Roubaix Rides Again

For one reason and another, I've missed the last three evening rides with the AVP, so tonight, with the sun shining, it was great to meet up with everyone again for what was to be one of our quickest and longest evening rides of the season.

I've managed to get in a number of solo rides on my Roubaix over the past few weeks, so thought I'd give the Crosstrail a run out; the ability to switch to off road mode has often given me the edge on some more recent evening routes! Meeting at the Kings Arms, however, I soon realised that amongst the other 13 riders, I was seemingly the odd one out. It was like turning up at a party in causal wear and seeing everyone else in black tie. Andy persuaded me to make a hasty retreat to switch bikes, he was right, I needed to be riding the Roubaix tonight.

Our route took us out to Axmouth, up to Boshill and along Trinity Hill Road, where a breakaway group made up of at least Rex, Andy, Nelly and Richard .. I only saw them disappear into the distance .. raced on ahead. I saw later that Andy and Rex got 7th & 8th positions respectively on that Strava segment, running at an average speed of a few points shy of 20mph!

We crossed the A35 together on to Crewkerne Road, to Hawkchurch and Wadbrook. Returning via Smallridge, Weycroft, Axminster, back across the A35 to Kilmington, Whitford and Musbury, we clocked up a good 28 miles in under 2 hours. No punctures, only 1,900 ft of climbing and some quick pedalling! At one point, moving rapidly up Combe Road out of Axmouth, I thought 'goodness I'm feeling unfit', that was however, until I realised it was Rex and Nelly, out front setting the pace! That said, we all did well keeping up a good cadence and were very ready for our beer and chips back at the Kings Arms.

Sunday Morning Pootle

Today is the day of the annual Grizzly cross country run. This is the one that brings competitors from around the country to traverse beaches, bogs, woods and some very serious hills from Seaton to Branscombe and back.

Unlike my previous 4 years of living in Seaton, today was not, however, a day in which I headed out first thing to see the runners start.  Instead, I needed to take the cycle out and decided on a random pootle of a ride with Andy, my second day in shorts and the weather did not disappoint!

We headed out past the gathering runners to Axmouth and then climbed out to Uplyme and under the impressive Cannington Viaduct. We did talk about may be visiting a coffee shop in Lyme but the thought of the climb back out made us think it was too early for a stop; we thus headed north to Axminster. The return route took us over some of the well travelled roads we've taken many an evening with the AVP, via Kilmington, Shute and Colyton.

Not a long ride, these kidney stones which I've just been diagnosed with are causing me quite some discomfort, but it was just what I needed after missing the Thursday evening AVP ride. Can't wait to get back to full strength.

Day 363 - Holding Vigil with a Branoc

The weather cleared sufficiently again last night for just 4 AVP riders, Jolly, Richard, Rex and myself, to venture out onto the lanes under a very cool star lit sky.

Our route took us out past Blackberry Camp, via Southleigh, over some very broken and bumpy tracks to Shute Barton and home through Kilmington and Musbury. Just as hills are given categories for severity, we agreed on a Cat 4 for the road conditions as on some sections there was little of the original road surface either remaining or visible. This winter has been a tough one for our roads. Luckily our ride was incident free and a 22 mile ride with 1900 ft of climbing was completed in good time

The riders: Rex, Richard and Jolly (and me behind the camera)

Meanwhile 10 mountain bikers had been out to Branscombe Brewery and had an 'interesting' time with 3 punctures and a broken spoke! With none of the regular apres-cycle beer and chips road team out tonight, I held vigil with my Branoc at the King's Arms until Buster and his off roaders arrived to fill the bar. It was then a later one for me, well being on holiday, I only needed to be up for the 10:00 Friday Flyers ride!

Day 336 - Joining the Kask club

In spite of the seemingly non cycling weather we've had recently, the 232 miles covered so far in 2014 have been far better than expected for this 'veteran' pedaller.

