Veloviewer. Who is using it, and what do you get from it?
Discussion
A scenic route to visit a friend today led to 3 new tiles but quite useful for expanding the Max to square and closing a hole.
Having bugger all time is doing wonders for my average pace. 80km 890m climbing at 31.7kph average felt like progress
3024 (+3 from 3021) tiles average of 6.718km (up from 6.690) km per tile
Max square 23x23 (+1 from 22x22)
Max Cluster: 805 (+9 from 796)
Vv score 99.506 (up from 99.498)
Having bugger all time is doing wonders for my average pace. 80km 890m climbing at 31.7kph average felt like progress
3024 (+3 from 3021) tiles average of 6.718km (up from 6.690) km per tile
Max square 23x23 (+1 from 22x22)
Max Cluster: 805 (+9 from 796)
Vv score 99.506 (up from 99.498)
Saturday's ride was not at all tile oriented. It was, in fact, unplanned on both distance and direction.
But I got to a point where I realised that there were a few tiles that were really quite easy to collect, but would be a long ride otherwise, so naturally I grabbed them!
Not any significant changes to my stats (in fact, I think my cluster was unaffected), but there's now a nice contiguous subcluster waiting to be connected, and I've bisected the big area of eastern Dorset that I have left to do.
Finally got to 20x20 square, after mainly being stuck inside due to busted collar bone and the operation on it later in the year, I got out again today for a nice 120kms taking me through Rotterdam and along the northerly river bank to get the last of those city tiles.
Next the odd tiles on the eastern edge, but they’re pastures with no roads and very limited access. Every day out to get them is 100kms round trip now, so it’s going to be a bit slower to expand again.
Next the odd tiles on the eastern edge, but they’re pastures with no roads and very limited access. Every day out to get them is 100kms round trip now, so it’s going to be a bit slower to expand again.
Good to see the thread still active, albeit a bit less so than outside of lockdowns, etc.
I'm planning to get out today and grab some tiles. My road bike has been unavailable for a couple of weeks now since I noticed the rear brake track was bending outward under pressure from the tyre. Which prompted a good look at the rest of the bike and it's creaking and clicking. New wheels have arrived which will also cure the groaning from the freehub. And a new chainset, along with bottom bracket and headset bearings should see to any of the other unwanted noises. Oh, and a new gear cable, tyres, and fresh tubes too. It should, all things being equal, feel like a brand new bike really. I was just casting an eye over PH whlie waiting for my morning walk to upload to Strava to check that all is well with my Garmin watch, then I'm off.
Confession time, though - I'm putting the bike in the car to get to an unexplored area, because I'm getting into the realms of a 100+ mile round trip ride now just to get to unridden tiles. I had intended to 'Ride Every Tile - From Home', but that is just too much to ask alongside having a "real life". Now I'll just satisfy myself with exploring Britain by bike.
I'm planning to get out today and grab some tiles. My road bike has been unavailable for a couple of weeks now since I noticed the rear brake track was bending outward under pressure from the tyre. Which prompted a good look at the rest of the bike and it's creaking and clicking. New wheels have arrived which will also cure the groaning from the freehub. And a new chainset, along with bottom bracket and headset bearings should see to any of the other unwanted noises. Oh, and a new gear cable, tyres, and fresh tubes too. It should, all things being equal, feel like a brand new bike really. I was just casting an eye over PH whlie waiting for my morning walk to upload to Strava to check that all is well with my Garmin watch, then I'm off.
Confession time, though - I'm putting the bike in the car to get to an unexplored area, because I'm getting into the realms of a 100+ mile round trip ride now just to get to unridden tiles. I had intended to 'Ride Every Tile - From Home', but that is just too much to ask alongside having a "real life". Now I'll just satisfy myself with exploring Britain by bike.
yellowjack said:
Confession time, though - I'm putting the bike in the car to get to an unexplored area, because I'm getting into the realms of a 100+ mile round trip ride now just to get to unridden tiles. I had intended to 'Ride Every Tile - From Home', but that is just too much to ask alongside having a "real life". Now I'll just satisfy myself with exploring Britain by bike.
Can't beat the feeling of a well-loved bike with a few new bits on it! My MTB has just had a drivetrain birthday and it's feeling great!Don't blame you at all, I'm tempted to put my bike on the car these days and I've done far fewer of the nearby tiles than you have!
Enjoy
.I've moved house and my new locale has enough tempting missing tiles to go out hunting again. Won't see me increasing my max square any time soon, but I should be able to get my local max cluster up from about 150 to something north of 200 this summer.
VV says my max cluster, back in the UK, is 291 though and it may be a little time before I exceed that.
VV says my max cluster, back in the UK, is 291 though and it may be a little time before I exceed that.
Joined VV after doing something else during lockdown - namely burbing the town I live in. Got a few strange looks! but overall most people understood you were just trying to 'stay close' & get some exercise.
