After a week off the bike, following my Dad's 80th birthday celebration, I met up last night with around a dozen Pedallers for a sunny 24 mile evening ride out around our Devon lanes.
It started routinely with Tigger and Jolly hatching out a route which had us heading out of Seaton into the setting sun towards Beer. With my Roubaix being prepared for an upcoming France adventure, I risked a ride out on my full carbon Tarmac, built for smooth asphalt and speed. All was going well until, along the TT favoured strip across Farway Common, we dropped down a steep drop to the little village of Woodbridge. The hill itself was a joy to descend, although I may have screamed like a girl at one point after meeting an elderly lady behind the wheel of a luckily small car, ascending at a narrow section at the bottom of the hill. Having little or no time to warn her that I was not alone, I was glad to see at the next regrouping point, everyone else seemed to get passed OK.
Pedallers regrouping in Woodbridge .. spot the Tarmac leaning against the wall
From here, the asphalt was replaced with a moonscape of shingle, boulders and craters. Nothing close to a road surface befitting the use of carbon rims and slick tyres was to be seen until we surfaced again at Seaton Junction! From here we slipstreamed our way back to Seaton, some departing along the way, others ending at the Kings Arms for well deserved refreshments.
It was a good ride, particularly the surfaced sections where the Tarmac performed beautifully.
Last weekend we had the Tour de Yorkshire and this The Giro .. the new cycling season is certainly here.
Closer to home, in spite of the changeable weather system we find ourselves battling, I remain on plan to reach my spring target to complete at least 60 miles a week. I am keen to get back to my trim cycling physique following the winter season's excesses and lack of serious pedalling.
With three brisk rides under my belt this week, I'm feeling a little more confident about a couple of big rides coming up: the very local Ax-pedition 100K 'Cyclone' event and the epic Mont Ventoux climbing challenge I have in mind to do when on my annual France holiday!
My first outing this week was on Wednesday evening. Just a 10 mile blast around the Axe estuary after work. It hardly felt worth getting all kitted up for, but you know the saying .. marginal gains! It was alas, still good to spin the legs.
Then I had the 20+ mile AVP club ride on Thursday evening. This was my favourite of the year so far. Was this because of the mild long and bright evening, the 580m of climb, the 40km of new and familiar countryside views, obviously the great company, or my first outing in the new 10 yr anniversary jersey and the unexpected double pub stop? ... probably a combination of all of the above! Oh, and the double pub stop was the result of me being a week ahead of myself thinking that it was an away night and Rex and I having to knock back the first beer to ensure we got to the Kings Arms before the chips had all been eaten! The route can be seen here http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4604850
Not my best selfie ... but check out that anniversary jersey!
Finally, I rose at 06:00 am this morning to meet up with good cycling buddy, Rex, for a quick 40 mile ride ahead of the more relaxed social 'blue bell' club ride scheduled for 10:00 am. Rex and I worked well together covering the 40 miles in 2.5 hours at an impressive average speed of 16 mph and a couple of handfuls of PBs!
On Sidmouth beach
So, this week's mileage totalled a pleasing 88 miles and my total miles since starting this Tour de Fitness, just over 2 years ago has now broken through the 6k mile marker .. who would have thought! A heads up on next week, my 11 week successful run in achieving the 60 mile target is likely to take a down turn; all however, for a good cause, as it is my dad's 80th birthday!
Handbag, Richard Q, David, and I met up this morning at 10:00 am for what is becoming a regular Sunday slot in the diary for an AVP steady speed club ride. In spite of the forecast for rain and all coming prepared for continued wintery weather, we were pleasantly surprised to ride out under a clear sky and in temperatures which soon saw us unzipping garments and stowing away winter gloves.
No way through the ford today ... even if it was suitable for cyclists!
My original planned route was to follow a well ridden 3 hour 40 mile circuit out to Sidmouth, Tipton St John and Honiton, returning up Northcote Hill and on through Stockland, Kilmington back to Seaton. However, we were happy to keep things dynamic and took in Beer and Branscombe ahead of Sidmouth and a stop for refreshments at a new coffee shop (to me) at Escot, north of Ottery.
