I was so convinced that it was going to rain all week that I’d written off any plans to ride.  However when I checked the forecast again last night, today was looking fine, which quite confused me…  I didn’t want to waste decent weather, but it wasn’t what I’d been planning.  Hm.  I decided to leave it ’til morning, wake up, look out of the window, and take it from there.  Well, that would have been all very well if there was a view to be seen out of the window.  Fog!  Which has a tendency to be damp with it.  However hubby had just got back from his early morning run (darn foolish thing to be doing if you ask me) and said that actually it was ok.  My well of excuses had run dry…

I wasn’t in a great mood to be honest – the change in seasons is bringing me down – but I was relying on the bike to change that.  And it did.  In fact with the very first down stroke, as my legs stretched out, I felt better.  It was nippy out – I was in my fab new longs, long sleeved ACG top, shrug arms, and a Buff – so I set off at a reasonable pace to warm up, which felt good.  Having conceived a route the night before, I proceeded to stick to it but vaguely, and made it up on the way.

First off to Cheddar via the quarry road, and up the steep road past Shahnaz.  Up more and along the high road to come down to Draycott and take the Nyland road.  I was glad I’d put my lights on the bike as there wasn’t much visibility out there.  Not that they help me, but they help me to be seen.  Theoretically.  Out to Wedmore, up the denuded road to Panborough, which I no longer recognise now that they’ve cut all the trees down there.  For varieties sake I took the second right not the first, thus spicing up my life, and went straight across the levels to Godney and then Glastonbury as usual.

Now I had been planning to go up to Ashcott and over to Shapwick, but that way there be hills and my knee was twingeing.  Tempted though I was to take a pink pill, I was fairly sure it wouldn’t cut in in time to make a lot of difference so instead I decided to go for flat and “fast”.  So, it was back down the main road towards Wedmore, through Westhay.  The residents of Glastonbury may be all very chilled out sitting on their ley lines, but those of them that were out on the road there were in no mood for cyclists.   I know someone who would have been shouting in my place…  This encouraged me to re-write the route again and to detour via Burtle to Mark, and put my head down.  Left turn before the post office to head for the A38.  Up the A38, minor wiggle through Cross, and back up and home.  Job done 🙂

Cycling time: 2:08:33 hours
Distance: 35.51 miles
Avs: 16.5 mph
ODO: 6067

Not as fast as it felt but then I probably wasn’t pushing it, because I was doing lots of mental meandering.  Like if Emma Pooley just won the World Road Time Trial championship, avs 41.km/h, in c 32 minutes.  How fast could I go for 32 minutes?  My cycling is all about pacing myself because I’m going to be out for hours…  Maybe I should find out some time?  Prompted by the latest scandal, if I took lots of drugs, could I win the Tour De France?  Possibly not one to be trying out methinks.  I’ll stick to legal recreational drugs.  Red wine anyone?

Also I realised that one of the things that I love about being on the bike is that it’s one of the few places I don’t feel fat.  Because it’s all about what your body can do not what shape or size it is, about doing not being.  Instead I feel sleek and fast….  Until I get to a hill of course.  But then gravity is more on my side going downhill…on the few occasions I manage to make the most of it.  Then of course it all goes pear shaped when I get off the bike and stand next to all the whippets 😉

I’m supposed to be going for a long one-way ride on Sunday but the forecast is proper grim so…we’ll see.