Category Archives: Training

Makes me work a little bit harder

I spent several hours at my second home yesterday.  Also known as Andrew’s workshop.  Hours during which I got a new saddle, new cassette, new gear cable and bits, and a new big chain ring.  A big chain ring that didn’t understand the meaning of the word compatible because it should have been and it wasn’t.  Bye bye new chain ring, welcome back old chain ring.  Voilà  – a bike that works considerably better than it did before.  And that shouldn’t creak going uphill any more.  The creak was the saddle, in case you were wondering.  It had done a lot of miles, and had just had it really.  I replaced it with one exactly the same.  Stick with what you know, especially when what you know is going to be stuck under your posterior for hours on end!  Oddly enough the bike looked instantly newer with it on, helped by the fact that I’ve touched up some of the damaged paintwork with black enamel paint.  My poor baby needed some TLC to go with all its new bits :).

This overhaul meant that today’s plans to ride weren’t really optional when, once more, I needed to check that the bike was working properly before this weekend’s sportive – the Great Western Sportive.  Déjà vu all over again.  The weather forecast was, as seems to be constantly the case these days, dismal, and as I sat in bed drinking coffee this morning the rain started.  Not exactly motivational.  So I came up with a strategy to make myself go out – I decided to commit to joining the Somerset Cycling mob’s regular (ish) Friday lunchtime ride.  I figured this would make me go out, as well as making a nice change from all this cycling by myself.  The forecast also showed a remote chance of things being a little more pleasant by then, in so far as such things hold water.  I was further prevented from bailing by agreeing to meet Carlo in the Square at 11:30am to ride down to meet the other guys at Mark.  No excuses left.

I haven’t been out with the guys in ages.  Whilst I really like riding with them – I have to admit that it’s hard work.  They’re fast folk, and I have to work to hold my own, and to take a turn at the front when I can.  I really enjoy it – it’s a challenge, it’s a different kind of riding to what I usually do, and it’s probably very good training.  It’s not necessarily a good idea in close proximity to a sportive though, hence the reason I haven’t been out with them of late.  I gather it hasn’t been quite such a regular reliable thing these days either, people have other things to do, lives change etc, so I guess I was lucky that today was once of the days when it was actually happening.

Carlo had claimed he might need a wheel to get to Mark.  Remind me to remember that Carlo is much faster than me even on one of his bad days!  Even though he was a little late, Cheddar having been more time consuming to negotiate than usual, we still made really good time down the A38 and across to the church in Mark.  Oh MAN it was windy.  REALLY windy.  If I’d known it was that windy I’d quite probably have stayed at home.  Well I’d have thought about it anyway.  Slogging into a headwind is not definitely the ideal way to warm up and I did have to hide behind Carlo from time to time when it all got too much.  We had sun, we had rain, we had drizzle, we had wind…  At least 3 seasons worth of weather before we even got there!  The only thing in its favour was that it was fairly warm, and when rain made you wet, sun and/or wind made you dry again pdq.

Carlo’s mate John was already there and waiting when we arrived.  With deep rim wheels.  Rather him than me…!  I made a mental note not to be too close to him when the wind was likely to be from the side ;).  Mark and Michael joined us shortly, and we headed off on a route of Michael’s devising.  Headwind first for a tailwind later, in an ideal world.  Routes change as you go along, but here’s what we actually did.

Colourful bunch aren’t we?  Looks practically pleasant out there…  Even with the wind it was good riding.  Working hard is a positive thing sometimes right?  It feels good to be pushing it, to be holding my own and keeping up with these guys, who all make it look easy.  After a considerable time spent fighting the Force rather than feeling it, at some point near Glastonbury we turned tail and put the wind more or less behind us.  Much better :).  Shame it wasn’t always like that – wiggling around the Levels inevitably puts you back facing it again from time to time, and unlike some, I can’t sprint into that!

We had coffee at Sweets where, in traditional fashion, the camera came out.  Sorry!  It would be wrong if I didn’t get Coxy eating again, or show you John, or annoy Michael by immortalising him again, right?

The coffee stop wasn’t just welcome, it was essential, as very unusually for me, I’d left my bottle at home.  See?  Not much good there is it?

Coxy very kindly sprung for drinks, in my case a large Americano, and a bottle of flavoured water for the journey home.  Ta muchly! 🙂  There was much discussion of riding, mostly racing, time trials, and the like, something which I know nothing about, and only briefly considered earlier this year before sportives became even more important than ever.  I drank my very nice coffee, and ate my self-catered lunch – one small clingfilm wrapped flapjack.  Two forms of cycling fuel :).

I’m onto my fourth (I think, I may have lost count) attempt at flapjacks, with a recipe courtesy of my fellow Cyclosport writer Mark, and some tweaks from me.  Result!  Much moister than usual – probably because it used more golden syrup and marg than previous recipes but then, to be fair, it also used more dry ingredients.  Very tasty too.  Though probably not what you’d call a health food, even with sultanas, cranberries, and various seeds in there *grin*.

We came the direct route home, with the wind actually helping to push us up Mudgley Hill.  Novel.  There was a little confusion as to who went where then.  Having followed Carlo and John straight on, I think Michael and Mark must have gone left, since they didn’t catch up, even though we dilly dallied, and stopped and waited a few times.  Carlo and I decided to head for home, as planned, and John went off to try and catch them.  Sorry guys – thanks for a great ride though :).

