The Cycling Mayor

Thanks to the Oirish one, I was able to get out for a couple of hours this afternoon – and it was a huge improvement on Sunday’s ride.  I did one of my usual training loops, with the odd wiggle tacked on for variety.  I even did Mudgeley Hill, mostly because I couldn’t be bothered to do the usual loop to avoid it as I’m bored with going that way.

It was pretty warm – no winter jacket – and though I may have set off wearing two layers, I ended up in just the one about 40 minutes in.  I really don’t do well when overheating, so getting comfortable made me feel much better.  It being a Wednesday afternoon, there was very little traffic of any sort out and about, which was nice.  What wind there was did a fairly good job of being behind me from time to time too.

I spent a while on the Levels around Burtle and Mark, and also on the way back from Wedmore, doing 20mph consistently, down on the drops, in fairly happy bunny mode

Cycling time: 1:56:41
Distance: 31.58 miles
Avs: 16.1 mph
ODO: 2560 miles

Which probably explains my average speed – again, way better than on Sunday.  I find it easier to relax into corners and down hills when it’s just me I guess.  And what with it being half term and the mob being constantly home, I had some stress to work out too!

By the time I got back I felt immeasurably better – approaching human…or as close as I get!  *grin*.  See – I really shouldn’t be kept away from my bike for too long…

A year ago I started blogging my rides.  Since then I have:

• had 3 accidents: cracking 2 helmets, and adding concussion, a few more scars, and a chipped shoulder bone to my list of cycling war wounds.  In fact, the first of these incidents was a year ago today too!
• upgraded my bike and kit
• raised £1654.03 for Action Medical Research, thanks to friends, family, and my lovely sponsors.
• completed 7 events up to and including the London to Paris – a total of around 830 miles.
• made lots of lovely cycling friends both locally with the ACG and further afield from the L2P.  I couldn’t have done it all without their help and support.
• cycled 4928 miles – which is a bit like spending 2 weeks non-stop on the bike, and is further than I drive in a year!

So, Happy Birthday to my blog   I’ve enjoyed writing it, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it, and I’m sure I shall continue.  After all, I don’t cease to be the Cycling Mayor until May, so you’ve got months more of me to go yet! *grin*.

The ACG turned out at 9:30am, to unseasonal warmth and sunshine.  There were 6 of us, split into two groups, which worked well.  One half went off one way, and the other half, myself included, headed off to the Walled Garden at Wrington for coffee and cake.  It’s nearer than I’d remembered, and it only took us about 45 relatively easy minutes to get there.  It’s clearly very popular with cyclists too – as there were others there, and a group of 24 due in!   It was a very lovely place to sit – nice cake, great views.  What more do you want?  Well, if you’re K, a bacon butty, but he reckons just for once that he wouldn’t have had one even if he could *grin*.

Off we went again, and discovered the reason it had been relatively easy all the way there.  Very strong headwind!  That’ll do it every time…  We slogged back towards Sandford from whence we were due to loop out and ’round again…

The wind blew.  The roads were horrible – wet, covered in leaves, muddy, full of pot holes and manhole covers, one of which nearly took me out in Winscombe.  Every obstacle was panicking me, and I’d slow down too much, and then have to try and catch up – I just couldn’t loosen up today.  And it’s not like I was fast anyway – I don’t know if it was knowing I had to get back in time to get out again, or due to the time of the month, the related medication I’m on, being slightly over dressed, the red wine last night, the moon being in Capricorn (or some such), but it really wasn’t happening for me today.

So, when we got back to Sandford, I bailed.  The other two headed off as planned, and I took the direct route home up and through Winscombe.  Oddly enough, my average speed went up, probably because I only had myself to worry about and could relax a bit more.  And then there’s the 25mph down the bypass which was very enjoyable

Cycling time: 1:27:01
Distance: 20.50 miles
Avs: 14.1 mph
ODO: 2528 miles

Not the greatest ride ever, but it was still good to get out.  I’ll be posting again later, but that’ll do for now

I’m stuck at home at the moment, and for a while, due to eldest’s feet, and half term.  Opportunities to get out on the bike are few and far between, relying on hubby taking leave, or being home early, and the weather being nice at weekends.  No pressure then.

So, Friday rolled around, and hubby was home at lunchtime as usual.  I had it down as “cycling” in my diary, and had been considering doing a properly hilly route.  However it turned out to be completely the wrong time of the month for doing that kind of thing, so I rummaged through my saved routes on Bikely to find one that looked about the right length without being too repetitive.  Which be here if you be interested.

I wrapped up – a little too warm as it would turn out – and headed out at around 1:30pm ish.  The first twenty minutes were more hideous than unusual – but once I’d warmed up, and then taken my Buff off my head, I settled down to feeling ok, and actually my legs felt pretty good the entire way ’round.

