The "Photos From Today's Ride" thread...
Discussion
Some pics from another ride along the Great Union Canal this morning
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/2439950462
20170903_112236_HDR by Ian Stoker, on Flickr
20170903_115211 by Ian Stoker, on Flickr
Gentle Sunday ride. by Ian Stoker, on Flickr
20170903_115549 by Ian Stoker, on Flickr
Somehow I managed to have a headwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back
Still enjoyed it though.
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/2439950462
20170903_112236_HDR by Ian Stoker, on Flickr20170903_115211 by Ian Stoker, on FlickrGentle Sunday ride. by Ian Stoker, on Flickr20170903_115549 by Ian Stoker, on FlickrSomehow I managed to have a headwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back
Still enjoyed it though.
Stardate 2017-09-01 (last Friday 
).
Nice day? Check.
Air display at Bournemouth? Check.
Bike serviceable? Check.
So why the hell not...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1163547782
https://www.relive.cc/view/1163547782
Little Fluffy Clouds!
Generic view from the beautiful countryside north of Winchester
Downhill at last! I've worked for this, and I'm damned-well going to savour every last yard of it...
The Great Hall in Winchester.
Hmmmm? This is going well so far. The New Forest already? Decision time, and I'm feeling quite fresh so I elect to press on to Bournemouth now.
Is that you Donkey? Friendly chap, up to the point where he realised that I had no food to offer, whereupon he excused himself and rejoined his companions.
Nomansland sounded interesting, but I was headed for Ringwood so, after a large handful of blackberries straight from the bush, it was back in the saddle and off again.
The citizens of Bournemouth obviously heard I was coming, and kindly arranged for my entry into town to be heralded by a Red arrows display. Thanks Bournemouth! I shall expect this every time I visit my mother-in-law now...
Crappy camera at full zoom. Mostly the 'shutter' delay meant I captured lots of smoke but no aeroplanes. This was the only one where I managed a recognisable image of a Hawk T1.
Hengistbury Head, and The Needles beyond. A view denied to my wife and I on Bank Holiday Monday by sea mist. Much clearer today with very good visibility.
Sadly I couldn't stop to watch the display properly as I knew I'd be late home as it was. Off to the cafe out at Hengistbury Head, but it was too busy and I'd not brought a lock. I turned west via this lovely view of Christchurch Harbour and headed to the golf shop cafe. They were quieter, but had decided to stop serving hot food early. I bought a packaged Bakewell and a can of pop and moved inland a bit...
...where I tried my luck at a chip shop I've passed many times but never when it's been open. Pie & chips and some fizzy Fanta. The chips were lovely, although I went a bit mad with the salt! Definitely worth the fifteen minutes or so that I had to wait until they opened.
Simon's Fish & Chips - great little shop, with a fenced off seating area with tables at the side, so somewhere to pop the bike where I could keep an eye on it, and relative comfort to fill my fat face ready for the trip home.
A last glimpse of Christchurch Priory from the cycle path alongside the busy A35 out of town.
Back into the New Forest. Some of the cottages are lovely, but this one really stood out. Proper case of property envy at this point.
The last photo I took. The realisation was dawning that I'd have several hours of darkness on unfamiliar roads to contend with as it was. No sense in dawdling any more so apart from an enforced diversion to Lyndhurst (Strava had routed me on an off-road section part way through the New Forest for some reason) where I stopped for coffee and a top-up on bike bottle fluids, I tried to make 'best speed' for home.
A great day out on some fabulous (and really quiet) cycling roads. On the way down I met a Farnborough & Camberley Cycling Club rider loaded up with luggage for an overnighter for the airshow. So we teamed up to work together through the New Forest and down from Ringwood to the coast, where we went our separate ways. Amazingly we'd ridden almost exactly the same route, and passed one another two or three times out on the road as we stopped at shops/cafes/for photos.
I was a bit grumpy at myself in the end for not leaving earlier as planned. I meant to get on the bike at 7.30am, but left just before 10.00am in the end. It didn't spoil the ride, but cost me an hour of the air display, and meant more riding in the dark on the way back.
Garmin died after Winchester on the way home too. Battery life not what it once was. I managed to wake it up again a few times to keep the GPS trace alive, but it finally refused to play ball about 8 miles from home. All good, I got back in at just after 11.30pm and, remarkably given the miles I'd ridden, I felt like I could have done even more miles. Even with the missing bit at the end, it was still my longest ever bike ride.