Cycling time: 2:07:46 hrs
Distance: 37.52 miles
Avs: 17.6 mph.
ODO: 14349 miles

Carlo and I took turns on the way home before he dropped me on the Wedmore straight.  I was doing 25mph+ and he was still vanishing into the distance.  Talk about strong…no wonder Strava thinks I did well – I was trying to keep up!  No chance :).  He slowed down long enough to say goodbye before we parted company though.  I got home tired but happy and well worked out, as you can see from the stats.  Flat but fast!  Now if they were to ride earlier in the week sometimes I might be able to join them more often…I definitely can’t be riding like that on a regular basis AND doing all my other riding :).

Here’s another one for the chain ring tattoo album.  Front chain ring from the look of it…

I hear that voice again

OK, so I had a blinding Dragon ride.  I’m still kinda gobsmacked by that.  Let’s face it, that kind of performance is totally out character, and quite probably a complete fluke.  In years to come I’ll be sitting in various cafés, recounting the time I was 234th…and everyone else will be yawning and ignoring the wrinkly misguided nostalgic cyclist in the corner…

But that was Sunday.  Today is Tuesday.  And that little internal voice was off…  Well, it could be my internal voice, it could be my bike telepathically communicating with me – we are very close after all.  Either way…  It’s sometimes hard to make out what it’s saying.  Sometimes it’s just a general I need to be out on my bike feeling.  Sometimes it’s telling you that it’s way too windy out there and you should stay at home and be safe.  It’s a chatty little thing.  Today it was wondering whether or not I could actually do hills.  I mean, maybe Welsh hills are an anomaly right?  Maybe I should try some local hills instead.  See, it’s hard to get hilly riding in around here at the moment.  The first ride of the week tends towards being a recovery ride.  The second ride of the week shouldn’t be too hard because it’s too close to the weekend.  And the weekend ride is a sportive!   OK, so that usually involves hills, which is great, and each sportive is really a training ride for the big one but…

So the little voice was niggling away at me.  Hills hills hills…  Once I’d heard it, that was it.  If I’d ignored it, I’d have felt like I was wimping out.  Bailing.  Can’t have that right?  So hills it was, making it up to join them up as I went along, which was quite enjoyable.  Sometimes unplanned is good.  The dots I joined up were Shipham Hill, Burrington Combe, and Ebbor Gorge.  Strava says I did my best times on Shipham and Ebbor too, which is kinda cool, tho I was a tad slower than sometimes up Burrington Combe.  It was dry, fairly sunny, a bit windy, and by no means warm out there.  Chilly and hilly in fact.  I didn’t have quite enough layers on, but luckily the hills warmed me up, the downs weren’t too long, and there were enough sheltered spots or sunny intervals to keep me just on the right side of the temperature seesaw.  Ebbor Gorge felt like hard work today.  One of those times when you’re convinced something isn’t working properly, that there should be another gear left, that you’re sure it used to get easier earlier, that you get up it just because you know you’ve done it before so you know you can, and you get up it because it’s the last hill before you’re heading for home.  So it’s a relief to know that the reason it was hard is because I was doing it better than usual, even if not by much!

My exact route?  Well if you want to see it, Bella will tell you all about it here.  796 metres of climbing may not be much, but it’s only over 2 hours/30 odd miles, so I think that counts as hilly.  I tried to ignore Bella too (sorry Bella) and ride like the Dragon – listening to myself and my gears.  Mindful riding, as I like to call it.  It seems to work.

I also thought I’d spare you more photos of hills you’ve seen before.  Besides which I was busy concentrating on riding up them rather than immortalising them on camera, that being the point of today’s ride!  How’s about a photo of  this lovely fence instead?  A work of proper craftmanship.  It goes on for quite a stretch and it’s gorgeous.  Must be nice to have a proper trade, to be a master of it, to work with your hands and to make something both functional and beautiful…

…and back in the real world, where we’ve lost touch with those roots, here’s how some would prefer to treat our countryside.

Why would you do that?  It’s not like the tip is far away.  Considering the wrapping, it may well even have been a new mattress.  Not that that’s really relevant one way or the other, since it shouldn’t be there whatever its condition.  But if it fell off a lorry, you’d stop and pick it up right?   So it’s been left there deliberately, in an area of outstanding natural beauty…until someone else clears up the mess.

Cycling time: 2:16:02 hrs
Distance: 33.53 miles
Avs: 14.8 mph.
ODO: 14311 miles

I’m a bit behind on my mileage for the month, so I hope to get out on Friday too if anyone’s around.  Then there’s the inevitable Sunday sportive of course…  At least the weather was ok today, the same is apparently not to be said for the rest of the week.  My legs even came out to play…gotta love a good chain ring tattoo :).

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

Just for once the weather forecast was right.  It predicted a patch of slightly less bad weather between bad weather (last night) and really bad weather (on its way in).  I really didn’t have any choice but to ride the bike as I really needed to know if the new chain, fitted by Andrew yesterday, was working.  So, in sadistic mother fashion, I got MiniMe out of bed and made him come for a ride for me.  Misery loves company right? 😉  We did the Nyland Loop like this, clockwise, in mild windy wet that could have been a lot worse.  It wasn’t all that unpleasant, and MiniMe was on form, even if he was moaning up a storm about it ;).

Cycling time: 0:51:39 hrs
Distance: 12.03 miles
Avs: 14.0 mph.
ODO: 14200miles

The chain works.  Ish.  I mean it makes the wheels go round, for the most part.  It came off once and got stuck between cassette and spokes, and other than that there was a whole heap of slipping, changing gear when I wasn’t, etc.  I don’t know if it’s too loose, or if it’s the fact that the large chainring and cassette need replacing, which will be happening next week when Andrew’s got them in.  A bit of adjusting may be required before Sunday’s Wiggle Dragon Ride though.  I know, I know, I swore I’d never do the Dragon again, but it’s under new management, a great deal has changed, and on that basis it seems only fair to give them a chance, though I am only doing the Medio route this year.

