...day after day, alone on the hill.....

What a difference a day makes, yesterday could of been any day in June, warm, sunny, gentle breeze, short sleeves and shorts weather. First time back on the road bike since the Cheddar ride and I was a bit unsure of where to head for. I had been feeling a bit night shift punch drunk, a not very nice feeling with no fun involved to get to the sense of being slightly out of touch with reality, reality ain't what its cracked up to be though ;) I was contemplating going up the stupid side of Dunkery which apparently ranks in the top ten of really daft climbs to do but I wasn't feeling it as I rode out of town, to the toll road, far nicer. The toll road was as quiet and as pretty as ever and I started feeling better as I span up. My best time up still alludes me but I managed to post my best time from home to the top possibly down to the nice new stretches of tarmac on the way to Porlock. As it was such a stunning day I headed off to Devon and down to Lynmouth then back over the moors in the sunshine. The legs were aching for some reason, I don't know if my compression shorts make my legs feel worse or the fact that I had done about ten miles of going up but I kept going. I probably went a bit further than I intended to but it seemed a shame to waste such a nice day.

Today was something of a contrast, grey, wet and misty, my kind of weather, I love riding the trails in the murk and mist, atmosphere. Its all pretty much up out of the front door but the legs felt good, not a soul to be seen just me and the bike on the hill. Just did some local trails, ups and downs but I bloody loved every minute, I really enjoy riding the mtb always makes me smile :)

Cheddar Cyclosportive 2013

6.00am and I'm wearing lycra which can only mean one thing, a sportive, the Cheddar Cyclosportive in fact. I'd packed the bike and most of the bike stuff in the car yesterday which meant I only had to grab my bag with food, change of clothes and my long sleeved jersey in, which I didn't ! Of course I only realised this when I got to a chilly Cheddar rugby ground after I'd registered, oh well. I had a Gilet and my last resort boil in the bag waterproof jacket, it was chilly so opted for the jacket. I rolled down to the start and met up with the assembled members of the Axbridge Cycle Group who had said they'd help me get around the one hundred mile course. Waiting to start I warmed up so swapped the jacket for the Gilet but had bare arms, well I am a northerner, so I just had to pretend I was trying to be a tough guy whilst everybody else probably thought, look at that numpty!

To borrow a footballing analogy the sportive is a ride of two halves or possibly two thirds and a third, you get the idea, the first sixty five miles is pretty flat with the odd lump with all the big climbs in the last forty if you opt to do the full route. The first thirty to the feed stop whizzed by, lots of fast moving groups, I hope I did my bit, I'm not really used to all the pedalling though. The sportive is a relatively small event but the feed stops must be some of the best, village hall affairs for the first two with proper facilities and lots of choice to eat, flapjack was consumed. The twenty miles to the next stop could of been even faster, you could probably smell the testosterone, or was it cow poo? After negotiating some little ups we stopped at Banwell and its pretend castle to decide if we were going to continue with the long route. I was in two minds and feeling the pace a bit but I said I'd do it. The wind and the rain had arrived by now and I was feeling a bit rough, the route split at Cheddar and we ploughed on, onwards and upwards! Then there was four, Guy, Steve, Martyn and myself.

First big climb of the day, up through the Gorge and it felt like hard work and the rain got heavier as we neared the top, I got towed up and was very thankful for it, it was very wet now. We made our way to Priddy and the last feed stop which was a tent, in a field but it was shelter. Bailing was considered but dismissed, thirty miles to go, crack on. It was a very wet descent down to Wells before heading up the next big hill, Old Bristol road apparently, it was very long but my kind of hill, pick a gear and spin. Steve unfortunately had a puncture about half way up, Guy stayed with him and myself and Martyn went on, they'd catch up, Guy's a forty something on a Trek, they're all the rage at the moment ;) The following bit was what you'd class as undulating and the others caught up with us at Blagdon before heading onto the last climb of the day at Burrington Combe. Another long slow drag, well for me anyway, but it was only about ten miles to go now which lifted my spirits if not my legs. It started raining heavily again after a brief respite after Wells and Guy and Martyn cracked on, it's no fun hanging around in the rain. Steve stayed with me and we made our way across the top of a misty murky Mendips, every mile a little closer to the finish, some welcome downhills even if they were a bit rough in places. Down Shipham Hill and the straight back to the rugby club, not many cars in the car park, one hundred miles done.

Big thanks to Steve, Martyn, Guy and Jennifer for sticking with me today, really appreciated.

Here's the Strava bit.....

...the way I tend to be.........

I don't really train for things or prepare, I just tend to ride a bike and hope it all turns out okay. I'm a quiet unassuming kind of bloke, people tend to think I don't give a toss but I do, I just don't scream from the rooftops. Deep inside though I worry about people and things I don't need to but that's me, I doubt I'll ever change. Intervals are what you used to get at the pictures (or the theatre if your posh) tapering is something you did in woodwork at school and 'Wattbike' is a decision making process on what you fancy riding on a particular day.

Two years ago the furthest I'd ever ridden on any bike was about twenty five miles then the company I work for started doing the cycle to work scheme so I got myself a road bike. It took some getting used to and I soon found out the gearing was totally unsuitable for the terrain and a fat, unfit mamil. A cassette change sorted that and I slowly, very slowly built up the miles. I saw the Cheddar Sportive advertised and after reading reviews and sending an e-mail to some odd blogging type for their opinion I entered. After a lonely sixty miles and five and a half hours of rain and killer headwinds I finished, that might have put some people off but I really enjoyed it. I've not looked back really, I've made friends with some really nice folk and I finally have a bike with gears that will apparently get me up the side of a house and I even have those shoes that make you walk like a duck. So two years after my first big ride I'm attempting my first proper ton, one hundred miles again at Cheddar. I'm doing it with a group of friends this time, I've been promised that somebody will hold my hand but if they can't make it I fully understand and I've been told not to worry and to wheelsuck and we'll all stick together, because that's what groups do :)

Went for a spin today, made it up as I went along, a bit wet, a bit windy, a bit sunny, a bit great...........

