Most of the flooding was further south - devon and somerset
maybe, didn't stop the M5 being restricted and the A46 being shut in the Cheltenham area today though, when i was driving home the A46 was open but ALOT of water on the road, a few broken cars. Good many of the lanes are shut, how soon they reopen? considering more rain tomorrow.
Probably be ok on sat, it will be wet, that is a given. In fact it is probably wet enough that the mud won't clog bikes up to badly.
Definitely not as bad as '07 though.
That's what I was thinking. Really wet mud isn't as sticky.
Blinkin' weather 🙁
Saturday's sunny forecast has indeed changed to light rain showers, and the ground will be pi$$ wet from this week's deluges.
However, the ride's going ahead. Most of the route will be country lane/cart track/hard pack type stuff. The bits that aren't will, well, be dealt with.
Obviously you're all adults(!) and can check the weather forecasts, check the travel stuff and make your own decisions.
Wheels roll at [b]10:30[/b]
Cake is waterproof though
As long as it's not too slippy slidy. Being overtaken by the wife is never good. However, when we are on the tandem it's either very entertaining, 'kin scary or a subtle mixture of both!
"Wheels roll at [s]10:30[/s] [b]00:45[/b]"
Fixed that as they say, for you.
I'm far too excited.
Skin's waterproof too, you big jessies! Lets be honest, its been raining non-stop all year. I expected nothing else really. There's no way it can be as boggy as it is on the moors up here at the moment. Truly wheel-swallowing 😀
Are we having a tandem? Cool!
[i]I'll be fast asleep at [s]"Wheels roll[/s] at [s]10:30[/s] 00:45 in my nice warm bed[/i]
🙂
Skin isn't waterproof, it's water resistant. That's why you go wrinkly in the bath.
Looks like we is all going to be well wrinkly, Saturday then, innit? 😉
I thought most of is were wrinkly before starting the ride.
I have the odd couple of lines...
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You wish; like you have that much hair 🙂
Right: Mud tyres. Crud Catcher. Waterproof shorts. Winter boots.
Check!
I'm still in. 🙂
Will I die on a singlespeed?
Seriously thinking about it, as it's already winterised!
You'll be fine. You may be cursing slightly on the first climb, but you'll be fine.
If you need somebody to get off and push with you, I'm happy to offer my services.
I'll be carrying a full compliment gears myself, but hey, that's the kind of guy I am 😉
I always curse anyway. 🙂
Will the piss taking be turned up to 11 if i fit a rear guard?
You need to ask?
Actually I wouldn't worry. I'm wearing a wetsuit
I don't need a crud guard on the back of the Tandem. That's the wifes job 😀
Not by me, I have a rear mudguard, a crud catcher and a muckynutz-a-like Dairyomatic on my fork. And waterproof shorts.
And a mudsplatter-free grin of smug dryness
You've been down south too long 😉
I don't know what you mean. Anyway, I'm off for a pint
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In that case, so am I...
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How biblical is the weather looking down there then IHN?
Put it this way, i'm currently sat in a jam wishing that my van was an ark 😯
Single speed it is then.
it'll all be rosy by saturday
Having previously believed the weather forecast that showed sun, beer gardens and partially-clothed swedish people sunbathing, I am now undergoing genetic mutation to grow gills by Saturday that remove oxygen from water and mud combined. Still, as the previous poster noted, cake is waterproof and no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Due to a fairly productive day today, involving me going into work, but not actually to do any work, just work on my own bikes, I now have 2 seemingly fully functional mountain bikes to choose from for Saturday!
Bring on the wetness...
Right, route sorted, there's a 30km and 37km option depending on the weather.
And if it does rain, the wind will dry you off 🙂
I have tyres! (always a bonus for a bike ride).
Sod tyres, bring armbands, as the weather forecast has changed (again) overnight:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2633860?day=1
Camelbak repacked. I've substituted camera for goretex.
I'm afraid, given the conditions, we're crying off. Bloody softy northerners, eh? 150 miles is a long way to drive to get rained on! I can do that here every day! 😀
We're going to bank the offer of a weekends grand-parental childcare duties for when the weather looks a bit more promising, then come down and ride with you bunch of reprobates then. January Pootle anyone?
As IHN pointed out to me, I seem to curse the weather. Whenever I say I'm coming down, the weather turns! I thought we were going to die of hypothermia last time! Sorry! Now we've cancelled, it'll probably be cracking the flags
Given that it's two and a half hours driving each way for us, we're currently discussing whether or not to bail on this.
Seems emergency services in the area are asking people to only make necessary journeys.
[url= http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Cheltenham-Tewkesbury-Cotswolds-rain-way/story-17401752-detail/story.html ]Winchcombe sogginess[/url]
Seems like there's a lot of trees down in the area too, which might make even driving there more difficult.
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[i]Seems emergency services in the area are asking people to only make necessary journeys. [/i]
That's further south than here - Somerset/Devon way. Winchcombe is North Gloucestershire, quite a way out of the worst of the problems.
Weather today is lovely, weather forecast for tomorrow is not, weather forecast for Sunday is lovely. Typical.
I can fully understand if folks don't want to drive a significant distance to ride in the rain. Even for cake.
The ride will go ahead (well, it will start at the very least), if the weather's truly rubbish then it might be prematurely binned and there'll be a retreat to the pub.
If the rides being binners'ed (see what I did?), could somebody please kindly give me a shout before 11 o'clock this evening?
I'm in China Town in Manchester tonight and I'm leaving the 'do' to be home by midnight so I can start pedalling my way down around 1:00am.
It'll be a right laugh (for you lot) not to tell me but I'd probably sulk a bit....
Ha, I was just going to post that we're going to bail but it seems that the wife decided to tell you lot before me!