So not a lot to say for our ride today, but plenty of other news to share with you.  Having been testing out the range of Nunn flavours I’ve come down to two favourites so far.  Lemon tea, which is caffeine enhanced, and Strawberry Lemonade, which is not.  I’ve been known to add half of a tab of lemon tea to one of lemonade to get the best of both worlds.  In either case, I like the taste, carrying the tablets on rides is simple, and they don’t upset my tummy.  What more do you want?  🙂  I was running out, and my re-stock arrived today.

However today was a day of such deliveries.  A man in beige turned up on my doorstep with a surprise delivery for me – just as well I was in!  Courtesy of Cyclosport and Science in Sport, I am now also powered by SiS!  Thanks guys! 🙂

Some of these goodies will have to wait until I’ve ascertained precisely what it is that disagrees with me, after my strict low FODMAP diet moves on to the next stage, as they contain fructose, amongst other things.  However – miracle of miracles – it looks like both the bars and the gels are safe, which is awesome.  I’m looking forward to trying them out on Sunday.

As well as all my new safe things to take with me, this afternoon I made another batch of flapjacks.  I may be getting better at it.  Sadly though, having taken a basic recipe and kinda randomly messed with it, I’ll never be able to reproduce it even if they turn out to be perfect cycling fodder…

Now it’s hard to tell from the photo, but the mix only filled the tray about 2/3 as deep as usual, which had me a tad concerned.  However I guess this is because, following on from some advice I’d had, I used my blender and chopped up all the ingredients much smaller to help them stick together and crumble less on eating.  Other than the usual golden syrup, sugar, lactofree spread, and oats I used mixed nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sultanas, and cranberries.  I also added freshly ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and some cocoa powder.

I remembered to partially cut them before they’d fully cooled, and they’ve cut up into the neatest bars of all my attempts so far.  Having tried a little bit of one, they’re a maybe a little dry but they are quite dense and not crumbly, so I think they may be going to be quite good.  Result!  🙂  The proof is in the eating, so I guess we’ll see…

And finally…

I’ve been asked to join the PocPac test team, and will be helping them test out improvements to their water resistant pouches, which are designed specifically for cyclists for phone and valuables storage.  How exciting is that?!  Very, in case you were in any doubt *grin*.  My crackberry will always be safe and dry now :).

Well she’s walking through the clouds

Another grey blanket cotton wool day.  Not the kind of weather that stops you riding, but not the kind of weather that puts a smile on your face either.  To be fair it was at least less windy and chilly than yesterday.  Bearing in mind the looming Magnificat, the plan was to do a couple of hours flat and easy, which I think we pretty much managed, as you can see.

Somewhere around Godney some eejot of a motorist decided that getting past us was essential.  We’d already singled up, so were being as little of an obstacle as is possible on those narrow roads.  At a wider corner he managed to get past Mim but not me so, rather than (heaven forbid) waiting, he decided it would be far better to squeeze past me with mere inches to spare and toot his horn angrily at the same time.  Once past me, he then proceeded to gesticulate angrily in my direction as to how I should have pulled over and let him past.  Feeling a little shaken by how close he’d been, and having jumped when he tooted – shall I wobble and fall under your wheels now? – I was not feeling conciliatory.  In fact I’m afraid I re-discovered my anglo-saxon vocabulary, whilst extending my middle finger in his direction.  He then slammed on his brakes – because me going into the back of his car would be a good idea how?  Luckily I wasn’t close enough to him for this to be a problem, since I was riding with care and attention!  I did wonder if he was going to actually stop and get out, and was half looking forward to getting to shout at him…  However at this point I’m fairly sure his wife told him to stop being a p*llock, so he sped off again.

Why is it acceptable to hate cyclists so much?  Name me another group that it is acceptable to hate these days?  I spend a lot of my time defending cyclists and trying to see both sides of the arguments, and when motorists are behaving like that, I kinda wonder why I bother.  I’m a bl**dy well behaved cyclist, yet I’ve lost track of the number of close shaves I’ve had with extremely badly behaved motorists, who seem to feel that their behaviour is justified because I’m a cyclist.  Of course there are rotten apples in every basket.  But this is not the city, and we are not the red light jumping popular press vilified cyclists which seem to be the brush we are all tarred with.  We’re just out riding our bikes and enjoying the countryside.  We’re not out there to hold you up, get in your way, point out your lack of physical fitness or your sporting inadequacy…why do you seem to take our existence as such a personal affront?

Consider this – if a cyclist is a prat out there on the road with you, and something happens, the chances are that you as a motorist will walk away in one piece.  Let’s be honest, you probably won’t even stop.  Reverse that situation and the same is not true.  Though you probably still won’t stop.   All of us have taught our children to ride bikes, it’s an accepted rite of passage.  How would you feel if someone drove like that around your cycling child?  Well I’m still someone’s child, and I ride with one of mine.  Excuse me if I don’t ride myself into a rhyne so as to let you past, if I maintain my road position and don’t ride in the gutter, if I detour slightly to go around dangerous pot holes and obstacles and cause you to deviate from your far more important trajectory.  I have as much right to use the road as you, and even on a bad day I’m going to hold you up for what, a whole couple of minutes?  I could go on, but what would be the point?  I’ve never managed to convince a cyclist hating motorist that they were wrong yet…and round here I’m probably preaching to the converted! *grin*.  It does make me sad though…

Anyway, back on the other side of the forest…

Being once more astride her team steed, and thus with nowhere to put the puncture repair kit, Mim decided to leave it at home.  Which is like waving a big flag and jumping up and down and shouting “come and get me” until the puncture fairy finally notices your existence and pops by for a visit.  Which is exactly what happened as we came out of Glastonbury.  Being Glastonbury, the fairy probably wasn’t that far away… 😉  Luckily for Mim my oft-mocked saddle bag is a holder of many wonders, including tyre levers and inner tubes, and the beauty of my more pedestrian frame is marred by the presence of a pump.  Just think of me as a Boy Scout.  Mim hung up her Giant, and got to work…

I did help a bit – it was hard to get the tyre off, and it being my pump I’m more familiar with how it works.  Which it does, and very well.  It’ll never get you up to track pump psi, but it gets a long way there, and did well enough that we managed to do the rest of the ride on the re-inflated tyre without it being a problem.  It also doesn’t leave you feeling like you’ve just done an upper body workout.  Actually I’ve just bought another one for my potential bike…  My current bike was looking quite colourful today, odd when you consider that it really needs a good clean.

