Also known as not cycling but swimming…

I had to go out this morning – as GW made me.  W came along for the ride, which made three.  Never a good number.  And it was raining.  A lot.  It had been for hours…which meant that even when it wasn’t raining, it was still very wet.   Many of the roads were more like riverbeds as the water from the hills poured off towards the Levels, and I met a couple of cracking potholes,  hidden beneath the muddy torrents…  I left the two of them to carry on their merry way after half an hour or so and headed back, which at least meant I could do things my way.

Cycling time: 1:17:10
Distance: 18.84 miles
Avs: 14.6 mph
ODO: 2966 miles

The only up side of all the water was that the bike didn’t need a lot of cleaning when I got back.  I popped into see Paul this time, and picked up some new brake block things that I’m going to try fitting later.  I’ve also been meaning to mention that I have a new saddle – a Selle Italia Diva Gel Flow – and it’s fantastic!  🙂

The weather forecast said 3C and sleet.  I was <this> close to wimping out but chose instead to compromise.  An hour on my bike this morning, and an hour in the gym this evening. I togged up, base layer and buffs a plenty, and headed out into the dismal drizzle.  I did a little loop through Cross, up the scenic (ie not madly steep) way to Badgworth, down to Cocklake, ’round Nyland, down the back route from Draycott into Cheddar, and home.  To be honest, it was pretty miserable…  I was going to pop in and see Paul at the LBS for some advice on my brakes, but couldn’t face the thought of stopping, warming up, and then having to get back on the bike and out into the cold again!

Cycling time: 1:01:46
Distance: 14.95 miles
Avs: 14.5 mph
ODO: 2947 miles

I didn’t realise how muddy I was until I parked up the bike and looked down to see if I should clean it.  I cleaned it.  I didn’t realise how wet I was until I started taking sodden layers off.  Straight into the washing machine with those.  I didn’t realise how cold I was until the warm shower actually made bits of me hurt by waking them up.  Oddly – not my feet, but the fronts of my thighs, which had been cold enough to be painful on the ride.  I even developed a minor case of ice-cream head as I came into Cheddar, having discovered an interesting bitter wind in Draycott.  I could have cycled longer, but I’m glad I didn’t have to 🙂

Still, it’s all good training, and I need to be doing some of that 🙂

I’m a couple of rides behind, so had best catch up.  What can I say, I’ve been busy!

On Saturday I went out with GW for a couple of hours.  We did my bog standard loop, which, coming as it did after the start of the season of over-indulgence, seemed like hard work.  Then again, the pressure to keep up and not slack off probably didn’t help.  It was good to be out, the weather was nice enough but…still oddly not that enjoyable.  I was happier once I’d stopped for sure!  I was also colder than I’d realised…it took a while to get my core temperature back up to normal.

Cycling time: 2:20:07
Distance: 33.28 miles
Avs: 14.2 mph
ODO: 2822 miles

Yesterday I was unfortunately carless, which meant that unless I fancied walking home from the gym, it was the bike or nothing.  So I ventured out on my own.  Feeling undermotivated, I picked the flattest route I could come up with.

Cycling time: 1:59:07
Distance: 32.22 miles
Avs: 16.1 mph
ODO: 2855 miles

Yes.  It was very flat.  Like that’s a bad thing! 😉  But I wasn’t pushing – I was deliberately going at whatever speed felt right to me at the time.  Pleasing only myself, as it were.  It was overcast, grey, and inevitably intermittently wet.  So it wasn’t the greatest ride ever, but it turns out to have been fairly fast for me.  And it was more enjoyable.  It’s so odd how mental attitude influences how a ride feels and how it actually goes.

And both times, when I got back home, I cleaned the bike.  Go me! *grin*

I went out with GW today for the first time in ages.  I was, as ever, apprehensive, as the thought of having to keep up always stressed me.  However I had already decided that I would be doing it at my pace, and not pushing it.  Well, I don’t want to over do it.  I’m really happy to be back on the road again, but I’m out for the ride, not for training purposes.  Besides which, I’m still on the road to recovery, and pushing it ain’t gonna help.  I’m definitely well on the way there though 🙂

We did a loop, Cross – Webbington – Bleedin’ Hill – Uphill – WSM – Sand Bay – Kewstoke – Ebdon – Puxton – Sandford – Winscombe – home.  After about 90 minutes I was officially tired.  My trapped nerve thing went, my energy levels were gone and it was definitely time to go home.  Last night’s gym session came home to roost.  We contemplated a coffee stop in Banwell but decided to do caffeine back at my place instead, so at least I’d know I didn’t have to get back on the bike again!

Cycling time: 1:51:45
Distance: 28.35 miles
Avs: 15.1 mph
ODO: 2789 miles

It was a nice uneventful ride.  It didn’t even rain!  And for the second time running, I used the lovely MucOff kit that I treated myself to from Paul’s a while back to clean the bike off when we got in, while the coffee percolated.  Some of you know how often my bike usually gets cleaned…  Hubby will be proud of me.  When he’s stopped being gobsmacked that is! *grin*

I’ve been known to moan about doing hills with other people, so I thought I’d go do some on my own in decent conditions, which I find makes them more palatable.  The weather was as forecast – lovely and clear and bright.  I knew it would be gorgeous on the top of the Mendips, and the only way to get up there is to climb something!  It was a bit windy, but that’s less of an issue going uphill…

So I set off around 9am ish.  As the forecast had the temperatures in double figures and I knew I’d be doing a lot of climbing (by my standards!) I’d gone for the long sleeve jersey with the windproof jacket over the top, but the rest as winter standard, which just about worked out.