Anyway, that's me, redwoods, missnotax and a n other off the list. sorry. looks like we'll have to eat all the cake ourselves.
redwoods - I think that article's a bit alarmist TBH. That picture's certainly not the main road through Winchcome.
The current traffic news shows no traffic problems (other than 'normal' traffic problems) anywhere near Winchcombe.
Still, as I said, if you were planning on driving a long way then make your own decision.
Monksie - I'll be there. Possibly on my own... Just be careful though, eh? The forecast is changing by the hour.
Yup, sorry guys, a bit too far for me to drive up in the rain, ride in the rain, and drive home in the rain....
Have a good one though! 🙂
Cant make it this time. See my post on wife/car park incident. She needs to relax and me to be with the kids tomorrow. Have a good one!
hmm, currently undecided on whether to bail - it would be a 240mile round trip for me - I'll check the forecast again later.
I'm still in. To be honest though, If I had to drive there and back, I'd probably mard off as well.
Driving....a hateful activity......
decision made - I'm crying off too. Have a good one.
Bunch of bloody soft shandy drinking no hopers. ^^^^^
😉
We're combing it with a visit to see friends. I'll be there.
Been nice day in Cheltenham today after 4 hours of hard rain yesterday evening lovely ride home from work.Just starting again ear.Cranham never looked waterlogged when i pasted today on a road ride.Happy days.
You might be lucky you might be having tomorrows rain early hopefully 😀
Good luck guys, you're braver than I am.
Update Lashing again BLOODY HELL.
Well, I'll be there, without the Northern contingent I was to be bringing as they've cried off.
Looks like it might just be me and MrPoddy huddling together for warmth 🙂
Ahem......still invited?
Don't you be calling all northerners big gay girls blouses, just because I am! 😉
We're riding in the peaks tomorrow as we can be there, around and home in half the time so a bit more tolerable if we're cold and piss wet through.
Same here Onzadog. Although the weather forecast here for the weekend is grim 🙁
I'm still in...just. My wife is trying to talk me out of it now. It's just rain for christ sake!
you bunch of northern Shandy drinking whippet loving pigeon fancying fairies! Its not that bad down here you lot should be used to it with the foul weather you have up there everytime I nip up the road to ride with you.
shakes head and walks off muttering......................
tollah, it's not the wet that scares me, it's those things you have down there where a trail going one direction, becomes a trail going in a different direction. What are they called? Co..cor...sod it, I can't remember.
yeah, sorry forgot you lot couldn't do bends 🙂
Looks like me and the wife will bail on this one. Shame really but the weather is a deciding factor. We can get wet through and muddy locally 🙂
My name is Macgyver and I am a southern quiche eating mincer !
The wife has won. Sorry Si. I'm gutted. I was really looking forward to this ride.
Christ, someone else come. I don't want be the meat in a TollahPoddy sandwich 😯
Popped into work this afternoon for a couple of hours, then swapped tyres on my HT to mud x's before leaving. Then checked the weather report for Winchcombe tomorrow... 🙁
Then got asked if I wouldn't mind working tomorrow as someone had screwed the rota up and there was only going to be 2 people in the shop!
So... If anyone wants a ride on Sunday instead, when the sun is scheduled to come out, then get in touch... Otherwise for the brave souls still heading out tomorrow, good luck! The promise or driving rain and near gale force winds has tempered my enthusiasm somewhat...
Poddy is stuck on the M4 en-route to chez impreza
[i]Then got asked if I wouldn't mind working tomorrow as someone had screwed the rota up and there was only going to be 2 people in the shop![/i]
How convenient 😉
How's the back Pete, are you coming for a [s]swim[/s]ride tomorrow?
I've just got back from the middle class supermarket with mince pies and brownies to share - I'll be there unless I read it's off before 9.00am tomorrow. Worse case, we can always go for sausages and lunch at the white hart.
Didn't say I was going IHN 🙂
Well, I'll be there, without the Northern contingent I was to be bringing as they've cried off.
I actually have ebola, manthrax and death.. I'm quite peed off not to be coming down there to show you southerners how to ride properly.. but as I'm dead at the moment its a bit tricky..
Sorry guys, gonna bail. It's not the getting soggy riding that bothers me, more the possibility of getting stuck in floods on way back! Shame as I was looking forward to meeting you all. Have fun you brave souls!
I have been to the pub, the floods (mother in laws car abondonned on A46 in a giant puddle today) that is puttng me off it's the hangover which will mean i won't surface before 10 that's hindering me
What's that? Another pint? Don't mind if i do 🙂
Well, the flapjack's baked, and that's waterproof.
See you tomorrow 🙂
Somebody PLEASE email me if you decide to cancel. 🙂
I'll be there otherwise.
Shall I bring money for the pub? 😉
Well I'm here, in a big silver van. Where's the rest of you buggers?
Poddys on his way
It was fun in the sunny Cotswolds today. Thanks for organising si and a great loop. Good to meet the hardy souls who braved it and no one got shot. Cheers - Andy (blue swift)
Yeah, you big pansies, you don't know what you missed. As an exercise in manning (and womaning) TFU, it was good fun.
Big hills, big puddles, big smiles 🙂
Glad you allhad a good time.
We Northern pansies ended up in the Peak district, where we managed to dodge any rain. Slippery under wheel mind and a lovely tea shop stop at the end.
Well I'm dry and clean now. Glad I got off my ass for that. A quick 25k blast round the 'Wolds and a swift half. Good way to waste time IMO
Cheers to IHN for leading 🙂
Quick iPhone panoramic:
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8213503035_d3b2e58f90_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_atkin/8213503035/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_atkin/ ]PeterPoddy[/url], on Flickr
Glad you had a good'un folks! How wet was it?