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Post by sprockit on Jan 1, 2016 23:13:11 GMT
Happy New Year to one and all! I thought I'd review 2015 with what I think are my ten best pictures whilst out and about on my Viscounts during the year. Some of the shots are wholly Yorkshire, some wholly Lancashire, some encompass both counties, and the DFR3 shots are Staffordshire. Most, but not all, have appeared before on this forum. The blue bike is my 5-speed Sport - the red, my 12-speed Sprint, both from 1982/83. Random rides  A quick breather amongst the Pennine Hills, and wrapped up warm!  Entering the unknown! Earlsheaton Tunnel on the Dewsbury to Ossett cycleway.  The long bridge beside the River Calder at Dewsbury. From DFR3  Barton under Needwood church and war memorial.  Signpost at the centre of Barton under Needwood village.  Wychnor Lock on the Trent and Mersey Canal. More random rides  The top of Cragg Vale, the longest continuous climb in England. The five and a half miles (eight kilometres) took about 35-40 minutes. I pedalled up non-stop - then had to sit down for about twenty, which destroyed any chance of a decent average!  Looking back down Blackstone Edge gives a wonderful view with Manchester in the far distance, some fifteen miles as the crow flies. The climb up here is much steeper than Cragg Vale but gets to the same place, so turn left at the top of this climb and enjoy England's longest continuous descent!  Passing through some stunning scenery on the way up Blackstone Edge. 
Rawtenstall station, the terminus of the East Lancashire Railway. Happy and Safe Riding in 2016, Sprockit |
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 3, 2016 4:47:12 GMT
Nice photos! I am partial to the steam engine.
Jim
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Jan 3, 2016 19:51:32 GMT
Superb pictures, and I like the idea of a round up and top ten for the year. Thanks for posting.
For those who came on DFR3 and can't recognise some of those places , I must point out to save confusion, that Sprockit did a good few miles before we had even risen from our pits, and those are from that circuit.
Blackstone Egde is looking glorious there.
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Post by 54roadie on Jan 12, 2016 7:24:05 GMT
Beautiful pictures. More, please?
Frank
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bendo
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Post by bendo on Jan 12, 2016 22:50:54 GMT
Great idea for a post. Lovely pics too. The weather looks cool and mild which is refreshing as I prepare for a day of 41º C... b
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Post by sprockit on Jan 13, 2016 0:36:22 GMT
That sounds just a little on the warm side!
Do you have to stay off the bike in temperatures that high - or are there ways/techniques to manage your physical effort whilst riding in such extremes?
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bendo
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Post by bendo on Jan 13, 2016 1:10:06 GMT
Good question. There are people who like to train in the heat because the body is already warm and you sweat a lot. But in these temperatures, death from exposure is not an uncommon side-effect of exercise. If you get to the point where you feel sick or on the verge of collapsing, you might have already started an irreversible physiological crisis.
Said the Chief Medical Officer of my state's Ambulance Service:
"No running tomorrow… leave gardening until later in the week, if you are outdoors make sure you are covered up, and most of all, keep hydrated."
Mr Holman said people who went for a run in the scorching conditions were at risk of going into into cardiac arrest and that paramedics still expected to be sent out on Wednesday to treat people who had ignored the heat safety message.
"Heat kills," he said. "This is not heat, this is extreme heat and it is heat that will affect you."
So short answer, no. No riding today! b
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 13, 2016 6:06:31 GMT
I worked in the California desert for 37 years (picture attached) and have a bit of experience with heat. In summer, I usually would only ride in the morning or evening when it was cooler, say about 95F (35C) which was very comfortable. My warmest ride was in Death Valley California when the peak temperature was 121F (49.4C). Death Valley can be very hot with its record high of 134F (56.67C). During peak highs, I just looked for shade and drank water. When it is that hot, you simply cannot carry enough water; you must drink constantly or you are in danger. You also become caked with salt; your riding togs get crunchy. The bodys' cooling system works well in the very low humidity; just don't run out of water. If it was that hot in humid conditions, I suspect you would just drop dead or something. Jim  |
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Post by 54roadie on Jan 13, 2016 6:46:48 GMT
Speaking only for my own crazy self - I love riding and even running when it's hot. The local running store holds a fun run on Saturdays, until it's about 95F or so, when I tell them "What? It's finally warm enough for a good run," and off I go for 5 or 6 miles. The single nicest day of riding I can ever recall was at the Tour de Farms, about three summers ago, when temps on Sunday reached about 104F (40C). It was hot, but the rest stops are all about 30 mile or less apart, and full of water, watermelon, orange slices, grapes, etc., so staying hydrated was never a problem. Two 20 oz bottles on the bike. But your almost 106 would have me worried, bendo. The extra degree C, no planned and cheerfully populated rest stops, nor any sag wagons out picking up strays, especially in open country without much shade, can easily put you over the top. Add in a little head wind and I don't see a happy ending. And, umm, Jim? There's a reason they named it "Death Valley"...   Frank |
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bendo
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Post by bendo on Jan 13, 2016 6:51:58 GMT
SOrry to continue the thread drift. Just got back from the local pool. The car said ambient temp in the shade 46 degrees. I suspect in the sun, on the tarmac it would be closer to 60... Luckily we have only one day like this forecast. Tomorrow should be a lot cooler, with the change coming through sometime tonight. b
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 13, 2016 7:06:19 GMT
"Goodbye death valley" said a Jayhawker as they were rescued from what is now called Death Valley. They left some of their party beneath the sands; that was 1849. Frank, you are correct about Death Valley; it can get you. I tried to explain that to some German tourists who were sunburned to a cherry red glow and ran around in Speedos and flip flops. Imagine a broken flip flop when the ground is as hot as a frying pan. I guess the desert claims a few and lets some others live. Don't respect the desert and you may pay.
Jim
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Post by 54roadie on Jan 13, 2016 7:32:58 GMT
To try to get sprockit's post back on track - (thanks for the reminder, bendo) I'll put this one up of the brand new Bloomingdale Trail, the centerpiece of Chicago's 606 606 "linear park"  This was taken last July, just after sunrise. Frank |
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Jan 15, 2016 22:02:03 GMT
I don't think I have posted this one before? I really thought this was 2015 (late March) but when I checked the details on Flickr, it shows up as 2014!! I can't believe it was that long ago. but I will post anyway. Good memories of this ride with my wife, little bit of road, then parks and cycle path, along a tow path for a while, then to a pub, then back home. Early spring sun all the way!  Camera Roll-335 by Sooper 8, on Flickr |
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Post by velocipete on Jan 16, 2016 7:56:12 GMT
Great shot. The daffs are like that here now!
Cheers,
Pete.
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bendo
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Post by bendo on Jan 16, 2016 7:56:29 GMT
What a handsome couple you are! b
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Post by sprockit on Jan 16, 2016 23:20:15 GMT
Going back to the heat issue, we thought the original DFR was scorchingly hot - indeed I brought a chunk of Staffordshire home on my front tyre in the form of a lump of melted tar which had stuck there - but as far as I can ascertain it was only 26C that day, so makes us look like amateurs when it comes to the heat!
Nice pic that Jem. Trent and Mersey Canal?
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Jem
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Post by Jem on Jan 17, 2016 10:02:14 GMT
Nice pic that Jem. Trent and Mersey Canal? Yes. You crossed it further west in one of your pics up top. |
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