Seaton Wetlands Cycle Path

Back in 2015 there was a new cycle path laid through the Seaton Wetlands to join Colyford to Seaton. This cycle path was all part of a major investment proposed in 2009 and finally approved in 2011 to make the Wetlands more accessible, with hides and raised walkways for visitors to enjoy this tranquil environment and to extend the Stop Line Way cycle route. The former has been a total success the latter, well, we've yet to see.

The cycle path is accessed from Seaton via the cemetery's shingle carpark and exits abruptly onto the Colyford road with no signage at either end. Just as only Hogwarts Students know how to access their platform at Kings Cross, only those in the know would ever be aware of the Season Wetlands Cycle Path, let alone how to access it!

It transpires that not everything is as straight forward as one thinks it should be. I understand there's been a bit of an issue with landowners and a misaligned council agendas .. much of the human race is naturally flawed to be narcissistic and sociopathic. It just has to be accepted these days that it takes years to conclude something which should take seconds to agree and put in place, though I'm not sure anyone actually benefits in the long term.

I had the opportunity to meet with our local town mayor a few weeks ago and put to him the issue of the lack of signage for the 'new' Wetlands cycle path. This led me on the trail to Devon County and East Devon District Councils. Oh don't we love our bureaucracy. Anyway, the upshot of all this is that some signage will be put up but they won't be official Cycle Path ones as the path is not actually finished ... !

The positive news, is that Martin Shaw, Independent East Devon Alliance County Councillor for Seaton & Colyton, informs me that the County Council is at last formally proceeding with the CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) for the Wetlands route, as seen marked in this map of the land to be acquired.

Also, Cllr Ian Hall (Axminster) has also apparently recently expressed an interest in the development of the rest of the Seaton-Axminster route; this Stop Line Way

I am informed by a fellow Pedaller, however, that this is similar to a position we were in back in 2016 so, I'll keep you posted.

Well it's not the Broom Wagon

It's been 6 months since the Broom Wagon closed and so today when I popped in to Serendipity, that which its new owners from Birmingham have renamed it, to join them on their opening day, I was filled with anticipation to see what they had done with the establishment during the closed season.

I entered at 14:00. Stepped out at 14:05. Big guy talking to lady tucking into pile of sandwiches. No one else in shop but these 2 and lady hidden behind coffee machine. No nod, no eye contact, no sign of wanting business. Strange smell, may be from kitchen. Picture hooks but no pictures.

Rightly or wrongly, I judge a location, establishment and people by the feeling I get from them in the first few minutes .. this is no Broom Wagon Coffee, I shall not be back but knowing how well Seaton greeted its very own proper Coffee shop and not just another cafe, it should do well!

On the flip side, I lunched earlier in another cafe which has just reopened on the seafront. It was bustling, airy and serving Mediterranean inspired platers which certainly befitted the temperature, blue sky and sea view. This establishment, the Hideaway Cafe, serving a very acceptable Black Bear Devon Coffee, I shall be returning to!

AVP Remembrance Ride 1914 - 2014

How quick the year has past. This time last year the weather was equally beautiful as Andy and I headed out on our club's  annual AVP Remembrance ride to Rousden. Today, Andy otherwise indisposed, I met up with fellow cyclist, Kelly for a similar quick 10 mile circuit out to Beer before joining the rest of the Pedallers for the main club ride.

With the weather so clear and sunny and the roads dried out from the previous weekend's quagmire, I could not resit taking the new Specialised Tarmac out for a spin before resting it up for the winter.

The Tarmac on Seaton seafront

In all, there were around 10 pedallers who finally headed out of Seaton and up to Rousden for the Remembrance service where we were again so warmly welcomed by the locals.

Team photo

Following the service, coffee and biscuits, Kelly, Richard and I decided to cycle on to Lyme Regis to check out their new and impressive beach promenade before then climbing (there's no other way out once you've cycled into Lyme) back to Seaton for a final coffee at the Broom Wagon.

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First Tuesday AVP Evening Ride

As a preparation aid for this year's AVP 100 at the end of August, a couple of weeks after my RideLondon 100, it has been suggested that the club re-establish the regular Tuesday evening rides.

