The Cycling Mayor

The Cycling Mayor has no broadband and is NOT amused.  Especially after two days of dealing with the non-uk based, hidebound, routine fixated, Orange customer service centre.  I wrote this on the laptop to add later, and since I’ve just managed to turn my HTC Android into a wifi hotspot, it looks like I get to add it now.  Which if I was more of a geek would probably be very exciting.  Oh who’m I kidding?  I’m a geek and I’m thrilled to be back online! *grin*

So with no broadband, the sun shining, and the wind being no worse than expected, it was time for a stress busting ACG ride this morning.  It was not the usual ACG ride.  It was one of those rare occasions when we try get as many ACG people together as possible – from the usual ACG group, to the Leisure Group, with three generations of my family in to boot.  Yes – me, miniMe and Dad.  With as many official ACG tops as possible too.

The ride out was a two group affair – the 5 faster folk were off, and after the odd attempt to let us three catch up, wended their own way whence we were going.  Leaving the the aforementioned generational grupetto to find our own way to Sweets Peat Museum café where, as it turns out since the fast group had taken the long way round, we were the first to arrive.  Well that’s not strictly true, the Boy Wonder, having gotten his timings in a twist as usual, had missed meeting up with us in the Square and had sprinted to and fro to find us before going straight there, so he was waiting inside reading the paper.

The four of us moved to sit outside and were basking in the sunshine when first the five fast folk, and then the Leisure Group, pulled in to join us, making a total of 17 cyclists sat in a row.  Or a circle around two tables more to the point.  Which is a pretty good turn out.   There was a fair degree of hilarity as various exploits and tales of derring do were recounted, and plans for the Tour of Britain spectator ride were discussed.  Good company and good conversation in the sun.  Very nice.  In fact one of the main reasons we’re a Group in the first place .

However this is the Axbridge Cycling Group, not the Axbridge Coffee Group, so it was time to go and do what we’re supposed to do.  Well let’s face it, how else were we going to get home?  Although various variations on the return route were taken on the way home, we all ended up in the right places eventually.  I have to admit to having resorted to some very juvenile behaviour from time to time, but I can’t help it, I do like sprinting .  I like that putting your foot down and hurtling away bit, and then the totally knackered feeling afterwards when you just can’t do anymore.  I made it on to the front and up to 29.6 mph on the straight back from Wedmore – which was mighty close to my 30mph goal for that stretch, but there was no cigar.  OK, so the others weren’t really racing, but it was a whole heap of fun for me.

We were blessed with the weather, if you ignore the wind, which let’s face it was also a blessing across the Levels so it would be churlish to complain about the times when it was less than helpful.  It was way better than forecast, and at this rate, it may be the last time we see the sun before next Spring!  MiniMe did his best, and I can’t wait for the day when his best is a little faster.  He coped really well though, and it was good to have Dad along to keep him company when I couldn’t keep my coiled spring legs coiled any longer.   I tried, I did, honest!  But the fact that I dragged my first half average of 14.something up to 16.0mph on the way home shows that I wasn’t doing a very good job of it by then.

Cycling time: 1:51:18 hrs
Distance: 29.58 miles.
Avs: 16.0 mph
ODO: 10054 miles

Courtesy of the Eurobike Demo Day I have some fancy new Pearl Izumi tailorable shoe inserts that I tried out for the first time today and that did actually make my cycling shoes more comfortable.  They may actually have helped my knee which did little more than twinge a couple of times today.  Having support under the arch of the foot was a weird but not unpleasant feeling but I guess time will tell whether they’re really helping.

PS:  did you like the atypical alliteration?

Time to re-engage with normal life.  Which in this case, it being a Sunday morning, meant that it was time for an ACG ride.  The expected 3 riders turned into 4.  Myself, GB, GH (no longer the newbie as he’s now a fully paid up member), and the not been with us for quite a while KG.

