Winnersaint

We all know from experience what happens when idiots get off their arses to vote, don't we?

Francis Underwood's fictional president looks like an angel next to these two clowns

Interested to know that he came from Hurling not Gaelic Football, that I didn't know. Either way it was obviously fantastic fitness conditioning for life as a footballer. Comes across very well also. Feet firmly planted.

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-10-07/governemnt-ban-on-foreign-academics-advising-on-brexit-baffling/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/amber-rudd-immigration-speech-tory-conference-brexit-foreign-workers-british-jobs-a7345536.html http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/james-obrien/james-amber-rudds-speech-echoes-mein-kampf/ Now I know that the last one might be a little tenuous especially as delivered by a 'shock jock' you cannot ignore the move towards what appears to be state sponsored xenophobia!

Funniest thing I've read in ages>

Nothing wrong with being 58 and retired. FWIW worth I've spent my morning trying to get my 58 year old head and hands around FIFA 17 on the PS4. BTW Saints will lose 2-1 at home to Burnley courtesy of a Sam Vokes goal and an own goal by Ryan Bertrand.Steven Davis will get a consolation.

Would it be uncharitable as a disgruntled Remainer to hope that Toyota pull out of Derby and Nissan out of Sunderland to really shaft the employment situation in those areas. Just like turkeys voting for Xmas. ****wits!

Hmmm! More gloating.

And an extra toe or two!

You're not wrong there VFTT. colossal cu_nt also applies to Alpine and to Heisen p r i c k and the emerging larry12. I was told football message boards were full of some very strange people many years ago. How right they were!

Group ride this am required a dose of the 'inner Flandrien'. Wet didn't do it meteorological justice. Stair rod rain under gun metal grey skies, there were better places to be riding a bike than the roads of north Hampshire today, but call it siege mentality or Dunkirk Spirit all six of us stuck with it. Ride was curtailed by second visit from puncture fairy and embarrassed about having hands/fingers too cold to fix own puncture the first time. Riding towards Little London and Bramley the rain was ridiculous and some of the back roads were running almost like streams. Happy days!

Fantastic news VFTT.

Black will be lucky to escape with a public burning!

THE FINALE The last part of the ride had been more familiar to me as I had ridden it three years previously. Following on the Evesham group which set off a minute or so before me the route southwards was mainly false flat, punctuated by a few short sharp climbs and descents. It hadn't been easy to get going after the last stop and I soon lost sight of the Evesham group. . At the junction with the A352 the next climb came starkly into view. Chaldon Ridge is not long, probably no more than half a kilometre in length, but it averages around 7% with a maximum gradient of 15. The main road ensured that any speed I was carrying was effectively scrubbed off at the start of the climb which starts benignly enough, gradually increasing in gradient to five percent a hundred metres in. Ahead was a female rider detached from the rest of the Evesham group who was on the steeper section of the climb slowly zig-zagging her way up the road. The road is a visible reminder of the job in hand as it doesn't disappear into trees or between deep hedgerows and whilst I didn't have to resort to zig-zagging it was still an effort to get up. It is however, mercifully short and I descended through Chaldon Herring to Winfrith Newburgh and the base of the next ascent up to Durdle Dor. It's a gradual climb which steepens up towards the top but doesn't possess vicious gradients, however, the day's efforts were were beginning to take their toll as I cramped in both thighs reminding me to take on liquid and a gel. Less than two minutes from the top of that climb I was in West Lulworth on the last real test of the day. I began to overtake other riders as I climbed out of the village, almost all struggling. This climb falls between the last two, in being longer and more gentle than Chaldon Ridge and shorter and steeper than the road to Durdle Dor, nevertheless it is a real test with gradients around ten percent for around five-hundred metres in the middle. Then when you think you've cracked it it kicks up once more, but getting to the junction with the B3078 marked the end of the real effort for the day. Back into Wool the fastest speeds of the day were achieved as I homed in on the finish. One last effort was required on the climb past Bovington Camp and in similar vein to the Lulworth climb I began to catch and pass other riders. A few were struggling quite badly but were being encouraged by those around them to complete the last two miles. I crested a short climb, pulling away from those I'd just passed and was on a wide downhill stretch with the flags marking the entrance back into Longthorns Farm clearly visible. Pushing on with a feeling of satisfaction that the season that was 2016 would end on a high I was able to cruise in with minimal effort in excess of 40kph before slowing, making the turn off the road and going under the inflatable finish arch.

There's something about the chalklands in southern England that is special. Each area is unique. The summer dampness is just a fact of life, although we've been luckier this year. The summer months have been pretty dry by normal standards in contrast to the Spring which was in turns cold and then wet. With regards to organised rides they really can bring the best from within the cycling community and you are absolutely bang on about having company making rides fly by even if it doesn't make it any less painful.