Five keen Pedallers, Buster, the famed mountain biker, Curtis, our North American member, Kelly, Shaun and myself were to be the first to take up this challenge. Our rendezvous was at the Round Orchard for 19:00. Our route was to be a 42 mile circuit out to Crewkerne and back, through 3 counties and along roads I'd never covered before on the bike, with or without the club. Quite a rarity these days.

Not only did this give me some enjoyable additional miles of training, it also gave me the opportunity to test out my new GoPro in a group ride situation. I've since been told, by my non-cycling friends, that this makes for much more interesting viewing, and I tend to agree. While I'm happy with the general camera position, now that I've cleared the brake and gear cables from view, the vibration noise is still too excessive for me to include sound in the playback. I have another mounting bracket on order but the solution may be to come up with my own soundtrack ... perhaps, Queen's 'Bicycle Race'? Other ideas gratefully received!

While out on the ride, my Roubaix's wobbly wheels - which I first noticed had been pummelled out of alignment by our disgraceful potholed roads, whilst out with Jason on the Taunton Circuit last weekend - became so out of alignment that I had to loosen the brakes off to almost their maximum; something which is usual to do only when removing them from the frame. This was not a good situation. They will have to be fixed before my next ride, I can put this off no longer. The dilemma is, how long will I be off the road and will my Crosstrail, sadly sitting in the garage with a puncture, have to be my steed for Thursday night's ride? I need another road bike!

Epilogue:  As I am a little tardy with this posting, I can add this epilogue to inform all that no new bike was required ..  not just yet anyway. On Wednesday morning, I phoned the local bike shop, Soanes, in Colyton and Jeff the mechanic was able to realign both front and rear wheels in quick time, such that I had them back on the bike later that afternoon! The poor Crosstrail will have to sit out another AVP evening ride, but I did buy it the gift of a new inner tube and I'll give it a bit of TLC over the weekend.

Coffee Shop Ride

What to do on a Sunday morning, when you're just 10 miles short of your 100 mile weekly target, and your legs are aching madly following an epic ride the previous day? Ride your bike to the local cyclist friendly coffee shop for a caffein and sugar boost, of course!

This also gave me the opportunity to further test out my GoPro camera which I've invested in ahead of my RideLondon event in just 5 weeks time!

For those of you who have yet to visit me in Seaton, you can also get a feel for where I am fortunate to live and the see the beach on which I have enjoyed many a lunch hour!

Seaton to Bridport and Back

With a number of our Pedallers out today riding the Nello .. and good luck to them all .. I met up with Jason, my RideLondon buddie for a 50 mile tour of Dorset.

The obligatory selfie

Our route took us around Bridport and back. But we'd not really done our homework on where best to make a cafe stop. I realise now we should have called in at West Bay, a recent treasure of a find; as it was, Charmouth was not up to much - they have a bit of development work going on there - so survived on energy bars and bananas. No cake today!

Survived on energy bars and bananas. No cake today!

Still time to sponsor me from the RideLondon on 10-Aug, just 6 weeks away now https://www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Read-Bone/



A montage of pictures found on the AVP Facebook page

The Lone Pedaller

I think the threat of rain may have kept my fellow Pedallers off the road this evening. I bumped into Buster and Robin unloading their mountain bikes but although out on my winterised Crosstrail, I did not have the required chunky tyres to consider suggesting I tag along!

Soggy and steamed up .. just before I was forced to get the rain cape out

Having kitted up, I was not going to turn in for an early bath, so thought I'd do a gentle solo circuit out to Honiton Golf Club and return to Seaton via Offwell and Colyton. After last week's climbing, I thought I'd avoid the hills today and also keep to some of our better roads.

The obligatory photo stop

I did manage, however to pick up a slow puncture from the road to Offwell which the council crew had strewn with hedge cuttings, I do wish they would sweep up after themselves!

The Lone Pedaller

24 miles covered in 1 hr 55 mins inc the obligatory photo stops for a couple of selfies. I did get a bit of a cooling shower on the way out but was rewarded with warm blow dry on my return as the sun came out!

Saturday Exeter Loop

Okay, so we're just a week away from the Dartmoor Classic, that's a cycle ride of 67 miles and 6,300 ft of climbing across some of the most stunning and inhospitable scenery around. Andy and I covered 50 of these miles on our recce and hill climb training a couple of weeks ago and today we'd planned another long preparatory ride starting out from Seaton at 08:30, before the sun got too hot.

