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

Day 303 - Last Afternoon Ride of 2013

I was pleased, on this the last day of 2013, that the weather cleared sufficiently this afternoon for a quick few circuits of Seaton. Not a long ride but just enough to get the heart pumping and blow the cobwebs away .. the wind was certainly blowing strongly along the estuary and seafront!

On the circuit, I spotted Soanes Cycle shop in Colyton was open and knowing that they stock the one item which was not in my Christmas stocking this year, I thought I'd give them some last minute business. The item I was after was the CO2 tyre pump which Clive first demonstrated on my puncture during the AVP 100 Miler back in September .. I've had my eye out for one ever since.

M:Part Micro CO2 tyre inflator

The version I bought was the M:Part Micro CO2 for £9:00 including 2 x 16 g cartridges, great value for a really useful piece of kit. The great thing about this particular unit, is that they include a handy protective sleeve where many I've checked out do not. These pumps get very very cold after use, cold enough to leave a layer of frost around the metal CO2 cylinder, so protection for the user's hands is essential.

2013 has been a great year for me returning to the saddle back in March after some 20 years. While I've not yet completed a full year's cycling below is a snapshot of 2013's achievements

Here you can see that it was during September that I hit my peak, this was at the time of my first 100 miler, 15 September. Next year I have two 100 mile sportif's planned, the Dartmoor Classic in June and the RideLondon-Surrey in August and I dare say, the AVP will have another to close the season in September. It's going to be an exiting year!

Day 280 - A Gentle Morning Ride

This has, in contrast to last, been a week of lethargy as far as the cycling is concerned. Dark mornings and too much work has left me less than keen to get out on the bike. Having topped the distance leaderboard these last few weeks I've dared not to look at it this week.

I did, however, venture out on a brisk two hour walk yesterday, only to frustratingly give myself a slight groin injury! This morning, I thus felt compelled to get out and cover a few gentle miles else I feared, the way I was feeling, I'd not get out until spring finally arrived. 

I headed off up Seaton Down Hill turning off down Roman Way before hitting the real climb, afraid of further damaging myself after yesterday's walk. The ride continued into Colyton and back through Axmouth taking in all the little side roads and cul-de-sacs that I'd always wondered about along the way. 

Heading out of Colyton on the back road towards Honiton, I stumbled across a business park and a cycle business I never knew existed, MountainBikeBitz.com. I also took time out to have a look at an old WWII gun emplacement in a field overlooking the Axe River outside of Colyford. On this occasion the cows which normally surround it were elsewhere.

The sunrise over the hills towards Dorset in the distance was beautiful. It was a lovely morning for a ride.

Heading back into Axmouth. I stopped again to take in the view and pose for a few snaps .. these shots look a at though they've come from the new year Sky catalogue! .. perhaps I'll sell then on ;) 

It was then a short ride back home and just under 12 miles covered. Not a long distance based on recent form but it still felt good to be out on the bike again. Need to do better next week.

Day 272 - 100 km Seaton to Topsham

Following last Sunday's ride, a plan was hatched to do a long social ride out to Exeter and back, some 55 miles or so, on the following Saturday. Weather watching during the week made this plan seem even better, as it was being forecast to be the only day in the upcoming week with wall to wall sun.

Andy, Ed, Jon and I met up at the Seaton TIC and at 10:00 am, a little later than planned, we headed out towards Exeter. The plan was to take in the sights of Newton Pop, Lympstone and Topsham, a quick stop for lunch and then return to Seaton via Ottery for around 4:00 isn, before sunset.

We took the main road out through Sidford and after descending Four Elms Hill turned south before entering Netwon Poppleford, to follow the River Otter towards Otterton and our first coffee stop at the mill. The plan was then to make our way over to Exeter across the common, however, keeping things fluid we decided instead on the coastal cycle path, around the north of Budleigh, into Exmouth and along the estuary to Topsham. It is a really impressive length of traffic free paths which was very much welcomed after our initial and very busy main road section.

It seemed like a summers day by the sea as we rode through Exmouth. The Lifeboat was getting a clean and tourists were promenading under the clear blue sky. It was quite idilic but we were by now behind plan and getting hungry. We needed to press on to our planned next stop, Topsham.

