Yesterday: With the weather looking good for the weekend I wanted to get my challenge ride in for the month. Good Friday looked the best in terms of the wind so I prepared the Raleigh the day before and set an early alarm.
The day dawned and I went to get the Raleigh out only to find a pancake-flat rear tyre - I'd had to repair a puncture and the patch clearly hadn't taken so the Galaxy came out instead and I was on the road shortly after seven.
It was a nice morning - calm and cool rather than cold. I thought that the route I'd really like to do might be a bit too busy with holiday traffic so decided instead that I had unfinished business with the route I'd tried and failed to ride last month. To be sure of the mileage it was quite a roundabout start; to Condover initially then a loop through Wheathall and Berriewood before returning to Condover and heading away along Lyon's Lane to Berrington, Cross Houses, Cound, Harnage, Cound Moor and Acton Burnell. There was very little traffic on the roads initially, which I always like, and a couple of cyclists out enjoying the early morning like me.
After Acton Burnell I headed past Longnor and out to the big climb of the day up to the top of Folly Bank where I had my first snack stop of the trip. Descending into Cardington the bins were being collected which meant having to avoid a couple of lorries. I ran over some broken glass in the village but fortunately the tyres have shrugged it off.
Heading for Hughley there are lots of flowing downhill sections which seemed particularly good on this bike and the road towards Harley wasn't bad either. I was fairly certain that I didn't need the added mileage from going through Harnage Grange and into Cressage along Shore Lane, but it occured to me that I would go this way as the crossing of the A458 would be a right then a left which would be safer if the traffic was busy. Before reaching Cressage the clouds had cleared and the day warmed up quite rapidly so a stop was needed to shed layers and convert my trousers to shorts.
I was headed up the climbs through Eaton Constantine and Uppington next so taking layers off was well timed. There were more riders out and about now which was quite a contrast to the previous day when I'd seen only four or five all trip. The descent of Bluebell Lane was great with 20mph+ showing for almost all of it and I arrived at Walcot just at the right time for an elevenses stop, so I paused on the bridge and watched the world go by - mostly cyclists this time.
Moving on again I was onto much flatter roads than I'd been on so far and, with a tailwind as well, 16 or 17 mph was an easy cruise through Rodington Heath, Roden and Poynton Green. Taking a left towards Bing's Heath the increase in the wind speed from earlier was noticable but, being a crosswind, didn't slow things down much. That easy cruise resumed as I headed to Astley where I explored the other road round the village out of curiosity. Heading for Hadnall a car waited for me at a narrow point and I'd just waved my thanks when a stone pinged from under my wheel and clattered against the side of the car.
I stopped and looked back but they were already driving away so I presume didn't want to make a fuss.
From Hadnall the good pace continued until the climb to Harmer Hill where I could feel the miles in the legs a bit but was generally feeling a lot better than last time I attempted this route. The road through Harmer Hill was quieter than I'd expected but that was good for keeping up the pace. I descended into Myddle quick enough to trigger the speed sign (I
was within the limit though) and plodded up the climb the other side only to find traffic lights at the top which did give a chance for a small rest. A left took me through Fenemere to Baschurch where I had to turn into the wind again which was a bit more brisk than earlier but I still got along at a reasonable pace to Little Ness. On this road a Range Rover overtook on a blind bend then a little further on I found the same one doing a turn in a driveway and they decided they didn't need to wait for me to pass before pulling out, so I had to brake.
Annoying, but that was about as bad as the driving got this trip so I can live with it.
Having passed Great Ness and Pentre I decided to head for Edgerley and Kinnerley to make the most of the wind direction. A lunch stop was taken in a gateway at around the 70 mile mark. While stopped I heard a strange noise coming along the road and a guy on a Pinarello Dogma shot past. It's undoubtedly a fast machine but I was amazed how noisy the road buzz through the frame was and how long after it had passed I could still hear it. To be fair, the road surface on this stretch is really poor which would have contributed towards the noise.
Having jiggled my way along the road to Kinnerley I turned through Argoed and headed for Melverley. I knew this stretch would be partly into the wind but it seemed to have calmed a little while having lunch so wasn't too bad to ride into. I'd hoped my next turning would give a cross-tailwind, which it did, and the nice cruising speeds returned en route to the Royal Hill. I overtook a family group on the way and just after I'd passed heard the comment "How come
he's faster than us?"
I was getting along better than expected on the way back through Pentre and the climb over to Great Ness wasn't too bad considering the distance in the legs. At Little Ness I turned towards Nib Heath heading for Yeaton. The section through Old Woods and Merrington is a bit lumpy so I couldn't whizz along like I had been doing, then on the way back to Hadnall the road is a gentle climb as well as being into the wind so I was down to a gentle trundle for a while. After Astley I was running out of energy a bit. I didn't need any extra mileage so decided to take the more direct way back to Upton Magna even if it did mean tackling Ebury Hill and Haughmond Hill. The first wasn't too bad - the latter was quite a plod. Another rider on a lighter bike overtook me quite easily initially but he also slowed to not much more than my pace a bit further up the climb. As the road eased I paused in a convenient gateway for a drink and opened up the jelly babies, which helped.
I enjoyed the descent into Upton Magna and by this time the jelly babies were working so I had a bit more energy to push on to Atcham then Cross Houses and Berrington. After passing through Condover for the last time this trip I had the tailwind for the last couple of miles or so and found the energy to push on, giving a very nice cruising speed of around 20mph for a while
104.31 miles for the day at 13.7 mph moving average. 9 hours and 20 minutes with all the stops included. The Galaxy felt great to ride and if I'd had a few more rides to get used to this saddle again I could have gone further.
At Wheathall early on. A bit grey and misy but not too cold and hardly any wind (at this point at least).
Looking towards the Wrekin on Lyon's Lane.
About to tackle the steep bit of the Folly Bank climb.
At the top. Time for a bite to eat.
Nearing Cressage the sky has cleared and it's quickly warming up.
A pause by the church at Astley before taking the lane on the left which I've not ridden before.
Jumping on a bit: the view of the Breidden from near Melverley.
At Yeaton.
Overlooking Bomere Heath not long after Merrington.
Cronkhill near Atcham.