On the Cycle Way from Topsham to Exmouth with Andy, Jason and Kelly

We were pleased to be accompanied on our ride by Jason (my RideLondon buddy - [Note: the RideLondon is now less than 2 months away, so please support me if you can]) and Kelly a new member of AVP who, unable to join our Thursday evening rides, was looking to get some weekend miles in. Our circular route was to take us 60 miles via Exeter, Topsham and Exmouth, Kelly adding a further 10 miles having cycled all the way over from Axminster! Being one of our rides, we had 3 coffee stops, ending the ride, obviously at Glenn's Seaton "Broom Wagon Coffee" shop.

At the Broom Wagon Coffee Shop .. our final stop, with Andy and Jason

We did debate adding a further 7 miles to the route to avoid the climb out of Sidmouth up Salcombe Hill past the Norman Lockyer Observatory, but with 3 of us having not done it before, we thought, 'how bad can it be?' .. now we know!

This was a surprisingly quick ride, even taking 19 minutes off my 3hr:54m 50 mile record attained just a few weeks ago on that Dartmoor hill training circuit. Feeling good :)

Sunny AVP Evening Ride

10 Pedallers met up for the Thursday evening 28 mile road ride under a gloriously sunny sky. It was a good quick ride with fortunately no mechanical problems, no punctures, no crashes or fly-pasts ..

there was I believe a near miss with a dog and there may have been an altercation with a motorised vehicle down a narrow lane, but I could I really couldn't say!

Oh yes .. there was a Road Closure to negotiate

Check out the route below, extended a few miles to include Musbury after we'd got to Colyton, as we'd made such good time .. the Branoc had to wait!

Broom Wagon Coffee Shop Opening

The bank holiday weekend has started in good tradition, with the heavens opening and rain lashing heavily against the widows such that no sane cyclist would be venturing out today. However, recovering this morning after another session of lithotripsy yesterday, I'm pleased that the weather would be keeping me off my steed anyway and I am hopeful that as the sky clears towards the end of the weekend, my pains will do likewise.

Meanwhile, what better thing to do with oneself in this convalescing state, than to visit the new coffee shop opening this morning in Seaton. Glen, the naked man with whom we rode out with on the AVP evening ride to Lyme, is the man behind this new establishment. Serving strong, hot coffee and cake, it certainly ticks two important boxes for me and will hopefully be a new popular meeting place for local cyclists.

Glen, the naked man & proprietor

The Broom Wagon Coffee Shop, takes its name from the vehicle that follows a cycle road race picking up stragglers who are unable to make it to the finish within the time permitted, i.e. sweeping them up. 

I hear that the Broom Wagon is to add another attraction in the coming weeks, a TV screen to show coverage of the many global cycling events which, unknown probably to many, are longer and as frequent if not more so than the well televised Formua 1 Grand Prix ... I can see me making this a regular venue for my coffee and lunch breaks in future!

Looking forward to the killer attraction

Should it have perhaps a once a month (or more) Thursday late opening, hint hint,  I could see the Broom Wagon even usurping the Kings Arms as final watering hole for the AVP evening ride. Risking a political backlash, I would particularly be in favour of this after the increasingly late serving of fuel and lack of space at the Kings Arms. The need of a good pint of Branock then being satisfied perhaps every other week at the White Hart, where live music, good post cycling carbs and plenty of space would get my vote. Watch this space. 

Anniversary AVP Evening Rainbow Ride

Around 15 pedallers were out last night for the AVP Thursday evening road ride. I would have taken a better count but was a late arriver having had both a puncture to fix and vote to cast before heading out and was lucky to just catch the front of the peloton leaving the Kings Arms.

Tigger lead us out, just as he did a year ago to the day on my first ride with the pedallers.

My first ever ride with the Pedallers, 23 May 2013

... yes last night was my anniversary with the club.

Tigger and Rex discussing an exotic form of fungi

Tigger's route was to take us out to Branscombe, Blackberry Camp, Southleigh and back through Colyton via an ecliptic mix of roads and hills, some quite varied from the ones we've taken before. The ride was not to disappoint, as it provided us a veritable mix of nature's delights: from farm safari, to exotic fungi and meteorological phenomena.