Obviously we hadn’t planned a route beforehand because that would have involved a degree of forward planning, so we spent the usual 5 minutes arguing (sorry debating) about where we should go.  Having not wanted to go to Glastonbury across the Levels and exposed to the wind, GB was persuaded to go there on the basis that we would go by a different and not totally flat route to get there.  I just wanted good coffee, and that’s where good coffee is.  I also wasn’t sure how I’d be feeling after two weeks holiday and didn’t fancy big hills.

We kinda made the route up as we went along, which looked a little like this, and it went pretty well.  We were all fairly well matched, up until near the end where the fact that KG hasn’t been able to get out much finally got the better of him.  Not that it stopped him racing up the hill past Panborough and dropping us all just like he always does!  Having said that, it’s not just him, we’re all pretty competitive which is neither big nor clever but is occasionally fun *grin*.

For the first time in for what seems like forever but is only actually since March, I had a puncture, just before we got into Fairyland.  A large thorn/nail end was quite clearly the culprit.  Luckily it was the front tyre which is always easier to deal with, and if I say so myself, I did a pretty good job of changing the tube and getting it all sorted.  All by myself too, since as we have seen previously, changing a tube on an ACG ride is a bit of a spectator sport…  I was a bit worried I wouldn’t have got enough pressure back into it and would either puncture again or just be slowed down by it, but neither of those things happened.  Result!

We had coffee at Heaphy’s in the sun, with the addition of Orangina for me which always makes me smile, and breakfast related sandwiches for KG and GB which seems to make them smile too.  KG has never forgiven me for taking the ACG to a vegetarian cafe there… *grin*.  We came back the direct route, interacting with at least 3 other cycling events – the Wiggle Mendip Sportive, something Strawberry Line related, and something that involved tri bars, sleeveless jerseys and silly looking helmets…  Admittedly three different target audiences, but you’d think some degree of co-operation with regards to dates/routes might have been a good idea…  I bet the motorists around here have well and truly had enough of cyclists today!

Cycling time: 2:14:35 hrs
Distance: 40.01 miles.
Avs: 17.8 mph
ODO: 9866 miles

See how fast we were?  Awesome!  Especially as it was windy, and we weren’t trying massively, being as how G stands for Group and we were trying to keep it that way.  Only I do feel like my legs are that much better these days, and it’s just so nice to go fast when fast is an option, and to push up what hills there were.  Even if GB can always out climb/sprint me.  Shall I add that to my goal list – beating GB?  Clearly Cornish training rides haven’t done me any harm, and I didn’t lose too much fitness being away.  I should probably wash the bike now – the poor thing is covered in two weeks worth of grime – but I think that’s a job for later this week…

I’ve not been on the bike since Tuesday, and if how I felt today is anything to go by, then the gym counts as resting.  So you can all stop telling me to rest! *grin*.

Today was an ACG ride.  A sunny, warm, relatively wind free, Saturday morning saw 4 of us gather in the Square at 9:30am.  IH, the MD (finally back with us) and our newest fully paid up member, GH.  4 is a good number.  I can easily count to four, which makes keeping track of everyone easier.  Aren’t I clever? .

Considering the weather, and the summer holidays and the fact that no-one else had come up with a route, it was time to do my seaside loop, and hope that Weston hadn’t woken up too much by the time we went through it.  Well, it’s not an early rising town, so it was a calculated risk that paid off.  Judging by the aroma, the residents, temporary or otherwise, were too busy eating doughnuts to be bothered by us.  Makes a change from the usual smell of breakfast bacon .  Anyway, It’s a really nice route.  The odd hill, lots of nice country flat, and pretty quiet roads.  Oh, and of course the seaside!  I’m used to it, the ACG aren’t and seemed to like it, which is good.

I had legs like coiled springs today.  Totally irrepressible.  I’m sure if the usual crowd had been there I’d have been put firmly back in my place, but today the one first up the hills was me.  Every hill.  We had coffee at the New Castle Inn in Kewstoke, after the kicker of a hill up past the Commodore, and I even pushed it all the way up there, though it did take me a minute or so to get my breath back when we stopped.  I think I’ve been watching too much Tour de France!  Nothing a large Americano couldn’t fix though *grin*.

