2013 Road.cc Tourist Trophy

Socks, ooooh. Always need socks...
(disappears to match address book to maps...)

Well, I've already got the socks, so maybe I can take them on tour. Count me in.

I will try for this, could be fun.

Might give this a go also, and should get an overseas inclusion

Does London count as one county?

I'll have a go. I thought that I was going to be in for an easy ride as I could do six counties in a day without having to go too far. Then I read the rules again. I still think that I can do it. It should be fun.

We're going to need a bit of clarity before we get arguments - what's our definitive list of counties? Wikipedia's map of ceremonial counties?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_counties_of_England

Though that lists Hampshire and the Isle of Wight separately, and they're more often conflated. Greater London and the City of London are spearately listed, too.

Still, since London's a bit of a pain to get round and the ferry's arguably more effort than just riding over a boundary, maybe that's fair.

Do we go with that then, the Wikipedia list? Your call, Jo...

i say go with whatever your conscience/pedantry is most happy with

i'm treating Sussex as the one county for my home shire because i live right on the East/West border so bagging the other half would be too easy

don't get too carried away with it or i may just class the Isle of Wight as a foreign destination Wild Card

The IOW isn't a foreign place.

It's a foreign time.

great idea!

I'm in for this. And started yesterday with West Sussex (I live in Derbyshire)

I did Powys (and Ceredigeon) yesterday. I live in Derbyshire.

hey Jo, cracking idea. I'm in!

I'm claiming my first "ride to neighbouring county" county. Couple of weekends ago I was meeting friends in Surrey, so decided to ride up from Brighton. We were meeting just over the border from Sussex, so did a quick(ish) lap of some of the Surrey Hills - Leith, Ranmore, Box - so it would count as a proper ride.

Next month: Kent. Maybe.

I'm in - already got Italy and Wales in Jan - can I carry one of them over to Feb

Italy is definitely a country not a county, not sure about Wales though

Count me in too - Leicestershire (in the snow on a mountain bike) is my January entry.

Resident County: Suffolk

January: Buckinghamshire
February: Middlesex
March: Kent
April: Somerset
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Lets give this a go.

Resident county: Essex.

January: Cambridgeshire.
February: Gloucestershire

Think I'm gonna start a list...

8th Jan - West Sussex
23rd Jan - Cornwall (plus a bit in Devon)

Resident county: Gloucestershire

January: Lincolnshire.

Resident county: Sussex

January: Surrey

a quick nip up the road to play on the cross bike round the Surrey Hills.
was just getting into it when there was that horrible noise from the back end of a branch ripping the rear-mech into the spokes.
somehow a spoke was between the two jockey-wheel in between the two plates of the mech, and the bottom jockey-wheel bolt had stripped the rear cage thread.
a quick rummage around in the mud for the bits, and a bodge using a water-bottle bolt to hold the bottom jockey-wheel in just to get back to the car
not much mileage at all but soft-pedalling home while the gears are all over the place hoping the bodge will hold up the last hill means it's a ride yeah?

Home county: Manchester

January: Derbyshire
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

I can think of how to keep up with this until about May or June, after that I'm going to have to invent reasons to go away for weekends with the bike in tow!

Home county: Greater Manchester

January: Cheshire
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Think I'll have to make a visit to our kid in Kent at some point - preferably around the 31st of a month!

going to be blogging this at http://milltag.cc/tourist-trophy/the-tourist-trophy-2013 which means i'm going to have to make sure i plan a ride for every month...

OK, I'm claiming an easy Wiltshire this month. Here's my thing: http://nickrearden.tumblr.com/post/41939100958/having-just-discovered-jo...

Home county: Somerset

January: Wiltshire
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

I'm doing the 'ceremonial' counties route

Home County: North Yorkshire

January: East Riding of Yorkshire.
Had a panic as i'd sort of forgotten all about the TT, then checked my training diary and worked out that I hadn't left the county all month. The afternoon of the 31st was booked off, and in the sun and howling gales a last minute pedal across to the East Riding was made. Phew.
app.strava.com/activities/39273178

February: West Yorkshire
Once again an end of the month panic. A quick foray over the border towards Wetherby before heading back onto more favoured roads and catch up with a couple of friends - that IS what the TT is all about?! A sunny 60miles.
app.strava.com/activities/42442603

March: Hampshire
I struck out early in March, and combined Mothers' Day with a couple of hours round the lanes of the New Forest near Beaulieu. Cold and dull but great scenery and plenty of wildlife.
app.strava.com/activities/44026464

Update for the end of January:

8th Jan - West Sussex
23rd Jan - Cornwall (plus a bit in Devon)
31st Jan - London

Resident County: Bedfordshire

January: Middlesex

A late meeting at work gave me the chance to pedal down to the London office in the West End. I used to cycle in London every day and was inured to the chaos. Now it seems like total madness.

