My cycling computer went nuts today – wireless ain’t all it’s cracked up to be – and about the only thing it managed to stay sane about was the trip time! So I’ve had to guess at my stats for the rest. It’s been playing up a bit…and I think I’ll get hubby to put the wired one back on instead – low tech is sometimes more reliable!

It was only a shortish ride – with G – we went out round Sanford, Yatton, Wrington, Sanford, Shipham and down to home again. There really wasn’t much in my legs today, which I suspected when I went out, but I could have been wrong…I just wasn’t!

Cycling time: 1:36:01
Distance: 24.32 miles
Avs: 15.2 mph
ODO: 9520.42 miles

I think I’ll do an hour in the gym later just to spin my legs ’round, and hopefully the next ride will feel a little better 🙂

Brand New Day, and a Brand New Term.  The Easter holidays are over and the Summer Term is here.  The mob went off to their respective schools this morning, happily enough, leaving me all kitted up and ready to go out in the sunshine.  I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated so the good weather and nearly complete lack of wind definitely helped to ensure that I went out.

Where to go when the sun is shining and the holidays are over?  Yes – it’s now safe to go to the seaside 🙂  I did a minor variation on the seaside loop.  I went up to Winscombe and along the main road to Churchill, mainly just because I’ve never done that stretch of road before, usually choosing to avoid it by various back routes.  As it’s a mainer road you get the usual trade-off between smoother road surfaces and traffic…but it wasn’t too bad, and the long down from Rowberrow, where I would normally come in, to the traffic lights is always nice.  From there round the back lanes at Churchill, across to leaning tower of Puxton Church, past the RCH Brewery, and along the beach at Sand Bay.  Into Weston to admire the Wheel, along to Uphill, down the main road to turn right and wiggle across through Lympsham, past Rookery Manor, and back home on the hill past the Webbington Hotel.

Cycling time: 2:12:01
Distance: 35.662 miles
Avs: 16.2 mph
ODO: 9496.1 miles

The sun shone. The wind barely blew. It took a while for the temperature to warm up, but it was summer kit all ’round. My legs felt really good – no idea why, and after celebrating eldest’s birthday yesterday they certainly didn’t deserve too!  I’m sure the lack of wind helped but still…have you seen my average speed?  I was flying! I thought it was going well when I checked at Uphill around 1:20 in (I had to stop and take my arms off), and it was 16mph then. This was a bit red flag to a bull, and made me push it a bit all the way home too! 🙂  I made sure to take some of my Recovery drink when I got in, so hopefully the next ride will be just as good. I may not be a fair weather cyclist, but I certainly prefer it when it’s like this *grin*.

I had a ride scheduled for this afternoon.  Got the bike out of the garage this morning to clear some space…and discovered the back tyre was flat.  Not a great start.   On top of that the weather was not looking great, and the wind was looking worse.  Apparently warm weather means storms…  I changed the tube, and decided that, with wind like that, I might as well do some hills.  They’re usually pretty sheltered, and they’re also hard work whatever!  I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but was banking on the warmth, so opted not to wear the base layer, which as it turns out, worked perfectly.  Actually I’d be happy if it never got that much warmer than this – I’m noticing that I’m drinking more now – and that’s only going to get worse as it gets hotter.

First off – Shipham Hill.  It was just starting to rain as I got there…big fat drops…but as I went left, I seemed to leave it behind.  The hill road is newly resurfaced, and thus considerably nicer to cycle up.  I plodded my way up that as usual – step by step.  Once up top, I took the nip through Shipham to Rowberrow before going down to Churchill.  Along the road then a longer plod up Burrington Combe – again, step by step. That’s how I do hills.  Once up there it was all the way along the Mendips to the Bristol-Wells road where I went up, past Romulus and Remus, past the aerial and….wheeeeeeeeeeeee….all the way down into Wells, with the wind (mostly) behind me.  Back from Wells direct to Wedmore, out and around Nyland Hill to Cheddar where I popped into see Jem at Cheddar Ales to order a polypin of Potholer for Mayor Making – I have the best sponsors! *grin*.   Then it was just the usual 10 minute zoom home, with the wind pushing me all the way.

