I woke up, looked out the window, saw the wind and the drizzle, and REALLY didn’t want to go out in it.  I texted G, but she didn’t reply.  I kitted up, and did the school run, and still didn’t see her, so there was no getting out of it, that was that…and shortly afterwards she arrived on the doorstep, all ready to go out.  Sometimes  you just have to give in to the inevitable I guess!

My main concession to the elements?  To take the old bike.  Well, it’s used to not being cleaned.  Such treatment could come as a nasty shock to my new one *grin*.  Besides which I’ve not yet got the hang of going downhill on my new baby in the dry, let alone the wet!

G’s standard solution to lousy weather, as I believe I’ve mentioned before, is to do hills.  Something to do with going slower so getting less water in your face…  Or avoiding the wind…  Or something.  I’m not convinced.  Hills are not nice.  How can wet hills be better?

Ah well.  We went from Winscombe to Shipham, through Rowberrow down to Churchill, around Wrington and up Goblin Coombe (there’s that Coombe word again), and then up Burrington Coombe (what have I told you about Coombes?), past Charterhouse and down Shipham Hill to home.  All of this in the constant rain, with coldish wind, and up on the top, a total lack of visiblity of any sort.  That’s what happens when what you’re actually cycling through is a cloud…

Cycling time: 2:16:00
Distance: 29.893 miles
Avs: 13.2 mph
ODO: 9745.5 miles

I should have used the proper yellow waterproof rather than my new one, which isn’t quiet designed for that.  I got proper wet, and I hadn’t realised how cold I was until I got home – it took ever such a long time to warm up and my feet have only just come back on-line.  I’m glad I went out though – it was better in reality than in anticipation, and I do have to get the miles in.  I also felt the hills went ok – I even managed to pretty much maintain a conversation with G up Burrington Coombe, which would, not so long ago, have been out of the question!  So, not the world’s best ride, but by no means the worst either 🙂