Keep on movin'.....

Last Sunday off for a few weeks so I thought I'd head out with the club. I nearly didn't, first week back shift working and I was tired and lacking a bit of motivation. My twitter motivational coach the Rouleur told me to go and the Pixie shamed me by telling me he was up at stupid o'clock to travel to the Isle of Wight to do a sportive. The alarm went off, I laid there and pondered, it was warm and cosy, I felt like crap, but I should really go, so I did.

Fresh out but not frosty and a group of fifteen or so of us congregated at the Rugby club. We normally split up into differing groups of ability but today it was suggested we all go out together and do some hills, to keep warm ! Steve who was ride captain today is doing the Tour of Flanders sportive next year, if you don't already know the Tour of Flanders is a cycle race in Belgium. It takes in some quite steep cobbled climbs which the pros have to negotiate more than once. The sportive is the day before the race and takes in all the climbs the race does. So I think secretly today was a training ride as we did several steep climbs on muddy lanes, which I have to confess I did have to walk on a couple, but I wasn't the only stroller. The climbing was thankfully interspersed with some great descents and we also rode along the valley from Luxbrough to Roadwater which is always a good blast. I rode lots of lanes I've never ridden before, which is good to know for planning new routes. The quick types waited patiently at the top of the climbs for the slow kids with associated banter ! and Steve and Paul dropped back to keep us company on some. Coffee and chatting at the Cider farm then onto the A39 and back home. Kev who was riding his new 'Winter Bike' seemed to be struggling on the way home, I think  his chunky cyclo cross tyres were dragging a bit so I waited for him and sheltered him back towards home. When I first went out with the club Kev could see I was struggling on a ride and did the same for me so it was nice to repay the favour.

Here's the Strava bit...

Glad I got up, nice to have company and nice to do a ride I hadn't done before even with the hills !