Month: April 2019

Wanted to do another 26 today but was supposed to be back from a late lunch at about 5:30pm, not really leaving me enough time for that. So I hatched a cunning plan to do 20 or so, arriving back near the house at 5:30 when I would check my email, then if nothing needed my attention, I’d do another sneaky 6.

Didn’t really plan the route. I went out through Coalville and Whitwick to Belton, then across to the top end of Top Brand, back home the usual way from there via Peggs Green and Coleorton.

Arrived near home after about 15 miles with a bit of time left, so I faffed around for another 5 miles or so then checked my Skype and email at 5:30, just near my garage. As things turned out an issue requiring my attention did arise right at that moment, so I had to curtail my cycling activity there and then and call it a day on 20.7 miles.

Could have gone out after work instead, I suppose. Would have had more time but would have had to do the last 5 miles in the dark.

Thought I saw some roadkill knickers coming through Coleorton, but I think it might have been a discarded sock.

Not great weather at first – too blowy, especially for the first 15 miles or so. After that the sun came out, things warmed up a bit, and the wind faded away – or maybe I was just keeping pace with it.

Anyway – that takes me to 77 this month and 739 this year. And today’s ride was sufficient for a Veloforte 120km Spring Shakeout badge for my Strava Trophy Case. Not the most prestigious achievement perhaps, but nice to have.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2277308871

Looks like dry weather for a bit, but none too warm.

Spent a happy hour or two on a cruise ship returning from Belgium last night, downing vodka martinis. Drove up from Southampton Docks this morning. Not the best preparation for a cycle ride and I didn’t really feel like it, but I thought I should since I hadn’t ridden a bike since Monday. So I withdrew the X from the garage at about 2:34pm, and set off intending to do about 26.

As usual I hadn’t actually planned a route but estimated that a Sheepy / Ratcliffe / Sibson / Carlton variant of the Twycross would be close enough, and so it proved. 26.41 miles.

The weather was lovely for the first hour, then the wind picked up suddenly, a gloomy haze descended and the temperature dropped sharply. Felt a spot or two of rain over the last half mile, and when I emerged from the garage again having returned the bike to its usual berth, it was raining properly. Good timing.

Happened upon two pheasants at the side of the road near Heather, and they responded to my arrival by flying into my path. Had to swerve to avoid the first one. Not like the duck I saw the other week that calmly stepped out of the way to allow a Land Rover to pass, then stepped back into the road.

Anyway that’s 56 done this month, 718 this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2272641546

Left work early, lovely day so I decided to break out the Spesh and do a Twycross of approximately 28 miles’ distance, after an early exit from work. Almost summery out there. Lovely.

As I approached Twycross I wondered if I could get away with going all the way down to Fenn Lanes and keep the distance within 28 or 29 if I took the direct route down the A444, so that’s what I did. For sure 5.5 miles of A444 is not a lot of fun, especially at that time of day – but it was well worth it to do Fenn Lanes again, normally a feature of longer-length Twycross outings. I hadn’t been down that way for months.

Started to bonk a bit after 15 miles or so – hadn’t eaten that much today, so I assume I was just low on fuel. I did 28 without a problem on Saturday, but that route has a fair bit less elevation than this one. I also suspect the clock change for BST hasn’t helped.

But I had a breather at my favourite bench at Sutton Cheney – what a joy to reacquaint myself with it – and I was fine after that. I’d done 29.6 by the time I got back, a bit more than I intended, especially on a hilly course but I was on a lightweight bike. So there’s that.

I’m in two minds whether to flip the stem on the Spesh. It certainly felt a bit uncomfortably low when I set off – but not physically uncomfortable exactly, more unfamiliar. I seemed to get used to it, so may just leave it. I wouldn’t use it for a very long ride anyway. One thing that does exacerbate it a bit is that the drops are very downward-pointy, so when I’ve got hold of the bars by their extremities, it’s a very downward reach.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2258083495