I left the decision with my OH as to what bikes we used this morning. Mountain bikes and a ride into Delamere Forest using the new Oakmere Way which we have yet to do, or road bikes and a 40 miler which we had done before...
He chose the road bikes, so I duely sent the ride to the garmins without double checking the route - after all we had ridden it before, why did I need to double check it?
So we set off, got to the end of our lane, turned right up the shorter of the 2 hill options we have and were promptly informed we were off course.
So we decided to turn around and follow the course in the other direction doing all the hills first and coming home across the Cheshire plains...What could possibly go wrong with that idea (cue the wind from the NW later on as we cycled North across the Cheshire plains...
).
Well the first part of the ride was fine... we knew where we were and where we were heading, so we thought... We're not sure where life changed from known to unknown, but it did.... and thinking back on it, we think we revised the route, extended it a touch and made it a +50 miler... only I had never double checked all of the route was road, because as we all know Garmin and its ability to stick to roads (even when that tick box is checked) is erm, limited....
The first clue that something was amiss came in the form of the dead end sign... but we were still on a national cycle route, so continued... after the surface became a track we asked a dog walker... should be OK, but it is muddy in places... well we can always walk can't we?
(Garmin routing up to its old tricks again!)
So somehow we ended up cycling along a smooth (dry) mud bridlepath on road bikes towards the "Hockenhull Platts" as they are known... I had gone on ahead whilst my OH took an opportunity to scent mark the scenery again, and I promptly met 2 ladies walking towards me. After stopping and delaying them slightly, I tactfully suggested they made some noise as the carried on, (explaining the situation)...
they opted for the throw the ball for the dog and call it back approach... problem diverted...
The next hazard came in the form of the 3 bridges...
Some scenery...
And my OH trying hard to run me over - these road cyclist you know have no sense of control and he looks rather like he is enjoying it!
From there we managed to return to the roads (thankfully) and soon found somewhere sensible for lunch. The morning had been harder than I had wanted or needed for some reason.
Fritillary at our lunch spot in Tattenhall I think. (I was determined to get lunch in before we hit the Tattenhall hills.)
Going up the Tattenhall hills, I actually started to catch up 3 other road cyclist - this is unheard of and so not like me
... Sadly they got away from me later on, when I decided to cause a pile-up by striping at the side of the road. This morning had not been warm and there was no sign of the promised warm sunshine that the weather forecast was forecasting, so I had opted for a merino wool top and my long sleeved jersey... soon after the Tattenhall hills the sun came out, the clouds vanished and I overheated badly... so at a crossroads, hearing no cars I decided to lose the merino wool top (I tried it by itself but it was too cold...) and just as I pulled the merino wool top over my head exposing the world to my sports bra - well you can guess the rest... the WVM refrained from laughing after my OH's comments made me stick my middle finger up at my OH... (" screech, crash, bang and there's another vehicle running off the road...")...
A cafe stop at Nantwich marina was the next order of the day, and then the long haul back home across the cheshire plains into a stiff headwind which was at time holding me on my inner chainring on the flats.
Looking back the way we have come from.
Much closer to home and after the last of the minor (but steep) climbs and much subtly whining on my half (missed by my OH completely about the Whitegate Way being flatter and easier to get home on), I bonked... and had to stop. I sent my OH on without me: I simply can't cope with him sitting behind me too closely to allow me to stop if I need to, too closely for me to even ease up etc... and I wasn't in the mood for him sitting behind me leaving me to do all the work into the headwind (something he always does), so having sent him on ahead, I had 5 mins at the side of the road before taking it easy on the final 3-4 miles.
Somehow a 40 miler became a 53.5 miler and a lot tougher than either of us wanted. Guess that
chip butty last night wasn't big enough
http://www.strava.com/activities/129851741
