Sometimes it’s nice to combine cycling with life.  As Sunday was Dad’s birthday, we had plans for a family lunch in Portishead.  What’s the best way to get there?  On two wheels of course!  With the support car bringing up the rear, full of “proper” clothes (ie no lycra!), the mob, and the bike rack on the back for the post-lunch journey home.   G was also planning on get some miles into his Sunday, so agreed to come along for the ride, and then head off and do his own thing.

We set off from the Square at the usual 9:30am, in distinctly chilly sunshine.  I’d gone with the winter jacket, wooly socks, and even my new buff to keep my head warm – and I was to remain glad of all of those.

You’d think going to Portishead was a fairly direct thing – and it can be.  It’s about 18 miles or so if you go the straight there way but…well…that wouldn’t get many miles in would it?  So, we went my much more circuitous route, via WSM and the like.  It took me quite a while to warm up – both physically and literally.  G is just too fast for me – and I did feel like I was having to keep up again.  Maybe it’s something about the “G” thing?  I shall take to avoiding cyclists with that initial at once! *grin*.  😉

Anyway, it was a good day for a ride, as well as for seeing the seaside – at Weston and at Sand Bay – it was clear, blue, still, and relatively tourist free.  I lost my toes somewhere around Kewstoke…but I’m going to have to get used to that again now 🙁  Hey, I’m sure they’re not essential…

G and I parted company near Clevedon – as he had bigger hills to climb and I’d been holding him back a bit.  At that point we’d been doing an average of 16mph.  Obviously, left to my own devices, and with the long climb up to Portishead, that went down a bit.  Just before I took the left to climb up in Walton in Gordano, I was overtaken by a white Buff estate car covered in their logos, which made me smile, what with them having sponsored me, and me sporting a logo on my back too.  I wonder if the driver noticed?  🙂

Cycling time: 2:08:32
Distance: 33.73 miles
Avs: 15.6 mph
ODO: 2471 miles

It was a good ride – and I proper felt like I’d earnt my lunch.  The weather was just lovely – much nicer than expected – but there’s definitely very little heat left in that sun now.  Time for the overshoes as well methinks.  And I really must get myself some decent winter gloves, rather than just talking about doing it.

I’ve also been wondering how much it would cost to get my old bike set up as a winter training bike – with new wheels (the old ones are slightly buckled), drop handlebars, and so on.  It would make more sense than trashing this one but…  Well, maybe I’ll go and ask Paul, and see what he says.