First off, up Shipham Hill.  It was the usual slog – the first bit is the worst and always feels awful because you’re not warmed up yet.  I took it easy enough, and was proper warm by the top though.  Straight through Shipham, down to the main road, and down again to the lights at Churchill.  I headed east towards Wells, pausing briefly to take the arms off my jacket as I was getting a tad boil in the bag, and I knew what was to come…Burrington Combe.  I plodded my way up, cursing the amount of traffic that was using the road as if cyclists didn’t exist…  I went straight all the way, no deviations, over the top of the Mendips, cursing the side wind but enjoying the views.  I opted to come down into Wells on the Old Bristol Road, which I’m not very familiar with, via Upper Milton, which is an interesting down…I’m glad there wasn’t more traffic on that bit!  I’ll have to use that bit of road more often – it’s pretty up there 🙂

Before getting to Wells proper, I swung a right and opted to go through Wookey Hole instead,  up that nasty little steep bit there, and then down round the back road to Easton.  Deer Leap didn’t appeal…odd that.  I took the main road for a bit before taking a wiggle across the levels from Rodney Stoke to Nyland, for variety, before heading back into Cheddar on the main road, and then home.  The Cheddar Ales van passed me pre-wiggle and was coming out just as I went past their place having rejoined the main road, so I bet they think I’m incredibly slow!  😉

Cycling time: 2:24:21
Distance: 33.05 miles
Avs: 13.6 mph
ODO: 2730 miles

Apparently that’s 1955ft/600 metres of climbing.  Doesn’t sound much does it?  I think my legs know about it though 🙂  I did enjoy it more on my own tho’ – no-one to keep up with, be left behind by, or to notice how much hard work I might be finding it!  I think I was a tad colder than I thought I was because it took me a while to warm up once I got in…but that’s better than being too hot on the bike.  So, a good ride to make up for last week’s less than brilliant ones.  Marvellous 🙂

“All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey…”

I should have listened to my Dad when he said the forecast for this morning was bad.  Only I chose to go with the BBC forecast instead, which was far more favourable.  To be honest, when I set out to meet GW, the roads may have been wet, but the weather wasn’t.  There was a bit of wind, but it was a good couple of degrees warmer than yesterday.

We set off, and by the time we got up to the car park on Winscombe Hill, I had to stop, swap winter gloves for mitts, and remove the Buff from my head, to get the temperature level right.

I let GW set the route – which is always a bad idea.  We headed out to Sandford, through Churchill, out to Wrington and then up the long hill past the Walled Garden to the A38.  Up the A38, and right down Row of Ashes (I love that name) to go over the top and down some truly muddy roads to Chew Magna.  Which is where we found the wind – strong and in our faces.  The road across the lakes is a drag at the best of times, and this was NOT the best of times.  We had a brief stop to admire the ducks, and allow me to get my breath.

Then it was back along the bottom road through Ubley and back to Churchill.  I always forget how hilly that darn road is.  Up and down and up and down, with traffic and then….rain!  GW was off in the distance somewhere whilst I sat slogging along behind pondering the idea that if I’d wanted to go cycling on my own, I would have done, and I’d probably have felt better about it since I wouldn’t be feeling so left behind 😉

We were going to up Burrington Combe and come back via Charterhouse and Shipham, but as the wind would have been in our faces and the rain was getting worse, and I didn’t fancy the long slog…we opted for Rowberrow instead.  Another long enough slog though, with traffic whishing past, until the left turn to go up the steeper bit past the Swan.  It wasn’t as steep as I remember it, but in what was now torrential rain, it wasn’t a whole heap of fun.  Fat hard heavy cold rain…

Coming down Shipham Hill was a complete nightmare as water was pouring all over the road in great swathes.  Luckily there was no-one behind me to menace me, as my brakes really weren’t cutting the mustard, and I was doing my usual over cautious bit…  It was a relief to get to the straight stretch at the bottom, and then to get back down the main road and home.

Cycling time: 2:21:27
Distance: 31.73 miles
Avs: 13.4 mph
ODO: 2697 miles

So, as rides go – ick.  I’ll blame the average speed on…everything!  My shoulder waited 110 minutes to cut in today, and wasn’t as bad, so I’ll continue to swear by my lavender wheat pack.  At least I’ve been out three times this week, so I can resort to the gym for the rest of the week with a clear conscience *grin*.

I didn’t really feel like riding today, but it was the lesser of two evils as the alternative was the gym which, on a Wednesday, is full of GP referrals and da yoof.  So, I made myself go.

It was a couple of degrees warmer than Monday, and a bit windier too, so I was a little overwarm, but tolerably so.  I did one of my seaside loops but clockwise for a change – it’s amazing what you’ll do to add variety.  The roads were damp but bearable, and were at least fairly traffic free.    I pootled around, trying to vary the route a bit by taking some of the routes less travelled, in yet more monotonous greyness…

Cycling time: 2:06:50
Distance: 31.4 miles
Avs: 14.8 mph
ODO: 2665 miles

It was going ok, but my LH shoulder nerve thing cut in in a big way after 90 minutes or so.  I was achey already, courtesy of yesterday’s yoga session, which may not have helped.  My plans to go up to Shipham and down went straight out of the window, and I decided just to get home.

It was all just a bit samey too, and I think the novelty of my own company is wearing off…  I also feel like I’m going out riding because the weather means I can, rather than because I want to, if that makes any sense.  I’m due to go out with GW tomorrow too – which is great from a company point of view, but not so good when you consider her speed, attraction to hills, and that she’s liable to have forgotten my pain factor.

I resorted to my lavender heat pack when I got in, and the shoulder thing is feeling a bit better…so we’ll have to see how I get on tomorrow.  The biggest challenge is getting my winter gear clean, and dry again, in time!  🙂