Day 138 - Saturday Morning Ride

Up early and what better thing can there be on a warm sunny morning than taking the bike out for a pleasant and gentle ride. Well that was the plan when I set out at 06:30 am this morning. The truth of the matter was that I really did not know when to stop!

I headed up Seaton Down Hill, that steep one mile climb out of the Axe Valley, and onto the main road towards Sidmouth. I had it in my mind at this stage that I would return through Beer and then call it a morning. However, there is this memorial along the main road, apx 3 miles from the top of Seaton Down Hill, that I've passed over the years but have never had opportunity to stop the car to see what it is all about. I thought, 'I have time this morning', so on I peddled, past the turning for Beer.

The memorial, I now know, is to a Dr Thoms Gilbert-Smith, who "on this spot at half past nine o'clock after watching the glorious sunset of August third, 1904, fell dead from his bicycle thunder and lightening immediately followed. Thus closed a noble life spent in the service of his fellow men. He never turned his back on duty, but faithful to his motto 'dare and do' remained undaunted to the end". What about that then? I hastily remounted my bicycle and dared to venture on towards Branscombe.

Memorial to Dr Gilbert-Smith 1904

I've not cycled out to Branscombe, where in 2007 the Napoli came to grief shedding containers of motorbikes and nappies along the beach, since first doing so with the AVP a few weeks ago. The route in to Branscombe is a beautiful down hill ride past the old church and wonderful watering holes. The route out, however, is a killer. As they say in the cycling world, what goes down must come up - OK so I made that up, but it is certainly true! I now know how Foome must have felt the day before yesterday in the TDF when he broke all rules in order to take an energy gel. It felt as though I had two punctures, I just had no juice left in the tank, I even got off to check both tyres were still inflated!

Branscombe Church & my Specialized Crosstrail Sport

Once out of Branscombe, having finally made it up that 400 ft climb, the road smoothed out to an easy drop down into Beer followed by another more gentle up and over back into Seaton. As if those 10 miles were not enough of a 'gentle' circuit, as time was still on my side I though that I'd continue on to include one of my week day morning extended Colyton circuits.

Specialized Poser

My planned gentle Saturday morning ride turned into an almost 2 hour, 20 mile tour of the local villages ... I must learn to sleep in! That said, my calorie burning Tour de Fitness is starting to pay dividends, as at last I'm seeing a few more pounds fall away, and I don't just mean those spent on new jerseys!

Stats: 20.32 mi, 1h:42m:21s , Avg 11.9 mph, Max 30.1, 1134 kcal

Check out those Branscombe Hills!