Negotiating the farmyard safari

To add to the rich social tapestry of our ride, we were also joined by Curtis, our American Pedaller, just recently returned to these shores and a new addition to our number, a visitor to the area, so I believe - I did not catch the full story - and then the rare experience, of meeting the off-roaders in a Red Arrows styled crossover, as they came upon us in the opposite direction on the road to Southleigh.

A mesmerising view across to Lyme Regis

End of the Rainbow Ride

Heading back to Colyton, we were greeted with the view of the most spectacular rainbow and luckily avoided the worst of the downpour which
had obviously preceded us as we road back into Seaton.

RideLondon Training - Honiton Circuit

84 days until the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100, the hottest day of the year and my second training ride with my charity cycling buddy, Jason.

For our first ride, I travelled over to Jason's patch in Somerset for a Taunton Watchet Bridgewater loop.  Today, it was my turn to host Jason across the border in Devon. I selected the Honiton circuit I first completed back in September 2013 with Andy, when in training for my first 100 miler with the AVP. This seemed a very apt route considering the event we were training for today.

The Honiton circuit takes in Sidmouth and Ottery St Mary to Honiton returning via Stockland and Colyton. Getting out of the Axe Valley and Lyme Bay always requires a climb, and I had intended we take Stovar Long Lane but deep in conversation, I missed the turning and so had to take the far steeper Hollyhead Road; I know know why we stick to Stovar on our AVP rides - sorry Jason!

Selfie taken by Jason in Sidmouth .. before we hit the hills 

Dropping down Trow Hill into Sidford, I hit my fastest speed on 2 wheels, between 48-49 mph (Strava and Endomondo can't agree) .. could be a result of my new wheel and tyre combination. At the base of the hill, my plan had been to turn into Sidmouth via Fortescue Road, following the River Sid, but a Police car blocked the path that we'd have to take to make corner, doing the speed we were. Our minds were also, by then, focussing on whether we may even get pulled up for speeding, but we managed to slow sufficiently before hitting the 30 mph change in limit and the rapidly decelerating cars ahead of us!

At the front, we had the obligatory photo session and took on fuel in banana format .. me the whole fruit version, and Jason in gel form. I did try a gel later and it was not at all bad, considering.

Yours truly in my Team Diabetes UK kit @ Sidmouth

We took the climb out Sidmouth to the Bowd Inn and on into Ottery St Mary and Honiton, where having made such good time, we decided to reward ourselves with a coffee and cake stop - I think I was perhaps the more in favour of this, but then again, Jason was on my patch so was happy to oblige. I also knew the final climb which lay before us and carrot cake and caffeine was the best fuel for this!

Coffee and Cake Stop

The Northcote Hill / Old Chard Road hill climb was an absolute killer on my first outing last year, but  my training since has obviously paid dividends, as I took over 5 minutes off my first time on one of the Strava segments for this climb .. and earned PRs for the rest. Indeed, today I achieved PRs right across the ride :)

Jason at the top of the Old Chard Road hill climb 

We concluded our ride through Shute and Colyton, returning to Seaton along the Axmouth straight which has a fantastic new road surface laid on Thursday evening. I had hoped this new road surface would have been smooth enough to have given me a new PR on this segment, but I guess I'd used up all the carrot cake fuel by this time!

Another great training ride out with Jason, feeling like we're making good progress and Box Hill will be no issue if we carry on climbing the hills as we did today. 

Thanks for the support from all so far and for that to come ... here's my Diabetes UK sponsorship page if you've yet to visit ... http://www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Read-Bone

Rous it Down

86 Days until the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey

We had a great turnout for the road ride last night with a spectrum of speed category riders making good time on the 25 mile Lyme Regis circuit. Even with Nelly carrying 7kg in his panniers didn't seem to slow him down much! Alas there were no ladies in our number, although with an 'Adam' skin suit on show, I'm sure that was a wise decision - see pics and decide for yourselves.

Down on Lyme Regis beach we bumped into a group of stunt cyclists balancing and jumping between the breakwater rocks .. not for the feint hearted. There was a suggestion we show them how it should be done but with time ticking we needed to move on .. may be next time!

Weather was warm and sunny as forecast, and the golden sun set from the top of Trinity Hill a wonderful sight.

