Out & About

Even though the weather was quite pants I decided it'd be good to get out for a ride. Usually I would get the main body of the ride out of the way and finish with a hill repeat or singular climb, or maybe a sprint. Not today. Oh no!

Today, for some extremely odd reason I decided to turn things about a little and it ended up in this order - sprint, hill repeat, main ride & (just to kill me off) a longer hill climb.

So, it all began with a sprint of about 3 miles (with a max gradient of 5%) to the entrance of Medlock Vale. After I sorted out the bike pc to record my efforts separate from the main ride, I set about doing 5 repeats of the hill. This section of road was recommended to me by Amy as the perfect spot to practice hill repeats due to the gradient - if Amy recommends it, it must be good!

After knackering myself for a good 15 minutes or so, the last repeat began the start of my main ride. After turning off the hill I joined a speed-humped road to take me past Droylsden High School's enormous playing field and left past the school itself, a cemetery and to the fun of the Fiveways roundabout (the place where Paul has been hit a few times, poor love); I usually avoid this like the plague, but couldn't be bothered turning off down one of the side streets. Once safely across, I headed up Chapel St and Medlock Rd to get onto my usual route to Daisy Nook.

My route changed a little from the last time I rode it again once I got to Oldham Rd in Ashton, as I decided to test the legs by going up Wilshaw Lane and it's little sting of an 8% section. Up along to Lees Rd and I turn left and prepare to hear the muppets at the 2 high schools I have to pass to get to Alt Hill Lane and my fun, twisty sections.

The first section of the descent is a 5% drop of 36ft to Alt Hill Rd, then onto a 6% drop of 138 twisty & single-laned feet and finally onto a rolling max 4% massively wide section to bring me out to the last 20% drop of 56ft in less than 0.09 of a mile! Finally I'm at Daisy Nook and the start of the off-road track section - the part that Everest has been longing for!

Naturally as it'd been raining almost non-stop for a few days the tracks were lovely and muddy and all too soon I had the compulsory skunk-tail as I flew along the track to Sammy's Basin and the first of the lock descents which would take me to the Dark Tunnel and the welcome butty and tea stop. Once I'd made a few hound chums - Blue, the ginormous Great Dane and Molly, the very cute tiny Jack Russell - I set off again refreshed and ready for action. First port of call was those locks again - 3 of them with a max gradient of 20% and cobbled/rutted/muddy, you name it and it was probably there under my tyres!
After hauling ass up the locks I very nearly came off crossing a ford - just before the wooden rickety bridge is another cobbled section, only these cobbles are loose and very, very wonky, and very nearly tipped me off into the ford!

After following my usual route back from Crime Lake end of Daisy Nook to Medlock Vale (not the direct route, oh no!) I had another trail section through the vale and back to THAT hill for yet another hill climb attempt. Only this time I made it more evil.....I would add another quarter mile to it. Ha ha ha...I'd obviously gone mad! Or had I?

Stats view route
Mild, windy & rainy
Maximum speed (mph): 71.1 apparently
Average speed (mph): 12.4
Miles: 19.55
Climbed 459ft

Hill repeat stats view hill
Maximum speed: 10.7
Average speed: 7.00
Best time: 1.50
Climbed 85ft in 0.26 miles with max 19% gradient

Hill climb stats
Maximum speed (mph): 11.3
Average speed: 7.7
Time: 2.55 mins
Climbed 102ft in 0.44 miles with max 19% gradient

A little bit ouch

After getting my bike back from it's service after the crash I had in November I went on my first ride to test it and my poor body out.

The day dawned sunny and the roads were a little slick after early rain, but there was no threat of cloud or rain. Until I left my flat that is!
I managed a few miles before the heavens opened; I chose to carry on though seeing as it's a bit pointless going out for anything less than 5 miles. The route I took was based on rough jolty roads to test my injuries and also nice new slick tarmac to ensure I've not lost any cornering confidence.

As it turned out I hurtled round slick puddle-filled corners no problem; the jolty sections were a little painful on my wrist, but I think that's down to having taken the strapping off it. I'll give it another go with the strapping back on and see how it goes.

My route took me out towards Littlemoss on the roads before diverting along a track through fields and over the M60 to bring me out in Taunton before a little back road loop that took me part of the way towards Hartshead Pike. I crossed over Mossley Rd and set off down the side of Tameside Hospital to the track that is alongside Silver Springs and Stamford Park. Back along Beaufort Rd and more back roads to Taunton, through Daisynook and Littlemoss and onto the lovely section of the A662 Ashton New Rd where I always drop down into an aero position and fly along til I get back home.

Annoyingly, at some point through the ride my bike pc went flying off my stem - don't know where it went. When it's done that in the past I've either seen it fly off or heard it land/get drove over etc, but I think due to the amount of rain it did a runner without me even noticing until I got home!

Boring bits -

Temperature: 0 degrees
Average speed: abt 10mph
Max speed: abt 23mph
Miles: 12.1
Climbing: 302ft

Amount of pain when riding -
Ribs: 0%
Shoulder: 10%
Wrist: 30%

Annoying builders. Grrr!

Thanks to the annoying builders at the business premises next door to me, I got rudely woken at 8am when they started to use a pneumatic drill on god knows what!
So I thought that, seeing as I'm awake I may as well get out and ride. After crawling out of my nice warn bed and throwing on bike stuff, I set off on a ride towards Park Bridge - it's a loop that I really like and isn't too harsh for an early ride.

I set out along my usual route through Daisy Nook and Littlemoss, choosing to go up the hillier route of St Alban's Rd once over into Ashton before the nice little downhill section along Lees Rd into Lees itself. I usually go through Park Bridge along Alt Hill Rd through the pretty little village of Alt Hill, but today I thought I'd head along Mill Brow and right through the heart of Park Bridge itself, feeling the chill in the air as I flew down the hills.

Thankfully, the route I took also meant that I got to avoid the farms on Alt Hill Rd that where I've often encountered problems, so no tractors in the road for me this time round. Yay!
Once back in Bardsley, I decided to cross over Ashton Rd and head along Knott Lanes and Crime Lane to pass by Crime Lake before heading down through the conservation area of Waterhouses past beautiful farms such as the Grade 2 listed Diamond Hall Farm (15th Century), and very sweet cottages.
This brought me down past Millstream Animal Shelter and onto Berry Brow where a loop of the Medlock Vale was in order before heading back home, tired, muddy and cold, but happy that I've boosted my miles for the Challenge.

Boring bit -

Temperature: 7 degrees
Max speed: 25mph
Average speed: 15mph
Miles: 14.97
Challenge 39.86% complete with 180.12 miles left to go