Bathing or Cycling? A Morning Ride With The Near Naked Man!

It's been a week since my last cheeky cycle .. when I took a morning off work for a winter solstice ride. The weather then was a little moist, so when I got a call from the Near Naked Man for another ride today, and not a drop of rain in sight, I could hardly refuse.

We headed out early, following a route in reverse that our old friend and cycling fiend, Clive did back in June. This included a bit of a detour up a farm track parallel to the Axminster cycle path, thinking Clive had discovered a new track and hill to climb, only to realise at the top that it was probably the result of a misplaced click on the map .. Clive obviously not having to follow the route on his Garmin as I was!

Just before Chard we hit a flooded road. This was when it occurred to me that we should have looked out a route previously ridden in winter rather than June! With the Near Naked Man dressed for bathing as well as cycling, he took one for the team and proceeded across the lake while I watched should he disappear down a pot hole!

Near Naked Man takes one for the team!

Having already included an unscheduled mile or so, we decided to miss out the original Charmouth and Lyme loop, favouring a blast through Marshwood and the homeward descent via Rousdon. Still a 60km ride and over 3k ft of climb, so not at all shabby for a Winter, post Christmas feasting ride!

End of an Era .. The Broom Wagon Closes

Nineteen months ago the Broom Wagon, an independent speciality coffee shop surprisingly opened in sleepy old Seaton. On Wednesday this week, I sadly had the honour of being both its first and last customer. Seaton was just not ready for speciality coffee!

It was back in May 2014, that I tasted my first Broom Wagon coffee, since which time the shop has been a source of solace and social intercourse. It's proprietor,  Glenn also known as the Near Naked Man for his support of the male cancer awareness charity, has over these many months, become a valued friend and cycling buddy and long may this continue .. even without the draw of good coffee!

The Broom Wagon has introduced me to more than just a new friend and a better pallet for good coffee. Earlier this year my love of cycling and art were also brought together over a coffee and a chat with local artist, Richard Webster. The Broom Wagon had already a wall adorned with Richard's paintings of Lizzy Armistead & Lucy Garner and he was about to add a third. Not just any cyclist, but Mark Cavendish! Before Richard had even put brush to paint, the commission was sealed!

The painting now adorns my wall .. together with it's 'on loan from me' label, the plan having been that Cav would return to the Broom Wagon during the Tour de France, something which sadly will now not happen.

We don't know as yet what the new owners will do with the Broom Wagon, nor even whether its name will remain. It is doubtful, however, that anyone will ever have Glenn's passion or OCD for barista perfection .. but I'll keep you posted.

Bring on the Festivities!

This weekend marked the start of the season's festivities, with the purchase of a Christmas tree for the Tour de Fitness homestead on Saturday and the AVP Cycling Club's Christmas dinner on Sunday.

Let the seasons festivities commence

Ahead of such festivities what, or so I thought, could be better than a good ride out with the club's Sunday morning speed merchants. I was feeling good after my triumph in the rain on Thursday and what better time to also take on that nagging chimp!

The 'AVP Sunday 8am ride' had a surprisingly good turnout. 10 riders rolled up, more than we've ever had out before on the early morning quick ride. May be the mild dry calm weather and forecasted heavy rain due to return next week provided that unprecedented additional encouragement! We took the first couple of miles out to Colyton at a steady pace and just as I was getting into the groove we came upon a skittish pony requiring us to pass quiet and wide. So what do I do, yes, I attempt to bunny jump the curb only to leave my trailing wheel in the gutter, unceremoniously launching myself to slide along the pavement with all the finesse of a duck landing on an icy pond. Unfortunately for me, there was no ice for an excuse nor to prevent the asphalt induced rash on elbow and hip. Fortunately the kit I was wearing was not as wafer thin as those the pros continue to shred on such occasions, so at least I was able to retain some dignity!

Once back on the road, we made good progress in a steady chaingang over Luppit and Smeatharpe Common. Clive loves a chaingang but I know it is not to everyone's liking, particularly when you just want to have a pedal and a chat. On a chaingang  you are continually changing position as you take turns on the front and rotate like a large chain between two cogs.

No video today, so how about a cartoon strip!

This worked surprisingly well, although with no amazing tailwind today, my heart rate remained entrenched in the anaerobic zone at best. I have more recently only stuck with this group for the first hour for fear of slowing them too much but, today, the determination to silence that chimp was to be my undoing. On the final Stockland climb, as I pulled up to join Ed for a quick food stop, my left thigh cramped up with the worst pain and immobility I have ever had the misfortune to experience. Just working out how to get off the bike took a feat of joint ingenuity. After a few minutes of stretching it miraculously cleared, albeit leaving that feeling that it could return at any time I over stressed it.

Lucky for me, I have two great cycling pals in Ed and Shaun, who returned to see how we were doing. Both stayed with me over the remaining 5-10 miles of gentle pedalling back to Seaton in the spirit of true domestiques.

Once showered it was off to the Christmas party. Sat chatting with friends, beer in hand and the anticipation of a hearty Christmas meal, the pains in arms and legs, shredded skin and aching muscles, were soon forgotten. Such is the power of friendship and laughter .. bring on the festivities!

Another Soggy Thursday Night Ride

Two years ago, Cycling Weekly published a top 40 list of Cycling New Year's Resolutions and I was satisfied in making an early start in ticking off number 20, "Ride in the Rain". It was day 319 of my Tour on which I headed out with Rex. It was a typical AVP evening ride but less typically, on this occasion, there were just the two of us, obviously no one else feeling the need to ride in the rain!

Last night's ride followed a similar script. My weather app said rain would cease at 6pm and I was prepared to believe it. Pedalling over to the Kings Arms through a light drizzle to meet Buster, Handbag and Ed, I was still prepared to believe it. By the prerequisite wait time later, with still only us four in attendance, it was clear that no other Pedaller was, however, prepared to believe it!

Unperturbed, Buster headed off to pick up the hardy MTBs who would never let a little precipitation get in the way of a mud bath. Handbag headed home to prepare to lead the 7:30 ride, should anyone believe the rain would relent, while Ed and I hunkered down and headed north, into the hills.

Agreeing on a strategy of keeping clear of the main roads, cyclists being notoriously difficult to spot in such conditions, we repeated the route of the Sunday Ride, I led back in March. This is the one which took us through Colyton, Whitford, Kilmington, across the A35 along the Yarty to Stockland. Up Stockland Hill we climbed in near zero visibility, rain splattering on my face and glasses and mist steaming them from the inside. There was no light in the sky, the moon being truly masked by the low cloud, and our light beams struggled to pick out any discerning bumps and pits in the road.

For the first time in 3 of my previous rides along this road, we correctly made the left turn off Nothcote into Hutgate Road, negating the need then to have to decide on which climb to make out of Honiton which has, for me, become the recent norm! Instead, we soon found ourselves back across the A35 by the Colourwheel. We gingerly took the Northleigh Hill Road descent, and making a change from the Sunday Ride, crossed over the River Colly into the terrifically named Bonehayne and Purlbridge Road returning us to Colyton.

Colyton Christmas lights

Riding through Colyton, the Christmas lights were stunning, probably made even more spectacular through the kaleidoscope vision of rain splattered glasses. Back at the White Hart, it being an away night, we tried to dry out a little by the fire. We met up with 4 mud splattered MTBers and Handbag who while having not had any takers for the 7:30 ride were joined by Barbunny for the amazing feast of cheesy chips and chicken pieces. Like true athletes, we did not let the mound of food defeat us .. the perfect way to end a soggy good ride!

Day 1000 - The End of The Pedalabout

It is just over 1000 days ago that I started my Tour de Fitness. This was when I returned to cycling some 30 years since I last owned a bike. It was in March 2013 that I collected a shiny new heavy hybrid cycle and proceeded to puff and wheeze my way to fitness and oh how I needed to get fit.

It was on Day 83, as I was measuring my tour in days back then, that my cycling took a momentous step change. It was a warm Thursday in May and I was enjoying a lunchtime treat of fish & chips on the beach. Reading the local newspaper that I'd picked up from the chippy, there was a writeup on the local cycling club having just returned from a trip to Brittany. It stuck in my mind as I walked through the roundabout on the seafront,  when I spotted a sign "The Pedalabout .. Seaton Town Council in partnership with the Axe Valley Pedallers Cycle Club".. a seed was definitely sown, I needed to find out more about this club, the AVP.

The Pedalabout - May 2013

Back home, I looked the AVP up on the internet and the following words leaped out at me  .. "Thursday night is club night. We meet at the Kings Arms in Seaton for plenty of chat, chips, a beer or two, maybe a cake and perhaps even some cycling! Thursday nights are all about socialising and having fun. We depart at 6:30 pm when a road ride and a mountain bike ride will set off aiming to return to the pub for beer and chips around 8:30pm." .. I was hooked, I went along, we did more miles in that one evening than I'd ever done before and the rest is history!

Over the past 900 or so days, since that first meeting with the Pedallers, I have always looked fondly on the Pedalabout. I've even joined the gang re-painting, sweeping and tidying it before the annual Grizzly runners from across the country come to town. It came as quite a shock therefore, to find it unceremoniously dismantled last weekend, bikes piled in a corner, to make way for Christmas lights!

I had to hit social media to express my concern over the lack of 'partnership' in making this decision to tear down the Peadalabout! The Town Council to be fair, came straight back .. such is the power and immediacy of social media. @TownClerkDrake replied "not torn but taken down for new Christmas lighting display and then new features to be agreed in new year" .. yes I was being a little emotive in my 'torn down' statement ..  perhaps little tabloid, but it got me noticed!

The Pedalabout is 'Torn Down' - November 2015

@TownClerkDrake went on to say "the display was shot to pieces and not a good reflection on the town, so once lights are down we will ensure proper display".

I my view, there is much in Seaton which looks shot to pieces and not a good reflection on the town, but I would have to disagree that this could be said for our set of Google coloured bikes. I believe they have been there since the Tour of Britain passed through in 2009 and such I would agree that such a time spent in salty air and sea spray does take its toll on steel .. but through my rose tinted specs they looked fab to me!

Some fellow social media followers also commented: GM "I would have wrapped the bikes in lights"  .. CA "I loved them" ...  DR "Quite disgraceful !" ...   RG "Oh Goodness" ...   GB "R.I.P colourful bicycles" .

We will have to see what @TownClerkDrake thinks is a 'proper display' in the new year,  whether the AVP 'partnership' can continue and if the Pedalabout's replacement will equally inspire someone else to go and do something inspiring and that they've never done before.

Cycling Weekly 2016 Race Bike of the Year

Catching up on my Cycling Weekly reading in my new coffee shop find of the year, Sidmouth's Cycle Service, I was drawn in by the headline article, 2016 Race Bike of the Year. 

Within the glossy pages, viewed on my iPad, the magazine lists its top 10 by category. Best endurance, disc brake, endurance, light weight, aero and best value. Whenever I'm looking at reviews it is always pleasing to see something I own and for it not to be in the "don't buy" category! On this occasion, I was understandably pleased to see my two Specialized stable mates mentioned favourably in dispatches, even if not the all out winner. 

My 2 year old Roubaix, which has now carried me safety over more than 5,000 miles of pedalling, receives recognition in the disc brake category. OK, so while discs were new to 2015 and so are not supported on my 2013 variant, I can still seek solace in its namesake getting a few column inches in this write up. 

Further through the article, we come to the endurance winner and within the list of runners is my Tarmac. I have to disagree with their view that the 52/36 chainrings are perfect ratios for all types of riding, but this may be because, labelled by British Cycling as veteran, I  am 20 years over the prime pro cycling age group. Otherwise I can not fault the praising comments and the maximum 10/10 marks given for 'ride' makes me smile .. just as riding the Tarmac for real does!

The overall winner is a matt black stealth like Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 6.0 on Cosmic wheels and a price tag to match, so I'm not sure they've compared apples with apples here. Even more special, therefore, in my rides getting a mention. 

Found Another Coffee Shop

I've always thought the most perfect bike shops are those selling coffee, and the most perfect coffee shops are those selling bikes. Over the past year, I've now discovered four such establishments.

In Bristol during my sabbatical, I came across the Mud Dock Cycleworks & Cafe. This is probably the most substantial twinned shop I've found, with a Cafe which does far more than coffee and cake. In Portland, on my first 100 miler of the year, I lunched at Cycleccino, probably the smallest bike shop duo, with a very informal and somewhat amateurish but honest cafe. The third was Veloton Bicycle Shop, found in Tetbury. This is a small cafe fronted shop where the coffee seems to be secondary to the fashionable Italian bikes and clothing. I had to really want to try out the coffee to stop here, as the welcome was a little cool, as though the shop itself was just "too cool for school!".

