That's about right for the uphill - 38 metres per hour!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread
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Posted 8 years ago #
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@Wilmington's Cow
About 09:15 this morning.
I used to go to work via the meadows a long time ago but decided to try cowgate today. Enjoyed it a lot more for some reason, though maybe that's just because it was my first ride in well over a year. My wife is cycling to work tomorrow (we work in the same place) and wants to go via meadows so I'll go that way then!
Posted 8 years ago # -
A large branch blew off a tree next to Old Dalkeith Road in the recent wind storms, so I hooked up my (now repaired) single wheel trailer, loaded a bow saw and set off to harvest the timber for the barbecue/tidy up the neighbourhood.
You do feel virtuous using a bicycle for such things.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Just back from a ride along the Lang Whang to Harperrig Reservoir as the sun was setting. I was doing intervals, so had my nose in the Garmin a lot of the time, but it was hard to ignore the staggeringly beautiful view of the moon rising over the Pentland in the calm evening air. Glorious!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Woke up early this morning so went out before the family awoke. Lovely 20 mile circuit from Stow -> Gala -> Clovenfords -> Windydoors -> Stow. Clovenfords to Stow was deserted apart from a fly who hitched a lift to the top of Windydoors hill. Its a beautiful stretch of country road. Was remembering our crazy antics as teenagers trying to get from top to bottom of Windydoors without touching the handlebars. It's a fast descent with a couple of big bends, I managed it once when I was 16 but it seems really stupid now!
The older I get the more I like the early morning, I love the quality of the light and quietness.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Last weekend, taking junk to charity shops. One trip had a mirror in bubble wrap tied to my rack. I had a vision of it falling off & not only making a horrible hazard of shards of glass but giving me 7 years bad luck. It was a heavy awkward thing but arrived intact.
Another object I had to dispose of was a lamp globe of the world. I was wanting to carry this world on my shoulders like Atlas but it wouldn't fit into any of my rucksacks, so had to tie it to the rack. Unlike the real world, it was hollow so I had an easier job than Atlas.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I had a lovely ride on Saturday - out from Gorgie through Fairmilehead and Auchendinny and thence to the "Moor Road" which was very quiet - I think I was passed by two cars coming the other way and that was it. So to Whitmuir for coffee and cake, then two less pleasant sections up the A701 and then the A703 with the nice climb over the top between them, to get to the Gladhouse turn. Lots of flies at Gladhouse. Back by my usual route, and chased and caught a chatty man in blue on the way up the Roslin Glen climb.
Posted 8 years ago # -
After I had dropped the kids at school (which precluded joining the Roseburn ride, for which my apologies) I followed fimm's third option.
It was extremely nice and introduced me to some roads I hadn't come across before. Even the main road between Peebles and Innerleithen was looking lovely, but the highlight has to be coming off the top here and seeing the whole of the Lothians spread before me in glorious sunshine. Utterly captivating. Thanks fimm - that ride hit the spot exactly!
Posted 8 years ago # -
A pleasure. I know that back road from Innerleithen as the "Granites" Road, and it is lovely - a rewarding climb and splendid descent in either direction.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Good one. Looks lovely out there today.
Next time in those parts you may wish to try the road south of the Tweed as an alternative to the main road between Peebles and Innerleithen. Even better in many ways is the cycle path by the river - the flattest route.Posted 8 years ago # -
As I have got all my audax badges targetted for this year and also have picked up an Achilles niggle, I'm taking it relatively easy. Saturday's gorgeous run with cyclingmollie was just to Innerleithen and back via the No 1 cafe (great decaf). However both ways I took the diversion via the Rosebery Reservoir - what a beaut.
Posted 8 years ago # -
As troublesome the protesters were today the ride home was fine. Lovely buildings in Prestonfield to the house of the same name that had a Lamborghini outside. So really it was a case of getting lost but what a nice day.
Only trouble was before heading there was a silly person in Morningside that tried to pull out of a space without indicating and attempted to push past when there wasn't room.
That and a van in another area entirely who MGIF for a red light to turn left. I was in the left lane for left but intended to go straight on account of the stationary traffic. He was shocked when I looked out at him on the phone, really sad.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Listening to Duke Ellington as I rode home in the dark from Portie to Leith last night along the promenade. It was deserted and the weather was Continental if not Mediterranean.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Lovely ride this morning to Duns and back for my September Century.
Ridiculously early start meant I got to see a cracking sunrise as I was leaving Dalkeith. The Eastern sky filled with reds and yellows.
Didn't see another soul from Gifford to Duns, where I turned right for a rolling B road to Lauder and the climb over to Stow and Granites to finish, making it back in time to take the kids to their sports classes. (The tandem is noticeably heavier...)
It was only spoiled by my main light failing leaving Gilmerton, leaving me to get by on a dim commuting light and missing a turn resulting in a cross field walk to get to the Dalkeith bypass.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Ah, no souls f PM Gifford to duns but the Valkyries of Fietsclub Balerno on the Granites. I stand corrected.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I have a lovely ride yesterday - while scouting alternate routes for C2C. Start Moffat, up the Devil's Beeftub, through the prehistoric feeling Megget dam valley, the ridiculous 20% climb at the end, finished with lovely social 40k or so with 6 members of Peebles CC who we doing the Tour of Tweedsmuir that I tagged along with to Moffat. They then set off back up the Beeftub, but once a day is more than enough for anyone.
