February Gone in a Flash

I can not believe February is over already .. gone in a flash!

A business trip and wet weather has curtailed my Thursday night rides to just two of the four that I would normally have completed, but I have tried to make up for lost cycling time by getting out at the weekend and even procuring a turbo trainer for some off road spinning.

The first of the weekend rides was the February AVP Sunday outing from Axminster to Broadwindsor  on which Buster lead out 20 riders under glorious blue sky.

The AVP Sunday Riders

The next was a quick paced ride following this route http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7003472. We had a good turnout for the 8:00 am start, Shaun, Richard, Kelly, Bobble, Curtis, Kevin and Quiff. Apart from the initial huff and puff out of Seaton, Quiff reported that it really only had two climbs (both out of Upottery), the first being up to Aller Moor and the second up Sandy lane to the A30, the rest he said was very flat for this part of the country, enough said! Initially the weather was a bit cold and gloomy but the sun came out around 11ish and we finished the ride off with a more gentle saunter along the River Yarty.

The Traditional Roadside Puncture Repair

These two rides bagged me 90 miles which, together with 60 miles clocked up during a couple of week day rides, brought me nicely above my winter cycling 100 mile a month target.

To close the month, there was one more ride I just had to get in. Next week, I am down to lead out the March Sunday ride and have been struggling to find a suitable route. On paper I had a few ideas but to satisfy my mind, I needed to do a reconnoitre .. just to make sure it would be doable for the majority. The route I've settled on will be a 28 mile anticlockwise circuit to Kilmington, across the A5 and along the River Yarty .. I really enjoyed that stretch of road after the ride with Quiff a couple of Sunday's ago. After the idilic ride along the river, over relatively level ground, we have a bit of a climb out of Stockland before dropping down Northcote Hill. From here, the next 10 miles back to Seaton will be all down hill, so my fellow riders should be able to sit back and let gravity do most of the work!

I still need to share with you my first turbo trainer experiences, a little cycling art purchase and what should be an interesting ride that I have planned for April, but these will have to wait until next time.