Category Archives: Training

White Flag

Sometimes, it would appear, the Verve have a point, and the drugs don’t work.  Today would be one of those days.  I suppose I could have decided to stay in bed and not ride at all, but to be honest that didn’t even occur to me.  Yet more proof that I’m not normal, no doubt.  Since I’d already said I’d meet the Somerset Cycling lot, I was committed to riding, right?  Besides which I really don’t like going back on my word, and how can the Friday ride become a regular one if I miss one?  😉  I was also hoping that a hefty dose of cycling produced endorphins might succeed where pills were failing, and besides which, sitting around at home feeling miserable really didn’t appeal.  Better to be riding, better still to be riding in company :).

So I took myself off to Mark as planned, in the usual way.  GB had warned me by text that it was colder and windier out there than it looked, and he was 50% right.  Typically that would be the half that was the headwind of course.  Not conducive to hurtling down the A38 at any sort of speed, but quite good for warming you up, so it was not one of my faster rides but it got me to where I needed to be, early as ever of course.

the grey and not at all winding road to Mark.

As I loitered outside the pub in Mark, waiting for the others, it was pretty obvious that not only were the drugs not working, neither were the endorphins.  Ah well.  It was worth a go right?  The rest of the posse arrived in dribs and drabs…late I’ll have you know.  Officially late, since the church clock had already chimed eleven o’clock before any of them showed up.  Sarah was first, and she’ll be thrilled that I managed to get yet another photo of her ;).

Then Justin, who I seem to have caught slightly in mail order catalogue male model pose…

Followed by Coxy and Astana Man…feel free to guess which is which.

Coxy explained the route, which involved heading out Glastonbury way, then round to Somerton and so on, and I decided that I would bail at Glastonbury and head for home – as I’d half thought I might when he suggested it by text first thing this morning.  A sort of compromise between not riding and riding – riding less ;).

Coxy explaining the route, with hand gestures and everything

Michael was the last to arrive, and he’ll be very pleased to see that I have chosen not to immortalise him this week ;).  We all headed out east and had a very pleasant half an hour or so’s ride out towards Glastonbury, picking up Carlo on the way.

Sometimes the pain is, oddly, a helpful thing.  It makes you go faster.  Either in some misguided belief that you can can ride away from it, or in the hope that the effort and energy being expended will subjugate it.  This was particularly true on the long straight after the lovely descent of Mudgeley Hill, inevitably into the wind.  Oddly enjoyable.  I was aware that this was probably only going to be effective for a while though, as I was still conscious of the niggle gnawing away in the background.  However well I was doing, and I was, at some point I would be hoist by my own petard and pay the price, and what with the route getting further and further away from home, taking the left towards Godney still seemed like the best move.  Discretion is the better part of valour.  Etc.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Michael had had similar thoughts, albeit for different reasons, so not only did I get to ride some of the way home in company, rather than by myself feeling sorry for myself, I also didn’t miss out on a coffee stop, as we had a break at Sweets Tea Rooms on the way back.  I think it’s safe to say that that all worked out splendidly :).

Cycling time: 2:01:21 hrs
Distance: 34.91 miles
AVS: 17.2 mph.
ODO: 12419 miles

My average went up with every stage.  16.6mph to meet them.  16.8mph by coffee, and then with a tail wind and the urge to get home, up to 17.2mph by the time I was done.  Not bad.  Even better still, as you can see, I managed – just – not to break my self-imposed two hour rule.  Rah!  Admittedly I might have let myself off the hook today, but it’s nice that I don’t have to *grin*.  And if that was too much whingeing for you – it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to *grin*.

Now I believe somebody said red wine was medicinal (it may well have been me) so I think I may have to give that a try later.  Then I can swop miserable for maudlin 😉  I surrender…wagon can wait!

The place where I come from is a small town…

It’s more of a large village really, but I’d recommend against using the ‘V’ word around here.  If you do, a small mob will probably gather and cart you off in search of a tree to lynch you from.  What with the long and distinguished history of the TOWN there’s probably also a small, long forgotten and still extant law lurking on the statue books that means that on Tuesdays in a leap year that’s perfectly permissible.  Don’t say you weren’t warned…

This is what happens when you’re riding along happily in the sun.  Your brain plays random word association games with the lyrics whispering away in your left ear.  There’s really nothing like the head space on a bike.  Especially on a day like today.  Maybe you have to have days like Sunday’s Mad March Hare (which must surely have gone down in history as the most badass ride ever by now) to truly appreciate days like today?  Days when the sun shines, the wind does not blow and, with a little judicious layering, you’re warm enough and can count to twenty on your fingers and toes at any time.  Should you want to.

I wanted to ride in the sun.  Who wouldn’t?  It seemed more important to take advantage of it than usual.  Judging by the amount of serious looking lycra out there, a lot of people were thinking the same as me.  Although I couldn’t help wonder if they’d have been out on Sunday… 😉  I didn’t want to do the usual type of training loop, as it gets a tad boring and let’s face it, it’s not all that challenging.  I did want to do hills, but I didn’t want to go up Shipham because today was not a day for PBs and I didn’t want to start off feeling slow.  That starts a ride off on the wrong foot.  So I did the Gorge instead, amongst other ups, in a nice sunny loop :).

