Ride 26/07/2020

So Sunday’s ride was a more brutal affair, not only did I have to contend with the wind but also the rain Today I was looking to do about 60 miles so I took a fairly flat route around to Stirling and then back home. The ride started out raining but by the time I got to Kincardine it had stopped so I thought I had got past the worst of it but I was so wrong Once past Kincardine and Airth the heavens opened up and it poured it down for the next 30 min, I didn’t stand a chance, I was soaked to the bone by the time I hit Stirling and I still had another 30 miles to ride back home Thank God it’s not cold otherwise I would be screwed, probably only around 16 degrees but warm enough for me to carry on cycling home. As per usual I had the headwind going to Stirling which didn’t help with the bloody rain but a decent tailwind home but not windy or warm enough to dry me off, I was still damp by the time I got home. So 58 miles clocked up at just over 16 mph, not too bad but would have been better without the crap weather.

Ride 25/07/2020

So with Garmin partially back up I can post my weekend rides. Saturday’s ride was a damp windy affair, with the bad weather I was keeping the ride short, 40 odd miles was enough. I was riding into a head wind as per usual until the leg home where I would have a tail wind. It did rain a little bit but not enough to bother me. Because of the bad weather I did put my foot down a bit which was why the avg speed for today was over 17 mph but I did skip out Knockhill and just go via Saline.

Ride 18/07/2020

So today I decided to ride to Stepps, just outside Glasgow, I did think about going into Glasgow but this would mean a 100 miles bike ride and I’m not ready for that just yet and it was hard enough just to do the 80 miles. I would be riding the first 40 miles against a robust headwind that is to say I hated it! It may only be around the 15-16 mph head wind but that knocks the shite out of me and I was tired by the time I got to Stepps with my legs aching something rotten. Thank God I had a tail wind going home otherwise I would have been in deep dodo. It’s not a particularly hilly ride but I still managed to clock up over 3000 feet of climbing which starts to accumulate against what energy reserves I had left. Anyway by the time I got home I was knackered but had clocked up 81 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph so I’ll live with that

Distance 46.77 mi | Time 2:36:21 | Speed 17.9 mph | Elevation 1,988 ft

Source: Ride 12/07/2020

So first ride back after 2 weeks off with the bike in for it’s service. Nice enough day so decided to do my Forth river loop primarily since I don’t remember the last time I did this, probably when I was living in Falkirk. Anyway the weather was pleasant enough, head wind to start with but not to windy and tail wind for the leg back home. Given I was off for 2 weeks I was hammering this one at nearly 18 mph in fact it only dropped to under 18 mph in the last 10 miles or so which being all up hill was the reason it dropped but I’ll live with that I did better than I was expecting

Ride 20/06/2020

It’s a nice day for a ride, I was going to do just the usual bun run ride but bumped into Ken, one of the club riders I regularly ride with at Kincardine. I decided to ride with him for the test of the ride but he was going a slightly different route to the bun run. We skipped out Knockhill and went via Cleish round to Cowdenbeath and I parted ways to head back home to Crossgates. Not a bad days ride clocked up nearly 17 mph avg speed for 50 miles

Ride 14/06/2020

Another dull wet day although not as windy as yesterday thankfully. It’s the usual Sunday bun run ride although by the time I got over Knockhill and down to Dollar the rain had stopped and was dry for the rest of the ride. It’s actually a little warmer than yesterday so I was only riding in 2 layers today I left the rain coat at home and didn’t really need it anyway, the rain was short lived. Looking to do 50 miles today so I decided to return home via Rosyth rather than Dunfermline. Still managed to keep a good avg speed today of 16 mph

Distance 44.29 mi | Time 2:40:41 | Speed 16.5 mph | Elevation 2,077 ft

Source: Garmin Connect

Well it’s a dull wet and windy day so I was back in the winter gear and mud guards back on the bike. Decided to do the normal bun run ride with a few alterations, skipping out knock hill and returning home via Kelty and Cowdenbeath. It’s not that cold so in the end I did have to take of a layer but I had 3 on to begin with Good avg speed today given the weather conditions but that will be down to cutting out some of the hills too.

Ride 07/06/2020

Another windy ride but this time I’m suitably dressed so no need to head back home today. I decided just to do the normal Sunday bun run ride and actually passed a few club members out today. Nothing special today just a casual ride around “the block”.

Ride 06/06/2020

Well I seriously underestimated the weather today and didn’t realise just how cold and windy it was I got about 2 miles out and thought bugger this and headed home for some more appropriate clothing. So once suitably dressed I carried on with the ride only this time deciding to change what I had in mind. I was going to go to kincardine but decided I would head into the wind and ride to kinglassie and then head around Loch Leven. So rather than doing an east west ride I would do more of a north south ride and not get hit so badly with the wind. I covered the same distance I had in mind for today but on a different route.which is why the map looks a little odd today

Ride 30/05/2020

So it’s a great day for a cycle although it is a bit breezy which would come to bite me towards the end of the ride. I was looking to do 110 miles today so I set a course of about 107 miles heading towards Leven first since, I would be riding into the wind in this direction. I then headed for Cupar which meant I would be cross wind until I got to the Tay river, now the fun bit starts. I didn’t appreciate just how windy it was today although the forecast said 15 mph it felt faster but this was a benefit I was was going with the wind all the way to Glaneagles so I got a good ride in this section. I then swung south through Glendevon and round to Dollar where I would once again have a tail wind heading for alloa and Kincardine. Now this is where the sting in the tail is once past Kincardine and after doing nearly 90 miles I would be head wind again heading home. This bit was tough the wind rips off what little energy you have at this point and it was mostly uphill which only made things worse By the time I got back to Crossgates I was shattered and my lovely 16 mph avg speed had been blown out the window. I kinda new this would happen but thats the lay of the land and the slight disadvantage of living on top of a hill Of course at Crossgates I was only 107 miles which meant I had to struggle a wee bit more to clock up the extra 3 miles, doesn’t sound like much but its a real pain in the arse when you’ve no strength left. Anyway goal reached and my avg didn’t go completely awry still got 15.4 mph

Ride 20/05/2020

It’s a warm sunny evening and given the weekend is a disaster with gale force winds I don’t see me doing much riding then so lets get as much done through the week So I did a sprint around “the block”, a 24 mile loop that I’ve done faster than this before with my best effort a avg 19.5 mph to todays avg 18,8 mph but still a good effort The avg power is the same for both ride at 240 watts average so I must of had slightly better weather conditions the last time

Ride 17/05/2020

Another windy day only this time I had to contend with a little rain. I kept the ride about the same as yesterday distance wise but started with going over Knockhill like on a normal Sunday bun run. I changed it after that point to skip out Dollar and just headed straight for Kincardine and the coastal road home. I added a little loop at the end just to make sure I got over 40 miles. So I was a little slower today only getting 16 mph avg speed but not to far off yesterdays power output.