Ride 02/11/2024

Well after last Sunday’s fiasco where my Aerobic system decided to take a nose dive of a cliff resulting me having to abandon the ride and take a few days off cycling, I’m back on the bike. Today’s bun run weather wise was damp and overcast but thankfully not raining or windy at all. 30 of us turned up for the ride and I joined the first group with some trepidation given my current condition, hoping they don’t go too fast for me 😬 With us now in November we were all on our winter bikes with mud guards, just as well as some of the roads were wet and muddy. With 10 of us in the first group heading for the cafe stop I took a turn early on in the ride as, a) it’s mostly down hill 😄 and b) with me up front I missed all the mud in my face from any rider in front of me 😆 The usual beverage and fuel were had at the cafe stop and the route we decided on taking home was to head for Milnathort and Cowdenbeath. This is a slightly longer route but does skip out Knockhill, not that I mind the hills, it’s just right now I have to take my time going up them. Anyway with another stint on the front going through Kinross I made it home in one piece. Surprisingly I still managed to avg 17 for the 53 miles that I did, probably due to the flatter route but I’ll take that and see how tomorrow turns out 😉

Ride 26/10/2024

40 of us on the bun run this morning and weather wise it was a nice day with some sunshine but a little of headwind going to the cafe but a good tailwind on the way home 😉 I joined the first fast group as usual, probably not the best idea, I was still tired from last nights swift session, but I hung on 😬The roads were a bit wet from last nights rain which made things a little muddy here and there, so by the time we got the cafe we were a bit messy. The usual OJ and scrambled egg roll were had before we continued homeward. The route taken this week was to head down to Dollar and along the road to Milnathort before heading South back through Kinross and Kelty to get home. A little less climbing but a little bit longer, so by the end of the ride I had clocked up 53 miles at just shy of 18 mph, which ain’t bad on tired legs 😫😩😁

Ride 19/10/2024

25 on the bun run today, and its a pleasant enough day, sunshine, little wind and not too cold. I joined the first group as per usual heading for the cafe stop, the last 4 days had taken their toll on my legs and I was still fatigued, so it was a bit of an effort to keep up with the group to the stop. Usual OJ and scrambled egg roll before we headed back. I wasn’t looking to do much extra today so we took the usual route back home over Knockhill but I joined Colin as we headed for Kelty rather than back through Dunfermline to get back home again. It doesn’t really add much distance wise, a couple of miles, but it does have a little bit more elevation in it, so overall I still did 50 miles of cycling at a tad shy of 18 mph avg speed. I’ll take that since I won’t be out tomorrow given that storm Ashley will be hitting us tomorrow, so it will be too dangerous to go out side tomorrow, so it will probably just be a little Zwift session tomorrow 😊

Ride 13/10/2024

11 of us on the bun run today and it’s a sunny day but very cold 🥶 barely got to 5 degrees by the time I got back home again so I was well wrapped up today. The usual route today, given the temps I wasn’t looking to do any extra, but given the company it was going to be a faster ride than yesterday. Coffee and cake at the cafe stop before we headed home again. With little wind and being a cold dry day I clocked up the 50 miles at an avg speed of 17 mph without too much effort, slightly less power than yesterdays ride but at a faster speed, but given the company I was riding with that was to be expected 😁

Ride 12/10/2024

Well it was a very wet, windy cold day, so it wasn’t a surprise that only 4 of us turned up for the ride. Given the weather conditions I was quite happy to keep it short and to the point and just do the normal bun run route. It was a block headwind all the way to the cafe stop with the rain smashing you in the face, so since I was leading first I was pretty soaked after only 15 miles or so and was glad to get to the cafe stop to dry off a little bit. The usual OJ and scrambled egg roll were had before we headed home again, and I was glad we had the tail wind now as I was pretty cold at this point. When your wet through you don’t really get a chance to dry off and get warm again, even when cycling hard you never really warm back up again. So I was glad to get back home after 45 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph and get a hot shower to warm me back up again.

Ride 06/10/2024 Oct Randonee

9 of us on the Randonee this morning and weather wise I was expecting it to be a wet one as forecast but actually it was dry all the way around 😮 so happy days 😀 I planned this one to be a easy ride with not much elevation in it, although it would be a 100 km ride for most and over 70 miles for me, but I was prepared. I lead a good chunk of the ride which meant I could ride at my pace and not blow me or other members of the group up, so it was mostly zone 2, over 2 hours of it 😊 It was decided we would go to the Smiddy as our cafe stop, so following the usual bun run route up to Clackmannanshire bridge and the crossing over it into Airth we headed for the Pineapple and along the flatland’s into Cowie and Bannockburn. Along to Cambusbarron and heading towards Gargunnock we headed for Blair Drummoud and our cafe stop just next to it. We were there a bit early for lunch, so I couldn’t get my usual soup so had to contend with a scrambled egg roll, a cup of coffee and coffee cake to get by with. After the cafe stop we headed back into Stirling and again along a flat course heading for our usual cafe stop (although not stopping there) and back home via Saline hill, the only hill climb in the route 😉 It was then back down to Dunfermline and home, thus clocking up 73 miles at an avg speed of 16 mph, and getting home feeling like I’m still in one piece, so all in all a good days ride 😀

Ride 05/10/2024

Another large turnout for the bun run this morning, 37 people turned up at the gates which meant we would split into 4 groups. Weather wise, it was overcast, not too windy and not cold, there would even be some sunny spells towards the end of the ride. I went with the first group as per usual heading for the cafe stop. The usual fuel was had here before the return to home. I wasn’t looking to do any extra today since I will be doing the Randonee tomorrow which will be around 70 miles of riding for me. So I followed the group up to Yetts before heading off on my own up and over Knockhill and back home again. 50 miles clocked up today at an avg speed of 17 mph which is enough for today and leaves something in the tank for tomorrow 😊

Ride 29/09/2024

8 of us on the bun run and it was a decent day for a cycle, bright, not too cold and little wind, with a little bit of sunshine thrown in. We did the usual route today so it was coffee and cake at the usual pit stop and the usual route home via the coastal roads. Given the composition of the group today it was a brisk ride with me doing 50 miles at an avg speed of 17 mph, a bit faster than the usual Sunday bun run, but given what I felt like yesterday, today’s affair was far better outing and I wasn’t shattered by the time I got home 😄

Ride 28/09/2024

Well it was a huge turnout for the bun run this morning, 38 people turned up which is the largest turnout I’ve ever seen in my time at DCC 👍 Weather wise it’s a little bit sunny and bright, but of course in the later part of the year that means it will be cold and cold it was, although thankfully not windy, I can do without the wind chill factor 🥶 I was in the first group which by definition these days means the FAST group, which it was. I managed to stick with the group but I was going hard to do so, and now that I’m back home I certainly feel that 😣 At the cafe stop I had the usual scrambled egg roll and orange juice before we decided which way to return home. I was looking to do 100 Km so I suggested a loop around Loch Leven which only Colin decided to agree on, so the rest of the group would follow us up to Milnathort before heading south through Kinross back to Dunfermline. Colin and I continued on around Loch Leven at a slightly slower pace, my poor legs were begging to feel the pain, I haven’t done a ride this long since I was ill about 2 months ago and the fast pace we were riding at up till Milnathort had taken its toll. I made it back to Crossgates after splitting from Colin but I was still about 5 miles short of my target, so I kept going, slowly, for another 5 miles with a quick loop around the Amazon building and back up to Crossgates, thus making up my mileage. So 64 miles clocked up (103 Km) at an avg speed of 17 mph and boy do my legs feel it now 😰 here’s hoping for some decent recover before tomorrows ride 😬

Ride 22/09/2024

9 of us on the bun run today and the weather was a lot better than yesterday, it was dry with a little bit of wind but a little bit on the chilly side, so again I was in the warmer winter gear and glad I was. We decided to do a different route today heading for the Coffee Bothy towards Stirling. We started with a tail wind today so the start of the ride was brisk but not overly fast, I managed to stay mostly in Zone 2 today 😁 and not go too hard, unless we were going up hills, which there weren’t too many of, it’s a fairly flat route to do. At the cafe I had some very nice scrambled eggs with avocado, roasted tomato and toast with a cup of coffee and a slick of banoffee pie to finish it all off 😁😋 The route back would take us along the flat lands of Airth and past the The Pineapple before crossing Kincardine bridge and heading back along the coastal route (just like yesterday) into Dunfermline and back home again. So 55 miles clocked up today at an avg speed of 16 mph, and that will do me fine for tomorrows rest day.

Ride 21/09/2024

Forgot to do this yesterday so doing it today 🙂 20 of us on the Saturday bun run and weather wise it wasn’t pleasant, with a constant drizzle of rain and a head wind to start with I was glad I came prepared with my winter gear. Still, 20 people turned up for the ride, even with the naff weather, so I joined the fast first group as usual (only 6 of us in the first group) heading for our regular cafe stop. By the time I got to the cafes top I was a bit damp but thankfully to the fast pace we were going I wasn’t cold 😊 Usual beverage and food had before we headed back home. Since most people weren’t looking to do any extra and wanted an easier ride we effectively went home the Sunday bun run route and back home the way we came in on in the first place. I didn’t mind I was still tired from Thursday’s beating of a ride, so was glad for the easier route, although that didn’t slow the pace down going back home 🙄 Anyway 48 miles clocked up at an avg speed of over 17 mph, I couldn’t be bothered to round it up to 50, I was just looking for a hot shower by that point 😉

Ride 15/09/2024

9 of us on the bun run today and weather wise it wasn’t forecast to rain, it was supposed to be dry and eventually sunny, alas it was not ☹️ Not only did it rain it was also windy again, so head wind all the way to the cafe stop. I was leading for the start of the ride and because it was raining, not hard just drizzle, having the wind in your face also meant I was getting hammered with the rain 😫 It did eventually stop but my top was a little damp and my arse was very wet. Thankfully by the time we got to the cafe stop the rain had stopped and I was just about starting to dry off. The usual coffee and cake were had at the cafe before our return journey. I was leading again but this time I didn’t mind as it was starting to warm up and get sunny and I now had a tail wind 🙂 I was pacing myself today so wasn’t going hard, still a bit fatigued from Fridays training session and I wasn’t going to do any extra today, so 50 miles clocked up at an avg speed of 16 mph. Myself and the bike were obviously bogging by the time I got home so both needed a good clean 😁