Oh yes .. and why was Nelly carrying 7kg of bricks in his panniers? Well it was not a (justified) rider's handicap, but he's in training for his June ride from Venice to Topsham for the Force Cancer charity. Read more here http://thenelly2014.wordpress.com

While I have to remember to power Garmin back on after a stop, as I missed a good few miles off my total distance here, I did record some very good achievements. 10 Strava segment PRs and at last, an AVP record on the Rous it down segment. The training continues.

Wheel Upgrade

87 Days until the Prudential RideLondon - Surrey.

Another good 10+ mile ride out to Beer Quarry Caves this morning, on yet another beautifully sunny start to the day. This takes my weekly distance total up to just over 31 miles and sitting mid table - of 3 - in the AVP stats.

No ride out tomorrow morning as I have the club run in the evening and I want to ensure I'm fresh for any sprints with Andy!

New Mavic wheels and Schwalbe tyres

This evening I completed my wheel upgrade with a pair of Mavic wheels and Schwalbe Ultremo ZX road tyres. I think they set off the bike's black and white look really well, but more importantly the freewheel is quiet and the ride smooth and quick .. or so I'm hoping :)

RideLondon Solo Training

88 days until the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 and the week has kicked off well with a couple of beautiful early morning training rides. I'm focussing on building my long hill stamina by climbing my local Seaton Down Hill. It is funny how, looking back through my blog and Strava results, it took me close to 20 minutes to make it to the top the first time I attempted it and now I'm driving for a sub 5 minute climb!

Down on Beer Beach - I love this shot - notice the Team Diabetes UK colours?

While I'm in training for my August charity ride, training which includes the Dartmoor Classic sportive next month, there is no shortage of pro events to inspire me. We've had the first Friends Life Women's Tour, with all 5 days excellently screened by ITV4 - a fantastic event it was too, those ladies have so much stamina! Then there is the Italian Giro, three weeks of cycling which kicked off at the weekend and the Amgen Tour of California running at the same time, both of which I'm flicking between, watching via the EuroSport app on my iPad. So I'm never too far from a cycling fix!

Selfie - loving these sunny early morning rides

All has not been plain sailing these past few days though. Over the weekend I heard that worrying tick from the freewheel which brought me to a flying stop a few weeks back when it seized. The BikeShed were good in replacing it under warrantee but for it to be seemingly happing so soon again was not comforting when I'm taking on rides that put me 20 miles or so from home. That's a long walk in cycling shoes! They offered to have another go at repairing it but said it was probably the Californian styled seals which don't need to be so resilient to water exposure. I decided instead on purchasing an uprated European replacement set at cost and my early experience of the rear one has been very positive. I am just now waiting to fit new tyres and the matching front wheel and I'll be flying .. and feeling much more at ease that we will both survive the miles. Pictures and details to follow once I've completed the full upgrade.

AVP Evening Bluebell Ride

I and 7 other Pedallers pedalled out on Thursday night in glorious sunshine, hard to believe an hour earlier that it was still raining. A day of rain had, however, left its mark on the lanes as I, one of the few without mud guards, was to discover to my, and those in my wake, detriment!

We headed out to Offwell via - according to the map - Chapel Nap a 2 mile 500 ft climb with great views over toward Shute. We crossed the A35 and circled round Cotleigh along Old Chard Road, a quiet excellent riding surface with superb scenery. It was payback time at the end of this road, however, when we had to climb steeply, maxing out at16%, up to Stockland Hill. From here, it was a glorious high speed chain gang bast to the A35 and back to Seaton via Musbury.

We had one stop for Airfix to fix a snakebite puncture but otherwise this was another great ride out with 25 miles covered in just under 2 hours .. and 3 new PBs .. 1hr (16.3 mi), 10miles (30m:15s) and 20km (41m:35s).. feeling good!

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.

Last Ride Before The Easter Rain

The day before Easter Sunday and the last before the unseasonably clear sky darkens again with rain filled clouds, I head out at 06:30 am into the cool spring sunshine.

I had it in mind to take in a few hills this morning, with the Dartmoor Classic just two months away, I needed the training. So, my plan was to head out over to Sidmouth and find a similar route to that I took yesterday, returning back through Colyton via Offwell. My only challenge was that I needed to do this in less than 2 hours as we had a day out planned.

