Today's Ride

[al-onestare]

make the most of it, if ever the restrictions are lifted you will be swamped by plenty of people im sure

Yep, very aware that as soon as the brakes come off, all hell is going to break loose. That said, there are enough places I can go and hide...

Speaking of which, the weather is due to turn tonight with the next 5 days looking pretty horrible so I got the smiles and miles in this morning: 1 degree, freezing in places, but still with blue skies and golden sunshine.

I headed to Sennen then back on the B3315. Just before Sparnon is a great lung-buster the Alps would be proud of, complete with switch-back...ok maybe not the Alps but one of those mini-walls that are fun to conquer. I took the left hand split on the B3283 to the A30, the diverted at Lower Thrift for the small climb to Sancreed and the beacon, a really wonderful spot. I had the place to myself with 360 views of the county - I took 180:

These roads reminded me of being a kid exploring the country roads of North Hampshire; single lanes, high hedges, very quiet, smelly farms

 

[mk one]

make the most of it, if ever the restrictions are lifted you will be swamped by plenty of people im sure

Yep, very aware that as soon as the brakes come off, all hell is going to break loose. That said, there are enough places I can go and hide...

Speaking of which, the weather is due to turn tonight with the next 5 days looking pretty horrible so I got the smiles and miles in this morning: 1 degree, freezing in places, but still with blue skies and golden sunshine.

I headed to Sennen then back on the B3315. Just before Sparnon is a great lung-buster the Alps would be proud of, complete with switch-back...ok maybe not the Alps but one of those mini-walls that are fun to conquer. I took the left hand split on the B3283 to the A30, the diverted at Lower Thrift for the small climb to Sancreed and the beacon, a really wonderful spot. I had the place to myself with 360 views of the county - I took 180:

These roads reminded me of being a kid exploring the country roads of North Hampshire; single lanes, high hedges, very quiet, smelly farms

whenever i used to stay in Cornwall, a few times a year at least, every morning i used to go and climb a few routes at Sennen Cove or Bosigran before it got too warm. So envious

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Horses for courses, you've got those epic hills and mountains

 

[CassidyAce]

Re:

Great photos all round ^^^.

Sunny but windswept, especially in the exposed areas today. I decided to head out on a different route today: along the River Stour to Fordwich, then on to National Cycle Route 1 for a bit of exploring. I was hoping to make it into a loop but the strong winds over the farmland made my eyes water so much I couldn't focus on the map, so I just headed back the way I'd come in the end. Lovely countryside and some charming little villages - Stodmarsh, in particular - along the way.

Anyway, it seemed like a good route for less windy weather but a good route for a road or gravel bike: the off-road part was just three or four miles. I've had it in mind to overhaul my '96 Marin Stinson in a leaner, upgraded, more gravel/road-oriented direction for a while, and today's ride just pushed that project up the list of priorities.

The River Stour, approaching Fordwich:


Westbere Marshes in the distance. Warning sign in the foreground (minus punctuation: you just can't get properly punctuated officious sarcasm any more :shock: ).


Back in Fordwich on the way home:

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Almost 5 days solid of 40-60mph winds meant zero bike action Got my Sunday run in after things calmed down, just 750ft of elevation...my legs can still feel it now (For context I'd barely do 250ft over 7-8 miles).

So great to be back in the saddle this morning. Solid 15-20 mph breeze taking the warmth out of the sun, so in the sheltered spots it was chilly, around 4-5, closer to 7-8 in the sun. Took in the same route as last Tuesday to ease things in.

Here's the reservoir at Thrift before the incline to Sancreed then the sharp rise to the Beacon.

I saw my tenth travelling car 15 miles in...

 

[mk one]

nice pics, glad to see others getting out and enjoying the mild weather.

Warm today, lots of swarms of insects out to chew on, nice.

Went for a longer, supposedly easy going, ride as not been out for a while. One of the trails was just so muddy, slippy and hard going that i used more energy up on that than the rest of the ride. In one pic you can see the new thicker mud sidewalls on the tyres, grim. Though of course the reward of some far away trails i haven't been on for a while was more than worth it in the end.

Not many out today, though i was in the middle of nowhere, well just south of it, for most of the ride. Great ride on a really nice day.

 

[rwm1962]

Great to see guys.

Stuck with leg in plaster at moment.

 

[mk one]

Great to see guys.

Stuck with leg in plaster at moment.

Hope your up and about again soon.

 

[rwm1962]

Cheers. Cast coming off tomorrow & going into airboot. Another couple of months maybe before I'm doing mini rides.

 

[al-onestare]

Re:

Tuesday's ride started well and got progressively more tough as the weather turned, the mist rolled in and the wind picked up cumulating with a 6 mile slog back up the A3071 in a 30mph headwind. I needed a day off to recover even though the morning work with Cooper took in climbing on the SW path

This morning, crisp 5 degrees, very still, blue skies and glorious sunshine all along the way. It rose to 8-9 in spots but plunged to 2-3 in the sheltered valleys. I scooted from the "airport" at Lands End (it's not at Lands End) across to Crows-An-Wra then St Buryan. A quick blast back to Sparnon and joining the B3315. What a great road, twisting, ducking and diving to the junction for Lamorna Cove. That road is mental; tiny and right in the hollow of the valley, a really beautiful spot that pops out to the hidden cove.

Thankfully I didn't go right to the bottom, for the climb out to Castallack was a lung-buster; varying levels of gradient, all over 15% and fairly long (for around here), totally different from the Kent Downs climbs that are longer and more open. Almost Dales like in places. Thankfully the blast down through Raginnis to Mousehole was top notch with incredible views across Mounts Bay.

Perhaps you can see the state of my chain and cassette. The sea air moisture really doesn't agree with hard-wearing drive-train does it? I have to clean it down after every ride now which I guess is a small price to pay.

I gave myself a quick 2 minute break before a nice stretch to Newlyn then back out up The Coombe to re-join the A3071 for home, which thankfully had no head-wind so I couldn't help push hard :facepalm: