Thanks lads! Another fine forum ride in the bag ...
Met
@ColinJ &
@Littgull at Wilmslow and rode to Tatton Park to catch up with me old mate
@skudupnorth .
We thought we'd picked up a stalker! As Littgull and I rode past the front of the leisure centre we noticed a ne'er-do-well cycling round in circles, looking suspicious. We thought it best to ignore him and ride by. Then he rode up to us and stated the obvious, which was that we hadn't recognised him!
Experience has taught me that it is best not to stare at strangers for fear of getting a "
What the foook you lookin at, eh!" response, so I don't. This strategy works well, except for the fact that you can't see if they are strangers or not without actually looking at them!
Another terrific ride. Every bit as enjoyable as last year. Fine dry weather though as
@skudupnorth mentioned, the clammy humidity (especially up until 3 pm ish) was energy draining.
I usually suffer in those conditions, but I must have been on a good day because I didn't really notice this time.
I was feeling very fatigued between miles 40 and 80 and had fleeting thoughts of whether I would complete the whole planned route. I was starting to lag a bit on the long straight stretches. Running a recent sleep deficit hadn't helped and I was also wondering if Mrs Littgull's heavy head cold was waiting in the wings for me. But fortunately nothing has materialised on that yet. We were still about 20 or so miles from the cafe stop at Venetian Marina (near Nantwich) which is at a point almost exactly two thirds of the total distance (so still 40 miles to go!). We were having concerns as to whether we would reach the much needed cafe stop before its closure at 4.30 pm. Colin did what all good ride leaders do, took note of the fatigue factor (though he was still going very strong himself), assessed the situation, reviewed his route and suggested a workaround that shaved about 4 miles off enabling us to reach Venetian Marina with 40 minutes to spare.
I had been keeping an eye on the time. We were all looking forward to the cafe stop but I realised that we were in danger of arriving too late so I started riding a bit faster. It soon became obvious that you were struggling a bit so that wasn't going to work and a plan B was called for ...
I have a copy of my beloved Memory Map software on my phone now. It is the software that I use on my laptop to plot my routes and I had put a copy of yesterday's route on it for backup. I took a look at where we were and could see that we could cut across the top of a loop before Nantwich and save a few miles. It turned out to only save about 4 miles but that gave us an extra 15-20 minutes at the cafe, which was close to stopping hot food when we got there so it probably made the difference between getting hot food and being limited to cake etc. like last year.
The shortcut meant that I ended up a little short of my planned 200 km total. I was going to get LG to drop me off at Summit, between Littleborough and Todmorden and ride that last bit to make up my total, but the sun was setting when we got there and I didn't have lights with me so I thought it better not to risk it.
I have done enough 200s to not have to worry about missing out on another one this time!
What a sublime stop that was - the food was great value. I had Jacket spud, tuna and baked beans plus a big mug of tea,
Both Colin and Skud had a big slice of cake and I belieive Colin had a pannini too. I cant remember if Skud had anything additional but his beaming smile at his eagerly anticipated huge slice of cake is etched on my memory.
Fabulously refuelled, we set off for the final third of the ride. We rode with Skud a further few miles to Church Minshull where Skud took the Winsford road home and Colin and I proceeded in the other direction en route to Winsford [Wilmslow: CJ]. Pleasing to report that the 'fuel stop' absolutely tranformed my energy reserves and minimised the fatigue factor. A wonderful ride back to Wilmslow where we really felt 'in the zone', enjoying the scenery, quiet roads and banter. We arrived back at Wilmslow at about 8.15 pm. Stats were total mileage 121.3 miles, average speed 12.9 mph (ride time), total time in the saddle 9 hours 37 minutes.
The time in the saddle together with a 5.45 am get up plus a total of 80 miles of car travel made for a very long day as I didn't get back inside the house until 10 pm but still hugely enjoyable and worthwhile.
Yes, the ride back from the cafe was great. I really love the blue skies with a red tinge that we get in the evenings at this time of year in good weather.
One thing Brian didn't mention was that we heard a strange noise from the back of the car as we headed back on the motorway. It turned out that one of the straps holding the rack and 2 bikes onto the back of his car had come loose. That could have ended in tears!
Nice write up Littgull, be good to see the pictures later
I am still without a bar bag so I don't have a camera readily to hand, but I did stop and whip my phone out a few times, as you can see!
Oh, I forgot the castles - here you go ...
The ruins of Beeston Castle with Littgull and skud standing below it
A shot of the distant Peckforton castle, looking from the same spot, turned about 90 degrees to the right
I got caught in a mega shower at Lower Peover which would have been unwelcome in winter but in the humid air, it was very much a refresher I needed for the 30 miles.
We spotted dark clouds nearby and felt a few spots of rain, but avoided it.
I had intended to go out for a pizza or curry after dropping my bike off and having a shower, but I started to feel tired. I'm not doing badly for a 60 year old with my health history, but a 121 mile bike ride after less than 4 hours sleep is, er, somewhat fatiguing. I started to conk out so I just had a snack instead.
As I was preparing my food, a neighbour knocked on my door to hand over a parcel from Planet X containing my latest batch of bike goodies. Which was nice ...
Oh, and when I checked my emails before bedtime I discovered that I have won £25 on the premium bonds so I have invited friends over for a takeway curry tonight, my treat!
I have been relaxing off the bike today, trying to restore my legs read for a 12+ mile walk in the Yorkshire Dales tomorrow.
PS Thanks once again to Brian for giving me a lift. A ride like this one is not something that I would be able to do otherwise.
I will shortly start a thread about my next forum ride - a new version of my annual Yorkshire Dales ride from Settle. Keep your eyes open for that one - it should be a cracker!
