...I'm finding hard to believe I'm in......

Sun! Quick get the bike out! I checked the early morning conditions with my retired buddy and then took to the twitterverse for sartorial advice, deceptively chilly was the word so I dressed accordingly but wore my new Half Baked Brand Somerset jersey (other counties are available). Pastures new today after the climb to Wheddon Cross which I did in my best time yet, must be doing something right, I'm still about 200th out of 200th but the only person I want to beat is myself ;) The warmer air helps us wheezy kids, certainly feels like all cylinders are firing and not just spluttering along but it was deceptively chilly.

Down the valley into Devon and up the hill and down to Bampton, all new to me, rolling hills today and not statuesque moors, made a pleasant change. Quiet wide roads with the odd gentle up but pretty flattish for me which meant I had to keep pedalling which is a bit of a novelty. After passing several bus shelters I think I left it too late to eat and was suffering a bit once I'd stopped and started heading for home. The road from Wiveliscombe to Elworthy was deceptively hilly and the legs were aching a bit but once I got to the A39 I perked up and spun home.

Bit short of things to say today, have a tune :)

Here's the Strava bit......

......I was low on a hundred things......

I wasn't feeling it this morning but with a couple of biggish rides lined up I knew I had to get out there and get the miles in, no excuses, man up and crack on. I seem to have shook off what was wrong with my lungs and have finally stopped coughing up lumps, nice. Like a fool I believed the forecast and risked three quarters, mitts and no shoe covers but I did wear my winter long sleeved jersey which proved to be a good call. I wanted to go a bit further than the norm and start upping my mileage so I devised a new route in my head and headed off into the er.... light patchy drizzle.

Took it steady to Porlock and headed up the Toll road, again, but why not, nice steady climb and I seemed to be going quite well for me. I was pushing a slightly bigger gear today and the legs felt good as I spun up, it felt a bit odd to be honest. The rally cars went up this way on Saturday and had done a great job of sweeping all the crap off the bends which made the decent surface even more decent. Just like last week the wind and rain was hanging around the top but I spun on and even did a bit of cyclocross to avoid the sticky hill.

Cyclocross anyone ?

I headed off for Exford but I could see the rain in the distance rolling in across the hills from the coast. My progress was slowed by the local hunt assembling at the roadside, I had to pick my way through lots of horses and posh people but they were all very polite and so was I.

Rain rolling in....

I was soaked and cold once I'd got to the bottom of the hill and did think about bailing out and heading for home but decided not to and cracked on. New climb today, Muddicombe Lane, guess what, it was muddy and went up through a combe, who'd have thought it :) On top of the moors now and heading for Dulverton but the wind seemed to be at my back now and legs still felt good.

Top of Winsford Hill...

I was really enjoying myself spinning along the top of the moors and I've never ridden this way before so it was all new. The descent down to Dulverton was great and looks like a decent ascent too, so that's a another route in the pipeline. Really wet in Dulverton so I didn't hang about and headed off onto the valley road and back towards home. A quick break in Bridgetown for a snack at the roadside and back on, still feeling good, I like this feeling. Up to Wheddon Cross, windproof on and the great descent back towards home, I started pushing on, I was loving it :)

Needs a wash....

Cold, wet and knackered but I really enjoyed the ride today, glad I stuck to the plan, perseverance and all that :)

Here's the Strava bit.....

....I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert.....

I've had lots of great advice lately all of which I am truly thankful for. I tend to be a bit self depreciating and counter the good advice received with a dig at myself normally but please don't think I don't appreciate it, I do. If I need to improve I need to work harder and possibly try and be a bit more structured or scientific in what I do to make myself a better rider. It's about two months to my first big sportive of the year, the Dragon Ride, seventy eight miles up and over the valleys of South Wales, should be fun. My aim is to lose weight as I've previously blogged about, less weight around the middle should make those climbs easier. I've started running, well more of a slow stagger, the first couple of runs felt painful during and after but now the body seems to be used to it.

I did plan to head over the moors today and being impatient I wanted to get out early, the nice lady on the tv said it would be sunny with the chance of a shower, I believed her, fool. It was damp but not too bad when I left but once at the end of the drag towards Porlock I could see the clouds hanging to the hills.

Rant time, I was passed too closely my for my own comfort going along the straight just outside Minehead. It's a quick road but a wide one with three lanes most of its length, to be passed three times in such a short stretch is really not necessary. The last vehicle, a very large van was so quick and so close it sent me into a bit of a wobble, is a vegetable oil delivery that important? I just want to ride a bike. Rant over.

I had to stop to compose myself then headed off to Porlock and the Toll road only for my front mech to decide not to shift onto the inner ring. It decided to work once I stopped, which was a bit of a relief, tackling the toll road on the big ring might of been fun though ? The sun poked its head out as I made my way up but soon went as I ascended, the cloud was just sat there like a big wet blanket. I rode to the end, decision time, straight back down or risk a ride across the moors?

