Sunday morning solitary sunny cycling.  I made up my route as I went along, which is not the most satisfactory way of cycling. Too much time thinking about where I’m going, and not just enjoying the going there.  I’d have plotted myself a route first, but my PC was moving at the speed of glacier, and if I’d waited any longer for it to get its act in gear, I’d never have left the building.

So, I went out to Cross, past the Webbington, and up through Christon,  I took the steep left over the top that brings you down past Banwell Caves to Banwell, which I don’t usually do, so that was novel.  I crossed over the main road, to go down the appropriately named Summer Lane, and to wiggle around roads that I’ve only been down once before in the mud with the ACG, to get to cross the A370 and head for Wick St Lawrence.  Yes, I was on my way to the seaside.  Remind me not to do that again for a while.  The bit through and round Kewstoke was fine, but I then got stuck behind a grockle in a 4×4 doing less than 15mph and being deliberately obstructive, which wiped out much time and much of my average speed, until I managed to get past him and drop him at one of the innumerable sets of road work generated traffic lights – *grrrrr*!  Ah well, that’ll larn me.  There isn’t an open season on grockles is there?    Not when there’s a J in the month, or some such?  No, thought not…  I came home direct through Uphill and Bleadon, and back past the Webbington again.

Cycling time: 2:01:02
Distance: 31.3 miles
Avs: 15.5 mph
ODO: 4874 miles

Even in the morning it was getting to be a bit warm for me.  It wasn’t the flattest route either.  Actually the annoying headwind at the coast was almost not annoying because it was quite cooling!  Rarely have I been known to thank a headwind…  I spared a thought for GB, who was doing some stupidly hilly sportive in Dartmoor today.  I don’t think I’d have managed a flat sportive in this heat…  Mind you, I am kinda hankering after something to do in the next few weeks.  Maybe not if the summer weather continues though 🙂

There definitely wasn’t as much in the legs today as there has been, so I reckon it may be time for a day off.  I declare that tomorrow is officially a rest day 🙂

Another sunny day, another early start.  I was time limited today so was planning on doing variations on the usual loop and just getting ’round.  However plans don’t always go, well, according to plan.

About an hour into my flying lap, around 16 miles in, the road surface started feeling suspiciously more bumpy than usual, and a little while later the front tyre deflated completely and I came to a wobbly stop just outside Burtle.  B*gger!  And it had all been going so well up until then.  Zooming along in the sunshine, overtaking all in my path…  The cheery tandem riders I had not so long ago overtaken passed me, checking I was ok as they went.  Which at that point I was.

I set to, stripped out the old tube which seemed irritatingly fine, replaced it with a shiny new one, got the tyre back on – all remarkably easily and then….discovered my pump was, as Dad had suggested a while ago, gebuggert.  Some internal bit where the valve goes in just isn’t there any more, so that was that.

I called my pit crew, who happened to have the day off, and sat down to wait.   One other cyclist passed in the meantime, who also politely enquired as to my wellbeing, but it was too little too late.  Hubby turned up 15 minutes later complete with track pump, to find me sitting disconsolate in the sunshine, fighting off the wee biting beasties.  A few strokes of the pump (literally) and I was back on the road again, champing at the bit.  My already limited time was even more constrained now, so I decided to cut out the planned Nyland variation and just head for home.  But if I couldn’t do my time, I decided I’d do what time I did have FAST!

Cycling time: 1:48:22
Distance: 31.48 miles
Avs: 17.4 mph
ODO: 4843 miles

And I did.  I pushed it all the way home.  I upped the average from 16.something to 17.4, which is fair flying for me.  And I’m sure it’s all good training.  Not to mention that it was fun too!  *grin*

Now I need to buy another pump, and some handlebar tape, so I foresee a session of online cycle website browsing 🙂

Sometimes, when I’m planning a ride, it feels a bit like I’m giving myself a gift.  I don’t know why, maybe it’s the preparation, or the anticipation, or both, or neither.  But it’s a nice feeling 🙂  It may not be everyone’s idea of “me time” but it works for me.  I had decided, with sunny skies forecast, and time to spare, I would treat myself to a longer ride than usual, and duly plotted a 50 miles ish route on Bikely last night.