THE MIDDLE BIT So the climb through Milton Abbas came next. Lovely village. At first it was all 5-6% but the last 300m were spiteful and it was here that I realised that climbing in a 36-28 gear was not going to do me any favours there or in the Alps next summer. I quickly lost distance and time to my riding companion who knew the climb, but as I watched I was conscious that his cadence and that of a rider who eventually passed me on the steepest section were much faster than mine courtesy of having compact set-ups. I was out of the saddle turning the peddles too slowly for my comfort. That said there was never a moment when I thought I wouldn't get up the climb but I would have liked the option to have gone up with a higher cadence. With the mid to high teens percentages negotiated the road turned left and continued upwards, albeit more gently through the more modern end of Milton Abbas before it kicked up again. A left turn took us towards the highest point of the ride, Bulbarrow Hill. Fortunately most of the ascending had been done through the previous climb and all that needed to be done was to climb at reasonable percentages along a road through a very oppressive wood. It was the sort of place that you wouldn't want a puncture or mechanical in, in case goblins, elves or even walking talking trees came out and spirited you away. With the highest point done it was nice to be going downhill once more, albeit with speeds tempered by unfamiliarity with the roads. I'd been riding on my own for about 5km, but I became aware that I'd been joined by another rider on the first part of the Cheselbourne descent. Group riding instinct took over. With someone on my 'six' calling the hazards was my responsibility, but in truth there were few potholes and the road surface was OK for a narrow country lane. The only panic of note was when two elderly ladies crossed the road 'GRANNIES!!!!' seemed the most appropriate shout under the circumstances. The only other hairy moment was as we approached the village of Ansty where the descent ended abruptly at a junction with a squealing of my Exalith brake track and a slight rear wheel skid. Predictably the rider behind me had no such issues as he was on disc brakes. Continuing on a mainly downward trajectory I eventually reached Cheselbourne and the second feed stop. Here I met up with the Matt the West Ham fan again and we set off from the stop and immediately started a stiff climb. It went in this vein for the next 12km through Piddletrenthide, Piddlehinton and into the more politely renamed Puddletown. This was the Aston Martins section of ride so called because of the sheer number of Astons that went past us either on the way to, or from, an owners club rally. Millions of pounds worth of cars drove by in the space of around ten minutes or so. The route took us almost to the outskirts of Hardy's Casterbridge before turning eastwards once more, back towards Moreton and the final feed stop. It was here the 70 mile and 81 mile routes split and with a shake of hands my riding partner for the day headed to the finish. I on the the other hand, had another 30km still to go.

Sorry, there's no excuses for this. Football is better off without dinosaurs like him, Redknapp and Colin ******.

Cheers. It is a bit patchy WS. Guide Dogs Tour of Berkshire which was similar in length in April just had water and Jaffa Cakes at stops (As the wealthiest charity in the UK you'd think they could do a little better) and the 3 Counties just water so it does vary. To be fair I've never done one of the really big organised ones like the Wiggle series so beyond the smaller scale events I can't really comment. Suffice to to say whether it was Cancer Research UK, Wareham Rotary, or the ride partners the refreshments were the best I've come across. As far as winter riding is concerned, you are lucky that when it gets cold it is a dry cold. Too much moisture from the Atlantic means that wind, rain, fog and frost are not uncommon. When you add to that the state of some of the roads particularly rural lanes you see why you have to pick your days. VFTT has his own take on winter riding in post#599 and he lives much further north than I do. That said, if you've the right gear you can get out in most weathers.

A week on and I thought I'd do a write up of The Dorset Rotary Bike Ride from last Sunday. It is a cracking event with a selection of five distances right up to a 108 mile Etape. The event is based at Longthorns Farm which is right next to Monkey World. There is ample parking and as it is a camping/caravan site ample toilet and shower facilities. All in all a great start/finish venue. So at around 8:20 am with a misty chill in the air I set off with a group of riders all complete strangers. The first part of the ride takes you through Wool and down towards the edge of Wareham and is generally brisk. Where you can have a natter and cruise along at 30 kph without much effort. The highlight of this part of the ride was close to the start, hearing our simian friends cheering us on as we rolled past Monkey World. From Stoborough to Corfe via Church Knowle is on the video I posted in post #602. To be fair the climb itself up the ridge only really kicks up after the switchback and the descent back into Corfe was fun. The edge being slightly taken off by not knowing the roads. From Corfe we looped across Hartland Moor towards the Arne Peninsula and it was here that I tagged along with a group from Evesham, before joining up with my original group as we crossed the causeway into Wareham itself. Thus far the ride had nothing really of note apart from the first climb. Even out of Wareham along the Puddletown Road it was false flat at worst before we made a turn to Bere Regis. By this time I was riding with a guy from Weymouth (West Ham fan to boot - He had no idea what was going on there either). Our footy talk and general natter belied the fact that the road was going a bit more pointy uppy, but it passed the time to the first feed station. Magnificent is the only description I can give. Flapjacks from the Dorset Flapjack Co, egg, cheese or ham rolls, bananas, ready made up energy/hydration drinks and a plentiful supply of water, what more could a cyclist ask for? Through Bere Regis we headed for Milborne St Andrew along roads which again were more false flat of around 1-2% than anything else. Just enough to take an edge off speed and to provide us with a meaningful effort. More to come soon!

Chapeau! When does it get too cold to ride out. Obviously here you can pretty much ride all year round, although I won't do icy roads in winter.

What is this feckin idiot still doing on here.

Classic!

Don't recall a Heisenberg posting around that time.

Anyone see the Ford Capri @ 2 mins 12?

This is pretty much how I feel WS. I'm around the same weight. If you look at this video you'll get a feel for why I think it's the way forward. Rider goes past me at around 4 mins 45 and you can tell his cadence is much higher than mine even though he is out of the saddle as I was. I was wrestling the bike out of Milton Abbas expending a lot of energy and effort in doing so. He wasn't!