Today was an ACG ride.  A very well attended ACG ride.  Though our numbers were a somewhat movable feast, there were, for the most part, around 12 of us.  Guy led us on a merry dance around the Levels to Fenny Castle for coffee.  And then off up and down the Mendips for those that fancied such antics.

I’d really like to have joined them for that latter part.  Cycling me is feeling pretty good at the moment and although I know I still ill compare with my peers going up hills, I also know that I will get up them and that I am getting up them better than I have been.  However it was not to be.  There were indications early on that ups and me were not going to be friends today.  But on the flat after that, hey, I can do that, and I did, and I enjoyed it.  I’ve not been out with the ACG in quite a while, and catching up with everyone, be it on the bike or over coffee, was lovely.  But while they were all drinking coffee to wash down cake, I had to use mine to wash down shiny pills.

So I decided that I would go up Old Bristol Hill with them, see how it went and then make a call for the rest of the route.  I think it’s safe to say this did not go well.  It went well from a Strava point of view to be fair, which is weird, but from a pain perspective?  Really not so much so.  Doing more of the same was clearly going to be neither a good idea, nor pleasant.  So it was time to bail.  Chris very kindly volunteered to join me, or escort me, or just generally make sure I got home in one piece.  Which I/we did, because by then it was mostly a case of fighting the killer headwind on the flat along the top and then trying not to let it take us by surprise on the way down the Gorge.  I wasn’t entirely all together though, and I’m not sure how well I’d have done without the company.  Gratitude be due 🙂

Apologies to all for bailing.  It’s really not my thing.  Mea culpa, but I didn’t really have a choice. Hey, I was still out for a couple of hours, I made it up a big hill, the sun came out, the hills were green, the sky was blue, and the flowers were not all yellow.  It was very pretty out there and once again, I’m a survivor 🙂

Cycling time: 2:13
Distance: 33.3 miles
Avg: 15.1 mph
ODO: 9294.2 miles