Sometimes the planets just align your way. Hey, it made a change from the usual “I love it when a plan comes together” reference. I could have blamed ley lines, or horoscopes you know. I’m choosing to go with cosmic coincidence because I can ;).
Today’s plan was to do an hour flat with Mim – who’s racing at Ilton tonight – and then an hour of hillier stuff by myself. Considering the end of the likely loop, that left me going up Cheddar Gorge which is fine, but not exactly a challenge. My mental meanderings had considered going up the big hill at Rodney Stoke but that wasn’t going to be practical…
…until you find yourself half way ’round the Nyland loop with Mim doing sprints on the straight bit and you’re headed in the right direction and…well…there you are. Planets in a line. Pointed in the direction that you kinda wanted to go in in the first place. I believe a plan just came together *grin*.
So we parted company as she turned tail and headed for home, leaving me free to climb mountains at my own pace. OK, it’s not a mountain, it’s a very big hill. The ACG went up it not so long back and I have to say that it felt just as hard today though it’s just possible I went up it faster this time. It’s a long slow gets steeper at the end slog. Did I mention that hills that get steeper at the end should be banned? If I didn’t – they should! I was glad I’d taken my arms off at the bottom, and was just as glad to have them to put back on again not long after I’d reached the top as it was a tad windy and most definitely chilly up there. Still, I slogged my way up there, so I felt like I’d earned myself a little fun, and I took myself across some of the nicer roads over the top and turned left to go past the Castle of Comfort. I still think that’s a great name for a pub, although I’m guessing that whilst teetotal, I may well find it less comforting than usual…
Anyway, back to the ride. Now if you’re familiar with the area, you now know where I’m heading…and if you’re not, you can check out my route here. Yep, time to go down Burrington Combe. Where I did some serious speed, didn’t get my braking quite right, but did nail the bends. ‘Rah! Much much fun *flies in teeth* :).
On the road towards Churchill some (ooh, I’d love to use a proper rude word here but will restrain myself) eejot in a silver saloon was apparently desperate to get past me, with traffic coming the other way, and came past me unexpectedly and SO close that he triggered my involuntary expletive reflex… I arrived at the crossroads to discover him was sat waiting at the lights, so as to turn right. So that got him a long way then. I was going straight on so pulled up in the lane next to him shaking my head in admonitory fashion. Bet he was a tad worried what else I might do…but other than that I ignored him. And got to pull away before him since the right turn is a filter and straight on gets priority. Which wasn’t at all funny. Much. :P.
From there it was straight along to Sandford, up the hill to Winscombe, and then up the even bigger Winscombe Hill to earn my flying downhill home 🙂
Cycling time: 2:03:04 hrs
Distance: 29.99 miles
Avs: 14.5 mph
ODO: 8808 miles
After last night’s MiniMe training ride I went to the gym and did an hour’s interval training on the bike, which involved a lot of being out of the saddle. Clearly my knee does not like that as today, even with preventative pain killers taken as advocated by my doctor, it was twingeing. So I guess, since it’s the second time that that’s happened, I’d best not do that again. Not the day before a ride anyway… Still, other than that it was a good ride. Not maybe as fast as it could have been but there you go :).