VV started on a 12*12 square, with some very strange gaps which have quickly been filled. At 15*15 now - and realise it could get addictive
Im on 22x22, but I'm well set for a good bit of expansion once the weather perks up a bit. Just a few rides filling in holes will net me some big chunks (but those are long rides and will be fun on a nice warm day rather than a grind in winter).
The interesting part will be as I push west, and I'll have to either take up enduro MTB, or go hill walking. There's quite a few tiles in with no roads or even gravel roads in at all!
The interesting part will be as I push west, and I'll have to either take up enduro MTB, or go hill walking. There's quite a few tiles in with no roads or even gravel roads in at all!
Edited by Some Gump on Thursday 1st April 14:28
A shortened ride for me again today.
I don't think I'm much of a 'morning person' anyway, but with my bike in the shop, and all the kit I'd stripped off it spread out in the garage, just getting everything in the same place was the first hurdle. Then I couldn't find my shorts, as I've been in winter tights so far this year. Plus a bit of VeloViewer distraction, checking for "target" tiles. Most of the morning was already gone by the time I picked the bike up, and it was 1240 pm before I got the pedals turning.
As a result I only got about half the tiles I was aiming for. But a couple more loose 'single' tiles swept up now.
This shows the tiles I managed to claim today...
https://www.strava.com/activities/5045651975
VeloViewer Score = 98.711 (up from 98.699)
Explorer Score = 3883 (up from 3873)
Max Square = 28 x 28 (no change)
Max Cluster = 2439 (up from 2403)
10 new tiles from the 57 tiles ridden today
I don't think I'm much of a 'morning person' anyway, but with my bike in the shop, and all the kit I'd stripped off it spread out in the garage, just getting everything in the same place was the first hurdle. Then I couldn't find my shorts, as I've been in winter tights so far this year. Plus a bit of VeloViewer distraction, checking for "target" tiles. Most of the morning was already gone by the time I picked the bike up, and it was 1240 pm before I got the pedals turning.
As a result I only got about half the tiles I was aiming for. But a couple more loose 'single' tiles swept up now.
This shows the tiles I managed to claim today...
https://www.strava.com/activities/5045651975
VeloViewer Score = 98.711 (up from 98.699)
Explorer Score = 3883 (up from 3873)
Max Square = 28 x 28 (no change)
Max Cluster = 2439 (up from 2403)
10 new tiles from the 57 tiles ridden today
Edited by yellowjack on Wednesday 31st March 23:44
Went for a wee birthday cycle yesterday.. tough going on my legs and knees as I haven't done much mileage since the end of January, Became a bit of a slog at the end, especially knowing I'd already grabbed those tiles...Tried for 60 miles but only managed 58.8. Next time.
Stats:
VV score: 87.901 (Up from 87.843)
516 tiles (Up from 462 tiles), average of 2.171 (down from 2.297) mi per tile
Max square: 13x13 (No change)
Max cluster: 240 (No change)
Eddington Ride: 25 miles / 69 minutes / 580 metres (No change)
Route:
Map:
Stats:
VV score: 87.901 (Up from 87.843)
516 tiles (Up from 462 tiles), average of 2.171 (down from 2.297) mi per tile
Max square: 13x13 (No change)
Max cluster: 240 (No change)
Eddington Ride: 25 miles / 69 minutes / 580 metres (No change)
Route:
Map:
60km in the wind on Sunday got me two important tiles which gave me three overlapping 17x17 squares. One tile I could just scrape into at very end of a dead-end road:
I nearly wiped out pulling the U-turn in the farm yard though
Second tile needed about 1km up/down a canal towpath to bag. That leaves the next major missing tile being easy to spot, though it's another bridlepath special to get into it. Collect that one and I should jump straight to 20x20, with another trip north hitting 25x25.
I chipped away at two tiles over the bank holiday weekend - a walk around the Melbury Downs (with parents), and a trip out to near Ringwood and a cheeky walk out into private woodland to bag the Somerley Estate one. Annoyingly it seems that the New Forest Sportive started in that square, but has now changed venues.
Anyway, finishing up the Eastern side of Dorset north of Purbeck is now within the range of 1x 140 km ride. Checks weather this weekend
Only three new tiles for me yesterday...
...plan changed at Bramley (15 mile point). I'd started later than planned, and sitting at Bramley Level Crossing in the snow I got pretty cold. So instead of heading southwest toward Sherbourne St John to nab a group of five adjacent tiles , I decided to cut my losses and restrict myself to a couple of singles.
These three were elusive for a good while. The Rotherwick tile meant going down a dead-end road beside Tylney Park Golf Club. I also cut through behind Tylney Hall Hotel on a footpath to make doubly sure I got the tile. Then there was the tile in the centre of Basinggradstoke, which I'd avoided in the past because of the roads. Now, though, traffic free cycle lanes and shared use paths have significantly improved the experience over what it was when I lived nearby. Finally, on to Hackwood Park. A private estate with a big house in the middle. Clear "Footpath Only - No cycling" signs at the big gated entrance, so I went around to another gate which I knew would be out of sight, and quieter. Which allowed me to ride enough of the footpath to comfortably claim the tile.