Cycling time: 2:25:27
Distance: 36.91 miles
Avs: 15.1 mph
ODO: 2508 miles

It was a pretty good ride – much better than I’d been expecting somehow.  I got rained on briefly around the Nyland loop but luckily that passed.  I practiced going down hill and ’round corners a bit, though there was slightly too much traffic around to make that entirely comfortable.  I got to hurtle back down my favourite road, albeit with a little less tail wind than I was expecting but hey – better than a headwind!  Towards the end of the ride it was clouding over a lot, and light levels were pretty low – I was wishing I’d put the headlight back on the bike just in case…so I guess I should do that before the next time.   Which will be even worse as the clocks go back today…  Winter won’t stop me cycling, but I have to admit to preferring it in the summer!

Sometimes it’s nice to combine cycling with life.  As Sunday was Dad’s birthday, we had plans for a family lunch in Portishead.  What’s the best way to get there?  On two wheels of course!  With the support car bringing up the rear, full of “proper” clothes (ie no lycra!), the mob, and the bike rack on the back for the post-lunch journey home.   G was also planning on get some miles into his Sunday, so agreed to come along for the ride, and then head off and do his own thing.

We set off from the Square at the usual 9:30am, in distinctly chilly sunshine.  I’d gone with the winter jacket, wooly socks, and even my new buff to keep my head warm – and I was to remain glad of all of those.

You’d think going to Portishead was a fairly direct thing – and it can be.  It’s about 18 miles or so if you go the straight there way but…well…that wouldn’t get many miles in would it?  So, we went my much more circuitous route, via WSM and the like.  It took me quite a while to warm up – both physically and literally.  G is just too fast for me – and I did feel like I was having to keep up again.  Maybe it’s something about the “G” thing?  I shall take to avoiding cyclists with that initial at once! *grin*. 

Anyway, it was a good day for a ride, as well as for seeing the seaside – at Weston and at Sand Bay – it was clear, blue, still, and relatively tourist free.  I lost my toes somewhere around Kewstoke…but I’m going to have to get used to that again now   Hey, I’m sure they’re not essential…

G and I parted company near Clevedon – as he had bigger hills to climb and I’d been holding him back a bit.  At that point we’d been doing an average of 16mph.  Obviously, left to my own devices, and with the long climb up to Portishead, that went down a bit.  Just before I took the left to climb up in Walton in Gordano, I was overtaken by a white Buff estate car covered in their logos, which made me smile, what with them having sponsored me, and me sporting a logo on my back too.  I wonder if the driver noticed? 

Cycling time: 2:08:32
Distance: 33.73 miles
Avs: 15.6 mph
ODO: 2471 miles

It was a good ride – and I proper felt like I’d earnt my lunch.  The weather was just lovely – much nicer than expected – but there’s definitely very little heat left in that sun now.  Time for the overshoes as well methinks.  And I really must get myself some decent winter gloves, rather than just talking about doing it.

I’ve also been wondering how much it would cost to get my old bike set up as a winter training bike – with new wheels (the old ones are slightly buckled), drop handlebars, and so on.  It would make more sense than trashing this one but…  Well, maybe I’ll go and ask Paul, and see what he says.

G was free for a couple of hours on Thursday afternoon, and hubby had a half day off to allow me to escape, so that was that.  Not a lot to report really.  We did a very standard pretty flat 2 hour loop.  It wasn’t windy, and it wasn’t too cold, but it was just very very grey.  It also felt like bl**dy hard work for some reason – I think G was in rocket powered mode, and I was permanently trying to keep up.  I even gave up chatting after a while to concentrate of breathing – it’s all a question of priorities you know…

Cycling time: 1:50:13
Distance: 28.73 miles
Avs: 15.6 mph
ODO: 2437 miles

And after all that – were we going fast?  No, not really.  Which is just like the other day – I felt fast, I wasn’t.  Quite disheartening really

Today was the last opportunity to go for a ride easily for a while – as my time is about to get taken up by various other things, not the least of which will be the two week half term, so I really had to get out on the bike.  I wasn’t feeling all that motivated, but I made myself.

I decided to make the most of the continuing sunshine and non-existent wind to go to the seaside.  I headed out of town via the post office for a couple of chores, and then out through Winscombe, Sandford and Puxton.  The skies clouded over as I wiggled through Kewstoke and Sand Bay, but as I came past the old pier and into Weston, they cleared and the sun came out for good.

Weston was even more chaotic than usual, with all the roadworks and seafront development going on.  There were also an awful lot of pedestrians either not looking for cyclists as they ambled across the road, or getting out of their cars by opening the door towards you… so I was pleased to head out of town, past a very lovely red Lamborghini Gallardo, to Uphill.  Rather than head home via Bleadon, I took a right at the curry house, and came back via Brent Knoll and Mark.

