Today was supposed mainly to be dry, which is a bit rare this month. I’m still on call, but half hoped to do a Fondo.
Not long after I’d set off though, I’d decided that I wasn’t going to do one. It was spotting with rain, overcast, cold and a bit windy. Not really a Fondo day. And when the rain started to come down fast about 40 minutes later, I’d pretty much decided to keep it to 30 or 40 miles.
I started by heading up north-east through Coalville and Belton, up to Long Whatton then west to Breedon. Then back up near Melbourne and across to Ticknall, before coming back down South. I decided to see if I could avoid Bastard Hill by taking a detour to Hartshorne. I did that and found myself coming through Woodville and Boundary; not often I’m over that way.
I took a right turn at Boundary to explore a bit, through Blackfordby and Shellbrook. At Blackfordby I had a call from our Global Operations Centre and I thought I was going to have to come straight home, but fortunately, over a few MS Team interactions over the next few miles, I was able to establish that my immediate intervention was not necessary. Even better, by this time the sun had come out and conditions had started to warm up considerably – so I decided to stay out and dry myself and the bike off. I turned right at Packington to add on a Twycrosser.
Annoyingly though the dark clouds came over again, not far from Twycross. Conditions grew very gloomy indeed and the rain came down once more, pretty heavily this time. So from Twycross I came back the most direct way. yet again though conditions brightened and the rain stopped by the time I reached Heather. By this time I’d done nearly 50 miles so I decided to do at least another 12, to clock up a Fondo. I did a bit of the “southbound route”.
Of course it started raining again about 5 miles from home, and I had to dry the bike off back at the garage.
Back on 64.27 miles.
https://www.strava.com/activities/5340365764
Very variable and random ride that one, alternating between being quite pleasant in the sun and abject misery in damp clothes in the cold wind, with my cycling glasses pebbled with rain. But I’m pleased to have got a second Fondo in this month; that’s 10 this year.
Listened mostly to 5 Live and the Reacher audiobook, which is nearing its conclusion.
Disappointed that Bournemouth, managed by fellow Teesside lad Jonathan Woodgate, lost to Brentford in the Championship play-offs. Got the impression that they’d been robbed by poor officiating on the part of a referee out of his depth.