I couldn’t decide what to entitle this entry.  I was torn between “Welcome to the Jungle” (a.k.a Bridgwater) or “Just Hold On”, being what you do to SH’s back wheel when hurtling up the A38.  Bearing in mind I spent more time doing the latter than being in the former, “Just Hold On” won…

So, as you’ll have gathered, SH and I went riding in the typically balmy English spring weather.  Yep – the minute I got to the Square, the drizzle started.  Seriously, if you have a water shortage, just call me in – I’m gifted…

SW had an ambitious plan to go to for a coffee at some place in the Quantocks the other side of Bridgwater.  As ever he had under-estimated my sloth, and by the time we’d slogged across the Levels into a headwind, fought our way through the wild streets, and got lost coming out the other side, there really wasn’t time to get up the big ascent to coffee that awaited us.  Darn, what a shame.  I felt just terrible about that…

So it was back down into Bridgwater, where the rain began in slightly more earnest, and stopping at traffic lights allowed you to become properly aware of how wet you were getting.  Being time poor, (my fault), our only real option to get home was straight up the A38 and then the A370.  And what a joy that was.  Well, to be fair, to start with the wind was gloriously behind us, the road surface was smooth, and we were fair bombing along – the stuff cyclist dreams are made of.  However, after a while, due to the monotony of the road, the rain, and the continuous traffic – of which a large number were scarey lorries – I did flag a little.  I picked up a bit when we reached Brent Knoll, which I hadn’t been able to see due to the low cloud, as I realised precisely how close to home we were.  I think I’d been thinking it was a lot further, which wasn’t doing a whole heap for my motivation.  And I may be seeing SH’s back wheel in my sleep for a while – it was oddly hypnotic.

Cycling time: 2:41:36
Distance: 44.37 miles
Avs: 16.5 mph
ODO: 3663 miles

When SH pointed out how far we’d gone, I was a tad gob smacked.  I’d lost track of time a bit, but mostly it’s due to the average speed!  Not bad for me.  That’s what comes of going riding with a whippet *grin*.