2013 Road.cc Tourist Trophy

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
September: Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Powys
October: Derbyshire, Staffordshire

November: Cornwall

Couple of days in Cornwall. First day 40 mile round trip for a pasty, along the north coast from Wadebridge to Tintagel before blasting back a bit further inland. Second day was 70 miles up and around Bodmin Moor before heading down to the south coast and back again. Seemingly via every hill possible.

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
September: Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Powys
October: Derbyshire, Staffordshire
November: Cornwall
December: Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey

Went "home" to ride the hometown roads that I rode as a kid, and then local roads from my teenage years when I got into road biking after watching Robert Millar in the 1985 TdF. Not ridden these roads for about 25 years but didn't need my map as it all came flooding back. Chased my teenage self for 65 miles.

Photographic record of the whole year www.themanfromicon.com/TT2013/TT2013.html

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire
March: Gwynedd
April: Norfolk.
May: Stirlingshire
June: East Sussex
July: Warwickshire
August: Sweetwater County, Wyoming
September: Northumberland
October: Staffordshire
November: Leicestershire
December: Nottinghamshire

Had planned December to be Yorkshire but despite a 100+ mile ride I was 2 miles short of the county and it also felt a bit 'ceremonial'. So, my counting ride is from a 114km ride earlier in the month on my CX bike to Sherwood Pines and back joining up minor roads, bridleways and some Sustrans tracks.

Thanks to VecchioJo for the inspiration to get to a fe different destinations.

Failed in September unfortunately.

Or I could use an iffy local option of Greater Manchester for September, an even iffier West Yorkshire for October (as in an area that used to be in the West Riding of Yorkshire and some locals still claim as such but is now in Greater Manchester aand thus would negate my September one!)

That still leaves me failing in November anyway though I ended the year on a high with some frosty mountain bike action in Perthshire.

Here's a postcard from there:

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.

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: 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.

Home county: Derbyshire

January: Powys
February: Lincolnshire

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

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.

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

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.

Resident county: Gloucestershire

February: Somerset.

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: 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.

Update for the end of January:

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

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

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

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...

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!

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!

Resident county: Gloucestershire

January: Lincolnshire.

Lets give this a go.

Resident county: Essex.

January: Cambridgeshire.
February: Gloucestershire

Resident County: Greater London

January: Buckinghamshire
February: Middlesex
March: Kent
April: Somerset
June: South Yorkshire
July: Norfolk
August: Gwent
September: Hertfordshire
October: Greater London
November: Essex
December:

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

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