Dartmoor at 25 Degrees

Dartmoor can be one of those places where the weather can be predictably very wet, windy and during the winter months, rather cool with sub zero temperatures the norm. This August bank holiday weekend we were treated to the exact opposite; it was a day to be spent by the beach rather than astride a bicycle!

The ride had been planned for some months as our annual 100mi/100km club ride, with the intent to follow the route of Mid Devon CC's Dartmoor Classic, so not one for the novice rider. Indeed, I for one would not have used it for my first 100, some 4 years ago!

Andy and I drove over in the Yeti and met up with a crowd of Pedallers at 8:00 am in Chudleigh. At the depart we had a great cross-section of pedallers, old and new, boys and girls and even a couple of Sid Valley cycle club guests. Despite the gruelling climbs ahead, it had that feeling of going to be a real social affair; quite different from the Classic Sportives I've ridden in the past.

Signing in

At the outset, Clive, the professional ride leader he is, got us to sign in with emergency contact details, little knowing then that sadly he'd not be seeing the ride out himself! More on that later.

The plan was going well'ish as we rode to Princetown to refuel at a popular cycling favourite, the Fox tor cafe http://www.foxtorcafe.com/cafe/. Here, we arrived in waves and sought shelter from the mid day sun, mingling with other lycra clad riders from Mid Devon and Plymouth cycle clubs. Mark also got us chatting to the director(s) of Primal, the Devon cycling apparel company, who adorned in smart looking kit jumped into a polished sales patter .. who'd be a kit master (all applications c/o TdF)! I mention the ride having gone well'ish as there had been two close shaves: a sudden stop to avoid cattle may have given my a rear tyre a flat spot (check out the video at 9:40 am) and a little later my chain bounced off the big ring and wrapped itself around every sprocket it could find! Luckily, I could continue but I've not yet done a full damage check nor ascertained what could have actually caused it.

The AVP Peloton passes near Haytor

It was at Princetown that Clive, who'd been poorly the previous day, had to call an end to his ride and get a cab back to Chudleigh. I had thought of posting an APB on our club's FB page but being at the furthest point from base camp, close to a 90 minute drive, it would have been a miracle to have found a Pedaller out and about near by. So, in the absence of a support car, and still another 2 hours cycling to be done, a local taxi was the only option. Clive later reported that it was the best value £50 taxi ride he'd had!

From Princetown, a handful of Pedallers continued on their extended 100 mile route while the larger peloton, myself included, chilled a little more in the cafe before taking the return loop back to Chudleigh, with the obligatory stop for ice cream refreshments at one of the many tempting vans strategically positioned along the route!

Ice cream stop on the return to Chudleigh

In addition to a number of stills, I pulled together a short video of the day's ride. This one has a Krafwerk'esk backing track which I recently commissioned from my musically talented brother-in-law, aka SunDog, which includes sampling from my Tarmac's SRAM eTap chainset and FFWD free hub .. I hope you like it.

100km (60 miles) over 1800m (6000ft) of climb, in temps exceeding 25 degrees, made for quite an epic ride and one which was definitely a great social ride, as billed. My new year's resolution is holding firm.

How Are Your New Year's Resolutions Going?

At the turn of the year I made the resolution that I'd forgo all sportives this year in favour of doing a few epic club and social rides.

It took a bit of time to get going as it was May before my first epic ride, the Rapha 100 Ride which satisfied both of my passions, the title saying it all! July's investment in wireless gear change triggered the second, a ride on Dartmoor with club mates.

Seaton on the South Coast

This weekend, I joined one of my best buddies, a bit of a last minute thing, on a Coast to Coast 100 mile Ride. We did something similar with the club 3 years ago when we were still doing the all comers' 100 milers, bit this was a much quicker and less formal affair. It was perhaps a little bad form to skip my usual Coffee Club Ride, which as default ride leader (for reasons that are still a mystery to me) caused a bit of a stir, but sometimes one just has to do these things! It was a top ride, we had 2 coffee stops in Taunton at the 25 and 75 mile points and a tasty lunch overlooking Blue Ancor Bay on the north coast and on the return to took time out to watch a local steam train. It was a real boys' own adventure!

Watchet on the North Coast

Our next epic club ride will be a return to Dartmoor on 27th August to do the Classic's 100 km route.