I did do my best to hang back, I did, really honestly, as I do know what G stands for, but it just wasn’t happening.  Not when I was doing that well going uphill.  Me, dropping people?  Go figure!  It’s just so much fun pushing it when you can .  And on the flat I was flying…  Me and my bike were definitely in the zone and I think it’s safe to say the cycling addict got her fix *grin*.

It was just one of those days that a bicycle is made for.  And it would be rude not to make the most of it.  Sorry guys!

Cycling time:1:59:59 hrs
Distance: 33.61 miles
Avs: 17.0 mph
ODO: 9606 miles

After spending yesterday afternoon worshipping at the shrine of bicycle maintenance (aka Scorpion CS) I knew I was going to need a ride today to check that everything was shipshape and ready to go again.  So I issued a call to arms, and arranged an impromptu ACG ride, mainly because I selfishly fancied a ride in company rather than on my tod.

It  being “my” ride, I decided it should include very good coffee, and that of course, as my regular readers will know, means going to Heaphy’s Café in Glastonbury.  I’d bore you with the details but, ”it’s astounding, time is fleeting…” and I have other places to be, so to cut a long story short, I present you with my stats:

Cycling time: 2:08:49 hrs
Distance: 34.30 miles
Avs: 15.7 mph

There were three of us, fairly well matched:  IH, a recent newbie GH, and obviously, me.  Coffee included carrot cake, and the welcome return of Orangina, as well as all the usual joys of a Fairyland Saturday morning.  It was a fairly flat, scenic, sociable, sun-blessed, relatively wind free ride.  The sort of which dreams are made *grin*.  Do you know how lucky we are to live somewhere where other people come on holiday?  Lucky indeed .

As for the bike, well the saddle seemed a little low on the way out.  I was getting that “knees around ears” feeling so we tweaked it all of 4mm after coffee and it seemed much better on the way back.  The new chain went ’round – always good – and the brake pads seemed to stop me.  In fact the front break is proper vicious now which is nice as long as you remember that!  My lovely new Kalas shorts were very comfy and, by virtue of being a bit shorter than my other pair, helped with my “fade to tan” goal – none of those razor sharp lines for me (see rule 7) *grin*.

Today was an ACG ride.  Due to half term, and the Tour of Wessex, there were only 3 of us out this morning.  Well, to be fair, we did have a newbie turn up to join us…on a very heavy mountain bike.  He’s going to try again on a road bike soon, since he only made it as far as Cheddar before making the (very wise) decision to bail.  So I can’t really count him.

That left myself, IH, and today’s ride leader, DM.  Being as the route was none of my concern, I’m afraid it gets a little hazy in places as usual.  One of the things I love about the ACG is that other people know roads that I don’t and I get to ride them.  Novelty is great.  In this instance we headed out via Wedmore, criss-crossing the scarey pelotons of Tour Wessex riders, around all sorts of ingenious back lanes to get us to round the back of Wells and to Croscombe so as to go up the big hill there to reach our coffee stop at Hartleys.   I’ve never been up that hill before, only down it, and although hard work it wasn’t quite as bad as I was expecting it to be.  Always nice when that happens!

IH had been out on the Village last night and whilst not hungover was feeling the effects.  Shall I polish my halo a little? .  It was as windy as ever, and distinctly chilly, though the wind was mostly in our favour on the outward leg.  We took it easy on the way out, in order to be a Group, but I have to admit it was hard.  It was another indication of the fact that my new wheels rock.  I was putting in the usual effort, give or take, and finding myself having to reign it in to keep with the others.  More of which later.

