Yesterday's ride:
Challenge ride time again. I needed to get one done early as February looks like being an awkward month for me. Monday looked like being the best out of the days I can do, so I got up early and was on the road by ten to seven.
There was quite a strong westerly wind to start with which made a repeat of the route I did last month the best option as I'd have it helping through the middle of the ride and hopefully easing later in the day when I needed to ride into it again.
Setting out towards Condover the main road was quiet unlike last time. I thought there was a problem when I spotted a line of red lights ahead of me but it turned out to be just a very well lit lorry in the layby.
Turning westwards after Condover The headwind was as bad as I'd feared and made progress fairly slow through Exfords Green, Plealey, Pontesbury and Minsterley where there was a strong smell of cooking beef from the corned beef factory. I think I'd get sick of beef quite quickly if I lived in the village. Just outside Minsterley I disturbed a buzzard which took off from the hedge and flew close by for a short distance while looking for a new vantage point to settle.
The section through Westbury to Halfway House wasn't too bad, mostly having a crosswind (or a tailwind for a short stretch). Crossing the A458 in Halfway House there was another line of red lights but this time it
was a queue of traffic as there had been a crash on the Welshpool side of the village. There were a few vehicles trying to get round the incident on the lanes but fortunately I soon left them behind as I headed for Prince's Oak and back into the wind to Crew Green. As well as having the wind against me there was also the small issue of a set of roadworks where the traffic lights had failed.
After a quick snack stop by Melverley I was heading north again so the wind was less of an issue. I varied the route compared to last time by heading to Maesbrook, The Wood and Maesbury on my way into Oswestry. The marked cycle route to Gobowen has had the hedges cut recently and no attempt to clean up the cuttings. I picked up a thorn in the front but luckily it didn't get through the tread.
I finally picked up the tailwind at Gobowen which helped on the undulating section to Ellesmere. This road was very wet and muddy with minor floods to be waded through in places. I varied the route again after Hindford, heading through Perthy before rejoining the marked route at Crickett and wished I hadn't as this detour was even rougher and muddier than the signed route.
I paused by The Mere at Ellesmere for my elevenses stop before heading onto another route variation by heading south to Lee then across to Whitemere, Colemere and Lyneal, picking up my usual route again near Hampton Bank and aiming for Northwood, Dobson's Bridge and Coton. This was a great section of the ride once I reached the flatter roads and was able to scoot along with little effort to Prees (apart from being held up by a train).
After miles of flat and easy riding the climb out of Prees always comes as a bit of a shock to the system, especially on 18kg (plus luggage) of knockabout bike, but once it's out of the way there is a nice downhill stretch to Prees Higher Heath. I found more queueing traffic when crossing the main road here (didn't find out what was causing that).
Getting to Ightfield and Calverhall seemed fairly easy going today then after Calverhall I picked up the tailwind again and the bike seemed to fly along at some of the best cruising speeds of the trip (18-20mph) to Longslow where I had a break to eat my lunch. I got a bit cold while eating so it took a little while to get going again on the way to Longford and into Market Drayton. (I take this slightly dog-leg route partly because it adds a bit of distance but mostly because it takes me under the busy A53).
I took the usual roundabout route through Market Drayton and left town past the golf club and through Sutton, Stoke Heath and Stoke-on-Tern. I didn't have the tailwind anymore but was still getting along fairly well as I passed through Ollerton and Eaton-upon-Tern. Things get a bit more undulating after this and I was slowing by the time I got to Cold Hatton, Ellerdine and High Ercall with more frequent drink stops being needed.
Once getting off the busy section of road after High Ercall I had my afternoon snack stop and the flapjack and banana helped through Rodington Heath, Withington, Upton Magna and Atcham where someone polite in a BMW allowed me out into traffic.
I was slow up the climb at Cronkhill and found a surprising lack of traffic in Cross Houses. Being slow on the way to Condover made me feel that I didn't fancy the tackling headwind
and the busy traffic if I took the shortest way home so I decided to go over Lyth Hill (which would also round the mileage up a bit as this version of the route looked like being a tad shorter than last time).
I ran out of energy by the old Condover Station so opened the jelly babies which gave just the boost I needed to complete the climb.
102.28 miles at 12.3 mph moving average. With the stops the total time was 9 hours and 55 minutes. Fairly happy with that as it's an improvement on my last couple of centuries.
Before dawn near to Minsterley but the sun is on its way.
Second breakfast stop near to Melverley. Shame about the cloud rolling in.
At Maesbury.
Elevenses stop at Ellesmere.
Whitemere.
Colemere.
Getting held up at Prees Station.
View of Styche Hall from my lunch stop.
Near Market Drayton, the elephant grass is about due for harvesting.
On the old bridge at Atcham