The forth I found today, whilst out on an early morning ride with fellow AVPer, Kelly. This was the new Cycle Service cafe and bike shop, much closer to home, located in the grand old Sidmouth Post Office. Although there were plenty of bike stands outside, not carrying bike locks with us, we ventured inside wheeling our bikes just for a look. We received such a warm welcome and not being overly busy,  having received the offer to park up in side, we could hardly refuse staying for coffee and cake!

They have a lovely setup there and I can see it being a regular stopping point, certainly during the winter short rides on the way out of Seaton or after a longer ride on the way back. The interior has a good sized bike service area near the entrance and a back wall lined with Park Tools to die for. This is then surrounded with bikes and bits to buy. The cafe and tables are through the shop to the left, giving good vantage point to brows the wares from a distance. Adorning the wall at this end, there is a blackboard advertising rides and an array of cycling jerseys, naturally including a number from the local Sid Valley CC .. I wonder if they would consider adding an AVP jersey into the mix .. it would certainly make for a warm welcome to their nearest neighbouring club? .. I'll have to bring it up in conversation when next in, I'm sure I can find a spare jersey in my collection!

AVP Evening Ride - Taking it Easy

Thursday, provided great conditions for an evening ride, storm Barney had moved on and we had no rain as eight Pedallers mustered at the Kings Arms. Quiff, Andy and the Near Naked Man were in our numbers, so it was either going to be a quick one or we'd need to split ranks!

Handbag and Gillian headed back to join the 7:30 ride after the climb out of Axmouth and Recumbent, Manx guy and I decided to wave goodbye to the Near Naked Man, Andy and Quiff in Lyme Regis, as there was no way we were all going to stay together. The quick group climbed over and into Charmouth, Wooton Fitzpane and Coney's Castle, while us three took the more gentle climb through Uplyme and Yawl. Although not too steep, this Yawl climb is quite relentless and a good one for me to remember when wanting to work on my climbing stamina.

Once at the A35, at the summit of this Yawl hill climb out of Lyme, with time still on our hands, we decided on adding in a circuit of Axminster before heading back to Seaton via Kilmington. It was on exiting Axminster at the crossing of the A35 into Kilmington that we picked up another rider - a college student returning from Exeter in jeans, trainers, carrying a rucksack and no mudguards .. oh to be young again! We shepherded him back to Colyton following which Manx guy & I finished the ride back at the Kings Arms, joining 3 MTBers for quality beer, chips & chat ... my kind of ride!

Get That Chimp Off My Shoulder

Have you ever been out riding with your club and you think you're in for a quiet spin until unexpectedly the 'keen quick one' rolls up. I've spoken in the past  of how the dynamics of a ride can change dramatically depending on who you are out with and this Thursday's club ride was a typical example.

What frustrates me most, however, is how quick I am to convince myself that it's going to be tough and I'll never keep up, so why bother even trying. It's like that inner chimp of mine, just sitting there on my shoulder, chattering negativity into my ear! It's become a little comical to be honest but I do just hate getting dropped!

Get That Chimp Off My Shoulder

So, perhaps that's going to have to be my 2016 New Year's Resolution .. to get that chimp off my shoulder!

Tarmac Gets A French Compact Upgrade

I've been on holiday in Norfolk this week, not cycling but walking on this occasion. Norfolk is a great location for for doing both, its expansive never ending horizons provide for long days even in winter. This is because it is generally flat, devoid of the hills and hillocks I've become so familiar with on my cycling tours of Devon. In Norfolk, I could probably pedal forever. Here in Devon, my treasured Specialized Tarmac has been beaten on some hills, its semi pro 52/36 crank just simply runs out of steam on some of the more severe climbs. You may remember that in the summer, I chose to take my older Roubaix with its 50/34 compact chainring to climb Mont Ventoux. So, while I've not done any cycling this week, I have taken the opportunity to Devonise the Tarmac. Yes, I've upgraded the chainrings to the hill climbing 50/34 compact configuration.

This is a change I've been pondering for some months. I originally added the Tarmac to my stable to give me greater speed on the straights. My feeling being that the Roubaix was soaking up power through its gel suspension system and that the Tarmac's rigidity and better gear ratio would give me the increased speed I was seeking. In the stats below, the Tarmac (semi-pro) is shown above the Roubaix (compact). The left figure shows the gear ratio for the big ring / small socket - flat riding and right the small ring / big socket - climbing configuration ..

In moving to the compact chainring, I assessed - using a handy iPhone app - that over 10 miles, I'd be just 43 seconds slower and have to spin my legs an additional 65 rotations .. this assumed the impossible that I'd find a 10 mile level piece of road and was physically able to maintain 90 rotations a minute and a speed of 33 miles per hour! This settled it, until I move to Norfolk, being able to actually make it to the top of hills was going to be more important than any 'marginal gains' over the non existent flats! 

The next job, was tracking down the parts and fitting them. I had some really good advice from Chain Reaction, Wiggle and a new find, Tweeks Cycles. Both Wiggle and Tweeks recommended a French manufacturer's chainrings, TA Zephyr. Chain Reaction and Tweeks provided the most useful advice, so I sourced the rings from Tweeks and the tools from Chain Reaction, it seemed only fair .. particularly as Wiggle get most of my other business.

Fitting them was surprisingly easy. The 5 screws came free after initially breaking them free and then it was just a simple case of swapping one for the other. I think the new black TA Zephyrs look much smarter than the standard FSA fittings, and perhaps even a little lighter - may be I will find 'marginal gains' after all!

I was not sure if I would need to shorten the chain. The forums did not seem to agree on this. My plan was to compare chain lengths with my Roubaix, now of the same configuration, but could not believe it when they were an identical 54 links! I found, however, that the chain clunked a little when leaving it unchanged, so removed a link and found it to run much smoother. This was most odd, considering the bikes are the same size. The other change was to the height of the front derailer. This was, however, another inexact science. I think the final position chosen is OK as in the test ride gear changing was smooth enough, naturally time will tell!

I'm now hoping for a dry weekend sometime soon to take it on a hillclimb test .. may be even another trip to Mont Ventoux in the summer?!

Firmly Back in the Saddle

Yes, Thursday has come around quick and it is lucky that I did break the curse of the reluctant cyclist last week, as with the clocks going back on Sunday even my afternoon tea breaks are now taken in the dark. Building the motivation to cycle out in what one can only consider to be the middle of the night is taking some effort!

