Girls on Cogs

Tuesday again, and it’s a pleasant sunny, breezy evening. Four of us again tonight, Claire, Em, Stav and myself, so where to go? We’ve covered a fair bit of Leicestershire now and it’s getting more difficult to think of different routes out of Leicester. We made a plan to head towards Claybrooke Magna, south-westish, and set off along Great Central Way and the Guthlaxton trail to Counteshorpe, joined on the way by Mat. We cycled along, ticking off the villages – Broughton ghAstley, Frolesworth and onto Claybrooke Magna, where we found the ‘Pig in Muck’ pub, with a 2-4-1 Tuesday special – even better! We did wonder whether Stav might want to take advantage of the extra free meal so as not to waste the offer…but he just had the one! Also, they had pies! So the girls tucked into our pies and I joined the boys in a second beer before we left with still some light for the return journey. The batteries on my front light died – (pesky light which keeps turning itself on in the pannier – very annoying) so I kept within the pack and we were soon making our way through Narborough, and avoided GCW – apparently it has been a bit dodgy lately with muggings. We gave Mat a hug, (as it would be the last time we saw him before his wedding on Saturday!) and then Em and I finished the last stretch on GCW home – 28 miles!

This Tuesday there were four in the party, (1 a little bit drunk from afternoon wine drinking!) and we decided to keep it fairly local, aiming for the Cow and Plough at Stoughton. So off along Great Central Way, through Counteshorpe and in Kilby we spotted the Dog and Gun with a ‘2 meals for £10’. As we’d only done 9 miles at this point (but probably wouldn’t make the Cow and Plough in time for food), we decided to do a little loop round Wistow and Fleckney and back to the pub to make the miles before dinner a little more respectable. Stav took the right loop, time trial style, and was in the garden with beer when the rest of us arrived via the left route.

It was warm enough to sit outside and we were very good friends to Stav by pretending to be his interview panel in preparation for his interview on Thursday. I’m not sure he was taking it very seriously – he might need to work on some of his answers!

We headed back towards Great Glen and onto Stoughton where we managed to stop for a beer in the Cow and Plough before heading home….(2 pubs in one night – not managed that in a while!)nearly 30 miles in total after all.

After missing a couple of Tuesday rides due to threatening weather, we decided we should definitely go for a ride, whatever the weather. As Stav said, we used to go walking in Wales in worse, so we should stop being girls and get on with it – Claire pointed out apart from him, the rest of us (Claire, Em and me), were actually all girls!

So we met up at 6ish, and made a loose plan to cycle out along route 63 east and see what happened. We headed up through Evington and joined route 63 past Stoughton, through Kings Norton and Ilston to Tur Langton, hoping to find a nice hostelry. Sadly, the pub was closed – and we’d only been there recently. So, we rode onwards to Kibworth, we lost Claire briefly (a combination of treacle legs and 2 places called Kibworth!) and found a nice little pub in the Coach and Horses to order food and beer. It was Stav’s turn to be a girl then, when I was ordering a second beer and he’d only managed half of his – honestly!

There was still some light when we left the pub, so we had a pleasant ride back through Wistow to Counteshorpe and picked up the Guthlaxton trail to the Great Central way (instead of our usual blast in the dark along more main roads). A total of nearly 35 miles accomplished and no rain, so all in all a good night out!

We set off at the slightly later time of 630 and decided to head to Seagrave with the promise of a really good pie and the longest day to enjoy! We headed out on the A50 to the Glenfield Hospital Roundabout and within a matter of 5 mins managed to get separated and lose each other. After several phones calls and a near miss for Caroline on a roundabout and a speeding car….eek! we managed to meet up in Birstall. We decided to have a quick sprint along the busy A6 to Quorn, before turning off towards Barrow upon Soar.

Finally we were cycling on nice quiet country roads and enjoying a really good downhill to Seagrave. Sadly there were no pies at the White Horse but we settled on fish and chips which were really tasty. We left the pub just before 10 and it was still very light and we saw a couple of hares in the fields (they are massive!).

We headed home via Sileby and Syston and then another quick sprint along the A46 and home for 11pm.

So it’s the first fine Tuesday since our Coast and Castles ride, and we’re out for a cycle ride, well me and Claire anyway – lots of excuses from everyone else!

We decided to head out for a shortish ride to South Croxton – We heade out via Watermead Park, through Syston and Queniborough and on to South Croxton. We stopped at the Golden Fleece, which had a lovely menu and ordered a drink. The barman looked slightly stressed and then informed us it would be around half an hour before he could take our order. We took our drinks outside and consulted the map for other food options, but nothing was very near    However, after around 15 minutes he advised us he had a table for us and we happily went in and had a lovely sea bass and chorizo risotto!

