It wasn’t brilliant weather for cycling – a bit cold and cloudy with a threat of showers later on. The wind was coming from the north-east. I had two ideas in mind – either to do the usual eastbound route, or to go up toward Newark.
The first 25 km is the same in either case and just before I got to the crossroads at Rempstone, I decided to do the Newark route. I wasn’t going to go nearly that far. Just enough distance for a fondo. But I hadn’t done that route for four years.
I went as far as a village called Barnstone, then, having done nearly 51km, I turned back.
Well – I’m not doing that again. Nice to reacquaint myself with those roads (and acquaint myself with some short stretches of new road, where I took wrong turns) but the roads were shocking in places. I do remember that they were a bit rough, it was always the downside of doing that route. But it was worse today than I remembered. I was actually getting quite angry rattling over what passes for a road surface in parts of Nottinghamshire.
I’d be happier doing it on my gravel bike, but then again it’s the heaviest bike I own and there’s a fair bit of hill climbing over that way.
After Belton on the way back I took a detour down Forest Lane, hadn’t done that for years either.
It was colder than I expected. I picked up a few spots of rain but nothing troubling.
Listened to more Reacher and footy on 5 Live.
Back on 102.23, that was my fourth fondo this month. And that’s 2003 km done this year now.