Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).  It was Saturday, and it was Boxing Day.  Get it?

After the excess of Christmas Day, Dad and I had a ride planned for Boxing Day morning.  Nothing official, but I emailed the ACG and said people were welcome to join us if they wanted…and at 9:30am on a sunny Saturday morning, 9 of us gathered in the Square.  Which is a better turn out than we usually get!  We split into a 2 and a 7 and headed out…

Considering how the roads have been lately, we were blessed with good weather and fairly clear roads.  A couple of the lanes on the Levels clearly haven’t seen sunshine in quite a while, and there were a couple of narrowly avoided slipping incidents, including a very elegant unintentional dismount by Dad! *grin*  We made a point of avoiding hills and very shady roads from thereon in.  However apart from walking down that stretch, and tip-pedalling through a couple of others, the roads were pretty clear.

Clear of traffic for the most part too, apart from the odd prat so desperate to get to Glastonbury to stock on up incense that they had to get past us at all costs…  Still, we got to Glastonbury in one piece for a stop at the only café open in the town, who were very friendly and did me a nice warm mug of tea.

Once more unto the breech…and SH took us on a nice route out of town down some roads I’m pretty unfamiliar with, before we rejoined the main road back to Wedmore from where we wiggled across the Levels below Mark, back through Blackford and towards home.

Which brought us to the main Wedmore road at Cocklake.  At this point I was sitting a way back with Dad and others, whilst GB, SH and GW were off in the distance (now there’s a surprise).  I nearly resisted the urge to catch up with them and hurtle down my favourite stretch of road.  I did.  Really.  But…well…it’s traditional, and Christmas is a time for traditions…so I put my foot down, and pushed and pushed and over-took them…and ok, I wasn’t out on my own for long, and I know all 3 of ’em could have kicked my butt if they’d really wanted to…but hey, it was fun *grin*.  I got quite a long way before GB went whizzing past, and to be fair, I was flagging a bit by then.  Christmas Day took its toll you know 🙂

If I’m going to have goals, then I’d like to get myself to a point where I could push down there at 30mph – it’s usually about 25mph – but I think I’m going to need to put some serious work in to achieve that!

Cycling time: 2:25:11
Distance: 35.90 miles
Avs: 14.8 mph
ODO: 2890 miles

We ended up back in the Square as ever, happy to have been out, and feeling ever so slightly virtuous for our efforts. And ready to use it as an excuse to indulge in yet more Christmas goodies with a clear conscience 😉

Talking of goals, I signed up for next year’s Dragon Ride last night.  Well, I kinda enjoyed it last year, and I have to have something to be training for to stop me slacking!  Better plan a couple more sportives in the interim then…

“We apologise for the inconvenience…”

The Cycling Mayor has been ill…  A viral infection apparently, which started with a cold.  That was just getting better when the throat infection came along… (codeine really wipes you out).  That was just getting better when the ear infection arrived, and perforated my left eardrum.  I’ve not been on the bike since the last entry, and there was even just over a week when I didn’t even go to the gym!  (Hubby says that’s how he could tell I was proper ill *grin*).

As a result I’ve been feeling a bit nervous about getting back on the bike.  I was oddly worried I’d have forgotten how somehow, and also a bit worried that I would be seriously out of shape and find it hideously hard work.

However today was an ACG ride, and the thought of company spurred me on.  9 of us gathered in the Square at 12:30pm, which was a seriously respectable turnout.  Probably because at that point the weather was still presentable…  That and it being afternoon not morning for a change.

KG, having also been ill, had volunteered to do the route – the aim being to keep it flat and easy and not too fast, which I’d say he pretty much managed.  The group split into its splinter factions, and our group did a loop out via Winscombe, Banwell, Christon, Loxton and Mark to get to the coffee stop at Rich’s Cider place.  Sometime half way through that the skies descended and the rain started.  Fairly inevitable really.  The other group took a slightly more direct route and for a change we got there at pretty much the same time too.

Tea and cake were consumed, even chips in one case.  There was endless discussion involving maps as to which route to take home – men and maps! – but by the time we left, it was colder, greyer and more to the point – darker, so that all went out of the window.  We opted for the easiest way back, through Blackford, to get us home before the dark descended for real, since night cycling is an acquired taste!

Once back on the main Wedmore – Cheddar road, GB and I engaged in our usual foolish race for home.  I’m going to pay for it later – in fact I’m still coughing – but it surely was fun.  Mind you it did show me that I’m not back to 100% yet..  After all that drafting, he cruised past me into town to take the stage win.  That’s showboating you know…*grin*.

Cycling time: 2:07:11
Distance: 30.5 miles
Avs: 14.3 mph
ODO: 2761 miles

It went much better than I was expecting.  I think the Torq bar I had in place of cake helped get me home.  I even managed not to sit on the brakes down every single hill/corner, which was a small achievement, but one to be pleased with nonetheless.  I’m glad I went, but think I’d better make sure tomorrow is a rest day so as not overdo it too soon 🙂