Home county: Devon

January: Leicestershire
February: Wiltshire
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Where will I go in March - I am saving Devon, Cornwall and Somerset for later in the year.

Resident county: Gloucestershire

February: Somerset.

Home county: Lancashire

January: West Lothian. Special guest appearance in the snow with Lothian and Borders CTC - beats a day in with the Mother-in-Law.
February: Merseyside. Commute from Chorley to Rainford via Orrell and Upholland. Sunny day, freezing in the morning, several layers less going home!
March: Cheshire. Another work trip, this time in Warrington. Got a lift to Wigan in the morning. Rode all the way home by which time it was pretty windy. Fortunately the blizzards held off until much later!
April: Denbighshire. Race Marshalling on the Cheshire Classic at Weaverham. Took a 'minor diversion' on the drive home. Nipped across the border, parked up at Llandegla and rode the Horseshoe Pass both ways. Great fun road but must head back sometime when it's less windy!
May: Durham. The word "windy" is becoming a theme in this thread. Some fabulous roads - the road builders up there seem not to care for terrain, they just lay the road wherever they want it to go irrespective of the gradient! 500m of ascent in just over 30km. Loved it.
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Still managing to avoid using Greater Manchester which is the nearest one.

Home county: East Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Kent
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

Headed over to Kent today. Train to Ashford, rode up through Canterbury to Herne Bay and Whitstable, and then looped back down to Ashford for the train home. Used up my second neighbouring county. I may regret this come November

Resident County: Bedfordshire

January: Middlesex
February: Derbyshire

Sheffield, Bradfield, Holmfirth, Holme Moss, Glossop for bacon, cake and espresso, Snake Pass and then a left after the Yorkshire Bridge and back home. All in the late winter sun showing the Peaks in their glory and with the best company imagineable. Now that's what I call a ride. The descent from Snake Pass to Ladybower had me grinning all the way.

Resident county: Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Wiltshire

'cross bike play round the woods near Longleat and up and out onto the bleak Salisbury Plain for a bit

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire

Yesterday I did the Notts / Lincs / Derby permanent audax from Alfreton.

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd

On Saturday I rode 288km from Caernarfon to Cardiff much of it down the A470. 13 of us set off finishing at different times in the evening. Original intention was 200 miles but everyone omitted the Rhigos climb and loop through Penarth. Grand day out.

blog post for my february ride here http://milltag.cc/uncategorized/february-tourist-trophy

isle of wight this weekend for the march ride...

Home county: East Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Kent
March: Isle of Wight

And here's an actual postcard*

*I'd like to add a 7th wonder: the wind on Military Road.

Resident County: Bedfordshire

January: Middlesex
February: Derbyshire
March: Hertfordshire

I might regret playing one of my local jokers this early come November but I haven't had much scope for adventuring this month. A ride over the Chilterns and down Watling Street. No Romans in evidence and the 'highlight' was having to climb off to traverse a snowdrift in the home counties at the end of March. (Sighs)

January 8th - West Sussex
January 23rd - Cornwall (plus a bit in Devon)
January 32st - London
February - Nil (must try harder...)
March 2nd - Cumbria
March 6th - Lincolnshire (plus Cambridgeshire, but saving that one)
March 20th - Hampshire

Let's see what April brings.

March: West Yorkshire

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd
April: Norfolk.

Did a 270 mile tour from home mostly on NCN routes carrying everything I needed over a couple of days this week. Had loads of counties to choose from but unlikely to get out there again.

You make me so jealous.

Home county: East Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Kent
March: Isle of Wight
April: Dorset (and a tiny bit of Wiltshire)

Starting from near Cranborne, across the edge of the West Wiltshire Downs, over Cranborne Chase, down to the Jurassic Coast. Lunch at Lullworth Cove & a wander over the cliffs to Durdle Door. Back onto bike to Corfe Castle and then back north towards Cranborne.

Next month: Etape Caledonia

blog post for the March ride around the Isle of Wight is now online http://milltag.cc/tourist-trophy/march-tourist-trophy

Resident County: Bedfordshire

January: Middlesex
February: Derbyshire
March: Hertfordshire
April: Oxfordshire

Left it late, almost too late but high tailed it out of work yesterday afternoon to hit the lanes of north Oxfordshire. I got lost on the way out and the way back so took a bit more A road than planned and rode getting on for 40 miles home into an unforgiving headwind but it was a beautiful evening and I'll be back to explore that way again.