The Gorge was betwixt and between.  Betwixt shadow and sun.  Between Winter and Summer.  Waking slowly from commercial hibernation, grockles emerging blinking into the light from wherever they’ve been hiding.  In short, quite pleasant :).  Won’t be for much longer…

a Gorge of contrasts

Clearly it was warm enough for mitts, as I can’t take photos riding along wearing full gloves – it’s just not physically possible.  I still had plenty of Rapha layers on though, and got it right today – *phew*.  I pottered up in my usual style, and put the worst bit behind me soon enough.  I stopped to be charitable along the way as, as a baby goat (yes I know they’re sheep but they look like goats), lying in the sun at the side of the road looking like a dead goat is a very good way to end up a dead goat!  With a little persuasion both little families relocated themselves to somewhere safer.  Good deed for the day done.  It must be Spring, things are clearly breeding!

we are family.

Just as well there wasn't much traffic around...

Somewhere near the top is a memorial to a car accident victim, that is clearly refreshed from time to time.  Which was another thing that made me wonder.  And it’s very emotive I know.  But at what point do you stop using the site of the tragedy as a site of pilgrimage?  Is it not better to visit the grave, or the cemetery, or where you scattered the ashes, or somewhere of personal importance?  Rather than the arbitary location where someone sadly shuffled off this mortal coil?  Hm.

Anyway, let’s get past that and move on.  Up up up, but not to the heaviside layer.  Up to the top, where usually wind would be, and it wasn’t.  Up to a long smooth rolling road, with dappled sunlight and nowhere better to be, which really really didn’t suck *grin*.  I just rolled myself along it, up and down, and enjoyed the moment.  A lot :).

 I went all the way along the right fork, took the left to the Castle of Comfort, and descended via a Harptree.  Last time I went down there it was wet and horrible and a little scarey.  Today it was a whole heap better.   Want to see the view of Chew Valley Lake from the top?  You can actually see it!  There are some much better, and indeed glorious, views on the way down, but that’s generally considered to be a good time to be having both hands near if not actually on the brakes, not waving around trying to take photos *grin*.

Chew Valley Lake from up on high.

The stretch across the lake reminded me that I was, once more, on the wrong side of the Mendips, by being that little bit colder.  Which is an excuse to go that little bit faster I suppose.  Weird how much difference those hills make, and how much shelter we must get from them over here.

Lake to the right of me...

Lake to the left of me...

Once through Chew Stoke, which is always surprisingly lumpy, I turned left up the delightfully named Pagans Hill.  The lack of punctuation implies that it was once a hill for many pagans.  Or maybe that’s where pagans were lynched?  A hill made up of pagans?  My rides go full circle, sometimes my thoughts do too ;).  The climb up to the airport is a nice gradual one that almost goes in steps, and you almost don’t notice it’s happening.  Those kind of climbs I like :).  You also get to share your route on the ground with the aeroplanes in the skies taking the flightpath down to the airport.  Having been born near Farnborough, having attended a great many airshows, and with parents who spent most of my life working in the Defence industry, there may well be a little aviation fuel in my blood, and I really do like aeroplanes :).  Come on, it’s pretty impressive that things that size can make it off the ground no?  I know there’s plenty of totally logical science behind it, but I’m going to stick to it being magic *grin*.  I’m not sure about this one, which certainly isn’t going anywhere anymore, and marks a small industrial estate nearby, but it made for an interesting photo.

Gate guardian

Mere metres down the road, by the entrance to St Catherine’s Church, is this wooden sculpture, making the most of what was once a mighty tree.  Did Redbull give it wings?  Is he/she about to take flight?  Did the wax melt, and leave it earthly bound, gazing wistfully at the sky?  I kinda like it 🙂

I don't know why...

...but I like it 🙂

My wings came out to fly me down Brockley Combe which I enjoyed immensely, once I made myself ignore the Total tanker behind me who, to give him credit, did realise after the first couple of corners (which I went ’round faster than he could) that he might as well hang back and wait until the straight bit near the bottom.  Many thanks anonymous tanker drive man :).  It’s a lovely descent but, though I can’t believe I’m saying it, almost not fast enough unless you pedal *grin*.

Shortly after that I came to my favourite sign in the whole world which I finally get to share to you.  Amusingly I’m always going left at this point which is, arguable, the wrong direction, no? 😉  At least where I need to go if I need a boost in the future *grin*.  I met a couple of touring cyclists here and we had a brief chat about the lovely weather, the best way to the Strawberry Line and whether or not my overshoes actually did the job.  (Yes, they do).

Motivation corner

I left them behind, feeling all smug roadie, and actually managed not to get lost around Claverham, which may be a first.  To be fair, I did think I was lost, I just turned out not to be!  There’s a couple of the most consistently disgusting patches of road around there, covering in thick churned up “mud” and stones, all related to one particular farm, and quite lethal.   I bet Dad knows exactly where I mean too.  If that’s the state they keep their farm and roads in I have to say I wouldn’t knowingly go buying anything they produce!

