that was

So, this is the second attempt at todays blog - the first was lost with a computer glitch so here goes the second attempt.

Well I got out on the bike on Monday after 4 days pretty much confined to the house by the stormy weather, Monday however arrived dry and bright with the threat of showers later although the wind was still rattling the windows! I set off for Somerset's main seaside resort, a wibbly, wobbly route but mostly flat that deposited me on the wind blown esplanade at Weston SM @ two and a half hours after setting out. I found a seat in a shelter to eat my sandwiches and to decide on a return route, I don't like retracing my steps, preferring a circuit of some sort.

Now I've been riding these roads for best part of a year now, thanks to Covid, but whilst I know where roads go I still sometimes get a bit befuddled with where that puts me in relation to my destination. So whilst I knew where I wanted to go, a loop around Brent Knoll actually set me heading the wrong way for where I was hoping to go. Not a big problem but it did mean a few extra kilometres through Cheddar as I corrected my error and avoided crossing the main Mendip massif.

Back on route the road bounced along the edge of the Yeo valley before crossing into the Chew valley, the legs fine but the shoulder starting to ache some having passed the 100km point. I weighed the options to avoid too much extra climbing and made good progress until, in error I made a wrong turn and instead of following the River Chew I found myself climbing quite steeply out of the valley. Bum. By the top I was in some pain but at least the last twenty kilometres were either downhill or on the easy grades of the Bristol to Bath bike trail.

143km, six and a bit hours riding, near a thousand metres of up but none of that was really the issue, it was that last kilometre long 10% ish climb that did all the real damage. So once again I've learnt a lesson regarding my fitness/recovery, well they say no pain, no gain, the day has given me a new yardstick and at least I managed to miss the rain that seemed to preceed my return to Brizzle!

Tuesday was planned for recovery and today, well i'll go for a walk after a lateish lunch.

I got a letter today, I've been picked for a 'random' Covid test - its a home test which I do in about a week, i'll keep you advised how that pans out.

So today I've uploaded chapter 38 of Summer Girl, Wheelie Nice is the conclusion of the trip to Dunstabubble and the end of being Gaby once more - like that's gonna happen eh Jules?

That's it then for today,
toodlepip
Madeline Anafrid