Ride 05/03/2023

Another sunny cold day with little wind with 9 of us on the bun run. We were going to go to Falkirk but changed it last minute to go to Bannockburn. This would be a flatter route with a cafe stop at Bannockburn Coffee Shop. We would be head wind to start with but given how little wind there was this wasn’t a big deal. We headed along the coastal road and crossed over the Kincardine bridge and took the back roads into Bannockburn until we hit the cafe stop. This was the first time I’ve been in Bannockburn Coffee shop and it had some very nice food there, just wish I could have eaten it but I stuck to scrambled eggs and salmon which was nice but I could have done with more We then headed into Stirling and headed back home via Alloa and then back along the coastal route, the usual Sunday bun run route. I followed Ken back down to Dalgety Bay and then headed back up to Crossgates. I was looking to do 65 miles today so I did a little bit towards the end just to make up the last 5 miles I was after. So in total 65 miles clocked up at an avg speed of 16 mph, and made it home just in time to miss the hail storm that came out of now where

Ride 04/03/2023

Well after nearly a week off the bike due to dental surgery I was back out with the group, and although my performance has dropped, it hasn’t dropped too much. Given it was very cold today, sub zero temps to start with, I was surprised to see such a large group on the ride, 18 or so of us. It was sunny and little wind around but I was still riding with 4 layers on We split into 2 groups and headed for the usual cafe stop. We set a good pace not particularly fast but still avg 16 mph or more. The usual scrambled egg roll and orange juice was had, thankfully I can chew a little bit now but I still have stitches in my gums so I took my time to eat. We went the normal way home but I didn’t bother going down to Dalgety Bay and opted to just do a loop around Cowdenbeath to make my 50 miles up. So 50 miles done at an avg speed of 16 mph which is fine for me getting back into the game, a few more rides and I should be able to transition to the wrecking crew rides at 08:30 and get my arse panned like I used to do when I rode with them

Ride 19/02/2023

Well it’s a slightly better day than yesterday, a bit warmer, not raining but we did have stronger winds, which meant again a head wind all the way to the cafe stop. I started early again to get some extra mileage, looking to do about 65 miles today. I headed down to Dalgety Bay and along to Carineyhill before heading back to Dunfermline to meet up at the start point for the bun run. Slightly better turn out today, 10 of us, so I lead the way (headwind) to the cafe stop. We meet up with Rachel at Powmill and Ken at the cafe stop for the usual coffee and cake. Ken joined us for the leg home where we would have a tailwind blowing us home. I then followed Ken back to Dalgey Bay and back up to Crossgates and home, thus clocking up 66 miles at an avg speed of 16 mph.

Ride 18/02/2023

It’s a very cold wet day and given weather conditions, thanks to storm Otto, I wasn’t holding out much hope of many people turning up for the ride. In the end there were 5 of us, even with all the layers on I still got very cold hands and was grateful for the cafe stop. It rain most of the way to the cafe stop but did eventually stop afterwards. I had the usual scrambled egg roll and orange juice and got a chance to warm up and dry my gloves out a bit. The road back was against a small head wind but not enough to bother me but given the weather I wasn’t going to be doing any extra today. So it was straight home for me thus clocking up 45 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph and a hot shower

Ride 12/02/2023

First club randonee of the year and 12 or us were on the ride. We would be doing a 100 km loop from Dunfermline to Kelty then to Leslie and over Falkland hill down to Auchtermuchty for a cafe stop. Then continuing over Glentarkie hill down to Abernethy and up Glenfarg to Milnathort. We would then head for Cleish and finally up and over Knockhill. Weather wise it was dry, not too windy or cold so we had decent weather for the ride. The cafe stop would be at our favourite one in Auchtermuchty were I had soup, cake and coffee, needed the fuel Some nice climbs today, not too steep or high, so I was able to go up then at a good pace. I was looking to do the usual 75 miles today so rather than heading back to Dunfermline, I headed right through it and onto Dalgety Bay to knock out the extra 10 miles that I would need. So all in all a good days ride with some excellent climbing, nearly 5000 feet and clocking up 77 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph.