Feeling like that French tyre manufacturer's advertising fella, I waddled in goat feet to the road wheeling my trusty Roubaix, rear wheel still complete with its mighty dent which has the effect of blurring the transition between smooth and bumpy road surfaces. Arriving at the Kings Arms, I team up with 8 other Pedallers. It is always interesting to see who is going to be out, as rarely are there the same faces. Tonight we are joined by Glenn, Airfix and Andy but have lost Steve, Peter and Derek. The faces also determine the style of ride. If Clive had arrived, he would have joined up with Glenn for a sprint ride and I would have to make the decision to join them or stay with the slower ride. Had my old friend Andy turned up, he too would have joined the speedsters and the decision would have been made, the slow ride would be the only way I would live to see another day!

As it was, these 9 riders who had found this dry gap in the weather were happy to stick together and temper the speed for another day. The route we took was hatched by Barry following last week's ride, over an apres cycling beer. The first 11 miles took us up a steady climb, through Colyton, Shute, across the A35 and along the full length of Stockland straight turning west just before meeting the A30. The second half of the route should have been all down hill, had, Glenn, Airfix, Gillian & I not been deep in conversation so as to totally miss the Golf Club turning (Note: this is the third time I've done this!). As it was, the four of us, with Tigger & Relay forced to follow in our wake (although wondering where on earth we were going), descended almost to the bottom of Northcote Hill before realising Honiton was not our intended destination! All six of us then had the unplanned additional hike back up Northcote Hill to rejoin Barry & Andy who fortunately had bumped into Kelly, out on a later solo ride, and so was delayed talking else we'd probably not have seen them again that night!

Our return to Seaton was a mirror of last week’s ride, with a quick blast across Farway Common and back along the A3052. This did wonders in bringing up our overall average speed from 12 - 14 mph, a much more respectable figure. It was a great route, although may be a little testing on the long straights - I'm going to have get some turbo training in - and the views were apparently stunning, so we're going to have to repeat it again in the summer when we can see them! I wonder where next week will take us ..

And the stats: 29 miles covered in 2hr 3 min an average of 14 mph 1,737 ft of ascent, and the route ..

Motivation Needed

After returning to work, following my 3 month sabbatical, I am certainly feeling less than motivated to get out on the bike. The temperature has dropped, the nights start before I down tools and the layers of kit now required feels heavy and restrictive. Having missed a series of Thursday night rides because of business commitments, I could very well decide to just take the winter off and hibernate until Spring!

I coincidentally bumped into Jolly, my club cycling buddy who guided me through my first chain and cassette change earlier in the year. He was leaving the Broom Wagon as I arrived for my long very black caffeine fix. He too had missed a number of rides and we empathised over the arrival of winter. A pact was made, however, that if both agreed to go, we'd attend this week's evening ride.

The day, Thursday 22 October arrived and reluctantly I suited up and rolled down to the Kings Arms where I joined 8 Pedallers in the dark under a silvery moon: Barry, Derek, Gillian, Handbag, Peter, Relay, Steve, and Tigger.  No Jolly! But the good news was that ‘routemaster' Tigger was back. We'd been lacking a ride leader of late and even I, one who has the route sense of a lemming has had the dubious honour of stepping in. So this was great news for me. The route Tigger crafted took us over the new Stop Line Way Cycle Path, too dark unfortunately to see the river bridge, such that I did not even notice we’d crossed it! There was then the ubiquitous climb which today took the road up from Colyford, through Shute Vale, briefly across the A35, and then the down hill return to Seaton via Wilmington, Offwell and Farway Common.

Handbag & Gillian peeled off after Colyton to join the 7:30 ride, leaving the the remaining seven to continue the climb. Some of the back roads to the A35 hardly deserve to be named as such, with central grass patches and broken tarmac. It is becoming a real challenge these days to find traffic free routes with quality surfaces. The Roubaix, however, nimbly traversed the moonscape, with its gel suspension and newly shod winter tyres; its dented and squared off rear rim, however, does now need some attention; I’m sure I was feeling bumps where there were none!

After the slow and steady climb, we then had the joy of that gradual descent over the swift and smooth surface that spans the 10 miles from Honiton golf club to Seaton. Barry, Peter, Steve and I (now christened Tacho, something about being the single true source of ride telemetry!) took up point, performing a pro style chain gang that even a hooting car could not upset. An array of wildlife was also out and about. A luminescent barn owl crossed between us as we made our way to the common and a pack of baying hounds was released as we paused too long at the Northcote Hill junction of the A35, although fortunately the owner’s perimeter fence was sufficient to keep them tethered.

So, after a little early trepidation, a very enjoyable ride was had and to top it all were back at the King’s Arms for the strike of 9:00 to join the MTB and 7:30 riders in a round of drinks, chips and chat, the perfect way to end a day in the office and may be my motivation restored!

Oh yes, and the stats .. 23 miles covered in 1hr 46 min an average of 13.3 mph 1,644 ft of ascent, and the route ..

End of My Sabbatical

If you workers out there ever get the opportunity to take an extended time away from the office, just do it! Back in July, after 25 years with my employer, I embarked on a 3 month sabbatical. The word sabbatical comes from Latin: sabbaticus, from Greek: sabbatikos (σαββατικός), from Hebrew: shabbat (שבת) (i.e., Sabbath), literally meaning a "ceasing". Sabbatical is mentioned in the Bible, Leviticus 25, when God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, instructing that in the seventh year he should let his land have a year of sabbath rest. Thus, I probably waited a little long and took too short a time! Either way, I had a terrific rest and completed the majority of those things I set out to do, those things that work just gets in the way of. My final act, and it had to be this, didn't it, was to go for a long cycle ride with my friend and favorite Broom Waggon coffee shop proprietor, Glenn .. also known as the Near Naked Man.

Glenn shut up shop to ride with me, on this last day of freedom, what a way to end my sabbatical!

Glenn shuts up shop to ride with me

The weather was fantastic, more like summer and it turned out to be not only the last day of my sabbatical, but also the last day of wearing shorts and t-shirt!

Our destination was Bridport where we refuelled at the amazing Soulshine cafe. 

Thank's Glenn, much more that I can say about this ride, it had the weather, company, great food & coffee and terrific route .. cycling at it's best. Back to work next week :-(

Never Say Never Again!