Posted 8 years ago # -
We went round by the back road from Innerleithen to Peebles. Stopped at the cafe in the old station at Cardrona. Served an excellent flat white and date slice. Then on through Peebles to pick up the little road past Edderston Farm. I'd never ridden it in this direction and the view from the top was worth a stop. Returned by the Lyne Valley.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"Just wish something would be done about the Leith Shuffle"
Now that the dropped kerb's back at the end of Coalhill I would tend to go that way (links path - links gdns path - beside the tennis courts and croft - wellington pl - links ln - coatfield ln - giles st - parliament st - coalhill - sandport - WoL) if heading to the allotment at the weekend (whereas I wouldn't take the six-year-old across Henderson St or down Parliament St at rush hour), as it means the six-year-old is always beside me or on a footway immediately to my left and reduces the number of undropped kerbs to a minimum of one, though at least one elsewhere is usually blocked by parking. The cobbled distance the childseat's passenger is subjected to is down to about fifty metres in total.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Enjoyable ride on the Pedal for Scotland Glasgow-Edinburgh ride yesterday, with No.1 son, (11.5 years) who made it under his own steam.
Having ridden this together in 2013 on the tandem, thought it would be achievable for my boy now he's older. Had forgotten what a joy it is to cycle on closed roads. The main hazard was other cyclists trying to overtake/undertake/thread their way through, mostly without so much as an 'excuse me' 'passing on your...' or even a ting on a bell. Which reminded me how group riding etiquette is not always widely known nor practised.
That apart, a great day for the ride: the sun was out most of the day, and while a bit blowy, it was mainly a crosswind or sometimes a tailwind. The route has been changed since three years ago, heading through Falkirk county, with quite a few steepish wee hills chucked in. I don't recall so many hills last time at all.
My son gamely took this on, and despite struggling on a handful of climbs, was adamant he would not follow the example set by many grown ups of dismounting and walking up the hills: "I'm not doing that, it's cheating".
I made life more difficult for myself by refusing to come out of the middle chainring: originally this was designed to limit my speed so I could ride side by side with my son. However on the hills I occasionally regretted my rigidity in sticking to this formula. Still, managed to get up them all, even if a couple were more challenging than would have been the case otherwise.
Overall a great event which took me through some parts of Falkirk county I haven't yet visited but may do again.
One thing I was not terribly impressed with was having the finish and the Edinburgh transport pickup at Ingliston. The morning was unexpectedly cold, and we had to get up at stupid o'clock (4am) to make sure we could catch a special chartered tram to Ingliston. Lots of waiting about in the dark and twilight, both at the Haymarket (waiting on a tram) and Ingliston (waiting on bike transport and coach). We reckoned over an hour of standing around in the cold: just as well we brought warm layers with us. On the way back, we had to cycle from the show ground along cracked, potholed pavements and across busy roundabouts on the airport access road with no traffic signals. Ridiculously cyclist unfriendly.
Murrayfield is much more convenient for most folk in Edinburgh, and is close to the NEPN. I know flood works may have interfered with this year's event, but I hope it goes back to Murrayfield in future. Especially as I'll be likely to take the tandem next year, for No.2 daughter's PfS debut. Can't see that fitting on a tram, and don't fancy cycling out to Ingliston along the A8 much...
Posted 8 years ago # -
@winpig - thanks for the tip, will have a look at the map.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I cycled up Alpe d'Huez today. Going up was more fun than coming down, due to the combination of windchill, short sleeves, no gloves and really not wanting to crash the expensive rented bike.
Posted 8 years ago # -
fine effort @Frenchy. I've only done one Alpine climb, and what deters me from attempting others (apart form the lack of opportunity) is not the pain of going up, but the fear of descending...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Nice run round stow -> heriot -> innerleithen -> stow this morning. Out at 6, really chilly on the hands for the first time this year. Had chilblains for a few miles. Beautiful morning though, great start to the weekend.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Is there a more perfectly graded descent than through Holyrood Park? Steep enough you fly but shallow enough you cover good distance in doing so.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Mad ride today, dunkeld to Blairgowrie then Pitlochry then kin loch ran notch, some then did TT around loch ran notch, then aberfeldy via pointless fortingall loop then dunkeld. Sun all day, I am a bit sunburnt and a bit tired.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gembo
Have a drink.
Fortingall not pointless, and yew know it.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Oooh, the strava segments will all contain yew puns. There was a lovely wedding in the field at the end of fortingall and they loved the eleven riders and one bell salute the Fietsclub gave them. Kin loch ran notch. ?? ChDot needs to fix this predictive spelling thing.
It was my bell, does anyone else have a bell on their racer? I am drinking Havana club seven year old as had sore throat which was not brill on to particular lovely ride.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"ChDot needs to fix this predictive spelling thing"
Er, it's your device not this this site...
(Or you doing it on porpoise.)
Posted 8 years ago #
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