The Cycling Mayor

I think I’m developing a cycling stutter..

Take 1:  head up road in plenty of time to meet the ACG lot in the Square.  Discover that front tyre is well on the way to doing a pancake impresssion.  Turn round.  Go home.  Grab mechanic, inner tube and tyre levers.  Change tube.  Re-inflate tyre to more normal doughnut proportions and…

Take 2: head up the road and meet 5 of the ACG lot in the Square, being only marginally late, and not being the last to arrive either.

Hand reigns over to GB.  Follow blindly off on very convoluted route towards the Walled Garden.  Discover some of the muddiest pot-hole ridden roads possible.  Curse GB for need to wash bike later.  Admire GB for finding roads that we actually hadn’t ridden down before – not an easy task these days!  Enjoy the sun, admire the views…

Arrive at cafe.  Consume very expensive coffee and carrot cake.  Contemplate ominous view.  Will weather to pass by on either side.  Watch weather approaching dead centre.  Watch the rain getting closer and closer.  Feel the temperature dropping.  Leave just as the rain arrives and…every man (or woman) for themselves.  Somebody up there clearly thought I shouldn’t have moaned about cleaning my bike and decided to do it for me…  Rain like bullets, roads like rivers, head down, foot down and hammer it home.  As Fast As Possible.  Rarely seen rain like it.  Be happy never to see it again.  It was kinda funny though – practically laughable *grin*.

Cycling time: 2:04:30
Distance: 30.10 miles
Avs: 14.5 mph
ODO: 3358 miles

It’s amazing how fast you can get home when you have to…and I was soaked through by the time I got there.  But the bike was indeed a lot cleaner.  Though I still cleaned it.  In the rain.  Well, I couldn’t get any wetter…

Strange to say, the whole ride was oddly enjoyable *grin*.

I decided to go hilly today.  No idea why, only it seemed like a good idea…right until I got half way up Shipham Hill and realised that having hubby clean the chain had not fixed the gearing problem, and that I was never going to get to the top with the bottomest gear missing completely, and the rest of them jumping around at will.  So I turned tail and headed for Paul at the LBS who, luckily, was free enough to have a look at it and then to replace the gear cable – it was all frayed up and nearly snapped inside the RHS gear lever.

Take two.  Back up Shipham Hill, with all the gears this time – a huge improvement.  All the way down to Churchill and out to Wrington.  Up the long hill past the Walled Garden to the main road.  Up and across that, down Row of Ashes, and along some truly hideously mucky roads to Chew Stoke.  Unsuitable for HGVs?  Unsuitable for almost anything!  I had a quick break by the lake to admire the ducks and then headed off again to West Harptree.  From there it was past Litton, with a wistful glance towards the Kings Arms there, to Chewton Mendip and the long slog up the A39 before the lovely drop down into Wells.  I nearly managed to not brake on the way down…but not quite.  It’s still a nice down though, and you can see for miles and miles…

Due to the earlier detour to see Paul I was running a tad behind schedule so tweaked my planned route a bit.  I turned right to go through Wookey Hole, up the hill there to loop ’round and join the A371 at Easton.  From there it was just a case of hammering it straight to Cheddar and on to home.

Cycling time: 2:55:07
Distance: 41.05 miles
Avs: 14.0 mph
ODO: 3328 miles

My actual route worked out thus.  Quite a few hills in there.  Which would account for my average speed.  And the fact that I could eat a horse round about now.  My bike was filthy when I got back, so I’ve duly cleaned it, and me!  The Mad March Hare looks like it might be a bit hillier – but possibly those hills are more spread out than today’s were…here’s hoping!

At least it was that bit warmer.  And dry.  Which made up for the number of idiots who thought that6 inches gap when passing was perfectly reasonable…  And the fact that it’s February so the fields are all smelly, and the roads are full of tractors trimming hedges and leaving the debris all over the road.  Despite all of that – it was a pretty good ride

Team GB set out again today – this time with bigger fish to fry.  The Mad March Hare is in 2 weeks and this season I have yet to do any serious milage, so I really needed to get a 50 mile ride under my belt.  GB put together a route, which meant that all I had to do was go along for the ride…

We set off at 12:00 sharp.  We did a long loop which wasn’t entirely flat, and was quite similar to Friday’s route.  Considering that my gears started playing up somewhere around Shapwick, going uphill became even more troublesome than usual.  So much so that, since I couldn’t get into bottom gear at the time, I had to stop briefly going up Brent Knoll, and going up to Banwell Castle wasn’t much fun either.  Lack of gears and my legs are out of practice.  Annoying because I know I can do those hills better…honest!  Looks like I’d better get my bike serviced in the next week or so.  Ah well, I haven’t thrown money at it for at least a couple of weeks…*grin*

Cycling time: 3:14:31
Distance: 50.62 miles
Avs: 15.5 mph
ODO: 3286 miles

We were lucky again – in that the weather was good, and the wind was lighter than on Friday.  Mind you, it was variable enough to be in our faces more often than seemed fair.  The roads were wet and occasionally slippery which made downhills ever less enjoyable for me.  I should take lessons from GB who shoots down them in quite enviable style.