I got caught in two "wintry showers" which were neither snow nor hail. On Strava I joked that it was "snailing" but another Strava user informed me that the correct name for such precipitation is 'Graupel. Every day is a school day!
It was a fun way to waste a few hours on the way back from dropping my eldest son off in Farnborough, and worth taking the bike for.
Strava stuff here... https://www.strava.com/activities/5081422685 ...there are some decent roads out that way, quiet rural lanes and suchlike. I did enjoy the ride but was glad I'd gone "full winter long sleeves and multiple layers". Hard to believe I was in shorts just a few days ago. I also got distracted by some Wandrer Earth exploration in Bramley village, which soaked up some of the time I had available.
...plan changed at Bramley (15 mile point). I'd started later than planned, and sitting at Bramley Level Crossing in the snow I got pretty cold. So instead of heading southwest toward Sherbourne St John to nab a group of five adjacent tiles , I decided to cut my losses and restrict myself to a couple of singles.
These three were elusive for a good while. The Rotherwick tile meant going down a dead-end road beside Tylney Park Golf Club. I also cut through behind Tylney Hall Hotel on a footpath to make doubly sure I got the tile. Then there was the tile in the centre of Basing
I got caught in two "wintry showers" which were neither snow nor hail. On Strava I joked that it was "snailing" but another Strava user informed me that the correct name for such precipitation is 'Graupel. Every day is a school day!
It was a fun way to waste a few hours on the way back from dropping my eldest son off in Farnborough, and worth taking the bike for.
Strava stuff here... https://www.strava.com/activities/5081422685 ...there are some decent roads out that way, quiet rural lanes and suchlike. I did enjoy the ride but was glad I'd gone "full winter long sleeves and multiple layers". Hard to believe I was in shorts just a few days ago. I also got distracted by some Wandrer Earth exploration in Bramley village, which soaked up some of the time I had available.
For those what haven't seen the Tweet, or the innumerable ReTweets, it would seem that we have an explanation for the grounding of the MV Ever Given in the Suez Canal...
...the Master of the Vessel was just after that elusive tile!
Image linked from here... https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=108374.17... ...which is the VeloViewer thread on Yet Another Cycling Forum. PHer 'Solocle' of this Parish is already a member on there. Apologies if you've all already seen this picture, but it amused me and I thought I'd share it.
...the Master of the Vessel was just after that elusive tile!
Image linked from here... https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=108374.17... ...which is the VeloViewer thread on Yet Another Cycling Forum. PHer 'Solocle' of this Parish is already a member on there. Apologies if you've all already seen this picture, but it amused me and I thought I'd share it.
The intention on Saturday:
The reality was that I got to the 30 km mark, then got a puncture. Fortunately, the Cashmoor Inn was within walking distance, which made a nice spot for lunch.
I also got the most difficult two tiles remaining - short of a little off roading around Martin Down, the rest is mostly road now, and that'll be East Dorset (north of Purbeck) finito.
The reality was that I got to the 30 km mark, then got a puncture. Fortunately, the Cashmoor Inn was within walking distance, which made a nice spot for lunch.
I also got the most difficult two tiles remaining - short of a little off roading around Martin Down, the rest is mostly road now, and that'll be East Dorset (north of Purbeck) finito.
Today i didn't ride. I marked my new map instead. OS Landranger Sheet 183, Yeovil and Frome.
Roughly 26 x 27 tiles drawn onto it, and a few tiles already claimed from a couple of rides that took in bits of Longleat, Warminster and Shaftesbury. Hopefully I'll get out for a big ride tomorrow now, to start crossing those tiles off one by one. Not quite finished Sheet 184, Salisbury and the Plain, yet, but the Army/MOD are being rather awkward about my tiling because they keep on using their training areas! I've had this new map a while but it's not a waterproof one so I covered it with Fablon from a 20+ year old roll of it, and marked it up with equally geriatric OHP pens. Not entirely successful, but it'll do what I need it to do.
Edited by yellowjack on Thursday 22 April 16:31
Big one today after work. I finished up the bulk of what I started last weekend.
Just that block of 5 near Shaftesbury left, and then I'll have Dorset north of the A35 and east of the A37!
I did claim 3 West Dorset tiles last weekend, but it remains a hilly, mostly desolate of tiles, wasteland.
And Brownsea Island has reopened, so that's another 3 tiles to tick off at some point...
Just that block of 5 near Shaftesbury left, and then I'll have Dorset north of the A35 and east of the A37!
I did claim 3 West Dorset tiles last weekend, but it remains a hilly, mostly desolate of tiles, wasteland.
And Brownsea Island has reopened, so that's another 3 tiles to tick off at some point...
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