Thanks to @Ajax Bay for the route out of Cornwall/Devon! https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36575350
Departed Land's End at 5pm on Saturday.
I had to split it into two rides - 200 km to Exeter, and then 100 km to Dorset. I put my own colour on it by religiously sticking to the old A30 through Camborne/Redruth, which includes the rather quaint semi-pedestrianised Fore St in Redruth.
After that, I just bit the bullet with A30 Chiverton-Carland Cross. Interesting to see the dualling scheme in progress.
Fortunately, T1 was just the Zelah non-bypass, as intended!
The climb up the A39 past Camelford was a hell of a slog, of course. Relatively gentle gradient, but for 5.5 miles.
Here I made another minor deviation by following the A395 all the way back to the A30. I planned on taking Ajax's back road route, but deep into the night, decided it would be better just to follow the main roads for the downhill. It did mean about 2 miles on the A30, but it was virtually deserted!
Then it was across the Tamar into Devon, at 2am.
The next section was dark. I ended up sitting down against a fence and taking a short break, before slogging up the hill to Sourton Down services. Which wasn't actually as bad as I anticipated, but I was still nearly broken as I reached the services and ticked over 100 miles. I spent two hours here, not prepared to leave the vestige of civilization that was a petrol station! I would have booked in to the Travellodge for a few hours of kip, but being a bank holiday, they were all booked up.
When I set off again it was nearly morning, and I was immediately on the A30. I got a bit carried away withe the descent and flew past the exit to Okehampton! Bit of a mistake, as even at that early hour, slogging up the uphill parts of the Okehampton bypass was unpleasant with the traffic.
Back on the route, and hill after hill greeted me as I meandered my way towards Exeter.
At Exeter, I finally took some proper well earned rest!
Report for day 2 will follow shortly.
Departed Land's End at 5pm on Saturday.
I had to split it into two rides - 200 km to Exeter, and then 100 km to Dorset. I put my own colour on it by religiously sticking to the old A30 through Camborne/Redruth, which includes the rather quaint semi-pedestrianised Fore St in Redruth.
After that, I just bit the bullet with A30 Chiverton-Carland Cross. Interesting to see the dualling scheme in progress.
Fortunately, T1 was just the Zelah non-bypass, as intended!
The climb up the A39 past Camelford was a hell of a slog, of course. Relatively gentle gradient, but for 5.5 miles.
Here I made another minor deviation by following the A395 all the way back to the A30. I planned on taking Ajax's back road route, but deep into the night, decided it would be better just to follow the main roads for the downhill. It did mean about 2 miles on the A30, but it was virtually deserted!
Then it was across the Tamar into Devon, at 2am.
The next section was dark. I ended up sitting down against a fence and taking a short break, before slogging up the hill to Sourton Down services. Which wasn't actually as bad as I anticipated, but I was still nearly broken as I reached the services and ticked over 100 miles. I spent two hours here, not prepared to leave the vestige of civilization that was a petrol station! I would have booked in to the Travellodge for a few hours of kip, but being a bank holiday, they were all booked up.
When I set off again it was nearly morning, and I was immediately on the A30. I got a bit carried away withe the descent and flew past the exit to Okehampton! Bit of a mistake, as even at that early hour, slogging up the uphill parts of the Okehampton bypass was unpleasant with the traffic.
Back on the route, and hill after hill greeted me as I meandered my way towards Exeter.
At Exeter, I finally took some proper well earned rest!
Report for day 2 will follow shortly.