On a positive note, my knee was fine.  My shoulder twinged a bit and is a bit sore now, but that I can deal with.  I also feel less tired than I did after the shorter and bizarrely slightly slower route on Friday, but I can definitely feel the burn in my legs.  I was very good, not only did I wash the bike as soon as I got home, I even stretched my legs afterwards too – and I never do that! 

So there you go, 50 miles as planned.  I pretty much enjoyed it, and I feel a bit more positive about doing 74 in two weeks time now

(Charlie’s take on the ride can be found here.)

Friday afternoon:  childcare sorted, sun shining, and no excuses.  Time to ride then.  GB has been advised that, post track-standing induced injury, he should rest up for a couple of weeks.  Advice that, in the best of traditions, he is ignoring completely…  I notice he’s unclipping from the pedals more now tho’…

So – 2 pm in the Square, and we set off into the almost warm sunshine.  A positive start.  However Axbridge was suffering from the usual meteorological anomalies, as the apparent complete absence of cold headwind proved to be a glitch in the space time continuum…normal service was resumed on the way out to Wedmore.  We didn’t really have a route planned, other than to try and not do exactly the same route as usual.  We headed out across the levels, and once at Glastonbury I had an idea, so I took GB on a mystery route to Ashcott.  It’s very weird doing a route you always do one way in reverse, and there was a certain amount of hoping that I was getting it right…but I was, as we came out exactly where I expected to.  Always good   It was a nice way to get up there actually, so I think I’ll be doing that again.

From there it was down through Shapwick, enjoying the stunning views over to the Mendips, and around Burtle.  Most of this was hard slogging into the wind stuff.  I was relieved to hear that I wasn’t the only one feeling it and looking forward to putting it behind me – literally!  Which happened as we took the shorter cut across to Blackford.  Sun on the back, wind on the tail.  Nice   We wended our way from there to Cocklake and down the main road to Cheddar where we showed remarkable restraint and didn’t race…

We did try and see what happens when the person in front slows down after turning right and the person behind doesn’t…  Apparently you get a very unusual tyre against tyre noise, some interesting yelling, and distinctly increased adrenalin levels…*grin*.  No harm, no foul, as we were both still on our bikes afterwards, which is the kind of  non-racing incident I can cope with.  From there it was a hop, skip and a jump to home…

Cycling time: 2:29:10
Distance: 38.13 miles
Avs: 15.3 mph
ODO: 3236 miles

About half an hour before home my knee went, swiftly followed by my shoulder and then – a new and exciting pain – my left lower back!  Ooh, the novelty.  I think I may need to get someone to get a look at how my new saddle is set up…  As ever, I was colder than I felt at the time, which took a while to wear off once home.  I feel like I cycled a lot further than I did – and am blaming the headwind, the consistent speed and the inconvenient stomach cramps.  (I’m a girl – ’nuff said).    The wondrous pink pills have helped with most of the aforementioned.  A couple of glasses of red wine and a good night’s sleep should fix the rest

Going to try for 50 miles on Sunday…

The ACG turned out in force yesterday morning.  We had five who either rarely come out, or were “newbies”, swelling our numbers to a new record.  13!   We ended up with not two but three groups – a fast, a medium, and a slow group.

Since no-one else had come up with a route, I’m afraid the fast group got to do my usual training loop – since I don’t have to think about that.  Which is just as well since I had to concentrate on keeping up.  I think I’ve created a monster!  The fast group may be speeding away from me…  To be fair, there was a certain degree of testosterone induced competition going on – you know who you are – plus MN who was new to us turned out to be pretty fast so I think we were trying to prove we were too!

Each group made their own varying way to Sweets Peat museum café where, somewhat unusually, we all arrived at pretty much the same time, and took over the place, much to the annoyance of some more normally dressed people who ended up having to sit outside.  Our group had averaged 16.2mph to get there, which just goes to show how daft we were being.

After a nice sociable break we split up and headed for home again.  We slowed down a little, mostly a tractor induced restraint as we took the Nyland loop, which we did ostensibly to add miles but more likely to prevent the usual foolish racing down the Wedmore road.  Just as well – ain’t no way I’d have won that one!  GB was saving himself for additional hills though oddly failed to turn right up the Gorge as planned, and was last seen heading up Shipham Hill as we cruised down the main road and back into town.

