This morning it was sunny and lovely.  It was.  Honest.  Oh how deceptive appearances can be.  It was even still fairly pleasant and warm when Mim and I left my house at around 9:30 am this morning, albeit with a really strong westerly wind which we could have lived without.  However from there on in, from a weather point of view, it was all downhill…  Mim had an errand to run in Weston-super-Mare so we headed off that way.  Towards some quite obvious weather.  With that strong wind blowing in our faces and blowing that weather towards us.  There was only one way this was going…

As we turned right past the Queens Arms in Bleadon to go up Bleadon Hill proper the drips started.  The hill itself was fine, but as I plodded my way up the rain got increasingly heavy and by the time we reached a very conveniently placed and totally sheltered bus shelter at the top it was starting to fling it down properly.  We took refuge and watched the waves of rain coming over and past us for a while until finally it brightened a little leaving the skies dry but the roads far from it.  All so good so far really though, and we made our way through the traffic to PC World, where the errand was duly run.

However as we left the rain was starting up again and this time there was no avoiding it, and equally no avoiding the fact that the only way home was on two wheels and through it.  The heavens opened, the rain came down so hard that on bare skin it actually hurt, visibility dropped to nothing, there was as much water coming back up from the road as down on to it, and within minutes we were soaked to the skin, with puddles for shoes.  It was so torrential it was nearly funny.  Nearly.

So we came back through Hutton.  Into Banwell and up the hill past the Caves.  Across and up Winscombe Hill to get home.  Well if it was going to be a short ride, I wanted to at least get some training benefit out of it, and that mean hills.  Besides which, going up hill in weather like that is the only way to get warm!  The roads were like rivers, demonstrating just how much water had come down in a short space of time.  However hard I pushed it, I wasn’t really getting any warmer, thanks to the now distinctly chilly wind.  I really should know better.  My problem is that I don’t realise how cold I am until I get home, and it then takes me hours to warm up again.  Which is why I’m now sitting here in a fleece with a blanket ’round my legs!

Cycling time: 1:22:13 hrs
Distance: 20.45 miles.
Avs: 14.8 mph
ODO: 10074 miles

So not the world’s greatest ride, and I may have to go and do an hour at the gym later to make up for it.  However it was better than no ride, and proves that we’re really not fair weather cyclists!  I wonder how long it’s going to take for my shoes to dry out?

Here’s a photo of Mini Me, Me, and Dad on Sunday – to remind myself what a sunny ride is like 🙂

Mini Me, Me, and Dad