Day 153 - Time Machine

On the day that 20,000 cyclists take to the streets of London and the hills of Surrey, I've concluded my week's cycling with a new personal weekly best of 83 miles. Frustratingly just 17 shy of today's London-Surrey route and definitely a target I now have in my sights to achieve over the next few weeks. While I often find there is more left in the tank, I find time is an issue; fitting in even the 7 hours I've spent in the saddle this week has been a challenge.

Friday lunch at the Cliffside Cabin

I've jumped a few days since my last blog, again finding time to to either cycle or write has been the challenge, naturally, cycling won that battle. Friday saw me use the bike on a short 2.5 mile circuit to meet up with the Seaton Hole gang for a quick bite for lunch down at the Cliffside Cabin; a much quieter venue since Old Beer Road was lost to the sea during last year's heavy rains closing this section of the coastal path.

Old Beer Road lost to the sea during last year's heavy rains

Contrary to the weather forecast, Saturday morning was gloriously sunny, but severely aching limbs from a week of hills made me think twice about taking a ride out. I also had a busy schedule ahead and little time to cycle. Oh, what I could do with a time machine! A small window of opportunity did come available later in the day for a sneaky 9 mile circuit. Avoiding all but the final climb up Castle Hill, for the sake of my limbs, I kept to level ground where possible and rode a very enjoyable circuit to Colyton and back.

Stats: 8.95 mi, 43m:27s, Avg 12.4 mph, Max 33.27, 482 kcal

Prior to my Saturday ride, I had in my sights my previous weekly distance record of 73 miles and these 9 miles covered yesterday broke this by probably just a few hundred feet. So, waking this morning, and seeing the promised rains had still not appeared, I had to get back out to establish a credible new record. I also recognised that I was tantalisingly close to my 700 mile marker .. but one record at a time, my focus was on smashing the 73 miles. Despite the aches, which had lessened from the previous day but were still sapping my power, and against my better judgement, I took the mile climb up Seaton Down hill with the thought of that long and fast Harepath Hill decent down into Colyford keeping me going. I had learned on my last AVP ride that locking the front shocks greatly improves my climbing ability, less peddle power being absorbed by the shocks allowing all of my effort to be used on the ascent. This definitely helped me make the mile climb and I think maybe even on increasing the speed of my decent, on which for the first time, I broke the 40mph barrier!

40.4 Mph!

The home run through Axmouth got me thinking about the state of our roads and the current favoured way councils have of repairing them, using a spray of bitumen and a layer of loose gravel chipping. While this may be seen as an economical solution to a never ending problem of keeping our road network free of potholes, it is an absolute nightmare for cyclists. I hear that the resulting rough sandpaper like surface provides a better stopping surface for cars, so yes, use it where stopping is required .. junctions and along side schools, but not along straight country lanes where there are no junctions or obstructions. I have also heard of another reason being that during the summer, this way of resurfacing is preferred to avoid tar being displaced under hot temperatures ... !

Skid Risk!

The reason for me bringing this up, is that our Devon council has been having a go at resurfacing some of my local roads and after being showered with chipping by an overtaking car doing more than 20mph, it made me think that the skid risk signs on display should be reworded 'Flying Chipping Risk'. I am sure in my youth they used to warn drivers of a risk to shattered windscreens but I guess the modern glass of today has eradicated that issue. Perhaps, therefore, they should say, 'Chipped Paint Risk' as since the removal of lead has certainly meant this is softer and more prone to chips than on cars of old, but I digress. My point is that announcing a skid risk on a surface which is designed to reduce skids is a daft thing to say and that cars may take more notice if there was an announced threat to their bodywork. 

Road in need of attention

Moving off the new rough and 'slippy for a bike' surface, I hit the join with the old surface which required me to unlock the front shocks and move into mountain bike mode in order to avoid losing all my fillings! This is like riding over cobbles and I can sympathise with the TDF riders who had several laps of the Arc de Triomphe at speed over covered but very noticeable cobbles. The risk of a snake bite puncture here is high. I see, if I read the writing on the road correctly,  that this will be resurfaced in 2014 .. good to know.

South Devon to surface from here in 2014

I am sure roads were better in the past, but then again I'd need the use of that time machine again to prove this. Funny thing, memories.

Stats: 10.04 mi, 54m:03s, Avg 11.1 mph, Max 40.4, 599 kcal