Never Say Never Again is the title of the rather poor Sean Connery remake of his earlier James Bond film, Thunderball. I've been a Bond fan for as long as I can remember, my Tour de 007 DB5 collection being just the tip of the iceberg of the memorabilia I have collected over the years. I even have a rose in my garden called 'For Your Eyes Only'!

Following my recent trip north to Cumbria, "never say never .." took on another meaning, one concerning my other love; that of cycling. Contrary to my talk of 'never again' in my Tour de Fitness blog 'Why Bother With Sportives', I somehow found myself signing up for the inaugural Cross Boarder Sportive - The Raid, on the Sunday following the Tour of Britain, ahead of my return home to Devon. The Raid was a 50 mile route starting and finishing at Lanercost Priory, north of Brampton and crossing briefly into Scotland. The longer 80 mile route, called The Invasion, completed an additional 30 mile circuit further into Scotland following the first food stop.

I had tentatively signed up for the 50 miler so that, should I still be up north, I could be back in time for lunch. Also, as I have said many a time, having such a short attention span, I find much more than 60 miles a bit dull!

A short video of the first 30 miles

What made this ride far from dull, was the company I had for the first 30 miles. I was fortunate to join up with two local cyclists who earlier this year had ridden the London to Paris and had planned their arrival to coincide with the conclusion of the Tour de France .. what an experience! One of the guys was having a hard time with the Cumbrian hills, so it was far from a quick ride, but what pleased me most was how we each stuck and pulled together. At the 30 mile point, the first food stop, my road went south and theirs, they doing the 80 miler, headed back into Scotland. I was impressed with how the struggling guy pushing on although feeling I had at least the additional distance left in my legs, lunch back in Brampton beckoned, so I bid farewell and started out alone on the final leg of my ride.

For the next 20 miles, as per my more my usual sportive experience, I saw not one other rider until I was in sight of the finish line!  While it was not a fast ride, I did complete in position 20/130 overall and 5/38 in my age category. This was a very informal well organised event. The roads were very quiet and for much of the route it even felt like a closed road event. Would I do it again? "Never say never .."!

Tour of Britain 2015

I was up in the north, near Carlisle, last week visiting my folks where, coincidentally, the Tour of Britain made an appearance not once but twice!

My first experience of Tour was in 2009 when I saw from my office window, the riders stream past on their way from Hatherleigh to Yeovil. In this year, a now very familiar Team Sky rider, Ben Swift riding for Team Katusha, won the stage, the British Champion Kristian House riding for Rapha-Condor, now a regular pundit on ITV4, led the breakaway through Seaton and Edvald Boasson Hagen, riding for Barloworld, was the overall winner. It is hard to believe now, being 4 years before catching the cycling bug, that this event meant so little to me, it was only the mass of colour passing before my peripheral vision that made me take note!

Tour of Britain 2009 Stage 7 - Seaton
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Kristian House - 2009 Stage 7 - Seaton
www.alexmoorehead.com

I was thrilled to be able to catch the Tour of Britain again in 2013 when it came through Sidmouth, something my long term readers will remember from my post on Day 200. Last year, I took a late holiday in Scotland and went Cycling on Mull during the Tour, so missed it coming through Exeter and across Dartmoor. This year, Devon have the Rugby World Cup and so declined to bid for the Tour again which meant the closest it was going to come to the South West would be Stoke! It was therefore the perfect combination of having time on my hands, due to my sabbatical and already having plans to visit my parents in Cumbria that gave me the opportunity last week to be a real ToB groupie!

It all kicked off on the Tuesday with Stage 3, Cockermouth to Floors Castle, and a 30 mile cycle over to see the sprint finish through Carlisle. I was one of the first to roll up so had a great view. I also attracted interest from the local press and received a full column write-up in the following day's newspaper!

2015 Stage 3 - Carlisle Sprint Finish

Stage 5, on Thursday, Prudhoe to Hartside Fell, came though Brampton along Hardian's Wall and concluded with a final climb of eight kilometres to the summit finish on Hartside Fell above Penrith in the Eden District. My plan was to catch the riders at both these locations, with Brampton being a short distance from my folks and by taking a more direct route up Hartside, riding with my old Rock 2 Roll CC mates, I would be able to beat the pro riders to the finish, they having to do a spin out to Ullswater first!

Tour of Britain Winner Edvald Boasson Hagen - Stage 5 - Brampton

Kristian House - Stage 5 - Hartside Fell

In the above picture of Kristian House, you'll have to believe me that Bradley Wiggins is in this group, behind and to the left. He must have seen me coming as in every one of my shots he is obscured by other riders or I just manage to get the back of his head!

It was an amazing day, great views, great weather and some great cycling. I've recently got back into my GoPro, so here too is a little video of the ride from Brampton up to Hartside Fell ..

... and this was the route.



Finally a couple more coincidences. The 2015 Tour celebrated the first double winner since it was relaunched in 2004, this was Edvald Boasson Hagen, the cyclist who last won it in 2009 when the event was first to appear in my 'peripheral vision'. The second co-incidence is that Kristian House was also riding on this Tour, just as he did back in 2009 .. as evidenced by my shot on Hartside and Alex Moorhead's photo from Seaton.


Postscript:
If interested, you can check out a few more photos from the Tour of Britain in my Flickr album.

Tour de Fitness Joins The World Of Twitter

Twitter (/ˈtwɪtər/) is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called "tweets" .. or so Wikipedia says. In the last week or so, I can't now be sure when as I'm losing track of time on this sabbatical, I created a Twitter account for my 'Tour de Fitness' persona. Why you may ask? Well, I've had a Twitter account for some years in my own name, but have never had a reason or mission to use it. I say mission as from what I've learned in my limited time of observing Twitter users is that one basically uses it to sell something .. either a product or service, raise awareness of a charity, or ones own eminence.

I initially decided to create my account to shamelessly promote this blog, increase the number of readers and share my 'Tour de Fitness' journey. Since receiving Twitter guidance from my cycling buddy, the Near Naked Man at the Broom Wagon, I've found it actually to be far more than just a platform from which to promote oneself. The companies, publications and people I am now following, have interesting facts and events to share themselves. I have also found it to be more than just a one way communication, I've been able to enquire on companies products, raise issues, exchange ideas and re-share interesting information with my own followers.  The responses I have received from companies has also been far quicker and immediate than email or letter!

Having had such a positive initial experience with my Tour de Fitness venture, I've now also set up an account for the Pedallers to complement our Facebook page, we will see how long I keep this up and whether it has the results I'm hoping .. generating interest in the AVP and encouraging local cyclists to join us. It has been great, for example, to see the Seaton Tourist Information Centre re-tweeting our ride details, and it will be interesting to see how this develops.