Resident County: Bedfordshire

January: Middlesex
February: Derbyshire
March: Hertfordshire
April: Oxfordshire
May: Cheshire

Friday I rode from Bedford to Droitwich Spa almost entirely on back roads but passing the walls of Warwick Castle (Olney - Towcester - Southam - Warwick - Alcester). I barely came across a car, it was a bucolic odyssey albeit one that featured an unrelenting headwind. I shared a lift to Chester with a friend for a reunion and then rode home to Beds on the Sunday. Having struggled to get out anywhere new last month I get to choose from Northants, Warwicks, Worcs, Cheshire, Salop, Staffs and Leics.

Home county: East Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Kent
March: Isle of Wight
April: Dorset (and a tiny bit of Wiltshire)

Dorset blog post now online - http://milltag.cc/uncategorized/apriltt

May:
Stage 1 - Perth & Kinross: Etape Caledonia [medium mountains]
Stage 2 - Fife: Tayport to St Andrews and back again [flat]
Stage 3 - Angus: Tay Road Bridge & Dundee [city centre criterium]
Stage 4 - Perth & Kinross: Cairngorms [summit finish, in Aberdeenshire]
Stage 5 - Cumbria: The Lake District [medium mountains]
Stage 6 - Cumbria: The Lake District [intermediate]

Tourist Trophy trip to the far north for the Etape Caledonia last Sunday. Afterwards drove down to Tayport to visit friends, so day after Etape was a recovery ride along Fife Coastal Route to St Andrews and back again. Day after that a spin over the Tay Road Bridge into Dundee. On the Wednesday drove up to the Glenshee ski station and rode down to Bridge of Cally, and then back up to the ski station.

Started the drive back to Brighton on Thursday morning, breaking the journey in the Lake District. So Thursday afternoon a short lap of Derwent Water and over Newlands Hause and Honister Pass. Up at the crack o' sparrows on Friday for a short ride around the hills near Ullswater. Then the long drive back to the seaside.

Was just tidying up my flickr stream and remembered Jo has asked us to send a postcard in this thread. So here's April in Denbighshire:

Horseshoe Pass Summit by Bhachgen, on Flickr

and May in Durham:

Three-wheeling at Burnhope by Bhachgen, on Flickr

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd
April: Norfolk.
May: Stirling

(Photo was taken in Highlands!))

Towards Kinlochleven by blackhound59, on Flickr

I might have to bend the rules here a tiny bit to fit in, and am only just starting so will backdate as much as I can... Here goes.

Home 'county' Vallee D'Aulps, Haute Savoie, France.

Jan - Leicestershire
Feb (too snowy!)
Mar (too snowy!)
April - Zillertal, Austria
May - Lake Geneva, Switzerland
June -

just found the postcards for last month.

unfortunately couldn't find any proper old-school postcards with faded photos of ford anglias parked half way up a big hill

Home county: East Sussex

January: Surrey
February: Kent
March: Isle of Wight
April: Dorset (and a tiny bit of Wiltshire)
May: Perth & Kinross, Angus, Fife, Cumbria

June:
Stage 1 - Somerset & Wiltshire: 100 miles from Bath to Salisbury via Cheddar Gorge and Wells. Got 'lost' a couple of times, rained so hard between Bath and Cheddar that route notes disintegrated, and maps got wet.
[I know I did a bit of Wiltshire in April but it was only a tiny bit, not a proper ride]

Stage 2 - Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex: Another 100 miles to get home from Salisbury. Technically Hampshire and West Sussex don't count as Jo is counting West & East Sussex as same place, and Hampshire is bordering West Sussex and I've used up all my neighbouring counties* already. But there were no trains home due to Southern Train banning all bikes on trains to Brighton due to London2Brighton charity bike ride, and I had to get home somehow. Gashed rear tyre on metal or glass near Southampton, patched it up best I could and hoped for the best. Got to Chichester and couldn't face the suburban sprawl of Littlehampton, Worthing, etc, so headed inland to Petworth and back via the countryside.

*However I see rules state riding from home into a neighbouring county for max of two counties. Doesn't say anything about riding from the other side of a neighbouring county, through a neighbouring county and back into home county. Therefore I think I've found a loophole that allows me to claim Hampshire.