Cycling time: 2:06:30
Distance: 33.34 miles
Avs: 15.8 mph
ODO: 3198 miles

It was a good ride – and it’s amazing how much difference a couple of degrees increase in the temperature makes.  I didn’t regret any of my layers, but I did maintain contact with my feet for the entire ride!  It makes pedalling far more enjoyable, not to mention less painful.  By the time we left Wedmore we were even joined by an odd yellow disc in the sky.  I’m not sure what it was, but I quite liked it

I’m really pleased so many people turn out and enjoy cycling with the group – because that’s how I wanted it to work out.  There are around 30 people on the mailing list now – and you can email me here if you want to join us – which means there’s now a great mix of people and abilities.  I love it when a plan comes together *grin*.

PS: there was once a nasty hole just as you indicate left to turn into Axbridge.  It was reported to Highways who considered it not of sufficient severity to fix – since they’d clearly never tried to cycle over it one handed (indictating remember?).  I used the CTC fillthathole website to report it and, lo and behold, it has now been fixed.  So if there’s a pothole bugging you – I recommend you do the same!

Well it was sunny.  That’s about all I say for today’s ride.  Other than that it was cold, windy, and thoroughly miserable.  Even my computer flooped out for a bit, and I reckon I lost 4 miles or so (having checked our route on bikeroutetoaster.  Still, figures are figures, and here they are.

Cycling time: 2:27:45
Distance: 34.75 miles
Avs: 14.0 mph
ODO: 3164 miles

The first hour or so, out via Bleadon to WSM and out again, were ok.  GW and I nattered, and the time passed.  The sun shone, the tide was out, and the North Wind blew…  However, though I was wearing every layer I possess, at some point I lost my feet.  Probably around Ebdon somewhere, which is roughly where I started to get lost by GW too.  And you know how much I enjoy that.  After a while all I could feel was the pain in my feet – odd how something absent can hurt so much – which was totally distracting me from the actual act of pedalling. On the A370 main road from there to Yatton – a down on the drops, head down, boring stretch – I swear I almost felt like falling asleep!  Very weird…

I would have bailed earlier, but that required talking to GW which would have meant either an herculean effort to catch her (never going to happen) or some serendipity with junctions/traffic lights…  Finally, in Yatton, as she was unsure of our route and was waiting for me, I caught her.  After a detour getting lost around Claverham which was at least more sheltered, I decided that there was no way I could face detouring around the roadworks to get to Portishead, warming up, and then having to get cold all over again to come home.  I know I need to get the miles in, but I can’t imagine there would have been much benefit in doing them today!

We turned ’round and headed towards Wrington, and GW decided to do a u-turn and head out to explore Clevedon.  Sadly I had no idea where I was and had to guess my way back which, luckily, worked out ok.  I’ve done enough of those roads, and they all join up sooner or later…  I think the best bit of the entire ride was the hurtle down the A368 from Churchill to Sandford.  That I nearly enjoyed…

Other than that…it was cold.  Cold.  Cold.  Cold.  It took 20 minutes in a hot bath before all my toes were back, and I’m still feeling spacey

Last week I arranged to cycle with GB yesterday and when, in the planning stage, he suggested we do some hills, I agreed.  Well, they may not be my favourite things, but I need the practice and can’t avoid them forever.  Plus forewarned is forearmed.  Or forelegged?

DM and JA from the ACG joined us, and we all set off on a distinctly chilly Sunday morning.  No wind, but plenty of cold.  First off – Cheddar Gorge.  Nicely quiet out of season, not a goat to be seen, just lots of slow plodding to the top.  We lost JA somewhere here, leaving three of us to carry on.  (Which isn’t as bad as it sounds – she had warned us – I think she was just using us as motivation to be out).

From there it was round Charterhouse way – where there was a nice chilly wind – and then down Blagdon Hill.  I hate that down.  It’s too big, too steep, too straight…  I freak myself out completely and have to stop and have a break half way down – I can usually find some pretext or other for stopping…!

Once safely down, it was past the very still reservoir, followed by much wiggling around Butcombe way, on narrow snow damaged roads.  There’s a lot of climbing goes on here – there has to be to get up to Redhill – but it’s sort of deceptive, you’re too busy dealing with each of the little ups to put them all together and realise how up you’ve come.

