According to gps: odo 19.99 mov time 2h23m max 17.9 moving avg 8.3 tot time 3h09m
I was due to go out for a ride with a friend today somewhere in Cheshire but he wasn't up for it after all due to an illness - so rather than abort the idea, I just went out anyway. I did a route that I knew already - the Fallowfield Loop Line and Ashton canal (I've done this route almost exactly before in April). The Fallowfield Loop Line climbs gradually as you head eastwards; at Fairfield when you come down the canal you get all that height back again as you come down the flight of locks into Manchester city centre! You can get a feel for the ascent/descent on the elevation profile of the route, above.
To start off, I cycled to Chorlton, and from there round the loop line - right at the end by the old Fairfield station, however, there was a slight diversion where someone'd fenced off the entire area. It wasn't ideal as the diversion wasn't signposted and involved a steep bank... still, other than that the ride went fine.
In the city centre there was a continental market in St Ann's Square where I bought a chocolate twist from the lorry-based patisserie; I also got stuck in the traffic caused by (what I later found out to be) the Art Car Parade, a parade of weird and wonderful vehicles.
From the city I cycled back home via Castlefield and the Bridgewater Canal; at Old Trafford I followed the roads through Trafford Park and back that way.
It was a nice enough day - the weather was generally cloudy but very warm and the slight breeze was welcome. I felt wearier at the end of the ride than when I did my Warrington ride the other day - but perhaps that's just because I've been at work all week and am not as fresh as I could be.