Hartley’s was just as lovely as on our last visit, if anything even friendlier.  Mind you they’d just had to feed a large contingent of bikers who were preparing to leave as we arrived, so it might just have been the relief to have gotten them all fed and on their way *grin*.  There were a couple of other rather serious looking cyclists in there too – we did consider following them on the way back but came to the conclusion that there wasn’t really enough of them (darn whippets) to hide behind so there wouldn’t be much point!  Speaking of whippets, we got chased by one going past a farm, and they can’t half move!  Made for an interesting couple of minutes I can tell you…

It was even colder and windier when we set off again, and now we were properly into the wind.  I had to push off for a bit just to get warmed up again.  IH was flagging now, and DM and I stopped to wait for him, in the drizzle, from time to time.  We met a few more ToW riders – including some lost ones – who didn’t look like they were having much fun at all, and I was glad that all I had to do was head for home!  Once we got out of Priddy and on to the long flat road there, all bets were off.  I wanted to push my wheels around a bit and being crap at going downhill I knew DM would catch me in the Gorge.  Oh my it was fun .  Those wheels really do love going round fast.  It’s very hard to describe it, but it’s like having an extra gear without having to push any harder.  And yes, DM did catch me 3/4 of the way down the Gorge.  We don’t call him a mountain goat for nothing

Cycling time: 2:43:11 hrs
Distance: 40.33 miles
Avs: 14.8 mph
ODO: 8648 miles

Another quick blast down the bypass and it was back home again.  Not the world’s most enjoyable ride, due to the weather, but kinda fun nonetheless.  If it hadn’t been for the ACG I’d probably have been sheltering in the gym instead, and that wouldn’t have been half so nice or so sociable .

What I want is to be better at going up hills so apparently what I need to do is just to go up more of them.  Since all things come in threes, though I don’t for the life of me know why, and the last two rides have been hilly, it seems only right that today’s ACG ride should also be a hilly one.  Putting the route in the hands of one of our mountain goats, DM, ensured that this would be the case.  Whilst also making it not my fault!  ;)

There were six of us this morning.  GB was off doing family things but is back now, and I believe out doing our route as we speak, no doubt faster and better.  (But probably wetter *grin*).  I was only able to approximate it for him though as I got a little confused around Nempnett Thrubwell, which I understand happens a lot…

However back to us.  Myself, clearly.  The aforementioned DM, complete with very fetching bandana.  SD who, and maybe it has something to do with his mountain biking, seems to be just as happy at the back chatting as out at the front, or racing the BW up hills.  Yes, BW was with us.  Showing us up as ever.  Well, maybe not SD.  That leaves IH, back with us after a break, and a newbie, AW.  He does time trials, which tends to indicate how he feels about hills.  It all worked out swimmingly really.  It’s nice and easy to count to 6.  BW and SD did their thing at the front, occasionally interchanging with DM and I, and the other two brought up the rear.  There was quite a bit of stopping and regrouping, but that’s a good thing.  A G for Group good thing.  Not to mention allowing us to catch our breath from time to time, or “admire the view”…

Without meaning to be rude in any way, it was nice to have two slower folk with us.  Because it meant I wasn’t the last up the hills.  Very often with the ACG these days the one bringing up the rear by very virtue of always being at the rear is me!  It was nice to be reminded, for PMA purposes, that it’s only compared to the usual mob that I suck…  And to be fair, I did myself proud going up the hills.  They have definitely gotten easier.  Well I suppose the hills haven’t gotten easier at all since I’m guessing erosion hasn’t affected them much in the time I’ve been cycling.  In which case then I’ve got to admit I’m getting better, I’m getting better all the time…(I couldn’t get much worse)… Hands up if you’re singing a little song in your head now…

So, hills.  Sparrow Hill.  Followed by a stretch on the mostly flat to warm the legs up.  A very long slog up from Rodney Stoke to the top of the Mendips.  Slogs that get steeper at the end like that should be banned…  Then there were some interesting hills over Nempnett way.  I’m really hoping we actually went up Awkward Hill – how great a name is that?  On the way back after a well earned coffee stop there was Sandford Hill and finally Winscombe Hill, just to round things off.  Probably around 2100ft of climbing.  Not bad as these things go.  Mind you, that probably depends on which of the 6 of us you ask .

