Haven’t posted here for a while, but feel today’s ride should be marked, as it means the completion of the Half Century Challenge for 2018 (4 years done now).
Woke to heavy rain and howling winds, but the forecast suggested it would at least dry up, mostly, from 11:30 and so I was ready to head out on the dot.
It was still very windy, but I knew that it would mostly be behind or to the side of me for a good proportion of my planned route.
Set out towards Acton Burnell, including an encounter with the, thankfully, only nobber of the ride, who pulled out from the A5 slip road, into my path, forcing me to swerve to avoid him, as he ended up along side me! Idiot was on his phone!!
There is quite a bit of climbing to Cantlop, Pitchford and Acton Burnell, where I was passed by one of my team from work, heading to her sister’s, and she gave me a nice wide pass
.
I turned towards Coundmoor and started to find the water and mud on the roads, which was to get generally worse as the ride went on!
The wind helped me along here and down Shore Lane, to Cressage, where I nipped across the busy A458 and climbed up to Eaton Constantine. I felt the first drops of rain, on the ride, along here and could see a big shower over The Wrekin and around to Ironbridge, but I appeared to have missed the worst of it and continued along its edge thankfully.
From Eaton Constantine I followed the road to Acton Village and Rushton, with it feeling quite a pull, at times, and Strava suggests a 350 ft climb in a couple of miles, which surprised me.
It was continuing to rain, fairly lightly and so I resisted donning the waterproofs, but it had gone much colder with the damp air.
I crossed the old A5 and headed up to Wrockwardine, before following the lane down to Charlton. It was rather interesting, along there, as I encountered no less than 5 deep floods across the road, which all necessitated a freewheel with legs in the air, to avoid getting wet feet!! The road was thick with mud, as well and the bike was plastered by the time I got to the end of the road.
I dropped down to Walcot and paused on the bridge for some lunch, before turning into the headwind, that I knew would be there for the final 10 miles and boy was it hard work!!
It felt like a wall, at times, as I crawled to Withington and Upton Magna. I started to get knee pain along here, as well, in the same place that I frequently seem to get it, when moving back onto the Cube, at this time of year
.
Struggled on to Uffington and along the very muddy, slippy, old canal path to the gate, where I decided to head up to Sundorne Rd, as I knew the next section of path would be even worse.
The final few miles were along cycle paths and I arrived home feeling happy that I’d completed the challenge for another year.
31.7 miles at a slow 11.2mph avg
Woke to heavy rain and howling winds, but the forecast suggested it would at least dry up, mostly, from 11:30 and so I was ready to head out on the dot.
It was still very windy, but I knew that it would mostly be behind or to the side of me for a good proportion of my planned route.
Set out towards Acton Burnell, including an encounter with the, thankfully, only nobber of the ride, who pulled out from the A5 slip road, into my path, forcing me to swerve to avoid him, as he ended up along side me! Idiot was on his phone!!
There is quite a bit of climbing to Cantlop, Pitchford and Acton Burnell, where I was passed by one of my team from work, heading to her sister’s, and she gave me a nice wide pass
.I turned towards Coundmoor and started to find the water and mud on the roads, which was to get generally worse as the ride went on!
The wind helped me along here and down Shore Lane, to Cressage, where I nipped across the busy A458 and climbed up to Eaton Constantine. I felt the first drops of rain, on the ride, along here and could see a big shower over The Wrekin and around to Ironbridge, but I appeared to have missed the worst of it and continued along its edge thankfully.
From Eaton Constantine I followed the road to Acton Village and Rushton, with it feeling quite a pull, at times, and Strava suggests a 350 ft climb in a couple of miles, which surprised me.
It was continuing to rain, fairly lightly and so I resisted donning the waterproofs, but it had gone much colder with the damp air.
I crossed the old A5 and headed up to Wrockwardine, before following the lane down to Charlton. It was rather interesting, along there, as I encountered no less than 5 deep floods across the road, which all necessitated a freewheel with legs in the air, to avoid getting wet feet!! The road was thick with mud, as well and the bike was plastered by the time I got to the end of the road.
I dropped down to Walcot and paused on the bridge for some lunch, before turning into the headwind, that I knew would be there for the final 10 miles and boy was it hard work!!
It felt like a wall, at times, as I crawled to Withington and Upton Magna. I started to get knee pain along here, as well, in the same place that I frequently seem to get it, when moving back onto the Cube, at this time of year
.Struggled on to Uffington and along the very muddy, slippy, old canal path to the gate, where I decided to head up to Sundorne Rd, as I knew the next section of path would be even worse.
The final few miles were along cycle paths and I arrived home feeling happy that I’d completed the challenge for another year.
31.7 miles at a slow 11.2mph avg
) before taking to local roads to home, with a final loop around the block.
that got abandoned due to rain a week last Friday. Out through a slightly aquatic country park
Discovered the saddle bag had no tyre levers in it
, was probably due to being encouraged by spectators of a cycle race. Thence Beckwithshaw, up Whinney Lane, through the Rossett area of Harrogate, in the news this week as being the place in Yorkshire where men live the longest, and along Stray Rein.
