Aravis
Putrid Donut
- Location
- Gloucester
I very glad to say that May is now done. It's taken a while to recover and it feels far too late now to put this in Your ride today...
Having put the DIY Audax form in on Sunday evening I woke up yesterday feeling as though I'd eaten a dodgy pie, and it's quite likely that I had.
This was the prescribed route (clockwise):
I wasn't inclined to give up on the opportunity, so I set off cautiously and by the time I reached the big climbs I was feeling reasonably OK. However, soon after passing over the big summits I started struggling, and when climbing up from the innocuous-looking notch just before 60 miles I was suddenly almost overcome by the desire to abandon.
Reasoning that after turning westwards I would be helped along flat roads by the gentle easterly breeze, and that these would take me as far as Kemble, beyond the 100 mile mark and on the railway, I talked myself into continuing along the planned route through the Windrush Valley on what is designated NCN57. This was stunningly pretty but highly arrhythmic, and for the most part had an unpleasantly bumpy, gravelly surface. Progress was extremely slow. On the sharp climb out of the valley at about 73 miles I was cramping badly, but the wind-assisted flatlands worked their magic and when I reached Kemble (106 miles) I was feeling a second wind of sorts. But had I stopped to check the train fare home I'm sure that would've inspired me to carry on riding anyway.
The roads from there over the Cotswold ridge are quite gentle, and after I'd survived the A46 between Nailsworth and Stroud I was confident I'd make it to the finish, although there wasn't much left of that second wind. There were a lot of riders in the lanes around Elmore and Longney enjoying the evening sun.
My average speed to the Broadway Tower was much higher than it afterwards. It was the engine that was feeling it, not the legs. They'd've been good to go again today.
Having put the DIY Audax form in on Sunday evening I woke up yesterday feeling as though I'd eaten a dodgy pie, and it's quite likely that I had.
This was the prescribed route (clockwise):
I wasn't inclined to give up on the opportunity, so I set off cautiously and by the time I reached the big climbs I was feeling reasonably OK. However, soon after passing over the big summits I started struggling, and when climbing up from the innocuous-looking notch just before 60 miles I was suddenly almost overcome by the desire to abandon.
Reasoning that after turning westwards I would be helped along flat roads by the gentle easterly breeze, and that these would take me as far as Kemble, beyond the 100 mile mark and on the railway, I talked myself into continuing along the planned route through the Windrush Valley on what is designated NCN57. This was stunningly pretty but highly arrhythmic, and for the most part had an unpleasantly bumpy, gravelly surface. Progress was extremely slow. On the sharp climb out of the valley at about 73 miles I was cramping badly, but the wind-assisted flatlands worked their magic and when I reached Kemble (106 miles) I was feeling a second wind of sorts. But had I stopped to check the train fare home I'm sure that would've inspired me to carry on riding anyway.
The roads from there over the Cotswold ridge are quite gentle, and after I'd survived the A46 between Nailsworth and Stroud I was confident I'd make it to the finish, although there wasn't much left of that second wind. There were a lot of riders in the lanes around Elmore and Longney enjoying the evening sun.
My average speed to the Broadway Tower was much higher than it afterwards. It was the engine that was feeling it, not the legs. They'd've been good to go again today.
. It wasn’t exactly what I had planned, but I was forced to divert onto a route I really didn’t want to use, and it ended up with my right ankle giving up at about 120 miles ( should have been more like 160 miles ). Never mind, I know what happens if I push it too much, so discretion is the better part of valour in this case. Hopefully I’ll manage to pick a day when the military aren’t practicing something, and people aren’t protesting something, leading to a chunk of the route not being available, sometime this year
with the 1st falling on a Saturday & me at work till Tuesday 
. Well done to those getting out today, was a nice day for a ton, not sure I'll get mine done end of next week, as forecast at present is either wet, or very windy, but should be plenty of other opportunities this month 
There was a chance of a few showers forecast , but luckily it stayed dry, although I had a bit of a westerley wind to contest with, which changed to a southerly at some point, so I was still heading into it 
