2013 Road.cc Tourist Trophy

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.

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

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.

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.

Home county: Derbyshire

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

Last weekend rode along the SDW so picking Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex, as my point 2 day of loaded touring with a camp at Amberley.

And the tea shop at Pyecombe (The Forge?) is shut. Thought I missed it last year but think it has been converted to a residence.

Here's June's postcard. County bagged was Staffs though I think this photo is just over the border in Cheshire:

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd
April: Norfolk.
May: Stirling
June: East Sussex
July: Warwickshire

I pootled down to North Warwickshire on Saturday, quite close to where I often ride in a 4 county ride (including my home). So some new roads a little further out which I will be visiting again.

August will be a far-flung one as about to disappear for weeks.

May TT blog post http://milltag.cc/riding/may-tourist-trophy

Playing the wild card this month. Off to France to ride up and down some hills, and along some valley floors.

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: Staffordshire. More marshalling at Weaverham. Went east this time once my duties were over. Parked up in Biddulph and went to check out the (in)famous Mow Cop. Steep!
July: Shropshire. Another multi-tasking type trip. My wife had a meeting in Telford and we decided to continue on to visit family in Mid-Wales from there. I found a really enjoyable route using cycle paths down to the Ironbridge Gorge and then into the lanes around the Wrekin. Cracking little loop in beautiful weather.
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

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

Here's July's postcard from Ironbridge in Shropshire:

January: Middlesex
February: Derbyshire
March: Hertfordshire
April: Oxfordshire
May: Cheshire
June: Buckinghamshire
July: France

I struggled for miles in June and ended up having to play my second local joker which may well doom my attempt at this come December. July, on the other hand, was La Marmotte which was a struggle of a different kind. The French Alps are really exceptionally beautiful in summer and the ride is genuinely tough. Anyone who fancies a crack at the 21 bends of Alpe d'Huez with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in the shade and 100 miles of Glandon, Telegraphe and Galibier in their legs probably needs their head examining. Go on and examine my head because I'd be back there like a shot given the chance to do it again. It is an extraordinary day out on the bike and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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: Somerset, Wiltshire (properly), Hampshire

July: Lot and Correze, France

http://www.themanfromicon.com/rapharising2013.html

next up...somewhere flat

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: Somerset, Wiltshire (properly), Hampshire
July: Lot and Correze, France

August: Suffolk, Norfolk (somewhere flat as promised)

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd
April: Norfolk.
May: Stirling
June: East Sussex
July: Warwickshire
August: Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Did an almost 7 week touring trip from Fernie, Canada to Denver covering about 1,800 miles including rest days. September will be more mundane.