On route to Topsham, we cycled through Lympstone, and who should we bump into but Alistair Cope, one of the founding members of the AVP. Alastair was wheeling a new Penny Farthing down the street which I gather he may ride in next Saturday's Velo Vintage 4th Occasion and Ride which he was also out promoting.

Alistair Cope with his new Penny Farthing

From Lympstone we followed Exe Trail cycle path through Exton to Topsham via the longest continuous piece of decking I've ever seen! Once in Topsham, it was a tossup between eating inside at the cyclists favourite, Route 2 cafe, or outside at the Lighter Inn on the quay. With the sun shining and a real atmosphere of alfresco dining, despite to cost, the Lighter won the day.

Alfresco dining at the Lighter

By the time the pints were downed and plates cleared it was gone 2:00 pm and we were going to have hit the pedals hard to be back in Seaton before the sun set and with Jon riding with no lights the pressure was on! 

Our return journey took us north, to the M5 with some courageous and rapid cycling across roundabouts and through busy junctions. Clear of the major routes we headed west through Clyst Honiton, Aylesbere, West Hill and Ottery St Mary where we even had to navigate a path around a group of morris dancers, not sure what was going on there.

Ed over the M5

The circuit had so far had its fair share of hills but nothing like what was to follow our exit out of Ottery. Chineway Hill is something else; a 3 mile, 20% climb which at the summit left me reaching for the jelly babies and draining my water bottle before I felt ready to continue!

Chineway Hill climb

We now had 10 miles remaining, the majority of which was down hill but the light was fading fast, as too was Ed's touring bike. Having suffered a catastrophic series of mechanical failures on Thursday night while riding his road bike, Ed had today switched to the tourer. His luck, however, was not with him this week, as he proceeded to lose a pedal as we crossed the common. Jon assisted in re-attaching it and luckily it remained in place long enough to see us all safely back to Seaton. The sun, however, was by then as good as set but we did, to Jon's frustration, stop to capture a picture of it before it totally slipped behind the horizon .. quite a stunning view.

Sun setting at the end of our ride

In all we completed just short of 60 miles / 100 km .. a terrific workout and great fun, even if we did not quite make it to Exeter.

Jonathan rode AVP Morning Ride

Saturday, November 30, 2013 in Seaton, England, United Kingdom
• Distance
   59.7 mi
 
• Time
   4:37:40
 
• Elevation
   3,753ft

Day 216 - No Legs

What a way to end a week, up at dawn for a 45 mile tour of Dorset. This has been a week when, with the awful weather,  I was thinking that I'd be lucky to get in just a few short rides, but as it was, it has been one of my longest weeks in the saddle and my aching legs are witness to that. This fact is further born out by a set of stats Andy mailed me showing myself at the top of the AVP distance leaderboard!

So, why 'up at the crack of dawn for a 45 mile tour of Dorset'? Clive, our 100 mile ride organiser, let it be know the other week that he does a regular 40+ mile ride every Sunday morning and with the nights drawing in, I'd thought it would be a good idea to move my weekly ride from a Thursday evening to the Sunday morning and step up the mileage at the same time. So, when the weather was forecast to be wall to wall sun, despite having already had my Thursday night ride, it was an opportunity not to be missed. The question is, will the two rides now be the new routine and will my legs keep up?

Pausing for a moment at the carpark below Pilsdon Pen.

Five joined up for the morning ride, Clive, Andy, Chequers, Kevin and myself. This is a far quicker team to ride with than our Thursday group and I found that while I could just about keep up on level ground, after the first 20 miles, my legs were 'running on empty' when it came to the hills, such that it was all that I could do to keep them turning on the smallest cog - my Roubaix is great at that. This was one of the most frustrating group rides that I've ridden, as the realisation that there was no way I could keep up sank in. I have so much more training to do! Luckily, my pace was good enough for Chequers, so at least I was not left out on my own. All credit to the other guys, they waited for us at the summits as in true AVP style, no one is left behind!

Hot on the heels of Chequers, you can't really appreciate the gradient from this pic.