Not far to go now, as these things go.  Back through Yatton to Churchill to go and find the last chunk of climbing of the day.  Since it worked out well last time with the ACG I wanted to go back up through Rowberrow which I duly did.  Just to see if last time was a fluke.  And it went just as well, which was gratifying.  Up at the top the views were lovely, and I do generally find that the sunnier it gets the further it is best to be from Weston *grin*.

Weston Super Mare in the distance

That just left me the main reason I was there, if I’m being honest, which was to go home down Shipham Hill.  A dry, clear, sunny, swoopy Shipham Hill.  *happy sigh*…

Cycling time: 2:28:16 hrs
Distance: 37.7 miles
AVS: 15.2 mph.
ODO: 12384 miles

OK, not the fastest ride in the world, but it did involve a fair bit of climbing.  I certainly wasn’t pushing it, and I think there was still a little event recovery going on too.  It was however a very lovely ride which I enjoyed a great deal, and that’s really the point :).

A hazy shade of winter

Maybe this Friday ride with Somerset Cycling is indeed a regular thing?  Three weeks in a row and counting…  Perfectly timed too, as I needed to check out all the changes made yesterday were working ok before the Mad March Hare on Sunday.  It was another chilly foggy morning, but I took a chance on it not being as nippy as it seemed and left the base layer at home again.  Heading down the A38, being overtaken by some uncharacteristically respectful lorries, I was a little concerned that that wasn’t a good call, but as I pushed the wheels around as fast as I could, I warmed up just fine :).

a misty Mark Church

Back down to Mark for 11:00am.  I hate being late, so I ended up being early – as usual.  Check the time out for yourself!  Well the direct route is quite fast, and it was even faster today, thanks to having my wonderful rear wheel back on.  It really is faster!  And I don’t care if that’s just placebo effect, so there :P.  I averaged over 18mph getting there, so there must be something in it, right?

It be rural out here...

After a little while killing time in the twitterverse, I was gradually joined by various other riders.  It’s a different bunch of people out every time which makes it tricky to get a grip of.  Two different faces this week, two more unknown variables to ride with…

Elliot - looks fast to me!

Michael and Astana Man

Michael had kindly put together a route that headed back out my way – Mark, Weare, Webbington, Loxton, Christon – so that I could peel off and head for home when the time came.   Not as flat as the last couple of rides but flat can get a bit boring, and I do love some of those roads.  Very scenic, nice and quiet, and there are some nice little descents amongst the ups :).

Sarah and Astana Man near Loxton

We had coffee at Banwell Garden Centre which was a first for me.  Good coffee, and massive portions cake, if cake is your thing.  They also have plastic covers for their comfy seats, which is a good thing, as it makes me feel less guilty about sitting on them!  The staff were very friendly, and if you pick up a card when you’re there – you’ll be entitled to 10% off all purchases made (including food) if you turn up on a bike.  Very environmentally friendly no?  Mind you, I can’t think of much that I could buy at a garden centre that I could get home on a bike!  Packets of seeds maybe?  Which I’d probably forget about, leave in a back pocket, wash, and leave to germinate in the kit box by accident! *grin*.

...that's another fine mess you've gotten us in to...

Michael, about to tell me where to stick my camera...

From there it was easy to fly home.  Down the lovely straight to Winscombe, out and up to the main road, down the bypass.  My feet barely touched the ground…unless you count the traffic lights at Winscombe where Sarah and I were so busy admiring Elliot’s track standing ability, and wondering if he could keep it up, that when the lights went green there was a pedal related incident and instead of him coming a cropper, she nearly did!  How she managed to stay upright I’ll never know *grin*.  Never a dull moment…

I found a headwind on the bypass which ruined my attempts to get over 30mph, but still, in no time at all I was back here.  I know, it broke my 2 hour rule, but I did promise myself I’d try and take it a little easy this week before Sunday, so I have an excuse.  Having said that I was having so much fun out there I could cheerfully have done twice as much – even though it’s probably just as well that I didn’t :).  I’ll be grateful on Sunday I’m sure, as I’m slogging around in the wind and the rain…

Cycling time: 1:33:03 hrs
Distance: 27.75 miles.
AVS: 17.8 mph.
ODO: 12269 miles

I really need to get better at group riding.  Actually it would help if I was more confident in my own abilities.  Only I have this tendency to be convinced that everyone else is better than me.  If I sit in the middle of the pack I worry that I’m not pulling my weight.  And then when I get on the front I go too fast because I think that everyone behind me is faster than me, and I think I’ll be holding them up.  I don’t check behind enough, and then what with the way everyone goes up hills differently, and the fact that I don’t seem to be able to help going as fast as I can when I can I end up going off the front, which is a very poor show, and if I keep that up they’re probably going to stop letting me ride with them at all!  Sorry guys :(.  I promise to learn and do better!

On the upside – my brakes were working just fine, and the rear wheel went ’round as it should.  And I love my new Rapha mitts.  They fit like a glove (who’d thought it? *grin*), warm to the temperature of your skin, and I’d forgotten I was wearing them in no time at all.  Oh, and they smell of leather too, which may sound obvious, but is rather nice nonetheless.  Well lycra is frequently not all that fragrant *grin*.