147.9 miles distance.
10 hours moving time.
9,288 feet of elevation.
14.8 mph average speed.
13 hours 08 minutes elapsed time.
Perfect cycling weather too. Temperature warm enough but not so hot i was dripping sweat. No significant headwind. Bright but with cloud cover from the burning sun. Plus the bonus of the company after meeting Keith in the New Forest which helped push the pace a little on the way down. No issues with the bike. Couldn't really have asked for much more...
).Nice day? Check.
Air display at Bournemouth? Check.
Bike serviceable? Check.
So why the hell not...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1163547782
https://www.relive.cc/view/1163547782
Little Fluffy Clouds!
Generic view from the beautiful countryside north of Winchester
Downhill at last! I've worked for this, and I'm damned-well going to savour every last yard of it...
The Great Hall in Winchester.
Hmmmm? This is going well so far. The New Forest already? Decision time, and I'm feeling quite fresh so I elect to press on to Bournemouth now.
Is that you Donkey? Friendly chap, up to the point where he realised that I had no food to offer, whereupon he excused himself and rejoined his companions.
Nomansland sounded interesting, but I was headed for Ringwood so, after a large handful of blackberries straight from the bush, it was back in the saddle and off again.
The citizens of Bournemouth obviously heard I was coming, and kindly arranged for my entry into town to be heralded by a Red arrows display. Thanks Bournemouth! I shall expect this every time I visit my mother-in-law now...
Crappy camera at full zoom. Mostly the 'shutter' delay meant I captured lots of smoke but no aeroplanes. This was the only one where I managed a recognisable image of a Hawk T1.
Hengistbury Head, and The Needles beyond. A view denied to my wife and I on Bank Holiday Monday by sea mist. Much clearer today with very good visibility.
Sadly I couldn't stop to watch the display properly as I knew I'd be late home as it was. Off to the cafe out at Hengistbury Head, but it was too busy and I'd not brought a lock. I turned west via this lovely view of Christchurch Harbour and headed to the golf shop cafe. They were quieter, but had decided to stop serving hot food early. I bought a packaged Bakewell and a can of pop and moved inland a bit...
...where I tried my luck at a chip shop I've passed many times but never when it's been open. Pie & chips and some fizzy Fanta. The chips were lovely, although I went a bit mad with the salt! Definitely worth the fifteen minutes or so that I had to wait until they opened.
Simon's Fish & Chips - great little shop, with a fenced off seating area with tables at the side, so somewhere to pop the bike where I could keep an eye on it, and relative comfort to fill my fat face ready for the trip home.
A last glimpse of Christchurch Priory from the cycle path alongside the busy A35 out of town.
Back into the New Forest. Some of the cottages are lovely, but this one really stood out. Proper case of property envy at this point.
The last photo I took. The realisation was dawning that I'd have several hours of darkness on unfamiliar roads to contend with as it was. No sense in dawdling any more so apart from an enforced diversion to Lyndhurst (Strava had routed me on an off-road section part way through the New Forest for some reason) where I stopped for coffee and a top-up on bike bottle fluids, I tried to make 'best speed' for home.
A great day out on some fabulous (and really quiet) cycling roads. On the way down I met a Farnborough & Camberley Cycling Club rider loaded up with luggage for an overnighter for the airshow. So we teamed up to work together through the New Forest and down from Ringwood to the coast, where we went our separate ways. Amazingly we'd ridden almost exactly the same route, and passed one another two or three times out on the road as we stopped at shops/cafes/for photos.
I was a bit grumpy at myself in the end for not leaving earlier as planned. I meant to get on the bike at 7.30am, but left just before 10.00am in the end. It didn't spoil the ride, but cost me an hour of the air display, and meant more riding in the dark on the way back.
Garmin died after Winchester on the way home too. Battery life not what it once was. I managed to wake it up again a few times to keep the GPS trace alive, but it finally refused to play ball about 8 miles from home. All good, I got back in at just after 11.30pm and, remarkably given the miles I'd ridden, I felt like I could have done even more miles. Even with the missing bit at the end, it was still my longest ever bike ride.
147.9 miles distance.
10 hours moving time.
9,288 feet of elevation.
14.8 mph average speed.
13 hours 08 minutes elapsed time.
