After my longest ride of the year on the Legend of Gelert on Sunday (83miles) when I knew I had more in the tank as I rolled into the finish at Rhos-on-Sea Golf Club, and after a week of continuous emails and work tasks when I'm only supposed to work 1 day a week, I felt the need to get away from the computer. A stab at an imperial century was calling - my first since major spinal surgery in 2010 left me paralysed for a while, and 5 months off work.
So, looking at Thursday's f/c from Monday onwards, I'd contemplated a trip through
@Rickshaw Phil territory, hoping I could get in and out un-noticed.
I'd also tweaked my Defy since Sunday, fitting a new XT Shadow rear mech and a left-over 11-34 cassette to give me more options on the hills. At 61 and 100kg (all muscle, honest!
), I need to look after the only pair of knees I have.
Wiggle etc don't seem to sell new knees..... A quick 7 miles last night proved that all worked OK, so no excuse not to try for the century. After putting to bed all the work-issues and emails on Wednesday, I knew the century had to be on - if nothing else to work the knots out of my back muscles and forget about work.
After my usual pre big--ride muesli, yoghurt and honey breakfast, I hit the road at 0730, heading west (and into the wind) for Overton, Gobowen (where I spent 6 weeks flat on my back in the orthopaedic hospital's spinal injuries unit) and on south through the Shropshire lanes through Ryton and into Phil country and Shrewsbury. Much cooler than I expected from the BBC f/cast and didn't stop on NCR81 by the Severn for refueling, but headed on east now through Upton Magna and on to Wellington (for my first visit). Apologies if you live there, but next time I'll find an alternative route. Stopped for a very good soup and sandwich in Newport before heading back into the brisk NW wind to take the lumpy cycle route up through Market Drayton and Audlem, before launching out across the Cheshire Plain round the back of Wrenbury and home. 104 miles, 8hrs 07 moving, av 12.8. Would have been nice not to have dropped below 13mph average, but the brisk headwind and the hills between Newport and Audlem took their toll. Didn't help that once at Market Drayton I felt "home" (stupidly, with 27 miles to go) and forgot to keep eating. Realised the mistake 15 miles from home and guzzled my third flapjack, a handful of wine gums and finished the last of my SIS drink bottle. That did the trick and some 'go' returned.
The revised gearing proved to be just what the knee doctor would have ordered had I kept on trying to grind up the local hills, can easily sit and spin up anything I've seen today, and would expect to see locally. Some Shropshire audaxes beckon now I think.
Now, as that was only 23-odd miles short of a 200k, maybe I need to look to do that before putting the Defy to bed for the winter once our rural roads get clogged with cowsh!t and mud as the dark nights approach and the 'bent comes out to play again.
Shall not be late to bed tonight, and as the wife has bought new sheets, duvet cover and duvet for our new bed, that's a very enticing prospect!
Night night!
and it took a long while to warm up.
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