your best place/pic from 2011

[rollinbone]

This year I went for a tour in Wales that included a visit to Aberystwyth
After I decided to head East but in avoiding the dreaded A44 trunk road I chose the A4120 out of the town

May I thank the earlier cyclist who left a impression in the tarmac probably when road was newly layed or weather was hot
This track gave me heart as I followed its weaving pattern upwards for the first hour or so

Then I saw it! One of those moments you hope for - a B road. The B4343 in fact, which started for me near Tynyffordd.
Very sharp hill to start with, but I actually saw another cyclist who was coming downwards, a rarity for this trip
so I thought it cannot be so bad once I get up the top.

Indeed it was worth it. Great view over the valleys helped by one of those rare hot summer sunny days with perfect visiblilty and fluffy clouds.

So there it was, I was on the top looking East and looking down towards the hell that was to be the A44.
Cycling I find is like this, moments of pure bliss followed by bits of pure hell

Luckily the good bits stick in the memory more than the others. A Pic taken can help refresh the memory
So here's probably the best of my memories from 2011 - the view from the B4343 (the A44 is on the left, in the valley)

Please lets see a pic of the best place you've been in 2011

[Goosey]

I cycled with friends from the Atlantic (St Jean de Luz) to Narbonne on the Med in september, but the nicest bit of road is just up the road from me, as I re-discovered it on saturday...The D135 between Mauleon and Hopital St Blaise (in the Basque country)



A beautiful view

[rualexander]

Hard to choose just one place/picture, but here's one of mine, tour of Mull back in march :

[Swallow]

Châteaulin on the Nante Brest canal in Brittany

[Mattie]

Just crested the Julierpass in Switzerland, and then on down the road to Silvaplana/St Moritz in August this year

The forecast was for the weather to improve, so waited a day and sure enough the sun came out

[url][/url]

[irc]

During my Washington DC - San Francisco tour this summer my favourite state for scenery was Utah. This shot is Lake Powell upstream on the Colorado River from the Grand Canyon. Other than a small marina/campsite on the lake there is no towns for 75 miles either way. A nice feeling of remoteness as the road carried very low traffic as well.

[Ron]

Perhaps not the most scenic, but memorable nevertheless.
When cycling along the Rhine just south of Koblenz I discovered that a 25-30 Km stretch of the road had been closed to motor vehicles for the day. It gave a great sense of freedom to cycle along this smooth surface in the company of human powered vehicles of all sorts, including skaters, of all ages from babes in trailers to the more mature(!). The segregated joint user path can be seen on the right of the picture, no doubt the pedestrians also enjoyed the liberation from two wheelers that day.

[rapidfire72]

Haven't done much in the way of cycle-touring this year, but I did a lovely walk called the Cleveland Way this May and this is my best shot. If, you look closely you can see the showers in the far distance, raining down on Teesside. I got caught in them later towards Kildale.

[Russcoles]

Made it in time for the ferry at Padstow on my way from St. Just to Tintagel saving a huge detour on top of the 90 miles I eventually cycled that day. I was cycling from Lands End to Bristol to see what I faced if I chose to do LEJOG next year.

I had been convinced I would miss it and had become very demoralised so this is the point I realised I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew.
Incidentally the ferrys ran later than I thought they did

[Audax67]

This year, the most fun I have had was not the biggest ride or the most beautiful countryside, but a one-day trot along the ridge road of the Vosges with a bunch of chums:


Shortly after taking this, a wasp impacted inside the leg of my glasses near my left eye, stung feebly a couple of times and then buzzed off to die somewhere. Riding was entertaining for a few minutes but the eye was fully open by the time we hit the steep downgrade.

The best pic this year was probably this, taken on a 320 round the back of the Vosges and onto the Plateau Lorrain

Eglise de Blamont

[Audax67]

Just crested the Julierpass in Switzerland, and then on down the road to Silvaplana/St Moritz in August this year
...

Reminds me of climbing the Kaunertal in Austria a few years ago. 10% we called an Austrian false flat. One of the railway-side cycle tracks hit 18%.

[al_yrpal]

Heres an impressive world peace statue we encountered on our ride along the Normandy coast and invasion beaches.

Al


IMAG0224 by Alyrpal, on Flickr

[hubgearfreak]

togglechaintour is the highlight of my cycling calander

here we are on saturday lunch

[ossie]

This photo is of a gorge in the Pyrenees I did in June, the road followed it for about 20 miles- great downhill ride.

[Herb]

My best pic for 2011 reminds me of the elation felt having climbed to Port de Larruau on the French Spanish border at approx. 1,550 meters on the D26 .(just below the sumit of Pic d' Orhy looking East towards the Pyrenees National Park).

During the summer I was getting increasingly restless at home so took off solo with my bike, panniers and a small tent across France heading for Northern Spain.

As I neared the Pyrenees electical storms prevailed. I was scared nearly whitless by an overnight thunderstorm passing overhead while I lay in my tiny tent (like being in a battle zone !). The weather eased the following day ( with further storms promised ) so made my dash to climb over the Pyrenees . A straight climb of about 4,000 ft brought me to the ridge line (shown in the pic). The weather was glorious and I was estatic having climbed to this high altitude remote border crossing with all my gear. The down hill into Spain (to Ochagavia ) was very special with uninterupted views of unspoilt "green Spain" below me. I was "King of the Mountains" at that moment.