Photos of cycling on quiet roads

cycling-under-bridge-sighs

After images of congestion and congested roads, a few photos of people cycling on quiet roads. This is partly because cars are restricted in these areas or I have waited for the road to be clear.

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The cycling idyll.

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Bridge of Sighs, Oxford.

magnolia-high-st

The Oxford High Street looking suspiciously quiet.

student-hat

Quiet enough to carry mortar board to exam.

valley-desolation

This is called the Valley of Desolation. It is the backroad from Bolton Abbey to Barden and Bursnall. It is single track and usually pretty quiet.

sciacca

If you want to find really quiet roads, try abroad. Especially in the off-tourist season. This is from Sicily.

Photo Paul Jones
Photo Paul Jones

National Hill climb, Jackson Bridge. An extreme way to get to cycle on 1 mile of roads closed to traffic. Maybe riding on the hard shoulder of the A40 isn’t so bad after all.

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Dunkery Beacon in September.

2015-walburyWalbury hill climb – another closed road event. But you have to ride (fastish) up a hill.

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The Buttress a 25% cobbled climbs, is unsuitable for motor cars. Unfortunately it is also unsuitable for pedal cycles too. At least when you fall off on the 30% giant cobbles, there isn’t a car behind to run over you.

fleek-moss

Fleak Moss in the Yorkshire Dales. Quiet, but it is a really hard climb.

 

luz-ardiden

Luz Ardiden in the Pyrenees May. Probably one of my top cycling experiences. Climbed to the top, not a single car passed me in either direction.

tejvan-tormalet-sun-800

Col du Tourmalet is usually pretty busy. But on this day the mountain pass was closed due to snow – until about 30 mins before this photo. It made the climb feel very isolated with clouds below, and very few souls around at 2,000m with piles of snow either side of road.

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A proper cycle path by the side of the A40.

sutton-in-craven

Sutton in Craven.

country-road

Country road Oxfordshire

croatia janCroatia Jan

30mph-barringtons

Great Barringtons, the Cotswolds

great-dun-fell

Great Dun Fell was pretty quiet at the top (cars not allowed). But, it’s a lot of effort to get there and it’s often quite wild weather.

4-ladies-wantageAnother option is to go back to the 1890s, though I think cycle clothes have improved in past 125 years.

 

2 thoughts on “Photos of cycling on quiet roads”

  1. Great post and photos Luz Ardiden looks epic!

    I love box hill midweek before Easter you can roll up and down usually without seeing anyone if the weather is not too good 😉

    Keep on riding.

    Reply
  2. Some great photos and what wonderful timing for the Tourmalet. I had a similar pleasure at Luz Ardiden early last June, though I was beginning to feel it by the top having ridden Hautacam earlier in the day. It’s a particularly beautiful climb to look back down on when you finally reach the summit.

    That said my bike and me highlight has to be the Col de Mente the day before – numerous hairpins, rolling mist, the sound of cowbells cutting through and the odd (thankfully) distant rumble of thunder and…nothing else, it was so atmospheric. The world had closed in around me and it was just me and my bike on the mountain…bliss!

    Reply

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