The loop I had planned in my head became a little shorter as, with the time out to sort the puncture, the deadline for getting home was closer than it would otherwise have been.  This meant coming home over Mudgley Hill, which I did better than usual, but still not as well as Mim…but since I’m well used to that I wasn’t too disheartened.  Strava says it was my best time so far too – so there.

Cycling time: 2:03:07 hrs
Distance: 33.70 miles
Avs: 16.4 mph.
ODO: 14116 miles

So home once again, but not for long.  It was time to take myself off to see my pit crew and get the bike checked over before the weekend.  It now has new rear brake pads and has been variously tweaked to work a little better.  Somewhat depressingly it apparently needs a new large chain ring, and also a new front wheel – something to do with a concave rim.  Gutted – as they’re not cheap wheels and I really don’t feel like I’ve had my money’s worth out of them – not on a pound per mile basis.  I’m not quite sure what to do about it either…as I’m saving for the new bike (if it ever turns up!) and don’t really have the money to be spending serious amounts on this one if I’m getting that one!

On the positive side I did get to pick up my new Giro Aeon helmet which I can happily report fits great and is fab.  Amazingly light too – so bound to make me go faster, right?  I’m really looking forward to wearing it on the bike soon, and looking all swish and snazzy.  Though maybe not on Sunday, since it’s due to rain all day, so I think it’s reportedly impressive venting properties may be superflous to requirements!

I also have new tyres, which can at least go on either bike, and they just need running in for a couple of weeks before the Maratona.  Plain black this time, stripes are so last year…  Incidentally, I’m Maratona rider number 1189, in the Selle Italia starting group – one of the advantages of being a girl is that you get to be a pen ahead of where you might otherwise have been :).

So my Schrodinger’s bike now has tyres, a pump, and courtesy of the Mario Cipollini Gran Fondo, two bottle holders and some bar tape.  Soon you’ll practically be able to see the bike by the space defined by it’s accessories.  The Emperor’s new bike? 😉

Thank you for the days

Yesterday MiniMe did the Nyland loop, clockwise stylee.  The only thing eventful or remarkable about it was the fact that, in reinstated weather goddess fashion, I made it rain.  It wasn’t raining when we left.  It wasn’t raining by the time we got back.  It sure as h*ll was raining betwixt and between.  With wind and everything.  Mind you at the moment, whatever the weather, there is wind.  It looks like I’m making it rain on Sunday too.  Good to see that I’ve still got it though, right?  MiniMe did good regardless, and even made it over 20mph when I egged him on down the Wedmore straight.  He’ll be leaving me in his wake in no time :).

Cycling time: 0:51:21 hrs
Distance: 12.41 miles
Avs: 14.5 mph.

Today George and I went to the seaside, under a blanket of grey, and into a headwind.  Still, at least it was flat.  And with no goal in mind, no aims, no motive to it, just to ride the bike.  We had a long coffee break at the New Castle, which happened to be open…  I’ve already forgotten what its opening hours are, so it’s a bit hit and miss whether I stop there or not.  I certainly never plan to now, it’s a just an on the off chance thing.  Today it was open, today we had coffee.  Quite nice coffee too.

Out of the wind, sheltered from the wind chill factor, it was muggy enough to sit outside and enjoy the view.  See, I told you it was grey and boring out there..

It is nice to just sit and shoot the breeze sometimes.  Hah – another reference to wind!  Very funny, no?  No?  Ah well, can’t blame a girl for trying *grin*.  After a good old chinwag, thus refreshed on several levels as well as caffeinated, we stretched the loop home a little, and even managed to have the moving air behind us from time to time.

Cycling time: 1:59:31 hrs
Distance: 32.18 miles
Avs: 16.2 mph.
ODO: 14083 miles

I enjoyed the return leg more – I think I’d relaxed into it by then.  The sun hinted at its existence from time to time, and the wind was more in our favour, which made it noticeably warmer.  More pleasant all ’round really.  Not a hard ride, not a fast ride, but far from a bad ride.  Bella’s report from the front line looks like this :).  It was perfect weather for my minxy arms, which I’m loving, and which go very well with my ACG top, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

Once home I sat myself down to read the local paper before having a shower, to catch my breath and chill down a bit, only to be faced with this:

Well I know someone out there who’ll appreciate it…  Honestly, that woman gets everywhere!  I’m not even going to start… 😉

Today is the last day of May, so I can play stat games with you.  I am pleased to announce that I have done more miles this month than in any month before.  Ever.  I’ve even done 227 miles more than last May.  In fact, this month I have cycled 729 miles.  !!!  And so far this year I’ve done 2526 miles.  I know, it’s not important, and it’s not even interesting to anyone but me – but wow – 729 miles!  I’m very happy with that :).