 

Heaven

I love my Ultegra brakes.  I really do.  Not only do I love how they make me stop, but let’s face it, in that sort of gunmetal grey finish, they’re awful purty too :).  But, as is often the way with pretty things, they do seem to be a little more high maintenance than less attractive models.  Today’s ride got off to somewhat of a false start as I set off and was noisily reminded that the front brake wasn’t releasing once applied and had to turn around from the Square and go home and apply WD40 before I could be on my way.  Gotta love WD40 though :).

As I have my first event of the season on Sunday (about time too!) I should be taking it a little easy this week.  Not that I ever have gotten the hang of tapering, but I know it’s something you’re supposed to do ;).  I went through my library of routes and dug out a seaside loop to do.  I even avoided those that involved starting with Shipham Hill though I was sore tempted…  This one was relatively flat, and for novelty value I decided to do it clockwise.  Not just for novelty…let’s be honest, doing it that way around meant that I could finish up by going up Winscombe Hill and home down the bypass *grin*.

So how was it?  Overcast, indecisively damp, relentlessly grey.  Mild however, with not a lot of wind, and therefore the first ride this year without a base layer, which was noticeably more comfortable.  That’ll be the feeling of Rapha next to your skin for you 😉 *grin*.  I got my kit choice totally spot on.  So spot on that I didn’t make a single adjustment the whole way ’round.  No zip maneuvres.  No layer removals.  Nowt.  Unusual.

It was the kind of route I don’t really have to think about, though maybe I should have paid slightly more attention as I did deviate slightly by taking a turn too early and going through Lympsham by accident.  But then Lympsham is pretty, so it’s hardly the end of the world.  By the way, if you’re ever in the business for some wrought ironwork, there’s a company on a scruffy plot along by the railway line not far from there that you should look at just because this makes me laugh every time I hurtle past it…and it’s a long straight parallel flat stretch, so I do mean hurtle :).

...buying a stairway to heaven...

I know, small things please small minds…*grin*.  It was the only thing worth showing you today really, what with the world being covered in a blanket of grey cloud.  Not the best day for visiting the seaside, but at least when the sun’s not out, neither are the grockles.  Silver linings ‘n all that.

Cycling time: 2:06:47 hrs
Distance: 35.65 miles.
AVS: 16.8 mph.
ODO: 12241 miles

It was, oddly, a blinding ride.  I can’t explain why, but I felt like I was flying along.  If you’d told me my bike had an engine I’d have been tempted to believe you!  I guess it was a zone day – it just felt easy.  Effortless.  And right.  And fun :D.  I barely registered some of the ups, and even Winscombe Hill was marginally less strenuous than usual.  Just for fun I pushed it down the bypass a little and easily made it over 30mph before I had to turn left and ruin a perfectly good sprint finish *grin*.  Mojo rising :).

PS.  In deeply sad statistical analysis fashion I should inform you that today’s ride takes this month’s total to a nice round 400 miles.  40 miles more than February 2010.  Not that I’m keeping count at all.  Or competing with myself.  Yep.  Sad.  *grin*.

Something inside so strong

Another Friday, another Somerset Cycling ride.  Whether or not this becomes a regular thing remains to be seen but two weeks in a row is a good start, right?  Since we were meeting by the church in Mark at 11:00am, I set off around 10:30am and went the quickest and fastest and most direct route there – straight down the A38, and across into Mark along the Kingsway.  I’m not sure you can get a route any flatter around here!  It was quite mild, I was pushing it, and the wind was temporarily fairly absent, and by the time I got there and discovered the BW already waiting, I was convinced I was wearing one layer too many.  Since removing a layer wasn’t really an option since I hadn’t anywhere to stash one, and getting to the base layer which I really wanted to take off would have involved a degree of public indecency, I settled for taking the Buff off my head to aid ventilation instead.  Probably a good call as it turned out.  In the meantime we loitered with intent for a while, and discussed the necessity for remaining upright this time around, before we were joined like an Ark by the animals, by John, Sarah & Rob, and then Michael.

Andy, John, Rob and Michael

Michael and Sarah

There are several nice things about cycling with a new group, probably the main one of which is not having to think about or take responsibility for the route!  Michael had plans for going to Langport, so that’s what we did.  Our route went something like this – though I’ve had to guess the odd bit as we got lost on the way back and ended up in hell on earth (aka Bridgwater) – more of which later.