I got up this morning, had my traditional cycling breakfast, and headed out fairly early so as to avoid the heat later in the day.  It was, as predicted, sunny, but to start out with there was a veil of clouds helping keep things a little cooler, and the wind was mostly more of a cooling breeze than a wind.  Nice 🙂  Although I had a long one planned, I decided not to do too much sitting back and enjoying the ride, so first off I attacked the hill past the Webbington.  My next hill was at Brent Knoll.  As I started to ascend I was sure there was a car behind me, so I looked back, looked forward…and discovered I had veered slightly too far to the left and was now cycling through the edge of the hedge…  It was a bit hairy for a minute there…I extricated myself, but not before a protracted period of nettle self-flagellation.  I was so distracted by the firing of pain receptors down my left hand side that I was at the top, looking for dock leaves, before I knew it!  Not a tactic I’d recommend mind…

From there it was back across to Mark Causeway via Dutch Road which was, miraculously, a road I have never cycled down before – and there can’t be many of those left around here!  Is it Dutch because it’s flat and there are rhynes and streams all around, or is there some better reason I wonder?  Are there links between Somerset and Holland?  And while we’re at it, why are there so many place in WSM with Madeira in the title?  What’s that all about?

Where were we?  Ah yes.  From there it was a long flat fast session heading south, through East Huntspill, before the climb up Woolavington Hill.  I took the left turn at the top onto Sustrans Route 3 to take me through the very pretty, and undoubtedly expensive villages on the way to Shapwick.  The road was closed at Edington but, as I was hoping, this didn’t effect me.  I checked with one of the guys working there to see if I’d be able to get through, and he said he reckoned so, especially as I was on the best form of transport going.  I have to say that today I agreed with him.  And I do like it when unexpected people are nice to cyclists 🙂

As I was admiring the view from the ridge on my way Shapwick, where you can see the Mendips from end to end, with Glastonbury Tor looking all scenic ahead, a fighter jet zoomed past over head.  I spent a little while trying to figure out who was having more fun – him or me?  OK, so I can’t do mach whatever, but I bet we were both grinning, and my sun tan is going to be way better, albeit localised and stripey 😉

Then it was through Shapwick, down via Ashcott to Glastonbury, and along the main road to Wells.  Somewhat bizarrely Wells Reclamation yard has a a full size rusty metal copy of Rodin’s The Thinker by the gates.  Like, who orders one of those in the first place, and who then decides to get rid of it?  Sadly I don’t think it’s going to fit in my garden…

By the time I took a break on the grass on Cathedral Green, I’d done 35 miles at 16.3mph.  I admired the facade, munched Lucozade jelly beans, and contemplated my near future.  You see I’d been planning to go home via Wookey Hole, Rodney Stoke, Cocklake and Cheddar, which would have brought me at at over 50 miles.  But I’d had a random thought last night, and, maybe it was sunstroke, but I thought I could put a cherry on top of my gift.  Or a bow, if you’d prefer me not to mix metaphors.  So I did.  I cycled all the way out of Wells on the A39, up Bristol Hill.

I’ve only ever done it once before, and I remember feeling distinctly nauseous by the time I reached the top.  Not today.  Today it was fine.  In fact it was nicely sheltered, with a cool breeze to keep my temperature down, and it was verging on pleasant.  It doesn’t half go on a long way though!  And not far from the top a Graham Sweeting lorry (I’ve had problems with these before) came past so close that I could have reached in, leaned over, and punched the driver for being a prat, if I was tall enough.  I swear my heart stopped briefly…

I stopped in the layby at the top, in the shade, to regain my equilibrium and to drink.  And of course to congratulate myself on a job well done.  My average speed had only dropped to 15.3mph and it taken me about 16 minutes, which I was pretty chuffed with.  I headed for home via Priddy and down through the Gorge which, as with the rest of the ride, I handled better than I sometimes do.  The car behind me maintained a respectful distance, and there was also a shortage of grockles to avoid, whilst the wind was blowing up the Gorge helping with the whole natural braking thing.  Nigh on perfect conditions really 🙂

Cycling time: 3:07:10
Distance: 49.85 miles
Avs: 15.9 mph
ODO: 4811 miles

It was a day for butterflies, for avoiding beetles crossing the road, for the scent of honeysuckle, and for grinning at other cyclists.  Especially the one I met twice *grin*.

I thought I’d traded miles for hill, but as you can see, it turned out to be nigh on 50 miles anyway.  And I dragged my average speed back up on the way home too, which is nice.  Mind you, If I was GB, and paying attention, I’d have gone up the bypass and back in to town that way to make up the numbers 😉 I’m definitely a better, and faster, cyclist when I’m being abstemious.  It’s nice to know that this month’s detox has some positive effects.  And I’ve got time for a few more lovely rides before I fall off the wagon…*grin*.

A Thursday morning ride with GW is becoming practically a regular thing.  What is not normal is being joined by SH – an occurrence that announced itself by the unusually rapid exchange of texts this morning.  Well – rapid for him.  I actually didn’t notice my crackberry flashing at me for a while as I had it set to silent…  Anyway, all’s well that ends well and a crowd of three would a cycling go.  So we did.