One downside to the immediate availability of information from my Twitter feed, however, has been in finding out the results of the Vuelta, the Tour of Spain pro cycling event, prior to seeing the evening's catchup programme on TV! I have another 2 weeks of having to turn a blind eye to the day's updates or just access it early morning and late evenings!

Finally, returning to this blog, you will see that on the right hand side of this page, there is a section where you can view a summary of my random 'Twitterings', so that you too can share in the immediacy of these communications without having to open an account yourself .. naturally, if you have taken this step into the world of twitter, please feel free to follow, that is after all, what it is all about :)

Ending The Week With The Near Naked Man

It was not a promising start to the week when the Met Office, still providing the BBC with their weather, reported that "the weather out there today is wet and shitty with continued wet and shitty in the afternoon. Tomorrow a chance of continued crappy with a pissy weather front coming down from the north. Basically, it's [going to be] wetter than a snake's ass in a wagon rut." .. don't you just love Robin Williams!

I, therefore, thought I'd be locked up inside for the duration working on an ark, for the day of judgement seemed soon to be upon us. A break in the weather surprisingly appeared on Tuesday morning in time for me, filled with guilt and jitters for having only ridden once since the 100 miler 2 weeks ago, to venture out on an early morning spin. The window was, however, a short one as having only pedalled 5 of my intended 20 miles, god's sprinklers got turned up to max and I had to make a slight detour to the Colour Wheel coffee shop to steam off a little dampness and take on warm coffee and a very welcomed toasted tea cake. The staff were very surprised to see me tap my way, dripping, into their shop and questioned my ability to read the weather forecast! I completed my 20 mile soaking back at the Broom Wagon where I was offered a towel to sit on, such was by then the state of my attire!

Soggy view from the Broom Wagon

Wednesday saw a dove arrive with an olive branch .. or at least a promise of clear sky for the afternoon. I had been hoping to catch up with an old colleague from Yorkshire holidaying in the area and agreeing that this forecast looked the most promising for a while, we agreed a late afternoon rendezvous in Lyme Regis. I took the Tarmac on a circular route, as you know, I do not like having to retrace my steps if at all possible. The roads were dry and clear in all but the shaded sections where I received a slightly pleasurable dampening, the afternoon August heat now building. 

Thursday was another mixed day with a promise of clear and rain free evening for the regular AVP ride. I had earlier fitted a set of new hefty Schwalbe Marathon tyres to an old set of Mavic wheels which I had thought to set aside for the winter / wet weather. This is akin to the F1 teams having sets of slick 'super soft tyres' which I normally run on and a set of wet weather tyres. The Marathon's will be the wet weather tyres I can shoe my steeds with when venturing out during the winter. I had, however, not assumed to have to consider them so soon, although for this Thursday evening ride, they were a godsend and perfect for the not so well maintained Devon roads frequented only by farm vehicles and those lost following their satnavs. Well this night's road ride(s) were a bit different. Around 11 riders met up at the Kings Arms. Grinch led the 6 club riders out to Lyme while Quiff took the sprint ride towards Crewkerne. Somehow, I managed to get swept along with the sprint group until Raymonds Hill when Curtis and I peeled off to take in Tatworth, Chardstock and Membury. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/6261940. This was when my Schwalbe Marathons came into their own as we traversed some very slimy and gritty sections over which my normal slicks would have been severely punished. After a good 35 miles covered, I was feeling decidedly pooped (Clive's term) and it was even too late for any recovery beer & chips! Still .. it was great to have got out for another spin.

I had planned to leave my cycling for the week there. That was until I received a text from The Near Naken Man on Sunday morning. The message was that he was going out for a ride in 30 minutes and did I want to join him. Before my legs had a chance to counter the decision, I was lycra'd up and spinning the Tarmac down to the Broom Wagon. The Near Naked Man does not do wet weather cycling, so assumed I'd not need a rain cape, nor the Roubaix still shod with Thursday night's wet weather tyres. Big mistake! By the time we reached Sidford, I was again wet to the skin! I couldn't grumble though, it was a great ride and the biblical weather reminded me so much of last year's Ride London and that feeling that you can only get so wet after which it some how becomes comical. I do wish however that drivers would heed the weather conditions and show more consideration to their fellow road users, who do not have the luxury of a windscreen, roof and cozy air-conditioning .. I have too few digits to count the number who sprayed us with dirty puddle juice as they passed dangerously close in both directions .. may be the parliamentary petition to add cycle awareness and safety to the current Driving theory test will do some good for new drivers, for the old .. well, answers on a post card ;)

Cycling with the Near Naked Man

South Coast Nemesis 2015

This halfway point in my 3 month sabbatical from full time project management has been odd one, mainly because of the unusual weather we've experienced this week. Being British, we naturally have a constant interest in the changing weather so why should this week be so different? For me, the reason this week is simple, in that it has frustrated and pleased in equal measure.

At the start of the week I was itching to get out on the bike, but my destiny lay with a paint brush and my front door, which meant that leaving the house was not an option until the door was dry. These first two days of painting went well as the sun shined brightly. With the bike prepared for its first outing since the 100 miler, for at least a Wednesday wibble, what did our British weather deliver .. yes, continuous rain. It was not content to just upset Wednesday's plan, but both Thursday evening's APV ride and the Friday Flyer's morning spin were both certified washouts! The next planned outing was a Friday evening ride over to Sidmouth to see the celebrated return of the Red Arrows after a 10 year absence. All through the day, I had been following Red10 on Twitter to see whether, as with the Lyme Regis and other displays, they would again be grounded. Red10 spoke of the South Coast Nemesis 2015 as being the rain and low cloud which this year had prevented so many coastal displays from taking place.

Arrows over Sidmouth 

Having had no negative confirmation from Red10 and not to be put off by the worsening conditions, I saddled up the Roubaix and joined up with 3 other Pedallers overlooking a misty Sidmouth, our heads touching the clouds. Unbelievably almost dead on 6:30 pm we heard the distinctive roar of the 9 Rolls Royce Adour engines coming in from sea.  They had to, however, be right on top of us before we got sight of them as conditions required them to fly low over the sea which was obscured from our vantage point by trees! On a clear day, they would have risen high above the tree line and fly down the valley which was now also unfortunately hidden under a layer of mist and cloud! While the ride home was a damp one, it was great to be out on the bike again with my fellow Axe Valley Pedallers (AVP).

