- Location
- Egham
Big plans for me today. After a couple of 30 + mile rides in the past couple of weeks, I contemplated my first 50. Then I thought better of it, simply because I had some time constraints which would have meant rushing, and going too fast = bonking
So instead I spent an hour planning a nice 30 mile route, with options to extend to 40 miles or indeed, reduce it to 24 miles. This included a stop at the local RSPCA centre where our 2nd dog came from for a new toy. All was cancelled when I remembered they were shut Mondays, so when I left the house at 0845hrs this morning I went where my nose took me. In the end this turned out to be Chertsey, then back through Lyne, Virginia Water and Englefield Green. All this was leading me to WGP again, and I fancied a change, so took a detour towards Old Windsor which took me down Crimp Hill. This is on my list of hills to ride up, but on the way down it was downright scary, the road surface is terrible (made better in places by then jet-patching it...). If it were smooth it's a 35 mph+ hill, but I was riding the brakes all the way and barely went over 20
I stopped at the entrance to the Royal Farm Shop on the approach to Datchet. Didn't go in, seems like a nice place for a group ride to stop though:
Onwards into Windsor and past the castle again. Passed a trio in Oxfam strips, perhaps training for the Pru 100? Very busy today so didn't stop for photo's, and had my only dumb driver of the ride. Mercedes Vito cabby on the phone looked straight through me before starting to pull out. Not a surprise to see him with phone to ear, my load shout of a rather rude word seemed to do the trick and he was on the anchors..
I wanted a break from proper roads by now, and at 25 miles headed up the A332 to get into WGP via the Rangers Gate. A couple of laps, including passing the same fella a few times in the opposite direction (blue road bike, think it was a Cube?), with a nod each time. Followed Dukes Lane out and then round the outside of the park on the A329 where I was really starting to feel worn. Another cyclist zipped past me so I tried to stick with him, didn't do too badly but he was either much fitter or on a fresher set of legs 'cos he was gone through Virginia Water on the way home. If it was you in the Omega Pharma kit thank you, motivated me a bit to get home!
My longest ride to date is 43.5 miles, and I passed home at 43 miles, so pushed on to make 45.4 miles, my longest to date. The 50 can wait, but for now I'm happy
So instead I spent an hour planning a nice 30 mile route, with options to extend to 40 miles or indeed, reduce it to 24 miles. This included a stop at the local RSPCA centre where our 2nd dog came from for a new toy. All was cancelled when I remembered they were shut Mondays, so when I left the house at 0845hrs this morning I went where my nose took me. In the end this turned out to be Chertsey, then back through Lyne, Virginia Water and Englefield Green. All this was leading me to WGP again, and I fancied a change, so took a detour towards Old Windsor which took me down Crimp Hill. This is on my list of hills to ride up, but on the way down it was downright scary, the road surface is terrible (made better in places by then jet-patching it...). If it were smooth it's a 35 mph+ hill, but I was riding the brakes all the way and barely went over 20 I stopped at the entrance to the Royal Farm Shop on the approach to Datchet. Didn't go in, seems like a nice place for a group ride to stop though:Onwards into Windsor and past the castle again. Passed a trio in Oxfam strips, perhaps training for the Pru 100? Very busy today so didn't stop for photo's, and had my only dumb driver of the ride. Mercedes Vito cabby on the phone looked straight through me before starting to pull out. Not a surprise to see him with phone to ear, my load shout of a rather rude word seemed to do the trick and he was on the anchors..
I wanted a break from proper roads by now, and at 25 miles headed up the A332 to get into WGP via the Rangers Gate. A couple of laps, including passing the same fella a few times in the opposite direction (blue road bike, think it was a Cube?), with a nod each time. Followed Dukes Lane out and then round the outside of the park on the A329 where I was really starting to feel worn. Another cyclist zipped past me so I tried to stick with him, didn't do too badly but he was either much fitter or on a fresher set of legs 'cos he was gone through Virginia Water on the way home. If it was you in the Omega Pharma kit thank you, motivated me a bit to get home!
My longest ride to date is 43.5 miles, and I passed home at 43 miles, so pushed on to make 45.4 miles, my longest to date. The 50 can wait, but for now I'm happy
(I had a timetable to stick to and had to be in Wythenshawe for 3pm) and had no option but to leave in torrential 
30 minutes of torrential rain followed and I can only express it as a great reluctance to actually get off my saddle at the traffic lights. I have had drier baths. I felt like 
ing and cycling only to my OH's work which was about half the distance I needed and collecting the car from him, but I carried on and eventually the 
came out and I was able to loose my (new) waterproof (into my pannier) and warm up a touch. My shorts, socks and shoes were still sodden when I finally made it to the hospital appointment (severe asthma appointment - my consultant more than happy to have a patient cycling to his appointments thankfully, though I have to confess to feeling very self conscious walking into a respiratory department in my cycling kit and then sitting down amongst the other patients. 
(I do take a change of clothes, but the cycling attire is still very obvious).
On the bright side of things, my new waterproof is waterproof, breaths really well and fits. It is also hi-viz yellow which was what I wanted for heavy rain!
Being on a bike had its advantages here as the road was blocked while the waggons and machinery were being set up ready to do the other side of the road, but I could hop off and walk past.
The words "quick" and "67 mile trip" appearing in the same sentence seems just plain wrong. If they ever both appear in a post of mine, it will be a typo.