Today, I continued in this trend completing another 40 miler with my AVP pals, Andy, Ed, Rex and Richard. The plan was to do a repeat of the proven route Andy, Ed and I cycled two weeks ago. We met at 08:30 at the Seaton TIC and headed out up Castle Hill towards Beer and on to Sidmouth sea front for the obligatory photo shoot. With the seasonal high tide and strong winds, the storm gates were closed, and rightly so, as the waves were spectacularly crashing over the sea wall.

Richard, Andy, Jonathan & Ed

Take 5 on Sidmouth sea front

On this ride I was proud to be wearing a new light weight Kask helmet with, of course, the colours Union flag emblazoned across the top. It was a close run decision between this and an the Specialized S-works model, but the red, white and blue motif won my heart. A pose for a shot with Rex, also a Kask owner, was required .. 'Jonathan joins the Kask klub' !

Jonathan joins the Kask klub

From Sidmouth we climbed via Tipton St John through Ottery St Mary and on to our tea and cake stop in Honiton. From Honiton we took Northcote Hill to the junction with the Stockland straight where, I had visualised the closing 10 miles, a gentle down hill return to Seaton. Rex, however, suggested an alternative route, through Stockland, Kilmington and Musbury. No there were no more hills, he said, just a few lumpy bits. I see a need to define a hill v a lump .. as my legs were not prepared for the climbing which followed, particularly not after my all time best ride up Northcote, on which I had secured PRs for 5 of the 6 Strava segments for this climb!

Ride profile

Although exhausting, it is often good to be challenged. Richard and Rex noticeably drove up the pace, and while I wished I had the engine to keep up with the pace set, I have to constantly remind myself of what I was doing only a year ago, when I would never in my wildest dreams have considered it even possible to cycle 40 miles in a morning! I've just got to keep at it, drive through the pain and hopefully this training will see me right for the Dartmoor Classic sportif I have in June, a 100 mile ride which after today's experience, is seeming ever more daunting! 

In all, I achieved 15 Strava segment PRs and for the second time in as many weeks, broke my previous record for miles ridden in 1 hour (15.94 miles). It is amazing what one can do when pushed!

Day 326 - For Once A Dry & Puncture Free Ride

For once a dry and puncture free ride awaited our 11 cyclists who braved this evening's AVP road ride. The circuit was a brisk 20 miles out to the mast on Stockland Hill and back, via Shute, Wilmington, Dalwood, Kilmington and Musbury.

Regrouping at the A35

Waiting to cross the A35

1200 ft of climb, average speed of 12.5 mph and 30 mph descents, most noticeably down Ham Road from Worham's Lane at the top of Stockland Hill - for those interested in stats - meant for a highly enjoyable workout. The beer and chips back at the Kings Arms were also good!

The Ride profile .. that did seem a long climb too!

As for the route art .. back by popular demand, I am thinking a bunny on a pogo stick!

Day 312 - Cheesy Chips Were Never So Good

While Luke Rowe and the Sky team enjoy riding in 40 degrees down under, 8 AVP riders braved a clear starry winter's night on the weekly Thursday evening ride through the blacked out Devon lanes. Tonight, Tigger led us - Handbag, Jolly, Andy, Rex, Richard, Killen and me - out to Axmouth and up Combe Road to Rousdon. We bypassed Stepps Lane, on this occasion and also avoided the school which, following an altercation with a disgruntled resident during last Friday's AVP ride, thought it best to give it a wide berth.

Richard's Boardman punctured

With no more than 5 miles covered, Richard's Boardman punctured. Two inner tubes later and with a hand from from Handbag, who is always in the thick of it with either a tube or pump to loan or bandaid to affix, we were back on the road making swift progress towards Axminster. I was having a tough time keeping up with the chain gang on my Crosstrail, my legs spinning rapidly but seemingly making little gains on the twinkling red lights of the riders ahead. I should have brought my Roubaix.

