Day 216 - No Legs

What a way to end a week, up at dawn for a 45 mile tour of Dorset. This has been a week when, with the awful weather,  I was thinking that I'd be lucky to get in just a few short rides, but as it was, it has been one of my longest weeks in the saddle and my aching legs are witness to that. This fact is further born out by a set of stats Andy mailed me showing myself at the top of the AVP distance leaderboard!

So, why 'up at the crack of dawn for a 45 mile tour of Dorset'? Clive, our 100 mile ride organiser, let it be know the other week that he does a regular 40+ mile ride every Sunday morning and with the nights drawing in, I'd thought it would be a good idea to move my weekly ride from a Thursday evening to the Sunday morning and step up the mileage at the same time. So, when the weather was forecast to be wall to wall sun, despite having already had my Thursday night ride, it was an opportunity not to be missed. The question is, will the two rides now be the new routine and will my legs keep up?

Pausing for a moment at the carpark below Pilsdon Pen.

Five joined up for the morning ride, Clive, Andy, Chequers, Kevin and myself. This is a far quicker team to ride with than our Thursday group and I found that while I could just about keep up on level ground, after the first 20 miles, my legs were 'running on empty' when it came to the hills, such that it was all that I could do to keep them turning on the smallest cog - my Roubaix is great at that. This was one of the most frustrating group rides that I've ridden, as the realisation that there was no way I could keep up sank in. I have so much more training to do! Luckily, my pace was good enough for Chequers, so at least I was not left out on my own. All credit to the other guys, they waited for us at the summits as in true AVP style, no one is left behind!

Hot on the heels of Chequers, you can't really appreciate the gradient from this pic.

We started out towards Axmouth and our first 10% 3 mile climb up Boshill Hill, I'd forgotten how painful this one is! We turned off the main Lyme Regis road north though Rousden, Uplyme and up another 10+% climb to Marshwood. At Broardwindsor we turned south through Pen Coppice where we had wonderful views over the Dorset countryside, the sun by then was warming us through nicely. There followed a blissful 7 mile drop down through Salwayash and Dottery where at the 25 mile mark we turned west towards home. We returned through Marshwood, Rousden and Axmouth. I've never been so happy to see the welcome to Devon signs and the familiar sights of the Axe estuary which a few days before I'd seen atmospherically illuminated by the lights of Seaton.

A brief stop near Dottery

Looking back, it was a great ride and by next weekend, I'll be equally keen to join Clive and the team on another. For now, I'm strangely enjoying the aching legs .. endorphins I think they call it!

Stats: 44.68 mi, 3hr 03m, Avg 14.6 mph, Max 38.8 mph, 2,517 kcal