I thought I'd risk it and see if the cloud would lift but it didn't and I just got wetter and colder. It never ceases to amaze me the difference in the conditions in such a short distance albeit a fifteen hundred foot height gain. So I donned the boil in the bag jacket and decided to head for Cloutsham and was truly frozen once I had dropped down off the moor and had reached the ford.

Still not riding through it!

Headed for home a lumpy way to warm me up, a bit brighter lower down, I was a bit disappointed with the speed and mileage but the descents were very wet and dirty and I should be grateful I've been able to get out again this week. With the audax and a couple of shorter rides that's about a hundred odd miles this week and I've still got the weekend :)

Here's the Strava bit....

For Stuart...rest in peace.....

....when the wind blows.....

First big ride of the year today, Minehead Cycling club's Spring Audax, sixty hilly miles across Exmoor, I even ventured into Devon at several points too. The event started in Porlock which is about six miles away so I decided to ride there to warm the legs and lungs up. Conditions were not too bad down at sea level and the car park was busy with riders preparing and registering. The ACG (Beard Section) were already there, Steve, Martyn and Trevor but Trevor was just slightly unshaven and hadn't gone dodgy beard like the other two.

ACG Beard Section preparing and Axl Rose?

Up the Toll road, nothing like starting an event with a four mile climb from the off, it is a nice climb though but once at the top of the moors the wind had arrived. A bit of cyclo cross at the top and along the top to Exford, this is where I lost the beards, too strong for me in the wind so it was head down and set my own pace. A long climb out of Exford, I was hanging onto someone's wheel but he went straight on at the turn, I wonder if he had downloaded Mr Steep's original directions? Along and down to Withypool and the first checkpoint, in a pub, with a roaring fire and lots of food and...get a grip! Didn't hang about and cracked on as it was soon up again and onto the moors, as I was on my own I took the opportunity to take a couple of pics on the way.

It was up, down and over the moors with spectacular views, I've been this way before on last years Exmoor Beauty with a raging head wind and had it again but this time in the opposite direction, must be me?

A brilliant descent down to Dulverton and a nice ride along the river to the town and the next checkpoint, in a pub, you get the idea. I stopped and ate and a nice lad in the pub filled my bottle but I soon set off again along the river to Exebridge then onto the valley road and back towards Minehead. I seemed to be struggling with what felt like lactic acid and or cramp for most of the ride. I've been trying to lose weight lately so I don't know if it's reducing my calorie intake or I'm missing something in my diet but I didn't feel totally happy with myself. I stopped at Wheddon Cross to take some Ventolin, its prescribed ! The lungs haven't been at full working order lately with all this cold air and the medicine certainly helped me feel a bit better. All downhill to Dunster and the last few miles of lumpy bits past Minehead and back to Porlock to finish, cup of tea and some lovely scones, then ride home ;)

The wind was a constant pain whilst out on the moors but the views were outstanding, the roads were quiet and the route was excellent even if I didn't feel great. As usual after sitting down and looking at my stats I wasn't doing as badly as I thought I was. I even managed to catch up with the ACG, at the finish and they even left enough scones for me.

Here's the Strava bit....

.......search your heart, search your soul.......

I was kindly invited by Steve who I finally met in February and is a keen mountain biker for a ride around the Quantock Hills. It's kind of half way between us so a short a drive was needed along a very quiet A39 which is a bit of novelty. I was slightly worried I had deeply upset him with the revelation to him that Canadian rock star Bryan Adams had once made a music video in Holford, our meeting point. After speaking to him once he had arrived he eased my worries, something about weddings, embarrassing Page boy outfits, I think the tune sometimes triggers some dark memories ;)

I've ridden the Quantocks a couple of times before and usually ended up taking the wrong route option (okay okay, got lost). Steve knows the area well and also has one those fancy Dan GPS things with maps on which also helps. Sheltered and sunny at the green in Holford as we set off up the first climb of the day a rough and rocky steady ascent at the bottom leading up to the exposed Moor and the biting wind once at the top. We headed towards a beacon to admire the view, if you looked carefully you probably could see my house...possibly.

After the up it was down, Smiths Combe started again rough and rocky but turned into a cracking stream crossing descent but alas what goes down must go up or something along those lines. Another long drag back to where we started basically and then down again, Weacombe or has Steve described it Weeeacombe and he wasn't far wrong. A gentle spin along a low path for a bit, dodging walkers and sheep before you guessed it up again, Bicknoller Combe another drag back up to the moor, but a very scenic one at that with added lambs and deer. Once I'd finally made it up to the top it was steady ride into the howling wind along the top for a couple of miles. The wind did make me think of another dodgy wedding tune though as I struggled along. I think I saw more vehicles up here than I did on the A39 earlier, no wonder the tracks are as knackered as they are. It was all downhill (ish) from here back down to the green in Holford and a bit of a relief to be out of the wind. A great ride with a thoroughly nice man he ain't half as grumpy as he makes out, hope I wasn't too slow company and apparently we only did half, other half next time.

Here's the Strava bit.....

I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a pic of the spot where this was filmed....