To satisfy my need for a good climb, I decided to take on the Beer and Branscombe hills. this was not necessarily my best idea with the time I had available as hills considerably slow me down! I reached Sidmouth beach after an hour, my slowest 10 miles in a long time ... this was not good considering that I was cycling against the clock.

Sidmouth

With time against me, I still thought I could recover sufficient minutes by taking the Sidbury road out of Sidmouth and then crossing over to Farway to complete my intended route back through Offwell. I had not, however, paid sufficient attention to the map nor the contours around Roncombe Hill. The turning off the A375 looked level. I could see where the road should have followed the valley, carved out by the meandering Roncombe River, now just a stream, but those who had marked out the original track had chosen not to follow this logic. After being lulled into a false sense of security, the road started to climb and then climbed some more. Ahead, I could hear the sound of baying hounds, it was not a good feeling. Matters got even worse when rounding a steep hairpin near the top, I was greeted by a Road Closed sign. Was, after the climb of my life, I now having to u-turn and find another way out of Sidmouth? I decided, having come this far, I'd carry my bike over and around the obstacle .. thank goodness, back in August last year, I went for the lighter carbon frame! The cause of the road closure, was that a section had collapsed into the valley during the winter floods .. vindicating my original assumption that this is where it originally should have been built! The noise of the baying hounds was from the kennels that I found at the summit and my arrival did not quieten them any. The benefit of a good climb, however, is the great view you get from the top, and this one was equally spectacular.

The benefit of a good climb is the great view you get from the top!

I was now running dangerously late with only 15 minutes to complete the 15 miles of my intended return journey. This was not going to happen. My only option was to switch to the more direct, main roads and pray for a tailwind. While the wind's help was not forthcoming, the more favourable  gradient and smooth roads assisted in getting me home just 5 minutes later than planned, my new PB on the decent of Seaton Down Hill being testament to the speed I was travelling over these last 7 miles!

While I'd like to have another go at my originally intended circuit, I think I'll look for another route across to Farway; I'd be happy not to do Roncombe Hill again.

This concluded a really good week on the bike; completing my 2nd best distance of the year and registering 3rd place on the AVP weekly leader board, something I've not done for a very long time. With it being Easter Sunday tomorrow, the way is now clear for a guilt free day, grazing on chocolate Eater eggs ;)

First 'School Day' Morning Rides Of The Year

This was the week in which I found my cycling mojo and got myself back into a routine of pre breakfast morning rides.

The plan was to get out early on Monday, but in spite to the inviting blue sky, my motivation was lacking. Tuesday my excuse for not heading out was an early business call which, by the end of the day, I felt I had to make amends and nipped out for a quick gentle circuit .. just under 8 miles.



Wednesday, I had another early call but was not going to let this put me off. The great weather was holding and after the previous evening's enjoyable circuit I just had to get out. I felt sluggish but it was a start and I felt great to have completed my first 'school day' morning ride of the year!

Not a soul out at 06:30 am for my first morning ride

To complete the day, I even headed out late afternoon, after work for 10 mile spin .. as if I'd cycled to and from work. I was feeling much better on this ride .. getting KOM of my Seaton 3 Hills Climb, finally breaking my September 2013 record and achieving an average speed over the 10 miles of 15 mph .. feeling good!

Thursday, the day of our weekly AVP ride, with family arriving for the long Easter weekend, I had both chores to do in the morning and socialising in plan for the evening, so no cycling today! I made up for it. however, on Good Friday morning, with another 06:30 start and a good 20 plus mile ride out to Honiton golf club and back via Offwell. I even met up with a Sid Valley rider along the Axmouth estuary which gave me a boost .. I do prefer riding with company.

AVP April Sunday Morning Ride

Every month the AVP has a gentle ride out for coffee and cake at a local feeding post, a key event in my diary.

I decided on an early depart to make the most of the beautiful spring morning and rode up Seaton Down Hill and out to Beer.

After checking in at the beach, I headed back to Seaton to meet up with 17 other riders at the TIC for the April ride.

We followed all the back lanes out through Colyton to Dalwood and stopped for coffee and cake at the Millers Farm Shop on Gammons Hill near Axminster.