We started out towards Axmouth and our first 10% 3 mile climb up Boshill Hill, I'd forgotten how painful this one is! We turned off the main Lyme Regis road north though Rousden, Uplyme and up another 10+% climb to Marshwood. At Broardwindsor we turned south through Pen Coppice where we had wonderful views over the Dorset countryside, the sun by then was warming us through nicely. There followed a blissful 7 mile drop down through Salwayash and Dottery where at the 25 mile mark we turned west towards home. We returned through Marshwood, Rousden and Axmouth. I've never been so happy to see the welcome to Devon signs and the familiar sights of the Axe estuary which a few days before I'd seen atmospherically illuminated by the lights of Seaton.

A brief stop near Dottery

Looking back, it was a great ride and by next weekend, I'll be equally keen to join Clive and the team on another. For now, I'm strangely enjoying the aching legs .. endorphins I think they call it!

Stats: 44.68 mi, 3hr 03m, Avg 14.6 mph, Max 38.8 mph, 2,517 kcal

Day 200 - Tour of Britain

Today the Tour of Britain arrived in Sidmouth for the start of stage 6, 137km through the Devonshire countryside, from the south coast to the hills of Dartmoor; to finish on the granite peak of Haytor. Being just 10 miles up the road, it was a day I made sure I'd booked off work as soon as I learned of the schedule. The plan was to ride over with AVP club mate, Andy to catch the start and then race across to Exeter while the riders looped their way north. Andy, however, had damaged knee ligaments during our 100 miler last weekend, so was not back on his bike, the decision for me, therefore, was whether to ride or drive. I was itching to get back on my bike, so I kitted my self out in GB colours (for the occasion) and rode but decided to just do Sidmouth today, I find long distances are better done with company.

Supporting Team GB ...
who would have known they would be the winning colours!

Following the climb up Seaton Down Hill, I headed out on the A3052, the main road to Sidmouth which at 8am was as busy as I've ever known it. This road at rush hour on a Friday morning was not a pleasant place to be, as commuters and white vans challenged each other to see how close they could pass me without making contact! In spite of the traffic distractions, or may be because of them, I made better time than I expected, reaching Sidmouth town centre in only 40 minutes. One route change I made to that I rode a couple of weeks ago, was to take the signposted cycle route down to Salcombe Regis past the observatory and into Sidmouth via the ford. I'd been told that this hill was heavy on brakes but this was not all, it was full of potholes and, being heavily wooded, strewn with puncture friendly cuttings difficult to avoid. I will not be taking this route again and am surprised at Sustrans even designating this as suitable for cyclists.

Sidmouth streets, cleared of traffic and pedestrians for the Tour of Britain

Once I'd secured my Roubaix in the already busy cycle park, I walked to sea front where the race was to start and where the professional cyclists were starting to gather. I've never seen Sidmouth roads so clear of people and cars. Over the next few hours, the crowds and local cycle clubs descended and I became less conscious of being the only one clad in colourful lycra! The atmosphere was amazing, friendly and buzzing with excitement.

The race begins

At 11am, right on plan, the 6th stage of the Tour of Britain started. I clambered for a view of the passing cyclists and caught the Yates' brothers dressed, as I, in Team GB colours, head out on this 85 mile road race to Hayor, high up on Dartmoor. Little did I know then that Simon would end up taking the stage win, and I would be wearing the winning team's colours!

Stats: 20 mi, 8hr 29m, Avg 14.1 mph, Max 35.2 mph, 1,165 kcal

Day 187 - Morning Ride with Andy

With just 8 days before the AVP 100 miler, I had a number of options this weekend to get in a few extra miles training before the big day. The AVP were planning a gentle 30 miler out from Ottery St Mary to Exmouth, the Sid Valley CC would have their Sunday am fast paced 40+ mile ride and my new good friend and Specialized sparing partner from AVP extended me the offer of joining him on a Saturday morning training circuit. In the end the decision was easy.

Andy and I met on Seaton Down Hill for the steep climb out of town. This is the hill I set my fitness by as I've only recently been able to make it to the top without stopping. Today, I could still feel Thursday's ride in my legs, so I did somewhat fear for how the rest of the morning would go.

First stop Sidmouth, Andy in AVP and me (unseen) in my SVCC colours

I was really pleased that we planned to head out via Sidmouth, as on the 20th September, I'm cycling over there to see the start of stage 6 of the Tour of Britain. I'm not sure, however, that I'll use the same route out, as we then made our way, 7 miles inland, to Ottery St Mary before then taking the old single carriage A30 into Honiton where, after 25 miles in the saddle, we stopped for a much needed coffee and cake!