We set off again (with a quick stop to say hello to Claire’s boss Eleanor who lived a couple of doors down from the Golden Fleece) through Beeby then back along the A47 through Humberstone and were back by around 10.30. Nice little ride, coming in around 25 miles

This may be the final Tuesday cycle before the Coast and Castles trip, and we decided to head west to Heather having done a few routes out south and north fairly recently. Not quite sure why we chose Heather, it’s one of those strange Leicester places that’s pronounced differently to it’s spelling as ‘Heether’, it has annual scarecrow competitions, and apparently the pub isn’t great…Anyway, four of us headed out the slightly hilly route (all good practice!) through Newtown Linford, to Markfield, Stanton-under-Bardon, Ellistown (a bit bleak) through Ibstock where Emma was looking longingly at Vinny’s chippy (another low blood sugar moment and we had done 20 miles). Heather was only another couple of miles so we continued on, only to find the pub wasn’t serving on a Tuesday so with a cheery cherry drop to keep us going, we skirted back past Ibstock towards Newbold Verdon – where we snaffled some fish and chips outside the shop (as no lovely benches or seats on the green to be seen). It was a cheap dinner anyway!
Since we’d had no beer and it was starting to get a little chilly, it was back on the bikes with very fully bellies for a quick run back through Desford, Kirby Muxloe and the A47 back home. A good 35 mile run and home by 10!

Well it looks like Hels is the only one of us actually doing any cycling at the moment. I have been a bit crap but even more  crap at updating the blog! Anyway it is less than 2 weeks to go before we head off on our ‘Coast and Castle’s’ cycle from Newcastle to Edinburgh with the gang, with our additional little cycle from Leicester to Newcastle for 4 of us. Which reminds me, I am supposed to of booked the remaining accommodation today ………….I’ll do it tomorrow Hels, I promise!!

Anyway this Tuesday night it was the just the 3 of us, Stav, Hels and I (AKA The 3 Amigos!). We met at The Quay/Evil Tesco for 6pm and had our usual faff of actually working out how to get out of Leicester. We headed off along the Great Central Way and towards Guthlaxton, Willoughby Waterley, Ashby Magna and to our destination Gilmorton. It was a nice cycle and nice to be out in the countryside and the weather held despite the rain prediction. I had a couple of blasts with Stav and really pushed myself to cycle as fast as possible.

At Gilmorton  we went to The Crown Pub and had a Tuesday night £5.50 Carvery which was very good and very hard not to completely gorge yourself!

We headed home via Ashby Magna and Peatling Magna. None of us enjoyed the section of road that has been resurfaced and had a lot of loose stones. Very unnerving on skinny tyres. Luckily it wasn’t to long before we could turn off and head back into the city via South Wigston.

With the Coast and Castle’s trip upon us and Hels and I having a colourful history with the weather and cycling holidays, thought this might amuse some of you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIEbI9fiwPM

Another sunny Tuesday and the gang met at 6pm on Great Central Way and cycled along the familiar Guthlaxton trail to Countesthorpe, then through Willoughby Waterleys and Peatling Magna, taking a gated road to Bruntingthorpe and arrived at the Chandlers Arms at Shearsby after 19 miles. It’s so nice to be able to cycle out in the light, sunny evenings, you wouldn’t believe it’s only April! We ordered some fine ales (a bitter shandy for Emma!) and cod and chips to fuel us for the journey home. We set off at 9 (after only 1 beer – not sure what’s going on there but people seem to be wanting earlier nights these days..) and headed back picking up the main road through Aylestone and home. Another pleasant evening, completing around 32 miles and home just after 10pm!

Well we have been pretty slack on the blog but have been out most tuesdays and covered around 25-35 miles each time and enjoyed sunshine and very light evenings. Bit disappointing on the beer front though – either choice of ales a little poor or people needing to get early nights!!! Last tuesday we had a sprint over to Market Bosworth and had fish, chips and a beer by Bosworth Pool. Twas a lovely evening for sitting out, although we took a more main route out which was busier than our usual quiet country lanes. Note to selves for next time!

Have just signed ourselves up for the Dunwich Dynamo, a mere 120 miler over night which friends had convinced us would be a good laugh – We’re reserving judgement – sounds like a bit of a nightmare (and no beers on a saturday night!). It’s in 3 weeks time – we’re sure the tuesday cycle will be ample training…..Aaagh

Hels and Em

I had good intentions of leaving work in plenty of time so I could head home, get changed, have a cuppa and a snack and swap the bikes over. I had had a meeting earlier in the day and worn my suit (including high heels) and therefore had cycled leisurely to work with the view that I would do the same on the way home.  Unfortunately (and predictably) the plan failed and I was running late to meet the gang, so instead I cycled home at high speed looking slightly ridiculous with my trousers hitched up with an elastic band round my ankle. Although I am slightly pleased at how well I can cycle in heels!

Anyway enough of my trivia!

Well it is the 3rd week of Tuesday night cycling and so far we have managed to keep the bad weather at bay and have a good turn out. This week the 6 of us headed out along the A47. Busy road but quick. We turned of to the village of Kirby Mallory and our destination of Mallory Park. Apparently they have cycling around the racing track on a Tuesday and Thursday night so we thought we would check it out. Mat and Stav arrived first and headed down the track and nearly got taken out by  50 speeding cyclists coming the other way!! We watched them for a couple of laps. It looked very serious. Mostly men but we spotted a couple of women.

On that note, we decided to head to a local pub for dinner. As well as feeling hungry, everyone was feeling the cold. It actually felt quite bitter and my shorts seemed a rather brave move!

A reasonably fast cycle home via Desford and Kirby Muxloe. Approx 20 miles