This ride nearly broke me. My latest round of the Cyclechat Metric Century a Month Challenge, the "Tasty Cheddar" 101km audax. Came across
@Arjimlad and his friends at the beginning and rode with them for the first quarter of the ride. He was good enough to take this picture for me at the start in the middle of Bristol:
Sped off down the Pill Path along the left bank of the Avon, (where I had a collision with an excitable Labrador ... fortunately I managed to stop in time, and he just bundled into my front wheel without apparently hurting himself). Then came an up and down bit between Portishead and Clevedon. If it hadn't been foggy, we would have had some nice sea views. The next few miles were a bit Keystone Cops slapstick stuff, with different groups of riders going left, right, straight on or turning around with regularity and all heading off in different directions, only to bump into each other again later on. My mileage notes were way off, and I didn't have a map for back up. I ended upon the Strawberry Line way too early with a small group of equally lost individuals, and arrived at the control point at the icecream parlour in Cheddar having lost half a mile.
Treated myself to a double cone lemon water ice before setting off on the 3.5 mile climb of the Cheddar Gorge:
I actually enjoyed the gorge this time, but I had already been warned that much worse was to follow. So true. Quite apart from being perpetually lost and, at one point climbing all the way up a horrible little hill only to find I'd done it all for nothing as I'd gone the wrong way, the last few miles were truly grim. Just about met my match, and got off and walked a hundred yards or so at one point climbing up to Hinton Blewett. More nasty hills on the way to Dundry and Long Ashton before finally crawling back into Bristol along the Festival Way cycle route. My energy levels were at an all time low, but it is amazing how your spirits can be lifted by your first distant view of Bristol, way down beneath you.... most of the hard work done. When we first set off, there wasn't any point taking photos as it was so foggy. It looked much nicer at the end, once the mist had lifted.
Staggered into the Nova Scotia for a pint of ice cold Orange juice and lemonade at the end, and was surprised to see that many of the people who had helped to redirect me earlier were still coming in in dribs and drabs. I may have been taken to my limit, but at least I was far from the back of the field.
Hung around for a moment watching the little yellow ferries shuttling about in the harbour:
Then crawled back to the car, which I had parked half a mile away along the river bank, and made my way home to Gloucester... where I was almost unable to get back out of the car, I was aching so much. And all for another one of these.... Still in the Challenge. That's 10 down and 2 to go. I'm off to bed. Cheers,
Donger