We were overtaken a couple of times by cyclists who went past us like we were stuck in mud.  (Don’t you just hate it when that happens?)  Now, I was glad to have put on all my layers.  I had even dug out my legwarmers which predictably Nora Batty-ed the entire way ’round, but did serve their purpose.  But at least two of them were wearing shorts.  Shorts!  Mad….  (mutters something under her breath about men and machismo and so on…).

Once at the top,  there was a lovely whizz down to the Walled Garden café for coffee and warm scones.  Or chocolate cake if you happen to be GB.  Yum

We completed the down to Wrington – from where DM headed for home.  And then there were two…  There are a great many road closures around Portishead at the moment – the residents of Clevedon are clearly trying to dissuade mixing – so, although we could have risked it as cyclists can usually get through, we decided to take a more interesting route to Portishead and headed towards Nailsea.

You see – I was feeling positive.  Cycling with GB and co make me feel like “I can”.  Or least like I’m willing to try   So we opted to go up Tickenham Hill.  And then once near Portishead – up Valley Road.  Both hills I would normal avoid.  Both of which, having driven up them, had assumed massive proportions in my head.  And although I wouldn’t got calling them pleasant, they were ok.  I did them.  GB peeled off to head home, and I arrived at my folks’ just as the family were getting out of the car.  Immaculate timing

Cycling time: 2:36:56
Distance: 33.71 miles
Avs: 12.8 mph
ODO: 3130 miles

I’ve mentioned here before how “mental” cycling can be.  Yesterday’s ride perfectly demonstrated two of the main elements of this.

1. How who you’re cycling with can affect how you feel about a ride and how you perform.
2. How the “dread” factor affects things.  Makes them seem larger than they are…  None of the hills were as bad in reality as I had thought there were going to be.  Hey – I didn’t end up walking!

I arrived in Portishead feeling all happy with my achievements.  We did a lot of hills, and I feel like I did them ok.  It was a really good ride and I can honestly say I enjoyed it   And I don’t often say that about a ride with hills *grin*.

Another Friday, and another ride with GW.  As it turns out, we did pretty much the same loop as I did on Wednesday.  However, you couldn’t get two more different rides as this time the sun shone, the views were visible, and it was really enjoyable!

GW was on her shire-horse again which, from my point of view, is fab, as it slows her right down.  On the down side, it’s power training, so by the time she gets back on the thoroughbred, she’ll be faster and stronger than ever…!

Cycling time: 2:17:29
Distance: 31.76 miles
Avs: 13.8 mph
ODO: 3096 miles

Due to GW’s bike, and the girly chatting, it was a slower ride but, like I said, a much more enjoyable one.  I’d forgotten how nice it is to cycle in the sunshine, with only the roads being wet, not me!  So nice that I even felt up to washing the bike when I got back.  It’s all clean and shiny now

If I keep not going cycling because the weather is crap then, bearing in mind the fact that the forecast predicts the same for days to come, I’ll never get out on the bike.  Since I’m due out with GW on Friday, and with GB over the weekend, I made myself go out today, so that I have tomorrow to rest (ie go to the gym instead).

I set off around 9:30ish, into the drizzle.  I did the seaside route, more or less.  It was low cloud, poor visiblity and either drizzle or rain the entire way round.  Nice.  Since my legs and bum were soaked through after about half an hour, it didn’t make much odds what form of precipitation it was really.  My gloves were eventually soaked too, but somehow managed to keep my hands warm nonetheless.  My upper half fared somewhat better as the water had more layers to go through, and the fact that I’d opted for the base layer meant my core temperature stayed a bit higher than sometimes too.  But there’s only so much you can do.  By the time I got home my feet had deserted me, various other bits of me had gone numb, and I really couldn’t summon up the energy to wash the bike.

Cycling time: 2:01:27
Distance: 30.97 miles
Avs: 15.2 mph
ODO: 3064 miles

The actual riding went quite well.  Oddly enough I think the (sunglasses covered in rain) reduced visibility helped a bit, as I couldn’t see the road surface in enough detail to panic about it too much.  The roads were wet rather than muddy which is always nicer.  I spent my time on the drops again, as my knee was twinging early on, and I definitely ride better down there.  I think I feel more stable, I can brake better as I can reach the levers properly, and I feel better going round corners.  If I’m going to keep that up, I think I’m going to have to do some work on my neck muscles though, as all that looking forward is a position my neck isn’t used to, so it got a bit achey.

So I rode.   It was a bit trance like out there – head down, ignore your surroundings (because you can’t see them anyway) and just push on.  It wasn’t until I pulled up at the house and got off the bike that I realised quite how zoned out I’d been, and how wet/miserable my body was!  It really wasn’t quite as unpleasant as it sounds, but I was seriously pleased to get home and have a long hot bath.

Better out than in?  Probably