Made it up to 40 miles today. Intended on just extending to 35 miles, but for me it wasn't an overly hilly route and the sun was out, so I made a bit of hay. Nice to feel a bit of warmth in the air, even if it wasn't that warm, but I got away without a base layer and no overshoes.

Still well down on where I normally am at this time of the year, but I feel like it might come back now, especially if the weather calms down. Be nice to average 18 mph on that sort of ride rather than today's 16.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6961183590

Fitted a new seat post to the Cannondale yesterday so naturally, with a bit of time for cycling this afternoon, I was keen to try it. Had to make a minor adjustment after setting off (the saddle was a touch too high) but after that, it was very comfy indeed. I fitted a similar carbon seat post to the X and wasn't sure if it made a difference to the ride, but on the X it definitely did feel smoother.

It always amused me that the Cannondale didn't have a stitch of carbon fibre on it despite being my favourite bike, but I guess that's why it makes more of a difference now that it does.

Anyway I wanted to do about 40 miles and I did a longer version of the Twycross Bypasser. Along Fenn Lanes and through Shenton and Bosworth, then up through the villages. Hadn't done that for quite a while, a few months I think. Just checked, not since September according to Strava. Took this pic along Atterton Lane.



Noticed more small birds around than of late - is that a Spring phenomenon? Curious how they like to fly across the road at an altitude of a few inches, sometimes. Catching insects, perhaps? I wonder if they ever like to see how high they can go? Wouldn't you?

The weather was almost perfect; nearly warm and very dry. A bit windy but not overly bothersome. Really a lovely run out.

39.20 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6982439975

Quote from: Slim on April 15, 2022, 12:30:28 AMNoticed more small birds around than of late - is that a Spring phenomenon?

Mating season isn't it. They're all flying around looking for a bit of nookie, plus some of the Winter migrants are still getting together to fly back to their summer homes.

Managed my first evening ride of the year this week, thought I'd try putting a bit more effort in on Wednesday, didn't work. Thought I'd take it easy on Thursday, ended up putting a bit of effort in and doing OK.

Think I paid for it though today, was a bit of an effort at times, but I suppose that's to be expected after this year so far. It was nice to get out in the glorious warm spring sunshine in bib shorts and a short-sleeved jersey. Managed to get some work done on the tanlines, which were still quite well in evidence from last year.

Got a 38 miler in, which means I'm less than a thousand miles behind last year now!

https://www.strava.com/activities/6986535252/

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on April 15, 2022, 08:08:44 PM

Quote from: Slim on April 15, 2022, 12:30:28 AMNoticed more small birds around than of late - is that a Spring phenomenon?

Mating season isn't it. They're all flying around looking for a bit of nookie, plus some of the Winter migrants are still getting together to fly back to their summer homes.

Managed my first evening ride of the year this week, thought I'd try putting a bit more effort in on Wednesday, didn't work. Thought I'd take it easy on Thursday, ended up putting a bit of effort in and doing OK.

Think I paid for it though today, was a bit of an effort at times, but I suppose that's to be expected after this year so far. It was nice to get out in the glorious warm spring sunshine in bib shorts and a short-sleeved jersey. Managed to get some work done on the tanlines, which were still quite well in evidence from last year.

Got a 38 miler in, which means I'm less than a thousand miles behind last year now!

https://www.strava.com/activities/6986535252/

Yes all that beautiful bird song, the dawn chorus, is essentially nothing but robins and blackbirds bragging about how big their todgers are 😂

Quote from: dom on April 15, 2022, 08:17:53 PM

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on April 15, 2022, 08:08:44 PM

Quote from: Slim on April 15, 2022, 12:30:28 AMNoticed more small birds around than of late - is that a Spring phenomenon?

Mating season isn't it. They're all flying around looking for a bit of nookie, plus some of the Winter migrants are still getting together to fly back to their summer homes.

Managed my first evening ride of the year this week, thought I'd try putting a bit more effort in on Wednesday, didn't work. Thought I'd take it easy on Thursday, ended up putting a bit of effort in and doing OK.

Think I paid for it though today, was a bit of an effort at times, but I suppose that's to be expected after this year so far. It was nice to get out in the glorious warm spring sunshine in bib shorts and a short-sleeved jersey. Managed to get some work done on the tanlines, which were still quite well in evidence from last year.

Got a 38 miler in, which means I'm less than a thousand miles behind last year now!

https://www.strava.com/activities/6986535252/

Yes all that beautiful bird song, the dawn chorus, is essentially nothing but robins and blackbirds bragging about how big their todgers are 😂

Thankfully after we double glazed our house we couldn't hear the little buggers.

A beautiful warm, sunny day today. Unfortunately time constraints and the irritating matter of being on call meant I couldn't make the most of it, but I did want to do 40 or so.

With the wind coming from the south, I had the idea of doing the southbound route for 20 miles or so then coming back. But I went a slightly different way and missed a turn; I realised I'd done this when I found myself approaching Barton in the Beans. But I pressed on down through Bosworth and Sutton Cheney, with the idea of joining the southbound route at Kirkby Mallory - which should have been easy enough to navigate to from there.



Unfortunately it wasn't - I thought it was a left turn along the A447 but it was a right. So I looped back to Cheney and decided to do something else. I went west along Fenn Lanes and did a reverse Twycrosser of sorts.