The route out was pretty good.  Essentially flat, apart from getting up to Edington and Shapwick.  It could have included High Ham Hill, an alliterative favourite, but luckily it didn’t :).  Michael did a good job of making sure I knew when to be where, which is really handy when you’re getting used to a new group, and I’m always happier if I feel like I’ve taken my turn on the front rather than just wheel sucking all the way round.  I like to pull my weight!  It was fairly fast.  Even faster every time the BW and John were on the front as they half-wheeled each other constantly.  Shall I make a comment about male egos or would you like to make your own? 😉  When it came to hills there was also clearly an invisible polka dot jersey up for grabs.  John attempted to put the BW in his place, occasionally successfully, and on one occasion he was so busy worrying about doing that that Sarah kicked his a*se and got Queen of the Mountains all for herself *grin*.  This is most decidedly not my thing and since I did hills on Wednesday and intend to do hills with the ACG on Sunday, I didn’t see the need to wear myself out keeping up :).  That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

We had our coffee stop at the Potting Shed, up at Old Kelways.  This was our second choice as we’d meant to go to a café in the centre of Langport but the snooty lady in the office adjacent to the space where we were going to park our bikes informed us, with ill grace, that it was private property and we should go elsewhere.  As it turns out this was a good thing, as the Potting Shed had very friendly staff, equally friendly clientele, and had plenty of space both for bike parking and inside for us.  To gild the lily, they’d had a minor baking catastrophe and their recently baked fruit cake hadn’t gone quite according to plan so they were giving it away free to cyclists *grin*.  Now that can’t be bad, can it?  Well yes, actually it can, if you’re me and currently unable to eat cake, free or otherwise *sigh*.  But hey, the mug of filter coffee to wash the next dose of painkillers down was good, as was the banter, so that’s definitely one to add to the list.  I reckon free cake earns a certain degree of customer loyalty don’t you? 🙂

The Potting Shed

spot my chair...

Sarah, John, Andy (BW), Michael and Rob

The route back, as mentioned before, went a little pear shaped, probably because there was too much racing and/or talking going on, so we missed a turn.  We ended up in Bridgwater.  Now I have attended some very nice civic events there.  And I’m sure it has redeeming features.  But they’re notable in their absence if you have to ride a bike through there.  The always busy traffic quite clearly hates you.  Random people shout at you, both from cars and from the pavement.  It is just horrible.  I will own up to having earned the car horn sounded in my direction at the junction where we turned right, but that’s because I thought there was a right filter and there wasn’t.  And if I’d tried stopping once I realised that, at speed,  I would have failed to unclip and ended up in an ignominious heap on the floor.  By the way, that’s a good word isn’t it? ;).  So apologies to the motorist concerned – mea culpa.  If I hadn’t been so spooked by the behaviour of the rest of your ilk I might have done better at reading the road though…

The wonders of traffic and so on started to spread the group out and there was a degree of stop starting to allow people to catch up.  Somewhere around the last climb into Woolavington I realised I was flagging a bit.  Luckily I was also ahead a bit – thanks to catching Michael after the lovely descent – and I had time to take in a packet of Lucozade jelly beans which seemed to do the trick.  But having been lost, and with time ticking on, I got to the point where I really needed to get going, so from around Watchfield I just had to take myself off and head for home.  Apologies to you all for being antisocial, and it’s nothing personal, but I needed to get home before the jelly beans and painkillers ran out!  I pretty much time-trialled myself all the way, as fast as I could, along the Mark Causeway, straight back along the Kingsway with my head down into the now quite irritating headwind, and then up the slightly more wind assisted A38.  I properly kicked ar*e!

Cycling time: 3:23:20 hrs
Distance: 59.92 miles.
AVS: 17.6 mph.
ODO: 12156 miles

If I were to say that by the coffee stop I’d averaged 17.1mph…?  Yep – kicked ar*e on the way home. *grin*.  It was good to feel like I could hold my own, to ride a different route, and to meet some more new cyclists.  Well new to me, not new to cycling, quite clearly! 🙂  I’m sure I’ll pay for my uncustomary effort in the next day or so, but it was kinda fun :).

PS: If you’re a girl, and a Rapha addict, you might like to know that they’ve got a 50% off Festa Della Donna this weekend.  I think, as my birthday is coming up, there are a couple of treats in there with my name on. 🙂

When I’m back on my feet again

You know, generally speaking, I’ve always found that breaking rules is more fun than following them, so why it should be so important to obey the velominati rules is slightly beyond me…  But it is what it is, and today I shall mostly have been obeying rules 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 21…  I could go on, but you’re bored now.  I could also list the rules I was breaking but…*yawn*…I’m bored now too ;).

Today was a day for hills.  Well if the weather is going to be crap, and there is going to be wind, then you might as well be going uphill right?  It keeps you warm, and is frequently more sheltered than the Levels.   You can see my precise route here – c: 40 miles, with 1049 metres of climbing.  Not too shabby I’ll have you know.   That’s nearly as much climbing as the Mad March Hare, but over less distance, so hopefully I’m well prepared for that now.  Less than two weeks to go and the sportive season will have officially started, which is quite exciting if you’re me :).

First hill – Shipham, of course.  I decided to actually try and push it up there for a change, and as I got near the top, you could possibly have heard me shouting at myself to push a little more.  Hey, it may sound nutty, but I guess it worked, as I beat my previous PB by 2 seconds.  13:53!  Get me!  How cool is that?  Yes I know it’s only 2 seconds, but every second counts! :).

