What time you planning on getting to blaze for?

No idea. Might to be icy on Saturday night though 🙁

As said, it's quite likely to be icy tomorrow, and I know this is short notice, but would anyone fancy an off-road ride instead? No guarantee you won't fall off, but it's usually slower, softer and with a bit of warning. I can put together a fairly long route that keeps off anything very technical, and probably be back early afternoon.

I'll turn up at Hartford Social and ride from there, anyone who fancies joining on an MTB or CX bike, (with knobblies) can do the same.

Hi guys

Jacob is swimming at Macc pool today so Dan and I are going to take our bikes and ride out from there over the Cat & Fiddle. We won't be setting off till after 12 so we probably won't see you all.

Have a safe ride if you go and I'll see you all next week 🙂

Greeted with frost tipped roofs & roads saw the majority hide under the duvet this morning for a lie in. For the 10 of us who braved the elements it turned out not so bad after all!

It was a bit sketchy early doors but the wind & sun soon sorted the roads out. Al took the right decision to keep to main roads and a trip to the mills via Frodsham. It was a pretty decent ride, with a steady pace throughout. It wasn't half cold mind & the wind really zapped the energy from the legs, I was tired when I got in anyway!

Good run & props to Tommo for making it over for Bosley. Hope you got home safe.

An eleventh club member braved the roads today as I thought it would be a nice day to go to the seaside. One of my short reports (edited from my training diary), follows:

I was aiming for 150 miles in about 9 hours and the forecast was for the wind to pick up from the South so I thought this would make for a gruelling last few hours and I wasn't disappointed!!

The tail wind was not so strong at 8:15 when I left and everywhere was frozen solid. This didn't cause any problems though as I took to main roads the whole route. I rode 81" fixed and kept to the target power between 160 - 230 practically all day as there were very few hills. I took the A49 via Warrington and Wigan to Bamber Bridge and then took the old road to meet the A6 just before the bridge in Preston. I couldn't really use the tail wind to get a good first half average as I kept getting stopped at the many traffic lights there are in Lancashire. However I went through 50 miles in almost exactly 3 hours which was bang on the average I was looking for, for the whole ride.

I turned off the A6 at Lancaster at bang on 60 miles and took the A588 via Cockerham all the way to Poulton le Fylde. This road wasn't bad as there was a cross wind much of the way but it got tougher as I got nearer the bridge over the Fylde. I stopped for the first time in Blackpool at 80 miles and got a butty from a garage as to that point I'd only eaten one gel and one muesli bar and drank 1 x 750ml bottle of Go. Still felt strong and not too fatigued at this point, but very little head wind yet.

The prom from North Pier all the way to Lytham soon changed the mood of the ride as the wind was blowing a hooley. By Lytham at 90 miles I was pretty stuffed due to the sustained headwind grind but from Warton to Preston the wind was across and I recovered very quickly. I crossed the Ribble on the A59 at almost exactly 100 miles and also just inside 6 hours so the target average was achieved. Then the fun started.........

I recon that God created that exposed wasteland running between Southport and Widnes to stop the scousers from getting out! Not only is it boring but there is just no shelter anywhere. Fortunately I had a cross headwind through Rufford / Burscough to Ormskirk so I felt a bit jaded but on top of things, maintaining around 200 - 220 watts most of the time.

I stopped at Ormskirk (120 miles) to prepare for the final gruelling 30 miles into a direct headwind. I put my bright yellow waterproof on as rain was threatening and ate two muesli bars. Now anybody who has ridden the exposed 10 course on the Rainford by-pass knows what it is like on a windy day, so imagine doing it after 120 miles and then carrying on all the way to Northwich via St Helens and Widnes!! My average speed splits every 5 miles for the last 30 miles were all below 14.5 mph and this was all down to the wind as my average power was pretty much the same as it had been all day. Just to make it a bit more gruelling it threw it down with icy cold rain for the last hour, which I rode in the dark!!

Final summary was 150.47 miles (how good am I at estimating distances on unknown roads?!), in a ride time excluding T-Light stops of 9 hours and 6 minutes so that's an average riding speed of 16.5 mph. Nomalized power was 202 watts with a 20 minute peak of 223 watts. I had a second 750ml bottle and 1 more gel and 1 more muesli bar.

This wasn't just an endurance ride it was a character building excercise as that last 50 miles was mentally very challenging. Definitely the best day out to Blackpool I've ever had, despite forgetting to stop for a stick of rock.

Cheers

Dave

Bloody hell Dave! Respect!

A 12th club member completed a 200k ride. 50k icy 50 into the wind and 106 in the rain. Stayed upright got round in time - happy bunny

Number 13. Not as epic as Dave and Derek, but I managed a loop of the peaks taking in Mowcop, Biddulph, over to Gun Hill and up the mermaid. I had planned to head over to Longnor, through buxton, back up the A53 to Flash and get to the café that way, but at I reached the Mermaid inn a really nasty front came in and visibility was down to zero. So I decided to head straight to the main road and stay on them, and the gruelling headwind and *very* slow descending had put a real dent in my pace.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/428735881

Got to Blaze farm for a quick coffee and scone and headed direct home (with a blessing of a strong tailwind) with 81 miles and 6000ft of climbing in the bank.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/428712326

All in all, not a bad day. But that wind really sapped the energy out of me.

Numbers 14 and 15 reporting in. We watched the Nelson Mandela film on Saturday night (great film) and stayed at the Cheshire Oaks Travelodge, thus obliging our youngest son who was having a party in our house that night and we fancied not being there. Then to Llandudno in the morning and a 50+ mile road ride with 4,800 ft of climbing...round Great Orme (what an amazing road) down to Betwys y Coed via the hills through the Marin trail area...then back via Llanwrst and the steep climb up the hills beyond, and back via Colwyn Bay. We'd planned a much longer route but were a bit indulgent with a late start and two cafe stops and ended up returning in the dusk as the rain started. It was bitterly cold but we didn't encounter much ice other than on the highest road and that was just slush really....and we kept warm with all the climbing...and had a tailwind home, so we didn't do too badly. Although I think our 50 miles took about the same time as Dave's 150. And btw the house was immaculate on our return! Sorry we missed the club run though.

Dave, you're an animal.

Well actually I was number 11, as I did at least turn up at Hartford Social for my promised off-road ride for road riders, the rest of you can consider yourselved bumped down one place!! 😀 Had a great time, (on my own).

Not sure if this will work, but here goes.
http://www.strava.com/activities/10578473 7"> http://www.strava.com/activities/105784737

30 miles in all, at an average of 10mph, which is not bad going on an MTB. I've an idea to extend it over towards Frodsham next time for something approaching an all day ride.