Sticking to the roads, pleasingly keeping clear of the cycle paths which cruelly punctured me when I was last out this way, and it being an away night, we returned to Colyford via Kilmington and Musbury having covered a good 18 miles.

Apres Ride Beer & Cheesy Chips

The pace was a quick for our standard evening ride, clocking an average of 13 mph, which meant that even with the stop we were back in the warm well before the mountain bikers and in good time to get in a pint and a chat before the very welcomed cheesy chips were served. I'm going to need a thicker winter jersey, it's getting cold out there, Bar Bunny please get the order in.

Day 227 - Tractors and Punctures

Thursdays come around quick these days, I don't know whether it is just the shortening of the days or the frantic working hours I'm putting in. That aside, I was not totally prepared for my evening ride with the AVP tonight. Having shut the lid of my laptop at six, I had thirty minutes in which to kit up, grab some food and ride to our meeting point.

The weather had been surprisingly mild all day, so I decided on shorts and t-shirt (of the lycra variety of course) with a wind proof jacket to cut down on the down hill wind chills. I was obviously feeling controversial as I picked up my summer Sid Valley CC shirt to wear. After six months with the AVP, I'm still awaiting my club jersey - but I'm not bitter. So, after quickly consuming a banana and dressed from head to toe in Ferrari red, I arrived in surprisingly good time only to find, after chatting with Recumbent for a few minutes, that I had neglected to bring any water! Back on the bike, I beat a hasty retreat home, returning a few minutes later, Zero hydration tablet still fizzing in the bottle, as though nothing had happened. Oh well, with Andy heading up this week's distance leaderboard, I thought I needed all the mileage I could get anyway!

Andy & Chris junior

I did not count our numbers tonight, probably because I found myself leading the peloton out of Seaton from the off and so it was not until our first stop that I had opportunity to properly view our line up. I would say that we had around 15 riders, although luckily for all, it was not my job to keep track of such things. My lights, purchased last month at the NEC Cycle Show, continue to outshine my expectations. On full beam they are easily as bright as those on my car and when cycling across unlit paths and lanes in deepest darkest Devon they are outstanding. I think tonight, however, I over used this full beam setting, as by the time we had reached Axminster, the blue full charge neon had changed to red, warning me that I was now on reserve power. I must remember to recharge the battery pack before my next ride.

I would say we had around 15 riders in our line up

Just outside the village of Wadbrook, so Google maps informs me as I had no idea of our location on the ride, we stopped to regroup outside a large farm. While we could see very little outside of the beams of our lights, the farm yard aroma and the mooing of the beasts in their overnight accommodation gave away the purpose of the surrounding buildings. Then,  as if from the scene of an old Scoobydoo cartoon, the archetypal country farmer appeared from out of the shadows.  After an exchange of friendly greetings he opened the door of a brightly lit barn. Once our eyes had adjusted to the assault of light the poured from within, we were presented with the most spectacular collection of vintage tractors and farm machinery seats all brightly painted and hung from floor to ceiling like pictures in a stately home. What an incongruous sight.

Spectacular collection of vintage tractors and farm machinery seats 

Heading on towards Axminster we crossed the river bridge at Weycroft and took the Cycle path across rolling fields and cattle grids.  From Axminster, we crossed the now very familiar Kilmington cycle path to Whitford and Colyford. This path was, however, to be my undoing as riding over the hedge cutting strewn path, my front tyre was pierced by the largest hawthorn ever seen (by me anyway). At first I thought I'd picked up a sticky patch of leaves as they slapped the ground and grated on the bike's mud guards with every wheel rotation but as it finally broke free the hiss of escaping air and a soggy tyre meant only one thing. Once off the unlit cycle path, and under the watchful eye and support of Chris and Andy and the combined spot lights of my fellow riders, I stopped to replace the offending tube. As I commented on last week, a puncture is a very social affair.