Second hill – Burrington Combe, and as I neared the top, the rain started.  There were also some interesting wind tunnel effects going on which made the bottom section more challenging than is necessary.  Is going uphill not enough I ask you?  Up on the top the wind was, predictably, strong, gusty, and mostly sideways, leading the bike to do that dancing around like it’s on hot coals thing.  Not somewhere I wanted to be spending too much time – and I cut across to go down Harptree Hill.  I took the descent down very carefully, better safe than sorry as ever, and then pootled my way around Litton and the like to Chewton Mendip.  Interestingly enough it was about 2 degrees colder the wrong side of the Mendips, which made the rain that little bit more unpleasant.

the cattle grid to mark the start of Burrington Combe

going up Burrington Combe

the cattle grid that sadly does not mark the end of Burrington Combe! And as you can see, there was rain...

Third hill – the long climb up the A39 to the top of Bristol hill.  It was proper raining by now, but crawler gear was firmly engaged, the legs were going round, the wheels went around, and the descent the other side was much fun, even into the rain and wind!  I nearly managed to avoid braking altogether :).  However I decided to take the right turn near the bottom for Wookey Hole, for which braking in the pouring rain was then a little interesting.  Once that was safely negotiated I had to stop, put on my gilet, and swap the mitts for winter gloves, as I was soaked to the skin and getting colder by the minute, even if it was that bit warmer being back the right side of the Mendips again.

the view, in the rain, down to Chew Valley Lake

That pretty much covers the hills – there’s the lumpy bits around Wookey but compared to the first three hills, they don’t really count!  From there it was back across the usual flat roads to home.  The extra layer and winter gloves did the trick and meant that I got home still in touch with all my extremities, albeit soaked to the skin.   And for one blissful stretch on the Wedmore road the wind was behind me, Axl Rose wanted me to know how sweet I am, and all was very well with the world… 🙂

Cycling time: 2:35:08 hrs
Distance: 39.80 miles.
AVS: 15.3 mph.
ODO: 12096 miles

All in all I’m pretty pleased with how that went.  PB, hills, miles, time…tick tick tick tick :).  I was really pleased with my form – and I felt good out there.  Imagine how could it could have been if I really was on form and the weather wasn’t crap? 😉 *grin*.

Me - clearly a little damp, but happy 🙂

You’re unbelievable

Friday, and the mob are back at the KOW Leisure Centre being kept amused, leaving me able to ride my bike again.  Hallelujah!  *phew*.  Etc.  But what to do?  Well I’ve been meaning to join the Somerset Cycling Friday ride for ages and today seemed like as good a day as any.  To be honest I’ve been avoiding it because I’ve been worried about how fast/good they are, plus on the logistical front it’s a little late in the day for me – I usually ride first thing (ish) and they meet at midday.  But procrastination is bad, right?  Besides today I had the time, and as I’m currently happier cycling with other people than on my own, it seemed ideal.  That made today the day.  Carpe diem and all that.

A little after 11:00am I took myself off on a 13 mile cross country wiggle to Burnham on Sea to try and meet up with them, which turned out to be 48 minutes of slogging into a headwind with distinct absence of mojo.  This did not bode well, and when I was standing around getting chilly trying to meet them a little (ok quite a large) part of me was tempted to just say s*d it and head for home.  But thanks to the joy of text they were able to tell me where they were and where I should be, and I was able to find them.  Five of them, as it turns out, all kitted out and professional looking.  *gulp*.

Cycling with a new group is a tad scarey.  Different riding styles, etiquette, speed, personalities…it takes a while to figure out how it all works.  Luckily it was a pretty flat route, and for the first stretch out to Glastonbury the wind was behind us.  In those circumstances group riding is a lot of fun, because it’s fast! *grin*.  That kind of riding I can usually do, for a while at least, so I’m also less likely to get left behind.  In fact I managed to keep up pretty well until we turned into the headwind to head via Godney to Sweets when I did get dropped slightly.  I really hate wind…  However being a chivalrous bunch they slowed down for a while and I got enough second wind (pun intended) to hold my own until coffee.  Hard work but in a good way.  It’s probably very good training to push myself a bit too.  Mind you I’d have been doomed if it had been a hilly route though!  Maybe if I get good enough I can even take my turn at the front?  😉

We sat around a busy Sweets café and I got to watch cyclists eat large amounts of cake.  I’d love to be eating cake.  I’d love to eat cake and stay skinny like some of them.  Well let’s be honest, I’d love to be eating full stop but more of that later.  So would you like to meet the guys?

Astana Man

Peter

the Boy Wonder

Coxy

a camera shy Michael

Following coffee it was straight back to the top of Mudgeley Hill, where we variously parted company, leaving just me and the Boy Wonder to head back towards Cheddar.  The BW came a cropper as he turned the last corner before the descent into Wedmore and hit the deck.  Luckily I was a bit behind him but even so instinctive braking made my back wheel wobble a little so I think the road must have been a bit greasy.  After having been impressed earlier that he was actually wearing long trousers, it’s a shame that he now has large holes in them :(.  He claimed to be ok – hope you are! – but he may have been a little shaken, if not stirred, as he sat on my wheel for the entire way to Cheddar, and I think he scratched his plans to go up the Gorge :(.  He went right, I went left, and there I was, home again.

