Just had an irruption of flying Ants and their worker cohorts in the kitchen. Should really have taken a picture, but I thought I'd better get rid of them before Mrs S came home.

So out came the dustpan and brush and a load of rapid sweeping up. Got rid of wads of the blighters and you could smell the Formic acid in the air!

Another warm one today. Think I'll stay in on Tuesday. 30C is manageable, but much above that is too much. After two hours what water was left in my bidons was just too warm to drink, I'd had them - half full - in the freezer before I went out, but they were soon ice free. Don't know how they cope in the TdF at 40C doing over 100 miles at 25 mph, even with sticking ice packs down their backs.

At least I've got to over 500 miles for July.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7485144072

I must be some sort of grimpeur - although I don't feel like one -as most of my best hill times are done on a bike with 52/36 chainrings and an 11-28 cassette. I'm not as quick on the Bianchi which has 50/34 chainrings and an 11-30 cassette, must be down to the Bianchi being a tad heavier than the Giant TCR.

I really must ride out further into the Peak, there's plenty of roads out there I haven't done and it would be nice to ride out to Macclesfield and back to do the Cat and Fiddle again, but COVID seems to have limited my horizons, although in today's warmth I didn't want to get to far from home in case I got heat stroke, but it wasn't that warm. Warm enough though.

Warm enough that I was limited to 50 miles as that's how long two bidons lasted me. Like the Queen I don't carry money with me so can't stop to buy anything, not that I actually go by anywhere I could have purchased anything anyway. Chesterfield may be a town of 100,000 people but you can soon get away from it all - a good thing most would say.

I did think I was the only cyclist out there this afternoon, but up on the tops there were one or two about, nice to have it a couple of degrees cooler and a bit of breeze.

Up to 491 miles for July now. Mrs S thinks I should stay indoors now for a few days, but you've got to make hay whilst the sun shines, be remiss of me to not do 21 miles tomorrow to get to 200 for the week.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7479621901

Hope your daughter's OK Hassan.

I got an eye infection after I had COVID.

Hedwig Mollestad Trio - Enfant Terrible
Il Balletto di Bronzo - Ys

Quote from: David L on July 15, 2022, 06:30:49 PM

Quote from: Nickslikk2112 on July 15, 2022, 06:24:26 PM

Quote from: David L on July 15, 2022, 06:19:09 PMMight have a quick trip out to Youlgreave tomorrow for a picnic and a swim in the river.

Wye? Oh no, Bradford or Lathkill.

Ah'll get me coit...

Bradford

https://peakdistrictkids.co.uk/youlgreave-swimming/

But will there be watter in it? It's bin waarm an' Lathkill at least allers dries up, check before diving in

Quote from: David L on July 15, 2022, 06:19:09 PMMight have a quick trip out to Youlgreave tomorrow for a picnic and a swim in the river.

Wye? Oh no, Bradford or Lathkill.

Ah'll get me coit...

Quote from: dom on July 15, 2022, 10:06:16 AMI know you don't really mean it Nick, so I won't rise to it.

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet for yesterday!

Arse

And I fully realise that Pidcock's performance will be appreciated more in France than it is in Blighty. The BBC were more interested in the piss poor performance of a superannuated Seppo than a young Brit winning the Queen stage of the TdF

Thankfully the Anchovy fillet did its job and I didn't get my arse sprayed with warm white gunk

Today was what the Tour was all about, a young Brit winning atop Alpe d'Huez on Bastille Day Way to pisser sur French frites 

And Bardet drops out of the podium places too. That really was some ride from Pidcock, descending at over 100 kmh and we even got old man Froome in third.

It's been a great tour all round so far. G's doing well to say he's so old. Shame young Pidcock slipped back today, but he is young and not used to this Grand Tour lark and I think he has more chance at GT level than his peers WvA and MvdP.

Shame about Bardet doing do well today, have to keep these French suppressed. G should be able to claw some back on the long Time Trial though. Tomorrow could be a repeat of today, up to Alpe d'Huez after going over the Galibier the other way.

I'd love to have a go at one of these Mountain Passes, but I think the walk of shame would be on, biggest climb I've done is 1,200ft and there aren't any higher round here.

Pity ITV4's coverage started after the Lacets de Montvernier. Ho-hum.

Thought I'd picked up a bit of gravel stuck to my tyre with molten tar today on the last bit of my ride. Got home and noticed there was a nail sticking out of the tyre. Good job it's tubeless as it sealed, otherwise I'd have been changing an inner tube at the side of the road.

Pulled out the nail and gave the cranks a good turn to spin the wheel and the sealant didn't seal it. Got rubber in my hair and all over a nice Celeste coloured bicycle. Well, it did about seal it eventually, but when I pumped it up to pressure it popped again. Now seeing if an Anchovy Fillet will deal with it. Swings and roundabouts on tubed vs Tubeless.

Went out for my Tuesday regular - must start mixing things up - and it rained. It was lovely - for once!