Cycling time: 2:36:03
Distance: 40.30 miles
Avs: 15.4 mph
ODO: 2408 miles

I felt like I was going much faster – certainly whenever I looked down I was doing over 17mph – so I’m not sure what happened to the average speed.  I’m pleased that I managed to get out for a little bit longer than usual, and I did enjoy it.  Who wouldn’t, with weather like that?  However my head was a bit preoccupied and I kept zoning out so maybe I wasn’t pushing as hard as I could have been.  It was good head thinking space though

The ACG were out again this morning, albeit only 3 of us.  The others don’t know what they were missing…

G led us the direct way to Brean Down, taking in the hills at the Webbington and Bleadon, where we stopped at the café there for tea and in my case, a very nice cherry scone.  I do like their scones   Then it was back in more circuitous, and flatter, fashion.  The long straight bits between Mark and Burtle were the kind of heaven cyclists probably dream about.  Apart from the ones that like hills that is.  It really was perfect cycling weather – again! – especially on the way back, with the wind at our heels, the sun shining.  The only slight draw back was that the weather was so lovely an awful lot of motorists were insisting on being out and enjoying it too!  Very inconsiderate *grin*.

Having taken the plunge and dug the longs out I was nice and warm too – warm enough to take the arms off the top layer half way ’round – so I think I’d got it just about right.  Clothing decisions are a nightmare!

Cycling time: 2:13:53
Distance: 37.00 miles
Avs: 16.4 mph
ODO: 2368 miles

As you can see, we weren’t hanging around.  G and I flew back – apparently he was desperate to get back and go up Shipham Hill (strange man) where as I was more keen on just getting home!  There was another serious looking cyclist in the distance on the bypass home, and it being one of my favourite stretches, I had to go rabbit chasing…  I kicked off, reeled him in, and went smoothly past at speed before turning in for home.  Very satisfying.  Mind you, after all that effort, I was drenched by the time I got home!  I think it was worth it for the buzz…

PS: minus the winscombe/shipham bit, our route is here.

My legs are suffering this week – from yoga, cycling, and some re-introduced hamstring exercises at the gym.  The backs of my thighs are killing me.  I’m sure it’ll be a good thing in the long run, but after all that, and the Gorge yesterday well, I wasn’t feeling up for much today.

I checked in with G last night to confirm today.  Nothing hilly, says I, as I did the Gorge today.  Fine, says she.  So I meet her this morning.  We’re meeting W she says.  Where does W live?  Shipham.  ‘Nuff said really!  Even once up there – which was never going to be fun with my legs feeling as they do – she tried to plan a hilly route and pass it off by saying we’d do it really slowly.  Like I ever do hills any other way!  I put my foot down – very bravely – and we ended up doing a much flatter route round Yatton and Claverham and Kingston Seymour.  Quite a convoluted route too, since we got lost at least once, and had to stop and look at the map several times.  Good thing I suggested we take it with us really

Cycling time: 2:33:19
Distance: 35.43 miles
Avs: 13.8 mph
ODO: 2331 miles

I think the sell by date for wearing shorts was yesterday.  Shame I didn’t figure that out before we went out.  All the stopping and starting didn’t help either.  I got cold.  For the first time this winter, I lost my toes.  And bits of the rest of me weren’t feeling that great.  So, it was a slow run, for all of the above reasons.  Also I’ve been doing a lot lately and a tiny bit of me suspects I may be over-doing it…

I came home and had a long hot muscle-soaking bath.  Which is not only good for my knee, but also means I can feel my feet again   Now I’m going to go sit in a warm pub somewhere and have lunch – I do believe I’ve earnt it *grin*

Sunshine was forecast with very little wind.  It could be the last chance of the season to get out (I know, I keep saying that) and I’m trying to make the most of each such opportunity.  However, sometimes you can’t make it on your own, so I dragged Dad over here to ride with me.  For some reason, I decided it was time that he went up the Gorge.  Not something I would normally do out of choice as you know, but what can I say?  She moves in mysterious ways…

We headed off in glorious but chilly sunshine at around 9:30ish.  It being out of season the Gorge was blissfully free of tourists and, for the most part, traffic.  It was the usual slog, aided and abetted by goats (you don’t get to yell “goat” very often on a bike), but we made it to the top and back out into the sunshine.  I don’t think Dad enjoyed it precisely, but I don’t think he found it as had as he’d feared either.

It was glorious on top of the Mendips.  At an elevation of over 850 feet with stunning crystal clear views, it would be easy to get vertigo.  There’s some very nice cycling up there.  High up in the middle of nowhere, on top of the world, with no-one around, where the streets have no name…  Very lovely   it’s just a shame there’s no other way to get up there than to go UP there! *grin*.

After going on along the top it was time for the lovely long dowwwwwnnnn on the A39 into Wells.  I nearly managed not to touch the brakes at all…which was pretty good for me.  Then it was into Wells proper, where the Cathedral was glowing in the sunshine, the sound of someone playing the trombone in the Music School could be heard over the Green, and it all felt very idyllic.  We came back to Wedmore via the scenic and mostly flat back roads of Burcott and the Levels.  Not a cloud in the very blue sky, no wind, just blissful cycling weather.

Cycling time: 2:22:39
Distance: 33.9 miles
Avs: 14.2 mph
ODO: 2295 miles

Our exact route is here, should you care.  It was a beautiful day and a pretty good ride to match