Cycling time: 2:34:44 hrs
Distance: 44.34 miles.
AVS: 17.1 mph.
ODO: 12056 miles

Quite fast no?  Especially as the first chunk on my own was only 15.something – and by coffee it was 17.3!  Coming home into the wind was caffeine and painkiller fuelled so didn’t noticeably drop the average.  My legs were really feeling pretty strong, which is encouraging.  There were times today when I was slogging along into the wind feeling like it was hard work, and then I’d look down and see that I was going at 19mph.  Let alone the speed I was doing keeping up with the group.  So it felt like hard work because I was working hard! *grin*.

So I’d like to take a moment here to tell you how impressed I am by my body.  And I don’t mean that in an immodest look at me kind of sense.  I mean that it’s an amazing machine.  Given all that it’s going through at the moment, the essentially liquid diet, the percentage of its calorific intake that has come from medicinal fermented grapes of late, the painkillers, and the fact that breakfast was just a banana, it’s just incredible that it can still do what it does and did.  Chapeau, mon corps :).

mobile MRI scanner

You come from out of nowhere

It’s half term.  Deep joy.  A week of being at home with the mob, with hubby away, and when the weather is meek and mild.  Unlike MiniMe who has remembered he’s a teenager and is testing out all the clichéd behaviours associated with that, and possibly throwing in a few new and innovative ones just to see how that goes.  In case you were wondering, this did not go well ;).  It’s just possible that I’m a little less tolerant than usual, all things considered, so when I remembered that the KOW Leisure Centre was running Half Term Activity Days it was manna from heaven…and I booked them both in for today and Friday.  They get a day of doing lots of things, and being generally kept entertained, amused, and stimulated, and I get a day’s peace and quiet, when I can ride my bike and get on with not killing small children ;).

Tricky though because even given the weather and the time, I wasn’t sure riding would be a good idea.  I’m still not 100% and I appear to be brewing a new cold to boot.  It never rains but it pours right?  However taking it easy and doing the usual loop on my own just seemed a little boring, and wasn’t motivating me.  I was considering doing the hilly training loop since at least that has more of a challenge element to it, and I do need to do some hills.  Then it turned out that there was a fledgling plan for a few various cyclists to be at Sweets at 11:30am.  The thought of adding a social element and a goal to the ride really appealed, but I didn’t want to give up on the hills completely, so I knocked myself up a compromise route.

First up – Shipham Hill.  In 15:06 – my 5th best time ever.  Ok, not brilliant but still – wow – wasn’t expecting that.  I need to do hills.  I want to do hills.  I need to check that I still have my crawler gear – that ability to just plod up hills however slowly, however long it takes – and it’s quite hard to find hills that are long enough to practice that.  Shipham is good because it’s a fairly constant gradient, an average of 9% I think, all the way up.  Clearly it doesn’t go on for hours, but it’s a start, and it clearly went pretty well :).  Having gone up, it was time to go down from Shipham, and around to Sandford, to go up Winscombe Hill.  More plodding, but still doable, and well worth it to go down the fabulous descent on the A38 which I only do once in a blue moon since it’s never on my way anywhere.  Up Weare Hill next, which was going pretty well until I got the kind of bit in my right eye that hurts so bad your brain explodes and you literally cannot ride your bike.  So I had to stop, fix it, and get back on again.  Annoying, but these things happen.  Hill climbed, and time to go over the top, past the golf course and the windmill to get to Wedmore, and then down to Sweets.

Ashton Windmill

As you can see it was a grey day.  You can see Brent Knoll in the background behind the trees if you look carefully.  Anyway it was grey, not very windy, and fairly mild.  It certainly made a nice change not to be freezing!  I did get a bit chilly at Sweets, as it’s never warm enough there, and sitting around there in clammy clothes is not nice.  The coffee was good though, and I chatted to various riders from various groups, which made a nice change from the usual riding by myself and talking to myself!  I came home over Mudgeley Hill to warm up, and down through Wedmore where the traffic was playing silly b*ggers so I just weaved my way through and left them to get on with it.  Gotta love being on a bike and not in a metal box right? 😉  That just left me to go round the muddy Nyland loop and then back through Cheddar to home.  Job done, and at a fairly respectable speed – there were hills in there and everything!

Cycling time: 2:03:23 hrs
Distance: 34.06 miles.
AVS: 16.5 mph.
ODO: 12012 miles

Not so long ago my little back light stopped working again.  Sometimes this is batteries.  Sometimes it’s just too wet.  This time I took it apart to see what I could see, and bits fell out of it…never a good sign!  Since I like to have something red flashing back there to make me a little more visible, I replaced it with this which is very lovely.  Visible from all round, with three different settings, plus it looks like a spaceship – what more do you want? 😉

Topeak RedLite UFO

It attaches to my saddle bag - handy

I also had to replace the inserts in my Giro Saros helmet.  Why is this noteworthy?  Well I realised that I’ve never had a helmet last long enough for that to need doing!  I’ve been too busy proving that they do what they say on the tin – which thankfully they do *grin*.  Somewhat impressively the inserts only cost me £3 too – bargain!

new Giro Saros inserts, in black.