Having taken on fuel, we had a double climb up Stockland Hill out of Honiton, over which I adopted the snaking mountain pass manoeuvre to level out the assent and maintain some level of forward momentum. I'm not sure whether it was this unconventional climbing motion or the technical hitch I'll comment on later, but something totally confused Strava, because for some reason it awarded me the King of the Mountain (KOM) for the Stockland Hill Climb, which unbelievably no one has climbed before! Oh well a KOM is a KOM and I think this is one which will never be taken from me, as I can't see that it is a route that actually exists!  Once at the top of the 'mountain', the remaining 15 miles were more or less down hill back through Shute and Colyton to Seaton.

JRB wins KOM for the Stockland Hill Climb

The technical hitch I commented earlier on, was on leaving Honiton, when my Garmin decided during our coffee stop that it should include itself, such that it powered down for a rest. This unexpected feature in its design was not, however, spotted until a further 3 or so miles had been covered. Luckily, Strava accounted for the missed miles in its final report, but this being unknown to us at the time and having only registered 39 miles on entering Seaton, we madly decided to do an additional circuit of Axmouth to bring the total above 40 miles! Unbelievably, although in reality I'd already completed some 41 miles, I then went on to achieve my best ever times on both the Seaton to Axmouth and Axmouth Gate to Boshill sprints! What a finish to a great morning's ride.

Stats: 44.4 mi, 2hr 56m, Avg 14.1 mph, Max 44.7 mph, 2,323 kcal

Day 180 - Taunton Stop Line

I had a different riding experience planned for Saturday, a mountain bike ride out on my Crosstrail with Mike, my good neighbour and friend, exploring the Taunton Stop Line. This is the WW2 defensive line separating the south west from the rest of England, designed to stop an enemy's advance from the west. The length of the Taunton Stop Line is impressive, it runs north-south for nearly 50 miles through Somerset, Dorset and Devon, from Axminster to Chard along the River Axe, then along the Great Western Railway to Ilminster (the section we covered today), the railway and Chard Canal to Taunton, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal to Bridgwater, and the River Parrett to the coast near Highbridge. For those of you who know my fascination with this kind of thing, you'll not be surprised of me thinking that I'm going to have to cover it all eventually!

Today, however, we set out in Mike's estate car (I've still not yet sorted out how to transport my bike, let alone two) to Chard. From here we headed along the Route 33 cycle path to Ilminster, following the disused railway line - the sad legacy of Dr Beeching's 1960s demise of our railway network. Luckily, for me, the quality of the concrete defences installed in the early 1940s have stood the test of time and it was like being a child again, out on bikes exploring the countryside seeking out items of military interest!

Donyat Station

Just 3.5 miles along the old railway line we came across Donyat Station, still with its shelter and a model of a young girl sat waiting for the next train which will never come :(. Above the station, along the top of the embankment, are a long line of dragon's teeth fortifications, just visible as pointed concrete blocks in the above photo. Under the bridges, we saw concrete rail blocks which were placed either side of the track, allowing just enough space for the train to pass but which would block the advance of tanks, and slotted concrete blocks either side of the tracks for steel girders to be inserted to block the path of anyone using railway line. 

Concrete rail blocks & dragon's teeth

Then, at strategic sites along the railway, pillboxes and gun emplacements can be seen either hidden alongside bridges or in the hedgerows in the fields beyond. It is amazing what you see when you look. I never knew there was so many of these defensive works installed at the time, let alone having survived the past 70 years.

During our ride, we passed a number of walkers with their dogs and Mike alluded to the fact that he's always been wary of how dogs can sometimes see a moving bike and rider as fair game for a chase. It was amusing, to me, therefore, when exploring a lane containing three hidden gun emplacements, to be chased back down the lane by a very 'playful' collie dog, with Mike bearing the brunt of the dog's gnashing and barking! 