Coffee was at the perfectly pleasant but exorbitantly expensive Walled Garden, aka the Ethicurean.  With variable prices too it would appear, since back in March scones were £3 each and today they were £3.50!  I’m sorry – but that’s taking the p*ss.  Not having that much money on me, I stuck to the usual caffeine fix.  I gather the cakes were lovely.  My coffee, at a more usual £2, was nice enough.  But still…  Yes, I know, you can’t take it with you.  But in order to try and take it with you, you have to have it in the first place!

OK, scone related rant over.  Probably.  Just as we were leaving AW discovered he had a puncture so we all stood around in the sunshine and let him change it – very efficient he was too – whilst clearly intimidating all the “normal” people having to run the gauntlet of our presence to get to the café.  We’re very scarey.  Or maybe it’s just the Lycra…

On the way down to Wrington, at a reasonable gravity induced speed, there were for some reason parked cars on the LHS and the odd pedestrian milling around.  I was leading and took a wide line around them and, as a car was approaching from the opposite direction, I shouted “car up” as you do.  Plenty of room, no problem, etc.  The numpty pedestrian nearest decided to tell me I should “get a bell”.  Yeah, cos that would really get your attention.  And by the way – you’re not a car, and I wasn’t talking to you, I’d already avoided you walking in the road!  Numpty.   (You know I thought I’d feel better about that once it was out of my system but no.  Ah well).

All in all it was a pretty good ride.  There was a strong Southerly wind, blowing serried ranks of dramatic clouds over our heads, and making for some interesting temperature variations.  It tried to rain a couple of times, but BW sorted that out by putting his waterproof on *grin*.  Mind you, it did give him yet another chance to display his “look ma no hands” cycling.  Particularly irritating when you’re going downhill, hands on the brakes, paying attention for all you’re worth…and his hands aren’t even on the handlebars let alone the brakes!  I’m not jealous.  Much

Cycling time: 2:43:04 hrs
Distance: 33.1 miles
Avs: 14.4 mph
ODO: 8288 miles

Anyway as I was saying – a good ride.  More hills under my slightly less tight belt

It’s a hard knock life.  Honest.  *grin*.  OK, it’s not.  Not when I get to spend a few hours cycling in the sun as I did this morning.  On a day like this, why would you be doing anything else?  You may drive past me in your metal box, shooting daggers at me with your eyes as I presume to take up space on your road…but I know who’s happiest, and it ain’t you

Today was an ACG ride, and a relatively well attended one at that.  There was me, GB, SD, BDR, DM, the Boy Wonder, and a triathlete lady who’s joined us once before and shall henceforth be know as TriC.  We did a loop out to Fairyland for coffee and back – and as you can see we managed to enlarge the loop quite a bit, by including Nyland on the way out, and Shapwick/Ashcott on the way back.  It was, not to put too fine a point on it, glorious out there.  Warm and sunny, with a fairly low eejot quotient, and a wind that was more cooling than irritating.  You really couldn’t ask for nicer

Glastonbury was up and running – I think the sun brings them out too.  Many multi-coloured folk living up to expectations.  We were treated to some very Christian singing too, although bearing in mind how much God apparently loves us, you’d have thought the songs would be more cheerful and that they’d look more happy about it!  I think they need to work on their marketing strategy…*grin*.

Given that GB and I are supposed to be taking it easy before Monday’s event, and TriC was a little slower than last time, we weren’t pushing it too much for most of the ride.  G stands for Group and we made an effort to stay toGether.  However once she’d peeled off to go home, the lads hurtled off like greyhounds out of the gate!  I didn’t even try to keep up for most of that, but I did get to take the lead from the bottom of Rug Hill to Cheddar and I pushed for all I was worth…well, I could hear the lads freewheeling behind me! *grin*.  It was fun though…and as you can see from the avs, we weren’t hanging around.  I felt positively capable

Cycling time: 2:42:23
Distance: 44.90 miles
Avs: 16.6 mph
ODO: 8006 miles

As you can see the “new” bike has now done over 8000 miles which is kinda cool.  Gotta love figures.  Bearing in mind all that has been done and is to be done to it, I think the only fully original part to remain will be the frame! To continue my shopping spree, yesterday I ordered a new Topeak Large Wedge Saddle Bag to replace the current rather tatty looking one, and also a Topeak top tube bag to hold all my bars and things for events.  Consider it a treat for the bike for doing so well  My birthday money has now well and truly run out – but I’ve made it go a long way!