When Smokey sings

With all these events to do, and the start of the season rapidly approaching, I have to start going up hills.  I’ve not had a lot of choice but to stick to the flat of late, what with the “big freeze”, or whatever the popular press are calling it this time.  Today I was planning on bucking the trend.  However the weather forecast was not in my favour, and I wasn’t sure whether or not to go out to be honest, as it was only -3C out there.  I hit the usual social media channels and thanks to the feedback from some lovely people out there, I decided it was probably going to be ok, as long as I was careful.  I planned two routes – an hour-ish one and a two hour-ish one, both starting with Cheddar Gorge – on the basis that I could decide which to do by the time I got to the top.

I’ll be the first to admit I kinda wimped out.  Well the Gorge was ok, but just ok.  It’s hard enough on a good day when you haven’t warmed up, and warming up today was clearly going to take a lot longer than usual.  I plodded my way up in fairly joyless fashion, keeping an eye out for ice and sheep.  To be fair I don’t think it actually went any worse than usual, I just wasn’t feeling the love.  But it was properly cold, even when climbing, and up on the top of the Mendips it was even colder.  Well there’s always wind up there, and this time it was a cold Northerly wind to boot.  Nice :(.

bleak midwinter?

the road to Charterhouse

So at the route split, given the choice between another very chilly half an hour or so or another very chilly hour and half or so, it was a bit a of a no-brainer.  Left turn it was, to loop around to Charterhouse.  The road from there to the top of Shipham Hill was…interesting.  It was hard to tell whether the roads were white because of ice, slush, or salt, and there was plenty of mud around too.  Let’s call it riding with due care and attention.  But Shipham Hill itself was clear, dry, and nearly as much fun as usual :).  But man descending was cold!  By the time I got home I couldn’t feel my feet or my hands, and my lips were going numb.  In this case wimping out was definitely the right call!  I can make it up at the gym later, or go for a walk, or whatever…but if I’d stayed out any longer I think hypothermia was a distinct possibility. 😉

Cycling time: 1:14:04 hrs
Distance: 17.23 miles.
AVS: 13.9 mph.
ODO: 11920 miles

Slow wasn’t it?  *sigh*.  I really need to get better at this lark…guess I’d best go cycle up some more hills again soon then :).

Birdhouse in your soul

Mondays are, in so far as I have one, usually my “rest” day.  However I spent yesterday having a hen spa session with the bride to be and a couple of other birds.  I tried, I did.  I tried really hard.  But I think it’s safe to say that spas are not my thing.  Pools are for swimming up and down in.  Jacuzzis bemuse me completely – if I wanted a bath I’d have one.  The pedicure did at least mean I had no choice but to sit in one place for an hour.  Enforced rest, with some form of constructive outcome – glittery matching toenails all ready for the big day on Friday.  Matching with the bride that is, because I’m her Matron of Honour.  Apart from the fact that that makes me sound as old as Methuselah, this is a very awesome thing and I’m very excited!  Imagine, a whole day that doesn’t involve wearing lycra! 😉

So Sunday was, as it used to be, a day of rest.  Which means there was no way today was going to be!  Especially since the temperature was above zero, the wind speed was in single figures, and days like that are few and far between at the moment.  Sadly it was just me though.  I could have used some company from a motivational point of view, but since no-one was around my options were limited.  Make that non-existant.  I didn’t plan anything other than the usual kind of loop, and I didn’t have any great expectations of that since these days I’m never quite sure how I’m going to feel on the bike.  This is not ideal, but actually riding the bike sometimes helps.  It distracts, and then there’s the endorphins…gotta love natural drugs :).

This is going to be a swan themed paragraph.  I think cyclists are quite like swans.  All serene and essentially motionless above the waterline/crossbar, but with legs frantically paddling/pedalling below.  So I swanned around the Levels for a couple of hours, pleasing no-one but myself :).

Three swans a-swimming

we are family

As you can see, I wasn’t the only one.  They were everywhere.  In fact I think maybe someone is farming them – there were fields of them! 😉

Swans. Not sheep. Swans.

OK, so you can’t farm swans.  Can you?  Is that like juggling jelly?  Maybe only the Queen can farm swans?  While I’m here – who did it best, Tchaikovsky or Saint Saens?  I appear to have gone off track but then it was one of those rides – your legs already know where they’re going, so your mind can swan around aimlessly *grin*.

Cycling time: 2:09:27 hrs
Distance: 33.67 miles.
AVS: 15.5 mph.
ODO: 11902 miles

My legs were actually feeling pretty good and they did fine with the odd (little) hill I threw at them – Mudgeley for example – but I think maybe I was taking it a little too easy.  I wasn’t pushing it for sure, and I was being careful as there were still patches of slush and the odd icy puddle around.  Either that or there just wasn’t as much in the tank as sometimes, because that’s really not the greatest speed for a flattish ride by myself.  But it was a ride.  A ride that was far more pleasant than I expected, as the fog cleared, the clouds thinned a little, and there was even a hint of blue up there.  Apart from a tendency for my left foot to go walkabout, the rest of me remained warm enough but not too warm, and all in all it went pretty well :).  And hey, it was a Monday.  Mondays are never great ;).  Must stop all this cycling around on the flat though – it’s time to start getting in some hills *gulp*.  Well the Dolomites aren’t flat you know!