My power, my pleasure, my pain

Ok, so I have the Wheel Heroes sportive tomorrow, so strictly speaking I really shouldn’t have been riding the bike today.  But given what the weather is usually like and the lack of guarantee that it will continue in this sunny vein, it’s virtually impossible to not go and ride given half a chance.  And an ACG ride is more than half a chance :).

Which would probably explain why there were eight of us this morning.  Can’t remember the last time we were that many!  We even had a newbie – welcome Martyn – who had found us via cyclingbuddy.com, which is a fairly new website that allows you to share routes, log rides, but mostly importantly find cyclists in your area to ride with.  Clearly it works!  It’s also further proof that it’s a small world, since he knows the guys from HBB, who make cycling kit, who I also kinda know.

Martyn

Given that I am not the only one with bigger fish to fry tomorrow, that others had to get back, and so on, this was billed as an easy ride.  Out to Glastonbury for coffee and back.  I’d show you the route and actual stats, but I forgot to turn Bella back on after coffee so you’d only get half of it.  But it went something like this, and the stats you see later are extrapolated from GB’s.  It wasn’t that exciting as rides go – exciting is over-rated – so mostly I’m just going to show you how nice it was :).

Look – ACG kit and everything. That’s me that is.  Or at least part of me.   GB has clearly had enough of me taking his photo.  Not that that’s likely to stop me…

So that accounts for two of us.  Thirdly, though usually firstly since he’s so fast he has a tendency to be ahead, was Chris.  That’s his real name.  I call him Figgy (more of which later), and I’m not likely to stop doing that either…

We made it to Glastonbury in no time flat, even with the nasty headwind.  Probably because it was flat.  You may now admire our precariously arranged and balanced bikes.  I hope no-one actually wanted to use the rubbish bin.  Think of it as like bicycle Kerplunk – you have to be really careful about which bike you move when or it all comes expensively tumbling down…

I don’t know if the Farmers Market is new or if we’ve just somehow managed to miss it up until now.  Stranger things have happened.  Many of them in Glastonbury ;).  It was most definitely there today, bringing quite a different atmosphere to the place, and allowing for the purchase of very yummy pastry goods to go with the coffee from Heaphy’s.  I had one of the flapjacks I made yesterday, which had just about survived in my back pocket – result!  Here’s hoping they do as well tomorrow…

So here we all are, barring myself of course, sitting in the sun outside Heaphy’s once more.  Figgy, Martyn, Mike, Dave, Steve, GB, and Ian.  Good riding, good coffee, good weather, good conversation, what more does a girl want? 🙂

Shall we get up close and personal with the ACG for a little while?

This is Mike showing that cycling is actually a very serious business…

This would be Steve, proudly showing that MTBers are cyclists too ;)…

This is Figgy eating.  Not fig rolls for a change.  Hence the name, should you need reminding.  Must remember not to let him eat again – he just gets faster!

And this is Mike and Dave, now apparently seeing the funny side…

OK, can’t sit around all day right?  Places to be, people to see…time to ride home again.  Well if the A stands for Axbridge, and the G stands for Group, the C stands for Cycling, not Coffee! 😉

Presumably Ian is patriotic…  Aren’t we a colourful lot?

Apart from those of us that were black and white of course…here demonstrating how many cyclists it takes to watch another cyclist try and fix something.

Talking of black and white…Martyn was clearing milking it! ;).

It’s all very well trying to take it easy, but it’s so hard when the sun is shining, the wheels are spinning, the roads are flat, the wind is behind you…  We did try.  Honest.  But as you’ll can tell from our average speed (see below), we didn’t do a very good job.  GB informed me that I’m my own worst enemy, and he did try to be the voice of my conscience…before he succumbed to the lure of the chase himself…  So that went well then *grin*.  Ah well, carpe diem and all that :).

Even a sign telling us (and Figgy there) to STOP didn’t have much effect.  Although to give us all credit we did do a very good job of keeping the G for Group thing going – waiting as necessary, picking up stragglers, etc.  No-one got left behind, though various folk did peel off as necessary on the way home.

(sorry, couldn’t resist…)

One last photo for you – of GB and Steve, Level pegging it on our way home.

Wasn’t it gorgeous out there?  And the descent of Weare Hill was even better – I’m presuming that’s where I hit today’s maximum speed of 43.8mph!!!  That’s pretty awesome for me.  Gotta be close to an all time PB :).

Cycling time: 1:50:00 hrs.
Distance: 32 miles
Avs: 17.3 mph.
ODO: 13937 miles

Right, I have some serious faffing to do, and an early night to get, if I’m going to be on the road by 5:30am tomorrow.  I’ve had a proper dinner, in an attempt to fuel up in preparation.  Lamb steaks, safe sauce, gluten free pasta, green beans…  Ever since that butternut squash risotto it doesn’t seem matter what I eat, it doesn’t sit well, but I have to get the food in whether or not that’s a comfortable thing.  Hopefully this will do the job without making things any worse – damage limitation etc.  It tasted pretty darn good and included carbs, and the rest is in the lap of the gods…

The sun

Today’s entry is sort of like a three course meal.  Possibly four courses actually.  Practically a feast…

First off let’s start with last night’s dinner.  Butternut squash risotto.  Very few ingredients at all really (olive oil, black olives, arborio rice, homemade chicken stock, butternut squash roasted with salt and tarragon, and red wine), and the only one that I haven’t had of late was the butternut squash.  Now I did think that butternut squash and I had fallen out a while back, but my dietician was surprised that I thought that, and suggested that maybe it was just because I’d usually eaten it in dishes that involved other “bad” ingredients, such as onion, garlic, and so on.  According to the FODMAP lists butternut squash is safe.  What do I know?  So I thought I’d give it a go.  Ha!  That’ll larn me, right?  Having spent the rest of the evening looking about 6 months pregnant, uncomfortable, and back on the painkillers, I think it’s safe to say that butternut squash is not safe.  It is far from safe, it is about as safe as investing in Facebook shares, or considering Greece a sound financial investment, and I shall not be eating that again in a hurry.  Shame, cos the risotto itself tasted yummy!  🙁