And on the progress front, my knee seems to be doing quite well, and I’ve been nailing right hand bends a lot better of late.  Not all of them by any means, but definitely better than I was.  Progress all ’round

As GB and I stood waiting in the Square for the other members of the ACG to join us, the South African pair hove into few, and my heart sank.  Mr and Mrs Very Fast.  Very lovely, but very fast.  They don’t RSVP so I never know to expect them.  Mr SA was wearing red, which as it turns out is red in the red rag to a bull sense.

You see normally today would have been a blindingly good ride for me.  My legs were feeling fine, the newly adjusted bike felt good, and for the most part I was flying along at 18/19 mph.  However…the peloton, being GB, DM, SD and the SAs were off on one…so I still got left behind! *grin*.  (Well, Mr SA anyway, as Mrs SA was under the weather and left us at Mark).

There’s this red competitive haze that descends over the testosterone afflicted when those two come out – heaven forbid we should admit we don’t usually go that fast.  Oh no, we have to keep up.  Well, I would if I could! *grin*.  I had to settle for knowing that I was doing really well by my standards, enjoying the relatively mild weather and the fairly unfamiliar roads, and not grumping too much.  Ho hum.

DM made us a lovely route which took us round the Levels and down to Catcott and Ashcott, taking in coffee at Sweets at the way back, from whence Mr SA headed for home to check on his good wife, leaving the rest of us to collapse in a heap and recover over coffee.  I’m sure keeping up was good for us but still…  The Tor 2000 lot were there when we arrived, and still there when we left….they clearly chatter worse than we do!  Not to us though, as clearly we’re not up to their lofty standards

The ride home was a lot of fun.  My legs have felt like they had an extra gear all week – they seem to have benefitted from last weekend’s event – and there was some caffeine aided hurtling to be done.  Just for the flies in your teeth fun of it *grin*.  DM found us a totally uncalled for and very steep little hill on the way home, up which I think I managed to make a fairly good showing.  Mind you I noticed as I reached the top that I was doing that hot/cold sweat + lip tingling thing which is not a good sign.  Push too hard and…faint?  Except luckily I didn’t.  Sometimes I’m more afflicted that way than others – my postural hypotension is particularly bad today and I think it was related.  Yes, I’m getting old, and clearly falling apart *grin*.

We arrived back in the Square having done a reasonable distance at a very presentable average speed.  Honour satisfied

Cycling time: 2:25:23
Distance: 41.00 miles
Avs: 16.9 mph
ODO: 7643 miles

It was my first ride in a long time without my knee strapped up and I’m pleased to report that once it had warmed up it felt pretty good.  The right shoulder is another matter.  I really can’t look over it to, for example, check on traffic coming up from behind, without fairly excruciating pain, and that’s even with painkillers.  Far from ideal, and a tad dangerous.  :/  It’s also hard to tell if the tweaks to the bike have improved things until that’s stopped, although the ride did feel very comfortable, so that’s a good start.

Today’s entry is brought to you by the number 7 and the letter G.  There were 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (8, 9, 10, 11 12..) members of the ACG who came out to play today.  In the interests of accuracy, there were 5 paid up members and 2 guests.  2 of “them” – aka mtb’ers.  OK, there’s no them and us really, but I thought I’d add a little unnecessary dramatic tension to the mix.  As it turns out, both the guests were called Chris.  Not Dave (which is our usual default name).  Which is good for remembering names, but bad for differentiating in blogland.  However since the first Chris, who has been out with us before, has a carefully calculated calorific and carbohydrate based reason for eating a fig roll every 15/20 minutes he shall henceforth be known as Figgy.  Now if I ate fig rolls like that, I would bear more than a passing resemblance to a figgy pudding…however he’s a whippet.  Sometimes there’s just no justice in this world…

