All this seemed a distant memory when early on Sunday morning, I left the house in total darkness to join my fellow Axe Valley Pedallers on a challenging 100 mile ride to Exmoor and back. The change in weather at the start of the week had signalled the slide from summer to autumn and it was going to be touch and go as to whether the promised weekend storms would even cancel the ride. Saturday was, in contrast, a glorious day of sun, blue sky and cloud, a perfect day for cycling, but all eyes were on Sunday and the Atlantic driven wind and rain due in the early afternoon. The deal was that we would go if it looked as though we could complete most of the ride in clear weather or light rain. A check made on the Club's Facebook page that Saturday night indicated no change, we were on!
My preparation over the last few months through to this week had been measured. I had been committed to my weekly 20+ mile ride with the AVP and averaging 60 miles a week in total. I'd joined the Sid Valley Cycling Club to get in longer 40 mile rides a month before and maintained this distance for the 3 weeks before the 100 miler. In the week preceding I completed two 10 mile rides, between the showers, just to keep the legs spinning. My last ride was on the Thursday morning to give time for any aches to have left my legs, which was something I experienced the previous week on my 40 mile ride out to Honiton and a lesson I did not want to repeat. I was feeling I had got myself to the required minimum level of fitness and was ready.
Having amassed a range of Lycra over the season, the decision of what to wear was the next challenge. The weather seemed to have put pay to my original plan of wearing the summer Sid Valley club top as it afforded no option to layer, I knew I should have gone for the larger size! The alternative was my winter jersey and risk overheating. The impending storm led me to select winter jersey with a thin short sleeved base layer, a good compromise. On top of this I would also wear a wafer thin hiviz shower proof jacket that I could roll into a pocket when the sun was up and out of the rain. For my legs it would be shorts, the temperature has to be in single figures before I cover up in full length Lycra. The bike received similar attention. I attached a larger saddle bag containing two spare innertubes, tyre levers, energy bars and isotonic drink tablets. Tyres were inflated to 110 psi, pump tested, chain oiled and water bottles filled. We were ready.
It was just a few minutes ride to the Tourist Information Centre, our meeting point, so after a leisurely rise at 05:00 and a cereal & banana breakfast, I rolled up alongside a few early arrivals before the town clock could strike 06:00. The group were easily spotted by their pulsating red lights, circling around the glow of a street lamp, like illuminated moths. Our first task was to sign in with mobile numbers and next of kin details, what did the next few hours have in store for us? Good to be prepared, Clive, our ride organiser, even had a first aid kit strapped to his handle bars! By 06:15 all fifteen riders had signed on, five ladies, nine men and one German schoolboy on a mountain bike! At this early hour, the weather was looking promising, clear of the forecasted rain and winds, as we saddled up and headed out on our adventure, knowing only that our route would take us north as far as Exmoor.
More to follow in Part 2 ...
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