Stopped off at San Giovanni for an Old Fashioned.



Very nice run out really, though I'd have loved to have done a longer ride. My inept navigation took me along some roads I haven't done very often. Happy to have given the S Works a run out as well, it hadn't been out of the garage since September.

I hadn't seen any discarded underwear on a bike ride for quite some time, but the drought is over - two pairs of women's knickers were sighted in the grass verge between Ibstock and Ravenstone, within  a few feet of each other. I suppose the improved weather must have something to do with it.

Back on 43.37 miles.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6992124225

I'm still on the old comeback trail and I think at the moment that 40 miles is the most I have in my legs for one ride. I've normally done a few Fondos by now, but they'll come - I hope.

Still, it was another nice day, managed to work up a bit of a sweat, even though I didn't see any discarded female underwear - hey, all the chicks round here don't wear any

Managed to get in two decent climbs today, just a bit slower than my best times for the year so far on them, but I'm now on one of the good bikes, so that just shows me how I've been knocked back. I'd say I'm about 10% down on where I was and reading an interview with a pro cyclist who's had COVID recently - and one whom I sometimes encounter when out and about - he say's he's about 105 down and he only had five days off the bike.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6992339019#

Congratulations to my mate Elisa Longo Borghini for winning Paris-Roubaix Femmes today. Not really a mate, but she'd high up the leader board on plenty of local Strava segments.

Cooler today, and a bit of a wind coming from the west. But I was relieved of oncall responsibilities at 0800 this morning, so today was set aside to do the April Fondo.

I planned the route last night; the idea was to go up through Coleorton and over Swarkestone Bridge then west along the A road until Sudbury, then go south to come back via what I might term the "legacy westbound route", which runs to the south of the one which has gained favour in recent years. I did that but took a different turn at Yoxall than I intended, and came back through Barton under Needwood and Coton in the Elms, rather than Alrewas (pronouced "or 'e was") and Croxall. Still a familiar westbound route, but a bit shorter.



As I approached Measham though having done only 50 miles, I realised I was going to be about 5 miles short! I knew my navigation error would cut the route a bit shorter, but not that much. Turns out that I somehow made a stupid mistake on the route planner last night and got the track to double back on itself for a couple of miles.

Anyway I made up the requisite Fondo distance by going into Coalville and back.

Excellent day out on the bike, nice to do one of the old westbound routes again, even if only in one direction. The stretch of road that joins the two westbound routes is a brutal rollercoaster of hills, though.

I listened to another four hours of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Really right out there bonkers. It's hard to know whether the events that appear to take place are real or happening in a sort of psychic netherworld induced by the futuristic drugs that are taken by the characters in the book. Wild. I can only think that Philip Dick had partaken of some hallucinogenics himself when he wrote it.

Back on 63.35 miles, that's 265 this month. Target is 350.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7003397072

Managed another 50 miler today and it felt better than the last few, I think a bit of fitness is coming back now. I wasn't particularly quicker, but it required less effort to maintain the same speed. Maybe being fully card loaded after yesterday helped too. That's got me over 1,000 miles for the year now. Longest it's taken me to get there since 2016.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7003040248

Did a reverse Carrick Hill run..heading out to Dalrymple onto Minishant then across to Maybole then up and over the Carrick Hills then picking up cycle route7 back into Ayr and finished off going along seafront  to the pier to watch the sun going down over Arran.. very nice
31 miles and a mouthful of midges and flies..

couple of outdoor rides this weekend, fitness and speed coming on nicely (high 18s average speed) but more importantly confidence/mental state fine, and no heart issues still. Very happy I'm over that blip by the look of things, bloody covid

Wanted to do 30 or 40 after work. I was able to get out at about 4pm. Not particularly warm, but dry and mostly sunny.

With the wind coming from the east, I thought I'd do 15 or 20 miles of the eastbound route, then come back. I decided to turn toward Long Whatton instead, but just by following my nose I found myself back on the usual eastbound route after a few miles.

After Zouch though I took the turn to Sutton Bonington, rather than Normanton. I hadn't done that for about three years - which is painful to think about really, because it doesn't seem that long ago. Really nice along there. The trouble is, it doesn't really go anywhere useful.

Stopped to take this pic, and to check the seat post and saddle - this was the Boardman's first run out on its carbon seat post, which had been intended for the Cannondale but didn't fit it. I hadn't noticed anything amiss during the ride up to that point, but when I checked it by hand, the saddle was loose! Just as well I'd brought the appropriate Allen key.



I turned back for home. I could have gone a bit further along Soar Lane, but the road surface was awful.

Back on 28.96 miles. I could have done a few more but I was looking forward to a cheap but well refrigerated Sauvignon Blanc and a Tesco ready meal.

That's 294 this month, 1503 this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7013812538

7 miles out today and picked up a puncture.. so it was either a long walk home or a call to the mrs to pick me and the bike up.... luckily bike fitted into her car so quick home.. very annoying as it was a great day and had just found a new single track road that i never kknew about.. oh well...

There's always option 3.. take an inner tube, a pump and a tyre lever. Has saved me more than once!

Quote from: Slim on April 21, 2022, 07:53:24 PMThere's always option 3.. take an inner tube, a pump and a tyre lever. Has saved me more than once!

Yes indeed ...off to the bike shop tomorrow to acquire👍