GB has apparently not managed to get a lot of riding in this week, and was in coiled spring mode today.  Plus he was on the shiny bike whilst the other one has gone in for repairs.  Yes, I know it’s not about the bike, but…surely with a steed like that you feel the urge to live up to what it can do? As well as co-ordinating all your clothes to it of course

Anyway, his proposed route was gratuitously hilly and thus, if you’re me, a tad scarey, but as I’m making myself do hills these days I didn’t complain, though I was worried about it, due to the pain factor this week.   However it would appear that I’ve done such a good job of complaining about hills in the past that these days everyone thinks I hate them.  (That’ll larn me).  And offers me opportunities to avoid them while the greater group tackle them.  I know, I know, it’s perverse of me, but I find that irritating.  But maybe that’s good as it makes me more determined to prove them wrong and to get up the hills by hook or by crook?  I like to think I’m getting better at them.  Of course it would help if all those around me weren’t getting better at the same time…but there you go.  I’m supposed to be trying not to compare myself with everyone else, do the whole PMA thing, but sometimes it’s hard…  It’s not that I hate hills.  It’s that I hate not being as good as everyone else up them.  There, does that make sense?

Back to the ride.  What does the “G” stand for?  It stands for Group.  And when you’re in the Group it is Great, and Good and sometimes Glorious.  But then you hit a Gradient, and it is Ghastly and Grinding and the Gap Grows and you are Grumpy.

G also stands for Gorge, which was the first climb of the day.  I was quite pleased with how it went as I didn’t have to get out of the saddle at the steep bit, which feels like progress.   I even went back down for a bit to pick up MD who’d had mechanical issues.  The peloton waited at the top, which was nice, but I was soon left behind again.  Rather than Grumble too much (though the temptation was Great) I tried to focus on having a Thoughtful ride instead.  I paid attention to how I was pedalling.  I tried to keep my arms a bit looser, less rigid, to absorb more of the road noise.  I also made a point of changing position from time to time.  All of this is aimed to help the shoulder and knee issues, though I do intend to have a set-up check with Andrew at some point as well, and I think it helped.

We went through Priddy, and down the Wells Road, which was kinda fun.  GB did try and challenge me to going down without braking, but let’s face it, that wasn’t going to happen now was it?  Still, I did my best, and enjoyed the descent as best I could.  I even had time to have a chat with another cyclist from Bristol on the way down as he overtook me.  Yes – everyone is faster than me *grin*.

Once in Wells we went out up a Horrington.  I say we, I mean me, as the group had vanished in a cloud of smoke, and MD had dropped off behind me somewhere.  However once on my own, and with no reference point to compare myself unfavourably with, I settled into a rhythm of my own and pootled my way fairly happily up to where they were waiting, so on balance this was a good thing.  Once MD had joined us it turns out that we were practically at our destination – Hartley’s Café, a new one to us.  Which turned out to be unexpectedly lovely  Very friendly, with very good coffee, served in double americano form – my drug of choice!  I can definitely see us ending up back there again.  It looks like the food was good too, though there’s no way you’re going to catch me eating waffles, bacon, banana and maple syrup, but each to their own…or Figgy’s own in this case.  Again – no justice…

We had the usual “which way are we going home” debate, and I still refused to bail on the hills.  They’re good for me, right?  And why should I always be the killjoy?  It would appear that I’ve had such low expectations of my ability for so long, which I have clearly broadcast, that everyone else now agrees with me.  Hm.  (Again – that’ll larn me).  So after some interesting back road meanderings to get down to Chewton Mendip and then along past Litton, we went up a Harptree.  Which is a long long long climb.  Again, head down, every girl for herself, and see you at the top.  Once again the group reunited, this time outside the Castle of Comfort, where I did indeed take comfort – in the knowledge that they hadn’t had to wait too long for me.  MD rejoined us for the final time, and we headed for home.

