Today's Ride

[al-onestare]

Re:

You know this ;-)

Brighter morning, high cloud, 12 degrees start and no change even with the sun out on return at 08:30. No breeze in the suburbs, a little wind on the downs.

Took a similar route to yesterday, but this time the slog up Cudham Lane. I used to take this route to volunteer at Emmetts Garden with all my gear in my big-old backpack; change of clothes, steel capped boots, etc. It's amazing how much easier it is to cycle without the extra kg's! As a rewards, I got to Hawley's Corner and carried straight on to Tatsfield taking in some roads I've not been up including a lovely 15% incline on Stock Hill, at Biggin Hill. The traffic is terrible coming back through Bromley Common so I'll go via Keston and Hayes next time. A solid 25 miles banked.

I took a little side detour right at the top to one of my favourite vistas around here. The M25 was close to solid as you can see at the bottom of the valley. To the left is the lane down to Brasted (a wicked 15-18% decent/climb) and the lane off that going to the right before the M25 is Pilgrims way which I took the other day (to the left it'll take you all the way to Canterbury - that's on my Christmas break riding list as I've always wanted to do it).

What you can't hear were the pheasants - there must have been at least 20-30 of them making a right old racket!

 

[mk one]

is that the sun? haven't seen that for a while now.

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Yep, it's been hiding in the last week down here. Didn't last long so glad I caught it ;-)

 

[mk one]

Wet, muddy, slippy and wet. Warm though.

Got ready to go out this morning and just as i was going to it turned black and rained, sat down for an hour or so, got bored, so decided to go out anyway. Just as i set off it stopped. It was very warm, by the time i got off-road i was sweating. To stop me moaning, halfway through the ride it turned cold and rained, very heavy, even under the tree i took shelter under. After a while it returned to drizzle so i set off again, only now the trails had turned to slush and the next sections were all uphill, spintacular :|

Apart from all that, it was a good ride, plenty of places i hadn't been for a while, even made it up to the viewpoint, a relentless climb with the last section over grass, steep, wet, underlying mud type grass. Pretty pleased with myself for not giving up. And the views from the top are pretty far, one of those tops you can see 4/5 different counties, can never remember which, though today it was drizzle day so could not really see the hill i was on never mind anything worthwhile, cold and windy too, didn't stay there for long that's for sure.

Great muddy fun ride.

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Chilly 11 degrees to start that reduced to 8-9 by 08:30 with a stiff northerly breeze. Even with the mileage, lungs and legs pumping, it was cold. At least it was dry after yesterday evenings showers although there was a thin layer of grey cloud blocking out the sun again.

Switched to the other side of the downs, connecting a few routes together and adding in new pieces. Out through Petts Wood and the Crays, up to Chelsfield, Well Hill (so much easier with gears) across then down to Shoreham, keep heading south to and out through Otford, back onto Shoreham road to Eynsford, up the downs again into Swanley and a slower downhill blast thanks to a headwind, to the edge of Sidcup, take a left for HQ. A solid 26 miles.

Here's looking down the blast to Shoreham after clearing Well Hill:

Here's looking across Darenth valley towards Otford, complete with token Kent oasthouses:

 

[al-onestare]

Is anyone else riding apart from mkone and me? Poor show.

Super Friday ride: chasing the sun. Cold 2 degrees that didn't change by the time I was home, touching 0 in the secluded spots on the Downs. Decided to take in some new roads up the other side of the Downs, so took the quickest exit out of suburbia up Court Road up to the A21/M25 roundabout which at that time of day is "ok". Straight through Badger Mount before a left onto Shacklands road that I usually go up. Going down back to Shoreham and Filston Lane to Otford. Instead of heading back down the valley I headed up the hill to Romney Street, taking in a pleasant 14% slog where I was rewarded with the sun. The whole ride to this point had been a real pleasure with the sky turning wonderful shades of pink, orange and yellow.

It got better as I headed down Bower Lane where I could see to the city, probably the last point before it disappears from view. Everything looked so tiny. To my right hand side I could see the QEII bridge which looked like a toy, over and beyond to Essex. I was shifting it at this point so I'll save those shot for another day.

Back at Eynsford I took the usual route back up and through Crockenhill, back up Leesons Hill and onward to HQ. Smiles for miles

Looking down on Shacklands. Please excuse my thumb; I was holding the phone through a fence

Basking in the glorious sun at the top of Romney Street - a whopping 650ft above sea level

Toy town London

 

[Markybeau]

Re:

Only covered about 40 miles this week in two rides - Thursday and today. Muddy, slippery and busy. Not been posting as I've been occupied with other stuff.

My conditioning from the summer has all but disappeared, or you might think, more honestly I'm not used to the hills yet. My lungs burn and my thighs howl. Yorkshire ain't flat like Herts and Essex.

 

[CassidyAce]

Re:

Is anyone else riding apart from mkone and me? Poor show.

Yep. But aside from the short commute to work, it's down to just a Sunday ride of two to three hours at the moment - and, by and large, the same three routes. Still, it was a nice ride, mainly on country lanes, from Canterbury to the little hamlet of Barfrestone today.


The little church dates back to the 12th century: I'm not a huge fan of churches but this one always gives me a peaceful vibe and it has a convenient little step for sitting on and munching some cake.

A little late autumn sun - a nice change after the pretty brutal weather on last Sunday's ride.


And back to civilisation. (That's Canterbury Cathedral, just visible on the skyline.)

 

[mk one]

Frost last night, and still cold today.

Went out for a steady ride, very tired for some reason. It was cold enough out for me to put my thicker gloves on and some leggings under my shorts. Out of the wind it was glorious but most of the ride was exposed so good to keep moving. The trails once in Derbyshire had a lot of surface water so ended up getting pretty wet and caked in mud.

Nice to get out, nicer to get back, and just about to make a hot chocolate seems as i thought about one for most of the ride :|

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Nice!

I forced myself to have a rest day Sunday (still tinkered in the garage), so went for a run on Monday followed by the radio show in the evening. That late finish meant no action yesterday.

Today I decided to head into the city. I'm glad I did as cutting through stationary traffic gives me a smug-buzz (sad really). But I haven't missed the volume of people, so I'll save any further city jaunts for the weekend. Predictably I got a puncture at Deptford so no pic's en-route as I needed to get back before 09:00 which I just about did. Longer route than I thought at 28 miles. Slight breeze, 9 degrees rising to 11, solid grey cloud.

Bombed through Mottingham, Lee, Deptford on the new cycle lane into Tooley Street - actually pretty good as it cuts out 2 so-so junctions - through to Waterloo to Vauxhall onto South Lambeth Road to prime Tory dogging spot, Clapham Common. Swerve left onto the south circular A205 to Streatham Hill onto pretending to be posh Dulwich, up Forest "Hill" (bump more like) to stunning Catford and up another bump at Bromley before cutting across for HQ.