Hidden gun emplacement

Leaving the railway line cycle path, we headed through Ilminster, north towards our next destination, the old WW2 RAF airfield, now RNAS Merryfield, near the village of Ilton. This took quite a bit of time to locate as having spotted the air sock from quite a long way out, high hedges and a network of narrow crisscrossing lanes soon obscured the view and the route we needed to take. We would have made useless wartime spies!

Finally we locate HMS Heron 

Finally homing in on the airfield, access was bared by a friendly security guard as, while there was little evidence of this today, it is still an active naval airfield used primarily for military helicopter pilot training.  

We lunched in Ilton before making the short ride back to Ilminster and via the old railway to Chard. This was perhaps one of the flattest circuits I've done for some time, although we did have quite a climb  back into Ilminster just to keep the heart rate up. A fun ride, great to be back on the Crosstrail and much to see, very different from anything I've done for a very long time. Looking forward to the next one!

Stats: 22.53 mi, 2h:00m, Avg 11.2 mph, Max 29.4 mph, 1004 kcal

Day 171 - Evening Ride with Jason

Monday, legs too sore to ride, Tuesday and Wednesday away with work, Thursday fit again for my AVP evening ride. But no, I did not ride out with the AVP, Jason, a good friend of mine called to suggest he drive over with his bike for a ride out. Perfect, I thought, an opportunity to get a few more miles under my belt on the new bike without the risk of embarrassing myself in front of the AVP, perhaps selecting the wrong gear or falling off!

I loaded one of my previous AVP circuits into the Garmin to follow. the one I selected was a good coastal ride out to Branscombe and back through Colyton. All was going well until 4 miles out, Jason hit a patch of gravel and punctured his rear tyre! Luckily, Jason having all the spare parts and equipment to hand he made quick work of the change and were back on the road, climbing the hills out of Branscombe with only a minor delay.

Following a route on the Garmin 500 is not that easy, as you have a line on a screen as an indication of route but no reference points such as road junctions and therefore, it was no surprise that we veered off the correct path. Although noticing this very quickly, we thought we'd continue on; no one likes to have to turn around! While this did give us a few more hills to climb, it also gave us the opportunity to join the main road and the high speed decent into Colyford from tower hill. I thought I must have surpassed my earlier 40.4 mph speed record, but alas, I was just 0.3 mph short. Next time!

Stats: 18.1 mi, 1h:33m, Avg 11.6 mph, Max 40.1, 1,006 kcal

Day 167 - Moving to the Next Level

It had to happen. I've been thinking long and hard recently about moving to the next level in my cycling and perhaps next year buying a road bike to both achieve the speeds of my fellow pedallers on the Thursday evening rides and to increase my distances. I have also been mulling over the AVP 100 Mile Ride scheduled for Sunday 15 September and whether I wouldn't be better acquiring a new set of wheels now rather than waiting for next year ..  as a) I'm already at the stage of needing to make the move and b) I'm not getting any younger so why delay! So, yes, it had to happen, a trip to the Bike Shed saw me striking a great deal on a 2013 Specialized Roubiux Sport Compact model 90E3-6152 in carbon, charcoal and white. I'm still pinching myself!

A new stable mate for my steed, the new Roubiux

The weekend started, however, with a quick 9.5 mile ride over my three hils and a circuit of Colyton. I've remarked before on how this is a perfect mix of flat and hills and all this can be done in less than an hour.  I need to record it on my Garmin as a lap so that I can track my performance from one day to the next while actually on my ride, I am sure I can do this, I'll have to dig out the manual again. Having completed this Saturday circuit on my hybrid in a reasonable 45 minutes, I had wondered what the same would be on my new road bike, so a re-run was on the cards for Sunday afternoon.

My steed, my trusted hybrid Crosstrail

Two things were however against me on the Sunday, not even counting the unfamiliarity of my new racer - yes you can see I'm managing your expectations here - an afternoon in a seaside town in holiday season meant the roads were crowded with lost tourists and my legs were still killing me after my over ambitious attack on the Thursday hills. So, first impressions. I was very impressed with its initial pickup, carrying considerably less weight that the hybrid and it made the first rise up Seaton Down Hill with ease. I found that in the high speed down hill sections, I had less confidence than on my steed, the racer being lighter and more skittish, than my seemingly invincible hybrid, is going to take time getting used to. I was, however, amazed with how it soaked up the bumps in the road. I guess this is a combination of the flexing built into the frame, its lightness and the extra padding in the handle bars; it is really designed for our Devon roads!

