Fancy a long ride Friday I said?  ‘Bout 70 miles he said?  ‘Bout 4 hours he said?  That’s more like 60 miles if you’re me I said…but I’ll leave the route to you.  I’ve always wanted to go over the bridge to Wales he said.  I said that might be a bridge too far…but if not, I’m easy – I’ll leave the route to you.

And so S and I set off, in the rain, at 10am.  Out to Sandford, out via Churchill to Wrington to wiggle up, around the airport, and finally down to Barrow Gurney.  Up through Long Ashton, through the Ashton Court estate, and up the long 1:7 up towards Abbots Leigh.  Pedal through Pill, in the rain (it always seems to be raining when I go through there) and up over the Avonmouth bridge, laughing at the stationary Easter motorway traffic.  Down through Shirehampton and industrial Avonmouth and ’round Severn Beach to the “new” Severn bridge.  What now?  Coffee here I said?  But the old crossing is so close, he said.  Look it’s just there he said.  It’s got to be done he said.  So done it was.  We followed the cycle path, and went all the way across to Chepstow on the old Severn Bridge.  Definitely an experience to be ticked off 🙂

It was time for coffee and carrot cake, to put it mildly.  We’d gone rather further than we’d planned…but since the route home was more direct, it would be much shorter…no?  (No!).  And it was very good carrot cake.  Almost worth traveling all that way for, especially at that price (is Wales cheaper I wonder?!).

Off again, back into the drizzle.  Retraced our steps back to Avonmouth, then cut through cycle paths around to Sheepway and Portishead.  The weather had lifted a bit, the headwind in Avonmouth wasn’t as bad as feared, and I’d even dried out a bit.  Down the Gordano valley, and across the flats to Yatton.  Then finally, a little tired around the edges, we came back on the Strawberry Line, secure in the knowledge that we would therefore face no big hills between there and home.  A quick zoom down the main road to Cross to go up the hill and back into Town at 5pm.

Cycling time: 6:16:51
Distance: 85.691 miles
Avs: 13.6 mph
ODO: 9354.0 miles

So today, we went to Wales.  How cool is that? Land of my grandfather ‘n all that.  Which is weird – cos I always thought it was like, miles away.  Which it is.  But clearly not as many as I’d thought.  Having said that, I think I’ve done shorter sportives!  The average speed is probably down to the amount of cycle path used – it’s hard to do a decent speed on those.  Plus it wasn’t a race – it was a day out.  Pleased with myself because I don’t think I was holding S back too much, which ain’t always the case.  He’s very good at sticking with me too – no hurtling off into the distance leaving me cursing under my breath as I try to catch up *grin*.  Plenty of chatting made the miles pass faster too – always a good thing.

I’ve had my Torq Recovery, and a long shower – wet roads make for an exceedingly mucky me.  Hubby had cooked lasagne which was ready as soon as I was – very decent of him when you consider I was out rather longer than I had said I would be – and it made for proper restorative food.  I guess I won’t be able to tell how I really feel until tomorrow, but I’m feeling pretty good now.  I had a really really good ride – the only thing I’d have changed would have been the weather – less wet, more sun!  I feel proper positive about how my training is going.  Ok, so I’m a little tired, but I think I’m allowed that.  And a beer.  Definitely allowed 🙂