Ring Cycle, 19th Sept.

Piccies from Shalesmoor...









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With Dr Bike cancelled, had no excuse for not driving SWMBO out to the van for the on-going refurbishment work. Then selfishly set off on a bike ride, wanting to try out the section of the Pennine Cycleway between Parsley Hey and Buxton - not done that bit before. Down and Up Millers Dale, always a good climb, then Sheldon, Flagg (spotted a few spire-ites at the tea shop)
and onto the trail just above the Hey. Good surface on the old rail trail, a bit bumpier and with loose stones on the connecting bit that takes you onto the road to Earl Sterndale - wonder if motorbikes have churned it up. Quick pint at the Quiet Woman (sexist chortle at pub sign, picture of woman with no head) White Lightning I think it was, very tasty, on over the hill into Buxton. The route uses a quiet-ish road through Harpur Hill, and into the very genteel Victorian residential areas of Buxton. Outside the Opera House though, in full view of a troupe of Morris dancers, terrific sprang and my rear mech collapses in a twisted heap of expensive Campag spare parts. Quick mod to convert the bike into a single speed machine, decide to head back to the van. Not too bad except occasionally forget and try to change gear on the front, which pulls the wheel out of true - have to stop and adjust. Gearing mostly OK but had to walk up Smalldale - maybe I'll turn it into a fixer! Got up Cliffe Rd in Tideswell OK, quite pleased with myself for that.

If you're viewing my blog via an aggregator like the Pedal Pushers Social Blog (http://axelrod.plus.com/sftp/ppfiles/ppsocial.shtml) you might not be able to see the pictures unless you click on the title bar which is a link to the blog itself. We're working on it.

Just liked this ...

Took a ride down to Corporation St to see how the new road is going


Just trying something out with pictures here...

Now it's (nearly) always good to see a new cycle route going in, but what kind of perverse logic puts the signs up before the tarmac has even gone in?











North Don Trail emerges north of the Corporation St Bridge...













Needs a bit of tidying up south of the bridge though.













...and the road is coming on. It's good to see that the retaining wall is quality stonework, matching the Wicker Arches with which it is contiguous.

Wearing helmets more 'dangerous'

Trike spotted at Norton Water Tower...






















& I'm the guy that got it there. (For those who don't know, Norton is one of the highest spots
in the hilly city of Sheffield.) The trike is, I think, no.10. Runs on croissants, scrambled eggs, toast, coffee & water.) Mal (who makes them) thnks it needs a shortter wheelbase but I thought it was a dream to ride. The full trip was, from Meersbrook, Newfield, Blackstock Rd Dumpit site (the guys laughed when they first saw it but took it seriously when they saw what I was carrying, including a defunct Black & Decker Workmate - I laughed when I saw the current price of petrol) up to the Tower, Hemsworth Rd, Pole Hill (that was fun) Homebase, Meersbrook Park & Home.

Syd Barrett has died.

I've got a bike. You can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.

Guy under a train at Sheffield Station, 05-06-2006 (3 Photos)

mopped the floor and cleaned the cooker, then up to Meadowhead via the preferred route. Out to Holmesfield, got cut up just as I was about to turn left for Common Side (no not that one) Followed the miscreant all the way down, but never quite close enough to point out the error of his way (just as well probably). Then up the hill to Pudding Pie, being followed by a trotting horse but he never quite caught up. Over Beeley Moor, did a zigzag to avoid the rough bit of track, following the pp route to Derby. There's an enticing looking track off to the right which looks to take you down to Darley Dale, so I followed it - warned by some MTB'ers thst it was pretty rocky, but it was OK to go down on a tourer with a little walking - uphill might be a different matter, Down to Two Dales, across the A6, found mysefl in the car park
of DFS Sofas. You can get on to the narrow path that runs alongside Peak Rail - this might be fun to follow down sometime, narrow but cycleable (give way to walkers of course, but it's not exactly the pennine way) had a look at the station, no large kettles in sight, so on to on to Winster & Elton - this a strenuous climb. Beyond Elton you are in one of those area where nothing is quite like it looks on the map- set off down a road then convinced myself I was going the wrong away, went back to the top, discovered I wasn't. Despite this my best efforts to come out on the Long Rake west of Youlgreave were thwarted (think I know what do next time though) and I swooped across the Bradford vallet leaving with me with that tedious climb out of Y. continuing to Arbor Low. I knew I had to turn around at 2:30, and this was rapidly approaching, so a quick cup of tea and cohocolate cake at Parsley Hay was in order, the soft cyclists parading around in their smart gear, with my Sustrans tabard on (become a Sustrans ranger and get one free) I felt like everyone's great-uncle. (Sustrans didn't built the Tissington & High Peak trails of course, but they have linked them in to the Pennine Cycleway, forming a continuous route between Derby & Berwick-upon -Tweed and placing a requirement that the trail be kept up to NCN standards. ) Turning around, shot back down the way I had just come, across Lathkildale with its steep climb out, found a neat little way in/out of Bakewell,
stopped to take water (it was HOT!) over to Froggatt, drifted up the climb to Longshaw with the wind following, checked out whether the path through the estate is a bridleway but the evidence is inconclusiv. Shot down Hathersage Rd, across Sheephill to Ringinglow, then down the 50th anni route (unusual to go down it - usually the temptation to shoot down Ringinglow Rd is too strong.) Just below Forge Dam, took the new route up to Fulwood (loose surface and bit steep - had to push up the last bit just because I couldn't get any grip) - leaving me to hurtle down to the Rising Sun to meet Ian Sam and Andy for a world-shattering meet of the Executive and a couple of tasty well-earned pints, before repairing to Kumquat Mae for dinner.

Another blog from a fellow Pedal Pusher..

Cycling in the states

My Way is the highway

Simonsway is a road near Manchester Airport. Like all the best roads, it has a clean tarmac off-road cycle route running alongside, but is also perfectly cycleable on-carriageway. That's Simon's Way.

Sheffield businesses currently black-listed for bad driving in the proximity of a cyclist:

RCA Taxis
Gibb Bros builders (their music's crap as well)
First Mainline

When Bromptons attack!

Useful stuff on how to video on a bike

Boycott Google

Interesting info about Hendersons Relish