Overall, the racer covered the same distance in 42 minutes, a 3 minute improvement. Many of my split times were not as good and the top speed was slightly down, but the average speed was an extra mph quicker overall. So I can see great potential, I just need clear roads and a return to fitness.

Stats:
Sat:  9.5 mi, 45m :24s, Avg 12.6 mph, Max 36.9, 503 kcalSun: 9.5 mi, 42m :01s, Avg 13.6 mph, Max 32.7, 504 kcal

Day 160 - Jurassic Classic

Another lovely weekend to be out on the bike, but such a busy one with my sister coming to visit, that I just managed to snatch two quick morning rides. To be honest, however, this was about all my legs could muster, I can feel a couple of rest days coming up!

On Saturday, I rode out and up Seaton Down Hill and back in towards the sea at Stafford Cross via the pig farm and caves into Beer. Two motor cycles and a van attempted to take me out, but quick reactions and a crafty overtaking manoeuvre saved the day. Returning to Seaton, I then took the Axmouth road out to complete a loop of Colyton, taking in the stunning views across the estuary to the Beer cliffs in the distance.

Sunday, was the day of the Jurassic Classic, a cycling fund raising event in aid of prostate cancer with 3 rides, 50 km, 100 km and 100 miles, the latter, I discovered on my short morning ride, came through Seaton!

I passed a stream of riders through Axmouth and along the sea front, I hasten to add, they were going in the opposite direction! May be I'll join them next year ;)


Stats: 15.1 mi, 1h:11m, Avg 12.7 mph, Max 31.9, 794 kcal

Day 157 - AVP Evening Ride

Thursday night and come what may, it's the AVP Evening Ride. This has become a bit of a ritual of late and one few things are going to make me miss. Amazingly, and this will probably be the comment to end it, over the past few weeks, Thursdays have been one of if not the best day, weather wise, in the week. Having fuelled up earlier in the day with fish & chips on the beach I was ready to burn some calories!

The holiday season seems to have really kicked in this week as our peloton number was down to 11 tonight. With a junior bunch of riders, and I don't mean just in age, Andy, one of our most experienced members took the lead in marking out our route. Andy likes a hill or two so burn calories we did!

Heading first over to Colyford to place our order for apres cycling chips, yes again, we headed back towards Seaton and then looped anti clockwise up to Axminster across a busy A35 - not the best idea we've ever had - and over some very bumpy cycle tracks. I was regularly switching modes on my front forks to cater for the different terrain, something I think the road bike guys would have appreciated having the ability to do. 

Out of Axminster we took a an extended loop around Shute Barton, with its impressive gatehouse which had to be included in the backdrop of a hastily taken picture before racing off back to Colyford before we totally lost the light. The nights are really drawing in now and I think I've only a couple more weeks of this evening ride left, unless I purchase a set of heavy duty spot lights as I hear the AVP do get out for a bit of night riding ... not sure about that though!

Tean shot at Shute Barton

The route was what I think must be one of my greatest climbing rides with apx 1800 ft of elevation reached .. that sounds impressive anyway. The cross-section image below seems to bear this out too.

The route art for those of an artistic disposition out there is a leaf .. can you name the tree?

Stats: 24.4 mi, 1h:58m, Avg 12.3 mph, Max 34.9, 1,362 kcal

Day 156 - Lost Record

What a difference a week makes. After the full cycling agenda of last week, I've been so busy in the office that it took to Wednesday evening before I could get out on my bike.

By Wednesday, I was so in need of a ride that I decided on a circuit I'd not completed for some time. This includes the challenging 2 mile 'Social Club' climb out to Colyton towards Beer, a Strava category 4 hill, rising in places to a 10% incline, with some beautiful views.

Cycling through Beer, it is hard not to pause to take in more beautiful views across the roof tops towards the sea.

Once back in Seaton, having seen Andy take my Seafront2 sprint record earlier in the week, I had to make an attempt at getting it back but was unable to better my original time of 1:23, 10 seconds short of Andy's new record. This is going to take some beating!

Stats: 11.4 mi, 57m:43s, Avg 11.9 mph, Max 32.6, 640 kcal