Which brings us to this morning, when I still wasn’t feeling great.  It takes quite a while for my system to settle down once I’ve p*ssed it off properly, and I seem to have done a cracking job this time.  Which reminds me, I need to take some more painkillers.  Typical – this always happens shortly before a sportive!  Mind you, anytime is shortly before a sportive at the moment 😉 *grin*.  Anyway, it was time to go ride my bike in the sun again.  Yes – again.  Isn’t it lovely to have a little patch of consistently lovely weather?  Ok, there’s still plenty of inexplicable wind around, but even that wasn’t chilly today.  Cycling in one layer, with suntan cream applied, and dark lenses in the sunglasses.  Blissful :).

Mim set the route, as she finally has her new Team Hope Factory bike (albeit not with the right wheels yet) and needed to test it out.  This involved being mostly flat, with one big hill.  A route that had a great deal in common with that which I did with George last Friday actually.  Am I destined to climb Westbury Hill every Friday now? 😉  Apparently I get to be the QOM too, but that’s not really true, since I know that I followed a slowly vanishing Mim all the way up – it’s just that she doesn’t have the relevant gadgets, nor care for them!  As ever, I’m only QOM because I have no competition, as someone kindly reminded me yesterday.  I do know, there’s no need to rub it in you know! 😉  The top of the Mendips was windy and still hiding in clouds/fog, which the sun had yet to burn off, and it felt almost like a different day up there.

We made the route up as we went along after that, coming down a blissfully dry Old Bristol Hill, out of the clouds, through Wells for photo ops, and back home via Wedmore.  All very pleasant, apart from the fact that the sun brings out the eejots, who were very keen on re-inforcing the white van man stereotype.  I hate stereotypes, but this one really does seem to be true…*sigh*.  Some people just have no patience.  I’m presumably that if they actually knocked me off, it would have to be a hit and run, because stopping to sort it out would slow them down too much too?

Cycling time: 2:13:44 hrs.
Distance: 34.20 miles
Avs: 15.3 mph.
ODO: 13905 miles

I’ve been so busy since then that it already feels like days ago…  If I got paid for all the things I do for free I’d be a whole heap better off!  Mind you, I’d only spend it all on bike and bike related goodies ;).  Having managed to get a lot of my “to do” list done – go me! – I switched into cooking mode.  I wonder what colour light bulb that involves?

To start with I made home-made gnocchi, using a recipe from one of my new cookery books, to go with a bolognese style sauce that hubby made.  They didn’t go brilliantly well, but well enough that I’m definitely going to make them again.  The recipe used potato flour where I used rice flour since that’s what I had.  Next time I’m going to use gluten free flour, and chill the gnocchi before I cook them, in a bigger saucepan of boiling water, and then I reckon they’ll be even better.  They’re easy to make, and they’re carbs – just what a cyclist wants, right?

I then had another go at making Rudolph’s carrot flapjacks, as planned, whoever Rudolph is.  I hope Rudolph doesn’t mind, but I used sultanas (safe) instead of apricots (not safe).  Come to think of it I suppose it’s Rudolph because of the carrots.  Are reindeers renowned for eating carrots?  I thought that was rabbits?

They’ve worked better than the last lot in that, as you can see, they actually hold together more or less.  More rather than less.  More flapjack, less granola.  They will probably be even more cohesive when they’re properly cooled down.  Then I’m going to wrap a couple of them up in cling film, and see how I get on with one on Sunday.  The forecast for the Wheel Heroes is currently 25C, with an easterly wind, and sunshine.  Good thing that sun cream arrived today then.  Now I just have to figure out what to wear to be cool enough whilst minimising tan lines…whatever the rules say.  Weren’t rules made to be broken? 😉

 

 

Delirious

I wished it would get warmer, and warmer it has become.  And me oh my, but it is lovely out there :).  Would now be a good time to wish to win the lottery?  😉  I was planning on riding today whatever, and as it turns out, thanks to a torch, a dentist, and an osteopath, GB had the day off, so not only did I get to ride, I got company to ride with.  Getting better all the time :).  I didn’t even have to faff about layers.  Because that would be a plural thing, and today was a most singular thing ;).

I met GB in a very sunny Square at 1:00pm.  Everything looks better in the sun, and the Church was looking great.  Taking photos in the Square always amuses me – it makes me look like a tourist, and reminds me that Somerset is somewhere that other people come on holiday and that I get to live here.  A good frame of mind in which to go riding :).

GB has been threatening to do hills, including the glider hill, which I have to admit really didn’t appeal.  I am going to conquer that hill, but I’m going to do it by myself, without an audience, without anyone else to gauge my performance by or to interfere with my mental mojo.  Luckily when it came to it, we made our route up as we went along, with the main aim being to enjoy riding our bikes in the sun, not kill me going up hills.  Phew!

On the way out of town we startled a grass snake that was basking in the sun in the middle of the road.  Considering the fact that they’re verging on endangered, we did a good thing, because if we’d been a car, it would have been squashed.  I stopped and watched it for a little while once it was on the pavement, and then it slithered off into the undergrowth, free to bask another day.  I do like snakes :).

not our snake, but near enough

We headed off towards Wedmore, discovering that while it was most definitely warm and sunny, it was also pretty darn windy, even if it wasn’t supposed to be!  As you can see GB was breaking the rules (15 and 16, I believe), but then since my top was sleeveless (rule 7), so was I.  He was certainly looking very colourful, as was the scenery as a whole to be fair.  Lots of green, thanks to all the recent rain, lots of recently bloomed flowers, and then the blue sky and the yellow sun.  Somerset was looking at its best :).