For the last stretch I managed to pretty much keep up with the pack.  Which was Gratifying.  And when flying along the top at speed, also Grand.  We went along towards Burrington and then round via Charterhouse, where the downhill after Tynings Farm was as lovely as ever, and down from Shipham, where it was even better.  From there, buoyed up by endorphins, it was easy to put my foot down and push down the bypass to home.  Ok, I was the first back in the Square, but let’s face it, that just means nobody else was racing .

Cycling time: 2:43:53
Distance: 40.15 miles
Avs: 14.6 mph
ODO: 7439 miles

So, an interesting ride, with Grouchy overtones.  I did pretty well, and I’m not knackered now, even after a bath, about which I am Glad.   And we’re going to have Gammon for tea.  Just as well, as I appear to have forgotten to have lunch…

I was supposed to ride yesterday, it being the only opportunity for me to do so this week what with the inconvenience of half term.  However it was grey, drizzly, and miserable.  And to be honest, I just wasn’t feeling it.  If I’m not feeling it, t’aint no point doing it.  Besides which I knew I was out today, I’m probably out Monday, and it’s not like I was doing nothing – I hit the gym and climbed hills there instead.  I’ve been doing a lot of gym hill-climbing lately, I wonder if it will make any difference in the long run?

Which brings us today, and another attempt by the ACG to make it to Brean Down, even if setting that as our destination did seem to be tempting fate a little.  Four of us met in the Square at 9.30am, IH, SD, and a friend of SDs who, in the absence of surname, shall henceforth be merely and enigmatically known as C.  Not as cool as M or Q but still with a certain je ne sais quoi about it, no?

We took the direct route to Brean Down.  Up past the Webbington, watching as the mountain goats took to the hills leaving me and IH pondering the fact that, as GB would have it, allegedly hills don’t get easier, they just get faster.  Comparatively speaking presumably.  To be fair, neither the Webbington nor Bleadon Hill felt as bad as they have been known to, even if describing them as “good” would be a step too far.

It was an uneventful if rather windy ride out to Brean Down.  Very noisy wind too.  Luckily it turned out that the café, now run by day-glo orange clad NT staff, was open.  They were very friendly but not totally on the ball as my black coffee was white, and my scone fruitless.  However they sorted that, and £2.35 seemed like a good deal to me.  Even the coffee was passable, and you know how particular I am about my coffee

We sat in the café and put the world to rights for a bit, as you do.  Apparently according to C people down this end of the world know how to pick their Mayors.  Although it would appear that boredom is not a sufficient reason for taking over the world.  Well, it can’t be a feeling of civic duty and giving back to the community, that sounds way too worthy… C suggested that, since the suggested route down the main Mark road can be tad boring, I should take over Mark…he’s a funny man

We came back a new and interesting way through Burnham/Highbridge and out to Mark.  It still amazes me when I end up on a road I’m not familiar with as I’d swear I’ve pretty much covered them all locally.  Apparently not.  We rejoined familiar territory, and the “mother in law” road to Mark (it goes on and on and on) is much less boring with a tail wind for sure.  We wiggled back through the Allertons and back down the usual route to home.  No point racing for the finish as I managed to keep on C’s tail for a while but after that…well, I know when I’m beaten.

It was fairly flat and fairly fast.  Both SD and C are quite fast enough thank you, especially in SD’s case as he hadn’t been out in a while and was definitely in coiled spring mode…  IH had been complaining about being out of shape but showed no sign of it. so chapeau to him.  4 of us started out, and 4 of us finished, and nobody fell off – almost unprecedented! *grin*

Cycling time: 2:22:42
Distance: 37.25 miles
Avs: 15.6 mph
ODO: 7223 miles

Now as you know, I’m not a mountain goat.  However apparently some of you out there actively enjoy going up hill.  Well for those of you to whom that applies (no accounting for taste *grin*) you might like to check out this year’s Black Rat Challenge.  I can’t vouch for it personally as I’ve not done it, and I can’t do it this year as I’m doing the Wheel Heroes that day (May 22nd), but maybe next year?  Well, the 100km anyway…  The guys who run it are very friendly, as well as being cyclists themselves, and that counts for a lot in my book