resp consultant I asked once). Normal pressures in men/women are about 12.5/10.5... Lowest I'd come across in Covid before this was about 5.5 and according to this article Everesters have had the lowest ever recorded at about 4. They've written 2.5 but I find that hard to believe (one of the climbers on here might shed more light in that dept).

https://www.popularmechanics.com/scienc ... 0/4298495/

Usual pressures of pO2 in end of life COPD patients are usually about 7.5 and long term COPD patients manage on about 8..

[ledburner]

So it's a measure of oxygen level in the blood.,
Measured in Kilopascals (Kpa).
Well. 2.5 on everest, possibly. Acclimatisation for lower altitudes will assist you to adapt, presumably increasing your ability to take up oxygen more effectively, rather than the body managing to survive at lower levels.
A few unique individuals have successfully summited with out suplimentery oxygen. And survived. More have attempted the feat and died,
It not called the Death zone for nothing. <>

[MuddyPete]

A blimmin' chilly nip around the woods, where it's harvest time...the annual trail renewals scheme has begun .

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK_YwcHFWLP ... ifrmys8r7i

[ScotRoutes]

Couple of hours out on the fatbike with a stop for a coffee and black pudding roll. Snow was hard work. Not deep but very icy in paces, needing constant care, and very trodden in others so a real "boneshaker". I've been really glad of the suspension forks in these conditions.

[TheBrownDog]

I did my regular 10km local ride which normally takes just over an hour. Two hours today. It was supposed to be 2deg but the wind just cut through everything and the mud was incredible after the rain in the past week. Even with 3.8 Nates at about 10psi I was bogging down and pushing on slight hills. That's it for me and the bike for a bit. It's just not fun at the moment, especially without mates along.

[Jurassic]

I did my regular 10km local ride which normally takes just over an hour. Two hours today. It was supposed to be 2deg but the wind just cut through everything and the mud was incredible after the rain in the past week. Even with 3.8 Nates at about 10psi I was bogging down and pushing on slight hills. That's it for me and the bike for a bit. It's just not fun at the moment, especially without mates along.

I rode my fat wheels for the first time after tubelessing them yesterday and ran them harder than normal to seat them. I started out with about 10psi front and rear and the bike was all over the place. After riding for about an hour I reckoned they should be okay so I stopped and dropped them down to my normal pressures of 8psi rear (3.8 Nate) and 7psi front (4.3 Edna). The improvemet in grip and feel was staggering for just a few psi difference. I suppose if you think of the drop in pressure in terms of a percentage of the starting point then it's more significant. I went from clenched buttocks to having an absolute blast though. Just saying........

[whitestone]

Yesterday was grim so chickened out of outdoors. Today was a bit better. Took the fat bikes out. A bit of the Leeds – Liverpool Canal then back up the hill to home. A bitter wind not evident in the shots. Muddy low down but icy higher up.

All this mud was frozen to the bike by the time we got home.



This isn't even a footpath but the actual line of the bridleway would be an utter bogfest



Someone has spent a lot of cash putting these gritstone flags down on the Pennine Way, there's about 300m worth.

[ledburner]

I rode the bike after servicing the tubeless tyres. I realised I've been running them under-inflated below 35psi , both were properly inflated last night, That afternoon I went out for an hour, I definitely circulated the sealant .
-They climbed better.
-On return no air loss.
I also used the rain pogies and mesh full finger gloves summer weight?. -(Pearl Izumi Divide gloves, they suit my long fingers) Surprisingly my hands stayed warm through out.
Adding a press stud onto the bar ends certainly made them more manageable. (red popper, picture Right side). Rather than a limp lightweight shell material, it anchored it. Putting my hands in & taking out, is a doddle.
The air was bitter like Whitestone said. I had to remind myself to keep inhaling just through my nose. There was a bit of snow and ice about. Climbing on the road felt a lot better, but descending on tracks felt skittish. Maybe I've gotta get used slight less grip or work on single track my skills.

[MuddyPete]

A nippy C2WFH, with a dusting of snow and an icy wind . Managed to avoid breaking self or bike .

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLCQklYl-3X ... iu2cvex7v7

[ledburner]

I must be getting old, I don't understand a word of it.
For instance, 'C2WFH' , is that 'CCWFH' or
'CtwoWFH' .which event is that?
All thus code, short hand and double speak.
Finally I guess, it might Cycle to Work From Home...

[redefined_cycles]

A nippy C2WFH, with a dusting of snow and an icy wind . Managed to avoid breaking self or bike .

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLCQklYl-3X ... iu2cvex7v7

just clicked that pic. You're mental