Good road ride today (only have the roadie with me). Lots of open countryside, flat but getting hilly as I approached the morraine. Then a really fast run back home on smooth tarmac and a slight downhill.

I trust you all rode well today?

indeed super weather here not a day for the road bike

I too have recently discovered the joy of road riding. Nearly seventy miles today, legs are aching but I have a roast dinner being dished up in the next 30 minutes. Nom nom nom.

I did a road race – only a short one (44 miles) but quite hilly. Actually really enjoyed it; gorgeous day, several friends racing as well, I got a decent result (considering it was my first road race in about 6 years!) and a pretty good workout too. Just over 23mph average.

Followed by lunch at my sisters house then a walk with her and her dog. I’m tired now.

I did a road race today. My 1st one. Really enjoyed it. half the field got shelled out/didn’t finish as the course was quite brutal.

Got in with a 2nd group and finished! well chuffed with that seeing as most of the field were 3rd cats

Ooh.. tell me about these road races..?

Presumably there aren’t teams, so you just have to pick a group and stay with it? Does it all degenerate into a mass sprint with all the riders at the end? How long are these things?

apart from a skipping chain it was excellent,it’s one of those things isn’t it, a kipping chain on the rear cassette. it’s a simple and small thing, but it’s majorly annoying, always skipping at the wrong time, under load when climbing those tricky roots or trying to sprint down a trail after your buddy, but just pootling along or when you stop, hang the bike from a tree and check the gears it’s perfectly fine…bummer. well today was one such ride and such a lovely day too. back home it was time to get the bike on the stand and have a fettle, thinking it was maybe time for a new cassette and chain as there didn’t seem anything else wrong (without load, on the stand the gears worked fine) then just as you are about to give up and scour the net for a cheap cassette you notice the adjustment screw on the shifter isn’t engaged with the thread causing intermittant ghost and inaccurate shifts. screwed it back in, took up the slack in the cable and all was well…..until next time 🙂

Didn’t ride much today but spent a bit of time cleaning my bike up a bit and putting summer tyres on 🙂 Bike feels so quick now I’ve got rid of the heavy dual ply high roller on the rear and have the pressures up a bit. I still can’t get my front mech working properly though, I have to scoop the back end up (like the 2nd half of a bunny hop) and land it a bit sideways to knock the chain down onto the granny 😕

I’m not tired, despite 82 hilly miles in hot sunshine *is buzzing and can’t wait for my next road race with the form i’m on* 😀

Bollox to road riding. A lovely dry, hot and dusty traverse of Cut Gate. And jolly well fun it was too.

Ooh.. tell me about these road races..?

Presumably there aren’t teams, so you just have to pick a group and stay with it? Does it all degenerate into a mass sprint with all the riders at the end? How long are these things?

molgrips: at entry level there aren’t really organised teams. About as close as it gets is 2-3 guys from the same cycle club who will, if they’re capable of it, look out/work for each other. Most aren’t strong enough to do that though. It’s a mass start event, basically it’ll turn into a bit of a free-for-all, a few people will probably chip away off the front and get into a break (that’s about the only time anyone ever works together properly).

That’s exactly what happened in my race today, about 6 guys got away off the front, the rest of us hung on and fought it out for the minor placings. Loads of people shelled out the back though. Tough course and the heat got to some people too.

Best place to look is on the British Cycling website, click on Road then Road Calendar and find some events local to you. You’ll be looking for ones that include 4th Cats (everyone starts off as a 4th Cat).

trickydisco, what was your road race today?

So not that much different to MTB racing really.. lack of tactics. Still sounds fun tho 🙂

I’m feeling pretty good too; 3 big road rides in three weeks must be doing me good, that and the chocolate milk and 5 cookies sloshing about for the last few miles 🙂

First ride free weekend for a couple of months, enjoying some time with friends and family and quite liking the fact that my legs aren’t aching.

Did get the front mech on the road bike working again this evening, whilst “supervising” Little Miss MCTD on the trampoline….

crazy legs.. that sounds like the Bristol south race today. were you racing in it or was it somewhere else?

I couldn’t believe the whole 2nd half of the field got shelled.

Had a quick spin round the local forest, can only manage an hour as so unfit at the mo but good to get back out there and blow out the cobwebs 🙂

crazy legs.. that sounds like the Bristol south race today. were you racing in it or was it somewhere else?

Mine was the Bowland Road Race up in Yorkshire. 60 people started, by the end there were ahout 25 left!