With the weather surprisingly clear, bright and frosty, my Sunday morning started with an 08:30 meet at the TIC for what was going to be the longest ride so far of the new year.
This was the first time my AVP buddies, Andy (Wilco) and Ed (Woody), and I had been out on a weekend ride since the end of November and it was good to be back on the road together. We decided on a route Wilco and I have done twice before, the first was a week before the AVP 100 in September (
Day 187) and the last was my first ride using SPDs back in October (
Day 223). This route takes us along the coast to Sidmouth, inland through Ottery Saint Mary to Honiton for coffee and cake, and returns via Stockland, Shute and Colyton.
40 miles of mixed terrain and 3,000 ft of climbing.
Our first stop was Sidmouth where the obligatory photos had to be taken.
From the seafront, we headed up hill out of Sidmouth and to our scheduled cafe stop at the Boston Tea Party in Honiton.
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Woody and Wilco on Sidmouth seafront |
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My Specialized Roubaix |
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Woody and Wilco @ our coffee and cake stop in Honiton |
Honiton sits deep in the Otter valley and thus it is no surprise that any route out involves a climb. Northcote and Stockland Hills are two painful 11% ascents but are relatively quiet and so when needed the zigzagging climb approach can be used. While still not a good climber, I was pleased, on this occasion, not to have to rely on this method to get to the top - I like to think this is a measure of my gradual improvement in climbing fitness over these past few months.
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The ride profile |
This was a tough ride; at first I thought it was just because I was still recovering from the Christmas break, but on checking my Strava stats, I found that I'd 40 new Strava segment records and a new one hour distance PB (15.44 miles) which considering the hills, I felt was very impressive. No wonder I ached so in places I never knew I had!
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