Got this years Metric Century a Month Challenge off to a flying start with a 64 mile (102.9km) ride over to Tetbury and back. 5 hrs 44 mins door to door, which I was quite pleased with. Took the route over the Cotswold escarpment through Dursley this time. A serious (14%) hill lasting for well over a mile took me to my very limit just a third of my way through the ride. No cafes open anywhere, so turned the bike around at the 29 mile mark in Tetbury and headed back the same way. After the great descent into Dursley, I did a few mental calculations and hung a left up and over one of my least favourite hills (Cam Pitch) and onwards towards Berkeley. No cafes open there either, so just gritted my teeth and slogged my way home down the lanes. After a nice hot bath to defrost the toes, I'm quite glad to have got my challenge ride out of the way before any icy weather descends on us. Anyway, Happy New Year everyone.
Cheers, Donger.