We did a loop that included, just so as you can join up the dots, Nyland, Wedmore, Panborough, Glastonbury, Ashcott, Shapwick, and Sweets…where we pooled funds and sat outside in the sun chatting with another Tor ride who we picked up for a bit.  Interestingly all three Tor riders managed to have three different versions of Tor kit.  These are the kind of things you notice when people are discussing cycling and you have no idea quite who they’re talking about and can only chime in from time to time when the flow of conversation touches on a familiar name – Armstrong, Landis, Cavendish.  However it was a very pleasant interlude in a very enjoyable ride, and it would have been easy to sit there for ages…tempting too!  Must remember to take some money with me next time though – drinking more  would have seen us doing the washing up…  Thanks SH!  🙂

We came back via the Levels, Blackford, Cheddar, and the almost chemically blue reservoir.  Life’s a beach – well, at least it looked like one up there.

Cycling time: 2:31:18
Distance: 40.58 miles
Avs: 16.1 mph
ODO: 4723 miles

It was, unsurprisingly considering who I was cycling with, a relatively fast ride for me.  I made a conscious effort to keep up and not to sulk about having to keep up and to take a turn at the front when I could.  After all, I’m supposed to be trying to get better at this cycling thing.  So that was 2 1/2 hours cycling in the sunshine, enjoying the gorgeous weather and scenery, having a good natter, and topping up the tan.  I may not always be able to get the hang of Thursdays but there are definitely worse ways to spend one *grin*.

Day 4 after the Dragon and yesterday was time to get back on the bike.  Admittedly this came with some trepidation as my Tuesday and Wednesday gym sessions had made it fairly clear that there wasn’t a lot left in my legs…

However it would appear I needn’t have worried.  I did an easyish loop with GW, chatting all the way, with the odd hill thrown in, and maintained a respectable average.

Cycling time: 2:04:56
Distance: 32.12 miles
Avs: 15.3 mph
ODO: 4644 miles

I was more tired than usual afterwards, but I think that’s allowable.  Now that I’ve done the Dragon (again), it’s time to start thinking about my future goals…  Do I aim for the Etape?  Is SH really serious about joining me in that?  Or do I look for some multi-day touring type trips – L2P without the fundraising?  In the meantime there’s Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride, AMR Bristol to London (sponsor me, go on, you know you want to…) and Cheddar Cyclosportive, so the season’s not over yet 🙂

Last night saw another sunny evening, and another ride.  This time I opted for the evening to let some of the heat go out of the day, which was a nice, if novel, position to be in.

Bearing in mind that which looms before me, I plotted nearly the flattest route possible, which I did clockwise.  Odd, but I definitely prefer anti-clockwise!  I wonder why that is?

It wasn’t as enjoyable as the last ride, but it was far from horrible.  And, as it turns out, it was quite fast too, which came a bit of a surprise – the wind had been irritating me.

I’ve wiped my computer stats , but you can have what I remember for tradition’s sake.

Cycling time: ???
Distance: 29.00 miles or so
Avs: 16.5 mph
ODO: 4490 miles

Right now I’m packing up for the Dragon Ride.  Hubby is cooking me up some pasta to take with me, for my tea tonight.  I had carbs for breakfast and lunch, and have carbs galore packed with me.  My bike is in the back of the car, all snuggly wrapped up.  Oh and it’s clean too, as I washed it this morning.  Once that’s all done, I’ll be heading off, following the sun down the M4 to find my bed for the night.  Wish me luck! 🙂

It’s half term, which is sanity stretching at the best of times.   By the time hubby came home last night I was like a coiled spring.  He walked through the door,  and with barely a backward glance, my bike and I hurtled away into the evening sunshine.  No wind, warm low evening sun, shadows stretching across the fields…  I was by no means the only one out there, and we all grinned at each other as we passed by, words being unnecessary when it came to expressing how much fun we were all having.  The roads were quiet, the towns were empty, and it felt like my own private playground.

In Mark a pair of displaying peacocks were being pointedly ignored by a dowdy female as she “accidentally” walked past them.  There were the inevitable herons, some very cute ducklings, and some awesome aerial acrobatics from the buzzard being harrassed by crows.  The rhynes were millpond still, reflecting yellow and green, blue and white, back up at the sky.  It was all gorgeous 🙂

Cycling time: 1:49:43
Distance: 29.00 miles
Avs: 15.8 mph
ODO: 4461 miles

I’d taken my new camera with me and have the photos to prove how lovely it was.  In fact I got my first chainring tattoo of the season stopping to take them 🙂  I’d have been faster if I wasn’t stopping from time to time as I really was going for it – what with being limited by both available time and remaining light.  It was an outstanding ride…and by the time I got home, showered, and collapsed on the sofa, I felt almost human again.  Well, as close as I get anyway *grin*.