I am sure there is a caption to be added here
From here we headed towards Honiton on the old A30 as planned, but turned off to take in the idilic village of Gittisham and a climb up Parsonage Lane in place of Northcote Hill, which I think was much more acceptable! To ensure we completed the targeted 40 miles, we doubled back across Farway Common to return home via Offwell, where on the descent to Colyton, Richard & David pealed off to Axminster while Handbag and I made it back to Seaton before the heavens opened.
Handbag returning across the River Coly into Colyton
A great ride with loads of interesting sights and good chat
When I first signed up for this event, I had not fully appreciated the logistics in actually getting to the start. Yesterday, I returned home having not only completed the event but more astonishingly having covered more than 1,400 miles in 4 days of travelling. I've since been asked if it would not have been more sensible to have flown ... no comment.
I must admit, however, that the scenery on the second day's journey into the Scottish highlands was truly spectacular. Snow topped mountains under a beautiful blue sky provided a stunning backdrop to the epic road trip. I had signed up to do the ride with Mike, a good friend of mine from Yorkshire, although as with myself, he's moved around a bit since then and so we actually met up after day 1 of my travels near Castle Douglas in the south west of Scotland.
Having settled into our lodgings along side the River Ness, just 2 miles from Inverness, our next task was to register for the ride and collect our numbers and timing chip. This was efficiently handled by the Etape crew on the Saturday morning where, in a tented park, they had set up HQ surrounded by sponsors' stores and enticing food outlets. The carnival feeling was starting to build. That afternoon, I took a drive around the route to, in particular, reconnoitre the 5 mile climb out of Fort Augustus, some 35 miles into the 66 mile circuit. It was indeed going to be a challenging one, I'd climbed as tough ones before, but it was good at least to be prepared.
It had been forecast all week that the beautiful weather we'd been having was going to break on Sunday, the day of the ride. From 20mph winds to snow had been on the cards but miraculously as we prepared for our 06:45 am start, the revised outlook was for a clear and wind free morning, with the worst of the earlier forecasted weather set to descend after lunch, by which time we should be home and dry.
Spectacular views followed us around the Loch
We started briskly, having warmed up on the 2 mile run in from the lodge, and having set ourselves a very gentle 5 hour target on our entry forms, found ourselves very much at the back of the field. This, however, had two very positive outcomes, first our start time was later than it should have been, giving us a few more valuable minutes of sleep, and second, we were never to be overtaken!
The route out to Fort Augustus at the bottom of the Loch was relatively flat. It was here that we turned to make our return to the finish at Inverness and commence the 5 mile climb that had the majority of the field dismount. Mike and I weaved our way through the walkers making surprisingly good time up the first phase of the climb. There were 3 elevations to this hill, the first being the longest. It was, however, on the short descent following this first climb, with Mike in my crosshairs ahead of me, I struck a small pothole and one of my water bottles parted company with the bike, spinning to a rest in the centre of the road behind me! Had it been one of my regular bottles, I would have left it where it lay. It was however, one of a set of new bottles recently acquired to match the rather exclusive carbon FFWD wheels I was now running on and thus not one I was prepared to leave behind. To the consternation of the marshals, I dodged descending riders to precariously recover it. Unfortunately, the time lost meant not only was Mike long gone, but so also was any chance of setting an accurate and hopefully good time on the hill climb.
Racing to the top of the hill, attempting to make up for lost time
At the top of the hill the panoramic views were sublime and many, including us, stopped for a picture or two. Mike and I were also called for an impromptu press interview. Before camera and mic we spoke of how we'd got here and what we thought of the event .. so far. In the whirlwind of celebrity interest, the question of where and when this was to be broadcast was never asked, but I like to think we made the local news that night.