 Replacing my inner tube under the watchful eye and support of
Chris & Andy and the combined spot lights my fellow riders

Puncture repaired, Chris then also spotted that he too was suffering from a deflating tyre. Rather than replacing the inner tube, time pressing on and near to home, he selected to force more air into the tube, his puncture being a slower one than that caused by my giant thorn! On our arrival into Colyton, Chris junior similarly reported a slow puncture, bringing the Kilmington tyre kill to 3, shocking! Sustrains .. once again, take note.

Another great AVP evening ride

In spite of the puncture(s), this was another great AVP evening ride with me registering 3 new PRs on Strava. Unfortunately, Andy lost at least 6-8 miles when he stopped Strava to help me with my tyre meaning that I am now just 3 miles behind him on the leaderboard. Dare I sneak these in during the rainy weekend? Only time will tell!

Stats: 26.63 mi, 2hr 05m, Avg 12.8 mph, Max 33.1 mph, 1,438 kcal

Day 213 - AVP Night Ride

This was my first night ride, not just with the AVP but since time began! Having purchased my awesome set of Beema AS-2000 front lights last weekend, this was the test of tests for them. Back on my winterised Specialized Crosstrail hybrid, we headed out at 6:30ish pm towards Beer, just as the sun was setting ahead of us.

As one of our number was riding on wheels fixed with security locks for which he had neglected to bring the key, not the best position to be in should he puncture, the objective of our ride was not to stray more than a few miles from our starting point, but still to complete a 20 mile circuit. Luckily, we have  many small villages and interlocking lanes around us which meant that this challenge was easily achieved.

By the time we'd reached our first pause, after climbing Quarry Lane, it was officially dark and the 'magnificent' 7 riders lit up the Devon country roads as we snaked our way down narrow lanes through Colyton, Shute, Kilmington, Whitford and Musbury. Tonight was an 'away night', which meant that rather than returning to our Kings Arms base in Seaton, those wanting an apres cycling beer and chips would rendezvous with our fellow mountain bikers at the the White Heart, Colyford. I, however, with an annual medical checkup scheduled for early in the morning, had unfortunately to forego the welcomed carbs and return to Seaton. The smells emitting from the Chinese restaurant, curry houses and chip shops was tormenting!

Having driven this route many hundreds of occasions before, the final ride into Seaton, along the estuary was somehow different from any other. In the darkness, the lights from the town reflecting in the river was wonderfully atmospheric. I was also surprised as to how the whole evening ride had been equally atmospheric and how glad I was that I made my weekend light purchase! I'm now looking forward to next Thursday's ride and hope the weather stays kind to us pedallers.

Route art this evening: a seated rabbit at the alert!

Stats: 19.42 mi, 1hr 34m, Avg 12.3 mph, Max 30.8 mph, 1,122 kcal

Day 164 - Time to Buy Lights

After a good rest, I was very ready for a long ride and Thursday's evening outing with the AVP did not disappoint. I was ready ahead of time so completed a mile and a half 'warm up' lap before arriving at our pub meeting point. Once formed up, 11 riders headed out through Axmouth towards Lyme Regis. Rather than entering this beautiful seaside town as we did back in May, we took a detour through Uplyme but this did not negate the need for the long climb back up the Lim valley away from Lyme which, just as last time, still equals one of my most challenging climbs. Bypassing the town, meant that we were able to take in Axminster and the Kilmington cycle path.

Once through Musbury, on our return journey, it was definitely time to power on the lights. Luckily a large enough number of our group had lights to provide sufficient forward illumination and I'm going to have to think about fixing more than just my current 'be seen' neons in future weeks! 

This was probably one of my toughest rides, giving me the greatest pain from the hill climbs which I was determined not to be beaten by. The quick 5 miles of roads ending the circuit were hard going and on this occasion, my hybrid team mate and myself got very left behind by the road bikes. I just hope I've not done too much muscle damage.

