I’ve had as much energy as a limp piece of spaghetti for the last couple of days.  It’s been all I can do to stay awake, let alone do anything active.  So as you can imagine, I was somewhat apprehensive as to how today’s ride might go.

I met Bob Fleming in the Square at 9.00am.  The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the route was out of my hands.  I’ve had worse starts to a ride.

We did a variation on a seaside loop, and checked out a new coffee stop at The New Castle in Kewstoke, due to GB’s reluctance to leave his bike anywhere that he can’t actually see whilst he’s drinking his coffee.  Yes – I was actually out with GB who, courtesy of illness and a smiley cat, has been coughing for a week.  Which does mean that I always knew where he was.  Coughing cyclists make me laugh – there we are trying to convince the world that we’re super fit and healthy…coughing and spluttering all the way *grin*.

The outward session was mostly into the wind – always best that way round – and included games of dodge the grockle in Berrow/Brean and WSM .  There were a fair few eejots on the road too, though perhaps fewer than you might expect on a sunny Easter Sunday.  GB tends to get quite vexed by such behaviour and gesticulate or shout accordingly.  I tend more towards suggestions that such drivers might like to go forth and procreate somewhere else, in anglosaxon…whilst maintaining a precautionary distance 😉

After a very nice cappuccino, and a long discussion about what criteria should be used to measure coffee stops for comparison purposes, the chilly wind was in our favour – taking our average speed up from 14.9 to 15.6 overall – as we were blown home via Puxton.

Cycling time: 2:36:22
Distance: 40.74 miles
Avs: 15.6 mph
ODO: 3733 miles

Although it was dry out, I cleaned the bike when I got back in since it’s going to see Paul for a check-up on Tuesday and it seems rude to take him a dirty bike.  Not that I haven’t done it before, but still…

I’m also feeling a bit more positive about next weekend now, with two rides done since my holiday.  However I’m not going to get out much this week – darned Easter holidays!  So, am I up to 90 miles?  I’m thinking that will very much depend on the weather…  I’m mainly looking forward to catching up with a couple of L2P folk who are doing it too, and that can as easily be done over 60 miles as 90! *grin*