The final 30 miles home were lumpy, with short climbs followed by short descents which when ridden well gave us just the momentum to speed up the next climb. Towards the end, I was happy to be able to sit on Mike's wheel and be drafted over the final miles as only the best domestiques can do. This was a terrific ride, not only because of the closed roads, the professionalism of the marshals, the scenery and great company, but also because it proved how riders can pull together and by sharing the load as we did, I was able to achieve new PBs across all distances .. a true lesson in team cycling and something some of my recent rides have lacked .. thanks Mike, I am indebted to you!
I decided against carrying the GoPro on this ride, so the only video record is that of the finishing line provided by the organisers.
I went for an AVP spin this morning out to Exmouth and back. Weather was fantastic if a little breezy. The route took us through Colyton to Ottery, dropping then down into Newton Poppleford to then join the old railway line cycle path into Exmouth.
After the mandatory coffee and cake stop, we retraced our steps along the seafront and cycle path where we received a healthy sandblasting some would pay good money for. We then headed south of the outward route through Otterton, up Peak Hill to Sidmouth, up Halway Hill to Farway Common and then down Northleigh Hill back into Colyton and on to Seaton via Axmouth ... a good 60+ miles (100 km), setting me up nicely for next week's Etape Loch Ness.
What an eventful Thursday night ride. After a sunny saunter out of Seaton to Beer, up past the quarry and down into Branscombe, 13 Pedallers .. the Near Naked Man, Barry, Grinch, Bobble, Jolly, Geoff, Handbag, Relay, Derek, Rach, Sarah, Dawn and yours truly - in no particular order .. then took the long climb up to the Donkey Sanctuary where we regrouped to decide on our return route. Actually, Handbag left us before the drop down into Branscombe to join up with the later 7:30 ride, but that would have meant re-sequencing the last sentence and I just hate going back over the same road!
The decision finally made was to cycle via Honiton Golf Club and down hill past 'Pedaller's Bench' through Southleigh and on into Colyton. In a drawn out chaingang be pedalled at speed along the main drag, red lights a flashing as the daylight gave way to dusk. Turning off and bumping our way over a typical austerity tarmac surfaced link road we regrouped at the top of Beech Tree Lane preparing to head over to Farway Common. Just one problem, we were one short; two actually, Grinch had not returned as back marker and reports came in that Geoff, on his third ride with the pedallers had suffered a puncture on the main road.
Derek, gallantly stayed with Rach, Sarah and Dawn while the remainder, determined not to leave a man behind, retraced our steps the mile or so back to the site of the puncture. Here, perhaps all had a hand, one way or another, in advising, supporting, cajoling or actually replacing the tube .. I will say no more but I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere. By the time we returned to the junction where we'd left Derek and the ladies, they were gone! I had also done that thing I loathe .. yep, riding back over the same piece of road. Having no way to contact the lost flock and darkness descending, we decided to take the shortest route back to Seaton and hoped to meet up back at the Kings Arms.
Back at the pub, the lost flock finally arrived 15 minutes later. They had apparently just moved slowly on to the next junction thinking we'd catch up! Big lesson learned here, we either make sure we exchange mobile numbers or at least follow the agreed route!
22 Pedallers rolled up at Costa Coffee (Sorry G, the Broom Wagon not yet open), for our ‘Magical Mystery' monthly Sunday ride. Dubbed the Mystery ride as we had failed to agree on a ride leader ahead of the ride so it was going to be a bit of mystery as to where we'd end up!
Handbag was adopted as ride leader and the route selected took us out through Musbury, Shute, Dalwood (a road to Stockland I've not ridden before and a highly recommended alternative to the main road climb) and up Stockland Hill to the Royal Oak Farm tea shop, Cotleigh, for coffee and cake served on the lawn under a warm sun.
We returned to Seaton via Northleigh Hill Road, Edgar’s Seat and Colyton, and a couple of us then on to the Broom Wagon for a final coffee and to catch up on Wiggo’s [unsuccessful] attempt to win the Paris Roubaix.
