I've finally managed my first lunatic ride, since lockdown and my two back to back 200s in early March which were sociable calendar audax, we knew Efengyl was going to be the last for a while.
North South Divide - don't hustle me
That took a huge amount of head space. I've lost a lot of fitness even though I've ridden throughout, more hills than long miles. I was totally self sufficient by having lunch at home half way. I rode the route a few club mates were riding but started 90 mins earlier in the morning. the 5.30am alarm is my absolute most hated part of lunatic days. Bar nothing. I rode into Bristol and up the Portway and round Blaise Castle as if heading off to the start of the many audax that start in the Filton/Alveston areas, so I took a wistful pic of The Swan Pub at Alveston.
It was quite wet but the rain was due to clear and the wind built a huge amount during the day as the first 50km was my major tailwind time, but relatively it wasn't. The wind was a major feature of today, it may come up again. Through Berkeley but no best Ploughman's in the world today. I was in Stinchcombe for 9 where the others were due to stop for a café takeaway. Then I turned into the hills and the building south westerly. I enjoyed the ride down to Wotton under Edge via North Nibley. But I didn't really eat enough, breakfast had been minimal that early. I found myself dumped out on the big Cribbs roundabout and then hacked up another major hill to Clifton Downs and over the suspension bridge. A whizz over to Failand and a whoosh down Belmont hill to home by 11.30 Around 22.5kmh I think. I was wobbly and made myself eat a lot and take time so an hour out at home cooking some fresh pasta and drinking a massive milky coffee and eating lemon drizzle.
A home lunch break after what is a very respectable ride, makes going out again very hard. Very very hard but not as hard as the 5.30 alarm. If I was just going to do that I could have stayed in bed another couple of hours. Afternoon route is heading south, looping up onto the Mendips, dropping down onto the Somerset Levels and hacking back west to loop home without anymore significant lumps.
I told myself to get on with it so packed my barbag with another sandwich, refilled my bottles and made sure jelly babies were to hand. I knew the wind was getting up and it was going to be a long ride across the levels, but the wind also turned to a westerly.
I head off on the familiar "ride to work/start of ride" route to Backwell which I've done 1000s of times and head off up Brockley Combe at a plod, very slowly, very weary. Past the planes at the airport still in the same places, and off down towards Burrington. Burrington Combe was like a Pyrenean col today, never ridden one but it went on forever and I nearly stopped for a break in the drizzle, not sure where the forecast sun from 10am onward has gone today? I've never needed to do that before, it's a long benign climb, my favourite sort. I made it just, 75km to go and no more hills really. Descending Deerleap/Ebhor Gorge got a bit scary as suddenly 2 Police cars appeared racing up towards me, I heard the sirens and dived into a hedge as they rounded the corner, luckily the motorist behind me was driving very carefully/keeping distance and everyone halted safely, thank goodness for disc brakes. I've never seen so much traffic on the Mendips as today.
Past Wookey Hole and the marathon into the Force5/6 headwind as it had shifted from southerly to westerly (sorry I used to sail so think in Beaufort Scale!) The Levels were glorious, the sun came out and no traffic. Right left right left along those straight roads, every now and then a tantalising 100m not into the headwind then another 5km straight. I kept on plugging away, past Sweets Cycle Café about 4pm (Sweets takeaway closes at 3pm at present, the time I hoped to be there but fortunately wasn't planning on stopping) It felt like what I imagined the 90 mile straight/Nullarbor Plain road in Australia must be like with any headwind. 90 miles later (sic) I finally got to Loxton. A bit more up and down but just 30km home, with a tailwind. I hadn't managed to keep my speed at 20km/hr on the Levels but I had plugged away a bit more comfortably and finally found a rhythm, what with crawling hills, it was a good job there was no added pressure of holding someone else up, although I was daydreaming of a couple of friends randomly appearing to lead me home. No such luck.
I got home at 6.30, an hour later than I hoped, 12 hrs elapsed time, speed overall under 20km/hr. That's winter (when contending with night riding) audax speed for me. Most of me was suffering. The husband said "what took you so long?" He cooked me a nice dinner of salmon and new potatoes and green beans so he's not been dismissed. As we had ridden a 100km loop on Saturday to Weston with some some significant wind (plus he had been playing golf on the side of a hill in it) he did have some idea of what I had been contending with.
I'm just glad I made myself get out there, I've only done 4x100km in the last few weeks tops, once the exercise time element was lifted. I have to just blindly stop over thinking/procrastinating and just get out. Once I am out I'm OK, I've done it before I can do it again. It was great to finish the day on a high with the best weather of the day and a bit of kilometre chomping tailwind at the end. I might ache again but some endorphins have been kick started.
We didn't do the Clevedon bit.
but my beaten-up Raleigh continues to be something of a miracle. More likely I'll be looking to fund a few nights at Premier Inns or similar when touring becomes viable again. Something to look forward to. 