Perfect cycling weather too. Temperature warm enough but not so hot i was dripping sweat. No significant headwind. Bright but with cloud cover from the burning sun. Plus the bonus of the company after meeting Keith in the New Forest which helped push the pace a little on the way down. No issues with the bike. Couldn't really have asked for much more...
Not today but Saturday,
i nice wee ride in Royal Deeside. I picked what i thought would be a nice easy route. except I missed the big mountain in the middle. the climb was brutal, the descent was epic. B976 Gairnsheil to Crathie.
slow climb to the top by BEN COUPLAND, on Flickr
Tight as f**k by BEN COUPLAND, on Flickr
10/10 would do again, gotta get those Strava PRs.
i nice wee ride in Royal Deeside. I picked what i thought would be a nice easy route. except I missed the big mountain in the middle. the climb was brutal, the descent was epic. B976 Gairnsheil to Crathie.
slow climb to the top by BEN COUPLAND, on FlickrTight as f**k by BEN COUPLAND, on Flickr10/10 would do again, gotta get those Strava PRs.
HoHoHo said:
yellowjack said:
Stuff
Excellent 
From my own, somewhat less epic, recent rides...
Gravel bike always gets dirty...
For those of you interested, the beach on the far side of the spit in the view is Summer Bay...
Manly Beach, early morning...
From the park at the top of the road behind our house...
Manly Beach - blue skies, blue bars, blueberry muffin...
Not todays ride, last friday/saturday I rode a modified verison of the 'Old roads and drove roads' audax route, a round route from Didcot to Wylye and back with an overnight stopover at the relatives...
Friday- 65 miles, with a section of salisbury plain grrrravel...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1151643156
Checking that the red flags were down-
To add a little drama, rear mech cable broke 6 miles from Marlborough, meaning I had to singlespeed it to the 'fixthebike' shop, who changed it over and freed my jammed shifter up. Brilliant service, couldn't fault them.
Saturday- 85 miles, highlight being Imber Army training village
https://www.strava.com/activities/1153382028
Imber village
Many red buses giving tours, and several bus fanatics getting excited about said buses!
And a nice bit of ridgeway.
Friday- 65 miles, with a section of salisbury plain grrrravel...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1151643156
Checking that the red flags were down-
To add a little drama, rear mech cable broke 6 miles from Marlborough, meaning I had to singlespeed it to the 'fixthebike' shop, who changed it over and freed my jammed shifter up. Brilliant service, couldn't fault them.
Saturday- 85 miles, highlight being Imber Army training village
https://www.strava.com/activities/1153382028
Imber village
Many red buses giving tours, and several bus fanatics getting excited about said buses!
And a nice bit of ridgeway.
A pretty low key, low mileage week for me this week, with just a couple of weekend MTB rides on local trails and heathland.
A lovely combination of fast draining sandy heathland and mixed woodland single track. I really enjoy the colours on the heath at this time of the year. Gorse, Heather, the drying Bracken, and of course the ever-changing spectacle of the sky. Not so keen on the look of some of those flints, but I've been lucky so far to have not suffered from to many nicks and cuts to my tyres.
Looking out of the window right now, though, and it's clear that now is the time to retire that Racing Ralph tyre for the winter and switch back to a Nobby Nic on the rear wheel. Sunday's ride saw me losing traction through muddy patches, and slipping on some roots on climbs. For me, that's the first sign that Autumn is upon us...
A lovely combination of fast draining sandy heathland and mixed woodland single track. I really enjoy the colours on the heath at this time of the year. Gorse, Heather, the drying Bracken, and of course the ever-changing spectacle of the sky. Not so keen on the look of some of those flints, but I've been lucky so far to have not suffered from to many nicks and cuts to my tyres.
Looking out of the window right now, though, and it's clear that now is the time to retire that Racing Ralph tyre for the winter and switch back to a Nobby Nic on the rear wheel. Sunday's ride saw me losing traction through muddy patches, and slipping on some roots on climbs. For me, that's the first sign that Autumn is upon us...
Weather was very grey in the Forest of Dean yesterday with occasional rain showers to cool me down (I generate an insane amount of body heat riding single speed MTB!), too grey for decent snaps of the countryside and the swan on Cannop Ponds was in a 'no paparazzi' mood so here's a photo of me eating an ice cream----in the rain!
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