Stats: 24.17 mi, 1h:56m, Avg 12.5 mph, Max 35.3, 1,290 kcal

Day 143 - Stockland Hill

Back in the saddle again for some serious mileage with the APV. 17 cyclists mounted up for a ride to Stockland Hill. As if finding hills along our journey was not enough, we were heading out to climb one. Stockland Hill is the site of the TV Transmitting Station serving East Devon and West Dorset, so not just a little bump in the road!

I'm a little light in cycling news and thoughts to share this week, office work has, for the second week in succession, dominated my waking hours. One muse which I've touched on over these past few months is the suitability of my Specialised Crosstrail Sport hybrid for my AVP circuits. Last night, there were the first mutterings from the group that, compared to their refined road bikes, my hybrid was the most versatile for ground we were covering. Low geared for the hills, rugged frame and suspension for the bumps and thicker tyres for stability over rough and loose shingle. I saw on the TDF that there was one hill that the organisers had to even sweep clean prior to the riders entering. I rest my case. That said, if I'm still this keen next year, I've not quite given up on the idea of acquiring a road bike for my stable, something to keep my my steed company, as a donkey is to a horse!

Back to the Stockland Hill circuit. It was, as expected a tough one but surprisingly, may be because of all the downhill sprints, a quick one with 2 new PBs. Not surprisingly, the peloton split very early into several breakaway groups and there were times when I found my self either out on my own or with another one or two riders. This was a very different ride from those which have gone before.

Stats: 24.01 mi, 1h:48m:24s , Avg 12.2 mph, Max 31.4, 1312 kcal

PBs:
One hour: 14.14 mi
20 km 51m:55s

Day 136 - Much Needed Ride

You know those days when work seems to be all consuming and you forget there is another life to live, well today was one of those days. So with 5 minutes to spare, I was pleased to have made the decision that I would drop everything and head out with the AVP for a much needed ride, to clear the head and sweat out the frustrations of a day of business madness, and sweat I did!

The nights may be already drawing in but the temperatures are still the highest we've seen for some years. There were a baker's dozen of us riders who headed out towards Axminster with the first objective of dropping off the baker before continuing on to Hawkchurch. We took the cycle path through Kilminton in the opposite direction to that of last week where milking cows now replaced the young horned bullocks, a much more relaxed ride!

Taking the minor roads from Hawkchurch back to Axmouth the sun became a blood red orange orb low on the horizon and I can see that next week the sun glasses will have to stay at home, as there were times, under the trees, that visibility became close to that of riding out at the dead of night with no lights. That said, is was still a very quick ride with another 3 time and a longest circuit PB recorded.

The only downer on the ride was the attitude of one motorist who displayed a little anger to have to slow to make way for the peloton as we made our way through the lanes. The consensus, however, was that it was being taken by surprise and fear rather than any malice that led to the outburst. The attitude of some to cycling in country is - now that I'm in the other camp - disappointing. I heard on the SE local news this morning, that Surrey is up in arms over the number of road closures for cycling events and in a recent edition of a cycling magazine there was a letter which spoke of a news reporter asking what can cyclists do to prevent being hit by cars, from behind though wearing high-viz clothing and have lights on, not what car drivers do to avoid hitting bikes. I hear that on the continent, learner drivers are taught to open their doors with the opposite hand, i.e. open the right door with left hand. This makes the driver look behind to ensure there is no traffic - e.g. bikes - coming alongside before opening. The success of our cyclists at the London Olympics and in the Tour de France is doing great things for cycling in Britain but we've a long way to go to be as bike friendly as our neighbours across the channel.

Stats: 25.56 mi, 2h:01m:27s , Avg 12.6 mph, Max 27.0, 1346 kcal

PBs:

  Circuit:  25.56 mi
  One hour: 13.51 mi 

  10 mi 37m:47s (5m:14s quicker than my previous PB) 

  20 km 52m:23