Day 210 - Back to the Routine

It's been a bit of an anticlimax since the 100 miler. Autumn has descended with a bump, shortening the days and bringing with it unpredictable non-cycling weather. I did manage a 20 mile evening ride, between the showers, to Axminster and back with Andy mid week, but it was lucky that we maintained a level of speed which was not only to earn me a new 20 km PB but also get us back before darkness descended. Had it been a Thursday AVP night ride, I'd never have made it back on my low powered commuting lights. As I said back in August, it's time to buy some lights!

The past few weeks have been a real downer, as far as getting out on the bike, after such a great summer building to the high of the 100 mile ride. I have, however, during this spell of bad weather, had both a birthday and a visit to the Cycle Show to raise my spirits. My birthday brought me a quality set of winter cycling gloves and a cap to wear under my helmet. No more frozen fingers or ice cream sandwich headaches for me! 

At the Cycle Show at the NEC Birmingham, it was great to see all the new 2014 models, particularly Specialized's new colour ways for my Crosstrail and Roubaix. Had there been more stalls and less exhibition, I could have broken the bank!

Beema AS-2000

As it was, I found it hard to buy the road shoes I'm desperate to get hold of for my Roubaix but I did lay my hands on a Beema AS-2000 front light set from Bike Lights UK. It cost more than I was planning to spend but I think I've got a really good looking light with amazing performance and being able to talk through my requirements with a human being, rather than buy something wrong on-line made a pleasant change!

While at the exhibition, I came across the Tour of Britain podium as used on the final stage in London. This was set out with a life size cardboard cutout of Wiggo in his winners gold jersey and the Tour's hostess .. in the flesh .. to have your photo taken with. I didn't.

Back home and now with no excuse not to get out on the bike, having winterized my Crosstrail, fitting mudguards and installing my new 2000 lumen light set, and headed out for an evening circuit to Colyford via my three hills. I have to say that the lights are awesome; with three power settings they illuminates the roadsigns even on the lowest from quite some distance away. An inconsiderate motorist who passed unnecessarily close and at speed got a pulsating maximum lumen blast which lit up the evening sky, I think he got the message! I repeated the circuit again this morning .. I'm gradually easing myself back into the routine and hope to join up with the AVP on Thursday for a night ride although the weather forecast needs to greatly improve if this is to be a reality as I've already proven lycra to be far from waterproof!

Day 148 - Around the World

Well another day down and the late afternoon / evening ride is again the order of the day. It has been great to see the torrential rain of this morning dry up sufficiently for me to return to the road this afternoon. My route was the same as yesterday with the exception that I took a slight detour to see the Seaton Hole gang. Unfortunately the Hole was empty so I returned to the main road to complete my circuit.

Overall, my split times were quicker than yesterday. I think a very late lunch worked well for me here and something else I've realised is that I have far more energy later in the day than in the morning before breakfast. This is obviously down to a lack of fuel between waking and eating, one reason why I always pack a few Jelly Babies in my back pocket!

As I type here, I have ITV4's The Cycle Show playing. This week's show is dedicated to woman's cycling and I've just been introduced to Liz Dimmock who is hanging up her corporate suit to cycle around the world, 18,621 miles in 150 days, averaging 120 miles a day! I've thought it would be fun to ride across France and have looked on enviously as one of my old colleagues has just completed a London to Paris cycle ride, but to ride around the world, that's extreme!

Back to this afternoon's ride, just over ten and a half miles is good enough for me on a school night ;) and thanks Book Munchin for the route art suggestion .. "a wistful beaver with a grumpy parrot on his head!"

Stats: 10.67 mi, 49m:50s, Avg 12.8 mph, Max 30.2, 552 kcal