Ride 11/02/2023

Another windy day but at least a dry, not too cold one. 16 of us on the bun run so we split into 2 groups, I was in the first group of 7. Surprisingly by the time we got to the cafe stop we were down to 3! the rest had pulled off and headed home. It was a head wind all the way to the cafe stop so I lead all the way there, maybe that was why some turned off Anyway the usual at the cafe stop and I joined the second group since there was no point the 3 of us continuing on our own.On the way home Ken took a different route home but I still went home via Dalgety Bay just to get the mileage I was after which was 55 miles. So I got my mileage tally at an avg of 16 mph, roll on tomorrows first Club Randonee

Ride 05/02/2023

It’s a bright sunny no wind day but frigging freezing, I started early again to do some extra at it was -2 degrees 🥶 I was going to do the loop over Knockhill via Cleish so I put the hammer down to stay warm, thus clocking up 22 miles by the time I hit the meet up point in Dunfermline. 8 people turned up today but by the time we got going I was frozen again and I didn’t warm up until I hit Knockhill for the second time. Usual route to the cafe stop for coffee and cake and we meet up with Robert on the way there who didn’t want to start at the same time as us and took the short cut to the cafe stop. At the cafe stop we meet up with Ken who had also gone a different route, so by the time we got going again we were 10. Thankfully by the time we got going again we were into positive figures temperature wise but it wasn’t any higher than 4 degrees by the time I got home again. I followed Ken down to Dalgety Bay and back up to Dunfermline again to round off my 75 mile target, averaging 15 mph but with over 4000 feet of climbing which is a good workout for me.

Ride 04/02/2023

Bit of a dull windy day but at least it’s dry. So 11 of us on the bun run today doing the usual route to the cafe for rolls and coffee. Bit of a head wind on the way to the cafe stop but at least we would have a tail wind on the way home. No Ken today so I didn’t go via Dalgety bay but to get my 50 miles I went home via Kelty and Cowdenbeath thus getting my distance at an avg speed of just under 16 mph.

Ride 29/01/2023

It’s a very windy day today which made the head wind a nightmare and the tail wind a breeze, pun intended With 40 mile winds it also made the side winds a bit hairy but we got by. I left early again to get the extra mileage in before the bun run started, of course this meant I had a lot of head wind to deal with from my start to the bun run start, all the way to the cafe stop. Given the wind there was only 4 of us riding today, so I did manage to get some shelter on the way to the cafe stop but I was leading most of the way. Coffee and cake as per usual for my stop before heading on. Thankfully most of the way back home was with a tail wind, which was very handy as cycling into the head wind was only allowing me to ride at about 12 to 13 mph. On the was home I was doing anywhere between 22 to 28 About 5 miles from Dunfermline Lynsey managed to break his crank arm right off, sheared right through but luckily Nick was passing by in the car and offered him a ride home. The rest of us carried on and I went home by way of Dalgety bay as I was looking to do 70 miles today. So mileage completed at an avg speed of 15 mph, given the crazy head wind that’s not too bad.

Ride 28/01/2023

It’s a sunny but cold day today, thankfully with little wind, and there were 14 of us in the bun run today. Usual route to the cafe stop for rolls and drinks and the usual route on the way home, albeit for me since I wanted to do extra I dropped the group going up Knockhill as I wanted to do Tempo up that for some training efforts and then to do the extra today I headed for Kelty. I was looking to do 50 miles today and doing the normal route only gets me 45, and given the weather was ok today it seemed appropriate to do. Ken was working today so I didn’t bother going down to Dalgety Bay to get the 50 miles and it’s been a little while since I’ve gone along to Kelty. So 50 miles clocked up at an avg speed of 16 mph for today.

Ride 22/01/2023

Well it’s a far better weather day, I actually started the ride in positive temperatures rather than negative ones. Mind you it only got to about 5 degrees today but that meant the roads weren’t full of ice and I could ride a bit safer. It was over cast but at least it didn’t rain with a little bit of wind. This also meant that I had more than one person to ride with today, 7 people turned up today although I started early again today, I was looking to ride about 70 miles again. I took a different route that last weeks and went down to Burntisland and along to Dalgety Bay. I then cut up through Dunfermline to meet whoever turned up at the Glengates for the start of the group ride. We headed the usual route to the cafe stop for coffee and cake and then along to Alloa and the coastal route back, since Ken wasn’t riding today I headed back home through Dalgety Bay to reach my target of 70 miles at an avg speed of 16 mph with a health quota of just under 4000 feet of climbing.

Ride 21/01/2023

Well another Baltic week with sub zero temps pretty much everyday and today was no exception. Unsurprisingly only 1 other person turned up today so it was just Colin and me on the bun run today. Thankfully the roads had been gritted because ice was everywhere but we stuck to the main roads today so were ok. Usual cafe stop for rolls and orange juice and we decided we would take our chances of going over Knockhill today hoping it would be ice free, and thankfully it was. It did warm up by 2 degrees in the latter half of the ride but that put us just above freezing. Given how cold it was, I wasn’t in the mood to do any extra today so I called it quits at 45 miles and an avg speed of 15 mph.