.......through the alleys of a quiet city street........

I'm a bit of an economic migrant, I left the struggling North many years ago and ended up in Somerset and basically never went home. It's strange when you visit your old home town, many things have changed but it still feels the same and I felt at home, must of been hearing the accent again. As well as seeing family we took in some sights and the girls insisted on some retail therapy.

The village where my Dad now lives on the East Coast was close to where JRR Tolkein was once stationed during the First World War and a walk with his wife nearby is said to have been an inspiration for some of his characters.

We looked at some modern art, apparently photography wasn't allowed oops........and I sampled some a local beverage purely for research purposes.

 

We visited The Deep an Aquarium at the head of the river Hull, it was absolutely packed which made it hard to see things at times but I got some pics.

We played ping pong in William Wilberforce's garden and visited the Streetlife museum next door, I got voted out of visiting Wilberforce's house but I used to go there all the time when I was a kid. At least I got to see some bikes in the Streetlife museum and a toad. We also visited the Artic Corsair exhibition, all about the history of the fishing industry, the people and the places all created by volunteers. My dad was born and raised in what was basically back to back slums, we really don't realise how lucky we are. One of the volunteers told us about the life on the streets and there was some great old photos of my Dad's old street about the time he lived there.

 

All in all we had a great time, its been a while and with the kids being older they took more in, youngest really enjoyed the choice of shops!

Today though I rode the bike, I didn't feel like it but knew I had to, I did a usual loop but chucked in the climb over Dunkery as you do. The legs hurt but to be honest it was nice to be out there, of course the hill where I felt I was fat and and slow I did a PB, go figure? It went something like this........

...this is where I heal my hurt...........

Just wanted to go for a quick spin today, not ridden the mountain bike since the Explorer, Gilby was sparkling clean and ready to roll so I headed out into the backyard. It was was one of my most enjoyable rides in ages, can't explain why, trees, trails and secret singletrack not much more to say........

Jurassic Classic 2013....(I do like to be beside the seaside)

A Sunday off and a chance to go and ride somewhere new, a trip to Exmouth to do the Jurassic Classic charity ride, it's a Prostate cancer ride so all money raised goes to a worthwhile cause. I say charity ride but your sent a number with a timing chip and there's three choices of route and the shiny bikes being assembled in the car park(rugby pitch) all say sportive. The wife and youngest child came along for the day out and shopping, the wife being most amused by the man stood in front of the car applying his chamois cream a bit too enthusiastically! Claud the Butler was there who apparently serves a damn fine cup of coffee but I didn't partake, don't get the whole coffee or wine thing, all tastes the same to me, perhaps my taste buds are too uneducated ;)

The organisers were keen to get all the 100 miler riders away first so I hovered until the 100k riders were called and made my way to the start pen so I could get away in the first wave. After the usual briefing we set off along to the quiet seafront, the cloud was starting to lift and it was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day. When I did the Exmoor Beast last year I remember staring at a big plastic poppy on a bike for several damp miles on the moors. I was now staring at a plastic poppy again so I asked the rider if he'd done the beast and he had, small world. Quite steady for the first few miles, I commented to another rider how nice it was who replied we hadn't done the big hills yet and told me about what was in store but it wasn't as bad as he made out. A short sharp climb to above Sidmouth and then a very quick descent down to the seafront which was also quiet early on a Sunday so no Grockel dodging was needed. Once out of Sidmouth it was the big climb of the day up Sidbury Hill, quite a gentle climb really about two miles or so then some nice flat for a couple of miles before descending into Honiton. An awkward turn on the high street, hill, cleats, traffic lights so I got off and nipped along the path, I could just see a clipless pedal incident in my head.

First feed stop at Gittisham of the village hall variety, proper toilets, tea and coffee and a wide choice of sweet and savoury snacks, High5 gels and drink, I stuck with the usual banana and malt loaf but couldn't resist a chocolate brioche. A little climb away from the village then it was undulating leafy lanes for the next twenty odd miles. If it wasn't for the excellent signs around the course I would have thought I was alone as I felt alone for a good few miles. A bit of nice new road for a bit and a ride past the airport, I tried hanging on to some quicker groups but to no avail. As I approached the second feed stop the legs started going a bit, think I'd been trying to push too big a gear at times and the deceiving incline to the stop in Aylesbeare caught me out a bit, serves me right, cadence, cadence, cadence! Even more choice at the second stop, this was also the stop for the riders doing the 50km so lots of people about. Flapjack, I had to have some and a Almond finger and the cake looked nice but I refrained and just had a gel.

Twelve or so miles to go and the home stretch, one last little climb, well the organisers did say it was all downhill to the finish so you have to start on the top of something. Great views to the coast from the top of wherever I was and a quick descent back to Exmouth. My only criticism of the whole event comes at this point. Half way down this quick descent now with riders of all abilities you had to go across a busy road going across traffic, a marshal would of been good at this point. Still a nice descent  but back into the traffic in Exmouth before finishing back at the rugby club. A medal, bottle of water and sachet of something and a pasty but it was the last thing I fancied at that moment though plenty of other riders were tucking in.

A good ride really, not as hilly as it was made out to be, Cheddar Sportive and a 100 miles next, that may hurt :/

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

Official time.. 4:27

....the road.....

Distance            4.1 miles

Avg Grade        5.5%
Elev Difference 1200ft
Elev Gain          1202ft
Best Time.........with friends...