We took a rather circuitous route to get to the top of Mudgley Hill, to keep off the more major roads, and avoid the traffic.  It also made a change to the usual route, and let’s face it, variety is difficult to find around here.  Odd how climbs that once seemed huge are now not so.  John’s hill (named after an ACG rider) was one we always used to descend, and rarely if ever do in reverse.  I’m sure it was bigger, or longer, or steeper, back then.  Maybe that’s how it felt because it was so much fun to go down?  But today it was just another unremarkable climb.  Signs of progress?  I’m sure the sunshine helped though 🙂  Round the back of Wedmore, and at the top of Mudgley Hill there is, and I think I may have shown it to you before, a sign.  And also a very lovely view.

Being up there meant we got to go down there, although the side/head wind did take the edge off the descent somewhat, as it made me a bit more cautious than I sometimes am.  A lot of the route out after that involved zig-zagging around and doing our best to avoid having to do too much slogging into the wind.  We went via Burtle, which is still a great name for a village.  It sounds like something from the Trap Door (BURK!).  It also sounds like something out of the Midsomer Murders – a quiet little village where nothing happens but where actually all the bodies are buried *grin*.

On a bridge over the River Brue on the other side, past the peat works, is this sign.  Which I always wonder about.  Who was he?  How was he killed?  Why was he so important that he warranted a plaque?  How has it stayed there for so long?  I guess I could probably do some research and find out more…but nah forget it yo home to Bel-Air! ;).

There’s also a boat where it ought to be (which I may explain in a future blog entry) tied up by the house by the bridge.  Small but perfectly formed.  I wonder if they use it much?

And if you don’t believe it was windy, I’m going to prove it.  I kind of understand wind when it’s grey and horrible and I can actually see weather happening.  It’s kinda hard to figure out where the wind is coming from on a day like this, but it was there, and there was plenty of it.  From the South West ish.

Our goal was Brean Down for coffee, on the basis that it was a good day for the seaside, but hopefully it not being a weekend and not yet being holiday season, the roads and traffic to get there wouldn’t be too bad.  And it wasn’t too bad, but there were still too many cars on the road for my taste.  Which is why, as I’ve said before, I tend to ride in the morning, because it tends to be quieter.  The only consolation to the slog there was that there was every possibility that we’d get to fly home afterwards which sounded good :).

I have to say we stood out like a sore thumb amongst the raggle taggle customers at the Brean Down Cove Café.  And from some of the looks we were getting you’d have thought we came from a different planet.  Nothing new there then.  We sat outside on one of the rickety as ever picnic tables in the sun and chilled out for bit.  My americano, once they finally a black one, was generously sized and very nice.  GB’s cake looked lovely…(she says wistfully..).  He chilled out so much he had to put his gilet on before we got going again ;).  We popped up to the beach for photos before heading back, as you do.  Well, as I do.  I have to admit to preferring my beaches with waves and rocks, but this one wasn’t bad :).

I loved these two – eating ice-cream and swinging their legs in the sun – very young at heart and oddly cute.

The route home was indeed distinctly faster, though due to the wiggly nature of the roads, the wind wasn’t as consistently behind us as would have been nice, but boy when it was…GB called it magic carpet time, and he had a point :D.  We parted company at the Webbington – I needed to get back, and given a choice between going my way and then home via the A38 or going home via Winscombe Hill, GB preferred the hill option.  Unsurprisingly – he’s so good at them!

Look – Wendy has reattached my shadow :).  Actually  I didn’t even notice the hill because I was so busy messing around with my camera.  Maybe that’s a tactic I should try more often?  Not likely to work with steep gradients though – I need to be holding on then! ;).

Cycling time: 2:22:21 hrs.
Distance: 41.49 miles
Avs: 17.5 mph.
ODO: 13870 miles

Here’s our route for information purposes.  GB reckons we were pushing it, and I guess maybe we were, but that’s probably because no-one wants to be the one to say “slow down”, now do they?  Pride is a terrible thing *grin*.  Maybe I should try to do that sometimes though…  I got home just before eldest, who decided it was time he took his revenge with the camera, which was only fair.

At least I have proof that it was sunny, and that I got to ride my bike in one layer, in shorts, in sunglasses…  🙂  It looks like the rest of the week may continue to be nice *fingers crossed*.  Having said that I have a sportive on Sunday so what do you want to bet it breaks by then?  Just in case it doesn’t, and having been reminded that the application of suntan cream is a good idea, I nipped over to Amazon and bought myself a couple of bottles of the Riemann P20 which I used last year, which I’d forgotten about, and which I’d run out of.  It’s brilliant for sportives – apply once, and forget about it!

Right.  One last thing to share with you.  Yesterday’s stirfry dinner, which was also today’s lunch. Ginger, green chilli, chicken, peppers, green beans, bean sprouts, carrots, sweet potato, rice noodles, Sharwood sweet and sour sauce, and coriander.  Good yesterday, and even better cold today :).

I really do need to start cooking some more interesting things, so in addition to the little gluten free cookery book I picked up the other week (not quite safe enough), I decided to get these two recipe books from the Book People that are even more restricted so therefore more likely to be safe for me if I’m careful.  I’m still being way too lazy about what I eat, and not eating the best from a fuelling point of view *slapped wrist*.  Yes, I know, I should know better…

They both arrived today and I’m looking forward to reading through them later when the mob are in bed and out of my hair, and planning some yummy meals for us all :).

