0 Comments
Weather has warmed again to a mild 8 degrees centigrade, so we where out and covered 47km's in 2 hours and 38 minutes. A loop south of Andover which went as far as Broughton. An uneventful ride, the only highlight being a Red Kite quartering the fields at Balls Plantation near Houghton.
The thermometer was hovering around Zero Centigrade when we left this morning for a loop south of Andover which took in Stockbridge. 37.6 kilometres in 2 hours and 12 minutes. So the winter clothing was deployed which included overshoes and some very nice Jacobsons Tramonta winter gloves. I remained warm all the way round, though as usual the toes where a little cold by the end of the ride.
The stormy weather continues, this morning the windy was predicted to subside so out we went, and it proved to be a lot of fun 41 kilometres in two and a half hours. So out of Andover via the N246 nation cycle route, through Anna Valley, and Abbots Ann and on to Weyhill and then the Pentons. The bridle paths where starting to get quite muddy with the occasion puddle, but when there was a puddle they where large and deep!!! Through Tangley and on to the Hampshire Gate, then up onto the Chutes Causeway which being the highest point in the surrounds, was very windy and made the ride down to Scot's Poor rather interesting. Rather than following the usual mountain biking route through Collingbourne we cut through the forest on a couple of very nice fire roads which meant we missed the usual mud which lurks at the heart of Collingbourne. Rode out of Collingbourne on the Bull's Drove which proved to be a fun bit, the track was just succession of puddle, puddle, muddy bit oh another puddle. Then back onto the Biddesden lane and past Biddesden House and then on towards Clanville via Sopers Bottom which again was just one morass of mud and deep puddles, finally popping out at Duck Street and home via the Penton's and Charlton. Just as the came into Charlton the back tyre deflated rapidly , so the choice was try and change the inner tube on a very muddy bike, or the short walk home. Discretion won and we walked home, washed the bike down and popped the back tyre off. The puncture had been caused by a hawthorn, so was easily found and resolved once we'd dried out.
A handy series of short videos presented by Abi Carver which introduce you to using Yoga in your fitness regime for cycling. I particularly like the one for lower back pain.
Not some strange food event, but a post Christmas cycling event on 3rd Jan 2016 located on the Salisbury Plain - Spam Winter Challenge.
34 kilometres in 2hours, a south loop out of Andover. Pushed it as much as I could, the weather was grey but warm so managed to only need to wear a baselayer and jersey over it.
Tuesday morning ride, was hard work due to the steady headwind which we faced on the way back down the Bourne Valley. Was out for 4 hours and 20 minutes and completed 69 kilometres. Up to the Chute Causeway, and then back down the Bourne Valley though Vernham Dean, Upton, Hurstbourne Tarrant, Hurstbourne Priors, Longparish, and Wherwell. It was a windy, grey day with the occasion shower, what made it tolerable was the fact it was rather warm, and I was rather comfortable in merino base layer, cycling jersey and shorts. It has been rather wet recently and this had generated a lot of mud on the bridleways and combined with the leaf litter was making an interesting surface to ride over. The newly fitted Geax Gato tyre made the bike much more predictable than when it was running the Noddy Nic tyres. The duration of the ride did mean, I completed the Strava Adventure Cycling Challenge of riding for more than 3 hours!!!
Very grey morning, two hours out and 34 Kilometres covered, not a lot to say apart from the fact it was very very misty, which in turn meant my merino wool base layer sleeves where given a silvery sheen of water droplets from the low hanging fog. The route consisted of going out through Anna Valley, Monxton and Kentboro, past Danebury and down into the test valley at Longparish, then back via the Testway.
|
Archive
January 2023
|