Test riding the Fat Bike!

The next key event of the week was Sunday's Great Outdoors Festival to be held on Seaton seafront. The AVP were to have the gazebo and flags out and the attractions of 2 spinning bikes donated by the local Axminster gym and an American Fat Bike loaned by Soanes Cycles. The weather during Saturday night through to Sunday morning was that of torrential rain, but the Met Office reported a break in the clouds from around 2pm through till late evening. It took great courage of the organisers to press ahead as we set up our displays under grey clouds and falling rain. Amazingly, just as forecast, the rain ceased and clouds cleared bathing us in a summer sun we had almost given up hope on seeing for another year! The festival was a absolute success, with much interest shown from from all ages in both the spinning and fat bikes and the cycle club in general.

AVP at the Great Outdoors Festival 2015

Although I did not get another ride out, meaning that this week was my worst for miles covered since the winter, the South Coast Nemesis 2015 did not get the better of us in the end, the Red Arrows visit was strangely entertaining and the weekend saw one of the club's most successful events. I'm now looking forward to seeing what next week brings, and if it means that I have to stay in out of the rain all week, at least I have the Vuelta to watch!

My 2nd Carbon Anniversary

While March 2013 marks the month and year in which I returned to the saddle, August was the month in which I moved to the next level and purchased my first carbon road bike, the Specialized Roubaix Sport Compact. The drive behind this was that on September 15th, I was going to complete my first ever 100 mile bike ride and needed something a little more suitable for this challenge than my trusted but heavy hybrid.

I was reminded of this anniversary by Facebook which has this new feature of presenting members with posts that they made on that day one or two years ago. Most I dismiss as banal chit chat but I saw this purchase as a real milestone that made me sit back and think " ... has it really been 2 years since I made that leap into that world and lifestyle of the MAMIL!"

Facebook memory from 18 August 2013

In the past 2 years, my carbon bike cycling stats look something like this:

• Rides: 228
• Duration: 17d:22h:12m
• Distance: 5,746.05 mi
• Calories burned: 306,342 kcal
• Burgers burned: 567

Within this time I have ridden 3x major (may be over closed roads or I got a medal) and numerous minor sportives, I've completed 6x 100 milers and have cycled up Mont Ventoux twice, and I have a dedicated lycra wardrobe to cover every occasion the British weather dictates!

I just had to share this with you as a warning, in that this cycling lark can take pounds off you .. and not just around the middle :)

AVP 100 Miler - Portland 2015

The last 2 and only AVP 100 milers that I've ridden have been very gentle. The first, my first ever 100 mile ride in September 2013, took 8hr 30mi, the second, a year later, was 8hr 10mi, excluding stops. Both, however, saw us returning in the dark, the stops being frequent and an extended break taken for lunch! This year, the club has controversially introduced a shorter 100km ride to run simultaneously. Controversial as I have always viewed the club's 100 miler as that unique opportunity for all members to be able to achieve this key cycling milestone with the safety net of riding with experienced club riders. Splitting the ride could create a two tiered annual ride, preventing many the opportunity to do their first 100 miler as I did, because they see it as something for the experience riders only. There is a risk that the gap between experienced and junior riders may even widen. On the flip side, not everyone wants to do 100 miles, indeed I personally prefer the 100 km distance, and not all 100 mile riders want to take all day, indeed I am one of these too!

So, on Sunday at 07:30 30 riders met to do their chosen distances, against by better judgement, I had signed up for the 100 miler. The 100 mile route changed last week, Quiff having completed a rece and found the climbing a little ambitious .. oddly I found that route challenging, yes, but surprisingly quick. It was actually my quickest 100 miles to date at 6hr 59mi. The route, therefore, chosen for the AVP 2015 100 miler was to be the Portland Century. A similar route to the one I completed with a few friends back on a wet and windy March weekend earlier this year. That one was a bit of an epic, one friend bonked and it took us a painful 7hr 55mi to complete.

The weather for our ride was perfect. Warm but not hot, bright but not too sunny and just light winds. I decided against bringing lights, I was feeling confident that the 11 riders who lined up for the 100 miler were not going to hang around. One thing I have also learned over these past few years is that you can not carry too much food, as running out or not taking on enough fuel is not a place you want to be with only your legs to get you home. With hindsight, my food stocks would probably have got me to Portland and back twice!

My food stocks would probably have got me to Portland & back twice!

We started well, but as we climbed out of Lyme Regis we lost our first rider who had to retire with a broken rear derailleur. There are some things which just can not be repaired in the field and this was one. 10 cyclists rode on until we hit the 15 mile marker just after Shave Cross when we were hit with our 2nd mechanical. One of new members had suffered a rear puncture, the fixing of which was met with much hilarity as the chain had been so well oiled that it had coated the entire wheel and rear of the bike, and subsequently Quiff who had drawn the short straw to roll his sleeves up, in a film of crude akin to that which followed the Exxon Valdez disaster of the late 1980s!

We made it to Portland in time for lunch at the small cycling cafe, Cyclocceno, which, as was my last experience, was rather overwhelmed by our arrival - I think on reflection, it pays to forewarn such establishments, particularly when 11 hungry cyclists are planning on descending and wanting a quick turnaround. The benefit of using Cyclocceno, however, is that it is also a cycle shop and this enabled our 3rd mechanical, a faulty rear tyre, to be replaced. Scanning the shelves of cycling goodies, as one has to do, it is surprising just how well stocked Cyclocceno are with the vital essentials of tubes, tyres, tools and energy bars and of course whole bikes. I could see this being my local if it were not 50 miles from home.

Time for lunch at the small cycling cafe, Cyclocceno

After an extended lunch break, the Cyclocceno had run out of bread for our sandwiches and so had to send out for more supplies, we headed on to achieve the objective of our ride, to reach the Portland Bill Lighthouse. What a difference calmer weather makes to this exposed headland. When I was last here, it was an achievement just to keep the bike on the ground. Today, the cycling was a pure delight, as too were the views and the silent light house .. no need for the fog horn today!

9 of the 10 .. Curtis is behind the camera

As in every 100 miler I've done, the adulation of reaching your outward destination is soon crushed by the thought that there's now another 50 miles to do to return home. I think this is why the original route rece was so much easier as we had no specific outward destination to reach, it was just a circuit. This just shows how in cycling, or any sport I suppose, psychology has as much as an affect on performance as the need for good fitness. It's all down to that inner chip again.