 

Next to me

Ok, so it was a rest day.  But it was a rest day when the sun was shining and the road was calling, so when he came home from school, and youngest was duly deposited where she needed to be, MiniMe and I did the Nyland Loop.  In shorts!  Not like I had that much choice actually, as all Sunday’s kit was in the washing machine.  So it was shorts, sleeveless top, and minxy arms, which did the job a treat.  Parfait.

Cycling time: 0:48:03 hrs.
Distance: 12.11 miles
Avs: 15.1 mph.
ODO: 13829 miles

I know I call him MiniMe, but man, have you seen the size of him now?  Come to think of it, I probably ought to check his saddle height and position again…

We had a lovely ride in the sunshine, with no agenda, just enjoying being on the bike.  He’s getting better all the time, as he gets bigger and stronger.  When he stops growing he can have some proper shoes and cleats too – but I think that might be a way off, and he grew out of my old shoes a while back!  Maybe I should stop feeding him?

He quite likes being a blog entry – and even chose the title of this himself, because when we’re riding, that is where you’ll find him.  I am also supposed to inform the donor of his top that it’s very lovely and he likes it a lot.  This is as good a medium as any, so thanks GB! 🙂

Anyway, I know I look a right state, but here’s my boy and me, smiling in the sun.  He’s not actually that much taller than me, it’s a position thing, but hey, it’s only a matter of time :).

If I could, I’d make you understand

I do wish it would warm up out there.  I mean I know it’s warmer than it was, but it’s still not warm enough.  I’d have been wearing my legwarmers today if it wasn’t for the fact that someone had put them in the washing machine this morning when they weren’t supposed to…  As my longs are geknackert, I had to hope that shorts and a couple of top layers plus gilet were going to be enough and, though it was a close thing, it just about worked.  I left the route to George since I knew she wanted to do hills, and the only way for her to get what she wanted was for her to plan it that way.  Apparently this meant Westbury and East Harptree.  Well, that’ll teach me to let someone else take charge right? 😉  I have to admit to my heart sinking when she told me though…  Well I wasn’t really feeling in the mood for hills, as however good I’ve been on the eating front, for some reason I was in some pain this morning and had had to resort to paracetamol for the first time in ages, which meant I was definitely a tad grumpy.

Still, riding the bike is frequently medicinal, and I’m perfectly capable of going up hills these days right?  So I buttoned it.  I did not protest too much, and I prepared myself to follow along in George’s wake.  We set off in the nippier than it ought to be air, around Nyland, and then some gratuitous wiggling to take us to ascend Westbury Hill, because apparently today’s ride was about taking the scenic route…  It’s a long slog of a hill, but we still managed to chat most of the way up, so it can’t have been that bad, right?  I wonder if the shoes do make a difference, or whether I just think they do?  I’m not sure the placebo effect applies to footwear *grin*.  Actually, bearing in mind how much I love shoes, do my many and various pairs of killer heels make me look better or just feel better, and does it matter which?  Discuss…

 

This picture did the rounds a while ago…maybe I could combine two of my passions and have these? 🙂

Enough with the shoe fetish stuff (wonder how many hits I’ll get now I typed that in? ;)).  Once we’d slogged our way up to the top, we discovered that that’s where the wind was (surprise, surprise), in more than ample very chilly quantities.  It’s May, right?  Well it felt a lot like October to me…  It was a relief, and a pleasure, to take the long descent off the Mendips to Chewton Mendip.  I do love descending :).  Echoes of the Mario Cipollini Gran Fondo, as we went past Lynda’s loaf and the curb stone with his name on it ;).  I really must pop in there properly some time and try some of their gluten free (hopefully safe) stuff.

Look, a new sign for you!  Well, I was running short of things to take photos of…which is presumably why I’ve victimised George again 🙂

The stretch along to East Harptree was much more pleasant, and fairly fast, which mean that all too soon we were turning left to go uphill again.  A scenic hill presumably.  I quite like this climb, in an odd way.  It seems nicer than the other climbs up along here – it’s mostly less wiggly, longer, much quieter from a traffic perpsective.  George told me she’d meet me at the top, which met with my usual snort of derision…but actually, just for once, that’s how it actually worked out!  My getting on with it turned out to be faster than her getting on with it, and I waited for her at the end of the road.

It was quite tempting to take refuge inside though…but the sign wouldn’t point me in that direction 😉

It’s a sign that’s clearly seen better days…  We came home via Charterhouse and Tynings Farm, and my favourite descent…  Where I ended up having far more fun than I ought to have.  Three quarters of the way down the hill the quarry lorry that was ahead of me ended up not far enough ahead of me at all, and meant me having to slow down and follow it.  Way to ruin a perfect down :(.  So when we got around the corner to the straight bit and there was nothing coming the other way?… I put my foot down, pushed through my new shoes, and overtook him with, if I say so myself, quite some style *grin*.  What a buzz!  As I flew past and pulled back on to the right side of the road in front of him, he tooted at me in appreciative fashion, and when he finally caught me after I’d kicked away from the junction and was on my down the bypass he did the same again.  And it was definitely a friendly toot not an angry blast.  I had a massive smile on my face as I cruised into town :D.

Cycling time: 2:28:04 hrs
Distance: 35.48 miles
Avs: 14.4 mph.
ODO: 13758 miles

I’m doing the Black Rat on Sunday, and the plan was to do the 100km route, not the 100 mile.  Now that I’ve done hills today, I may well stick to that…but I guess we’ll see.  I really should as it was supposed to be a rest weekend!  It’ll depend on the weather on the day and how I’m feeling when I get to the top of Burrington Combe, having already climbed that and Failand Hill and Goblin Combe.  I don’t have to do 100 miles every weekend you know ;).