Cycling time: 2:33:10
Distance: 37.159 miles
Avs: 14.6 mph
ODO: 9426.3 miles

After Wells, everywhere I went it had clearly rained heavily fairly recently…but I got home untouched – ‘rah! 🙂  I got the wind right this time – avoided the worst of it and got to enjoy having it behind me.  My average speed was better than I had expected considering all of those hills.   And those hills?  Just not quite as hard as I remember them…although the backs of my thighs are feeling it now.   I never had to reach for bottom gear, or get out of the saddle.  I think some of the weights stuff I’m doing at the gym is definitely helping when it comes to going up 🙂

Fancy a long ride Friday I said?  ‘Bout 70 miles he said?  ‘Bout 4 hours he said?  That’s more like 60 miles if you’re me I said…but I’ll leave the route to you.  I’ve always wanted to go over the bridge to Wales he said.  I said that might be a bridge too far…but if not, I’m easy – I’ll leave the route to you.

And so S and I set off, in the rain, at 10am.  Out to Sandford, out via Churchill to Wrington to wiggle up, around the airport, and finally down to Barrow Gurney.  Up through Long Ashton, through the Ashton Court estate, and up the long 1:7 up towards Abbots Leigh.  Pedal through Pill, in the rain (it always seems to be raining when I go through there) and up over the Avonmouth bridge, laughing at the stationary Easter motorway traffic.  Down through Shirehampton and industrial Avonmouth and ’round Severn Beach to the “new” Severn bridge.  What now?  Coffee here I said?  But the old crossing is so close, he said.  Look it’s just there he said.  It’s got to be done he said.  So done it was.  We followed the cycle path, and went all the way across to Chepstow on the old Severn Bridge.  Definitely an experience to be ticked off 🙂

It was time for coffee and carrot cake, to put it mildly.  We’d gone rather further than we’d planned…but since the route home was more direct, it would be much shorter…no?  (No!).  And it was very good carrot cake.  Almost worth traveling all that way for, especially at that price (is Wales cheaper I wonder?!).

Off again, back into the drizzle.  Retraced our steps back to Avonmouth, then cut through cycle paths around to Sheepway and Portishead.  The weather had lifted a bit, the headwind in Avonmouth wasn’t as bad as feared, and I’d even dried out a bit.  Down the Gordano valley, and across the flats to Yatton.  Then finally, a little tired around the edges, we came back on the Strawberry Line, secure in the knowledge that we would therefore face no big hills between there and home.  A quick zoom down the main road to Cross to go up the hill and back into Town at 5pm.

Cycling time: 6:16:51
Distance: 85.691 miles
Avs: 13.6 mph
ODO: 9354.0 miles

So today, we went to Wales.  How cool is that? Land of my grandfather ‘n all that.  Which is weird – cos I always thought it was like, miles away.  Which it is.  But clearly not as many as I’d thought.  Having said that, I think I’ve done shorter sportives!  The average speed is probably down to the amount of cycle path used – it’s hard to do a decent speed on those.  Plus it wasn’t a race – it was a day out.  Pleased with myself because I don’t think I was holding S back too much, which ain’t always the case.  He’s very good at sticking with me too – no hurtling off into the distance leaving me cursing under my breath as I try to catch up *grin*.  Plenty of chatting made the miles pass faster too – always a good thing.

I’ve had my Torq Recovery, and a long shower – wet roads make for an exceedingly mucky me.  Hubby had cooked lasagne which was ready as soon as I was – very decent of him when you consider I was out rather longer than I had said I would be – and it made for proper restorative food.  I guess I won’t be able to tell how I really feel until tomorrow, but I’m feeling pretty good now.  I had a really really good ride – the only thing I’d have changed would have been the weather – less wet, more sun!  I feel proper positive about how my training is going.  Ok, so I’m a little tired, but I think I’m allowed that.  And a beer.  Definitely allowed 🙂