The return journey is one you just have to grit your teeth and grind out the miles. There's little of the chat that punctuated the outward ride, the peloton becomes stretched as tired legs scream "She Cannae Take Much More, Captain!" [Trekkie fan comment] .. and the stops and regroups become less common as the leaders of the pack want to - understandably - press on. I seem to have my nurturing head on and stick with our lantern rouge member, or at least this is what I'm telling myself. It seems a harder ride than the last century I did, just a few weeks before. Our final stop is to be in the town of Bridport, just 20 miles from home. The contingent from the Sid Valley CC who it's been great to have in our numbers, make the call that they will push on. The way I'm feeling I'm thinking the same. If I stop, I'm not sure I'll get going again. In the end, the draw of the cafe stop wins the day we make a final stop at Costa Coffee .. well, as they say, "any port in a storm".

We make a final stop at Costa Coffee

I had thought, leaving Bridport, that all our climbing was done for the day. Alas, no, the sting in this ride's tail was the infamous Mutton Street Climb. An 8% average, killer of a hill after 90 miles and one which requires the inner chimp to be restrained and beaten into submission to complete (no animals were really harmed in competing this climb), which I did quicker than before but slower than most. My excuse is that Tarmac is not designed to climb and it let me know by groaning all the way back to Seaton. Quiff talked on this homeward stretch about may be doing a few laps of a local airfield later the following week, I agreed that this was much more to the liking of the race tuned Tarmac, so watch this space.

We finished the ride in 7hr 40mi, slower than I'd hoped, but 15 minutes quicker than my last attempt at Portland and an hour faster than the original 100 milers ... I think I'm, controversially, liking the new format!

Sabbatical Day 28/65 - Last Thursday's AVP 6:30 Ride

I know, I'm a little behind the curve in telling all about last week's evening AVP ride, but I seem to have less time to myself on this sabbatical than when I'm working, or may be I'm just less organised!

It was great to be joined by 2 new members, Pete & Steve, both of whom peddled well with what was tonight a quick group. This brings me to a thought which has been building these six days since the ride. When I joined the club some 2 years ago, I could only just ride a bike, returning to the saddle as I had after a 30 year hiatus. With the support of my fellow pedallers, I then did my first 100 miles, cycled the Dartmoor Classic and Ride London events and this year climbed Mont Ventoux! We need to ensure as a club that we continue to nurture new riders as our ethos has always been. Some clubs I have ridden with and heard about seem to have the objective of dropping riders on a run, not the AVP. I have seen, like myself, many of my fellow riders of 2 years ago increase in speed and stamina such that we are reaching a point where we could support two 6:30 rides, club and sprint rides or may be in the words of one club commentator, a Zone 2 and Zone 4 ride. So perhaps, should our numbers be great enough on a Thursday we could look to do this. Where we do not have such a critical mass of riders, we should always remember the peloton moves as fast as the slowest rider .. this makes me think of Froome's support to his team in this year's TdF group time trial. And consider this, the fastest riders to the top of a hill or the end of a sprint should may be return to the start and do it again.

Off the soap box and back to the ride. It was a glorious sunny evening, hard to recall after the last few days of soggy greyness. Around 10 pedallers met at the Kings Arms and agreed a route to take in Sidmouth so as to experience a bit of the Folk Festival which had been in full swing since the weekend. The rest of circuit was left fluid which made for an interesting lumpy adventure as Quiff selected a melange of favoured hill climbs, some of which seemed to be placed in the landscape for no other reason than to test climbing ability, as they moved one no further forward replacing level ground with an incline akin to an Escher drawing. That said, the views from the ridge on East Hill, after the White Cross climb, looking towards Dartmoor were sublime and we rested there for a few minutes watching the sunset. We returned in a chaingang along Farway and the main A3052 back to Seaton, 30+miles and over 2500 ft of climb completed. Note: lights are now needed, one member who will remain nameless, may have cut things a bit fine this evening. Another highly enjoyable ride and a route I will revisit, particularly the ridge on East Hill, thanks for sharing this Quiff.

2015 AVP Treasure Hunt

Today 9 (AVP) Pedallers and 2 (AVR) Runners met for AVP August Monthly Ride, 'The 2015 Treasure Hunt'. Having been on Sabbatical these past 20 days, I've had a little bit of time available to work on route and questions, and this post outlines how the day went.

We formed into 4 teams:

• Team 1 - BarBunny, Quiff, Bean and Jean 
• Team 2 - Dave, Barry and Buster
• Team 3 - Becca and Roger 
• Team 4 - Jon and Ethan

Maps, clues and instructions were given and Teams 1 - 3 headed off on their different paths in search of treasure. Team 4 missed the grand depart by up to 30 minutes but cunningly made contact with Team 1 and secured from them the required instructions.

BarBunny was suffering with a back injury but braved 4 of the towns before Bean, being carried by Quiff, needed food and Jean took one for the team, going it alone to secure the treasure from the last town, Beer, with just seconds to spare. Jon and Ethan while starting last, raced their way around the map finishing ahead of all, youth on their side! Dave, Barry and Buster stormed around following their master plan efficiently splitting their resources, while Becca and Roger picked off each clue with profound wisdom and surgical precision.

Of the 34 pieces of treasure (points for answers) available to each team, the haul of the hunters amounted to:

• Team 1 - 29 pieces, all locations visited, all treasure found in 2 locations 
• Team 2 - 21 pieces, all locations visited, all treasure found in 1 location
• Team 3 - 33 pieces, all locations visited, all treasure found in 4 locations 
• Team 4 - 22 pieces, all locations visited, all treasure found in 0 locations

There were 4 'awards':

• Team 3 - Yellow Jersey - for the team collecting the highest value of treasure, Becca and Roger were the overall winners .. indeed the one missing piece of treasure Roger actually had but did not submit .. so really they achieved an amazing 100%.
• Team 2 - Green Jersey - for the team visiting the most locations and collecting treasure to a value of at least 3 from each 
• Team 1 - KoM Jersey - for the team collecting all the treasure available from the most locations
• Team 4 - Lanterne rouge!

If anyone is down this way and would like to do this treasure hunt, here are the questions. Just drop your answer sheet back to me and I'll be happy to score it.

The weather was kind and I think all enjoyed the challenge and a bit of gentle pedalling. I am hoping we can now make this an annual event.