Your Ride today
28/5/23
Another bash at getting to to Bridge 74 on the Montgomery Canal to cycle the bit of the towpath I missed last year on my Welshpool trip. As an incentive to increase the pace I had company. Twiddler the Younger is 40 years younger than me and about three times as fast. Myself on the quirky but comfortable and reliable Linear recumbent, him on his much upgraded Claud Butler hardtail of which little original remains but the frame, with road tyres.
Set off 09.30, making good progress towards Nantwich via Wettenhall. I felt that we had a following wind, no matter how slight, and would suffer for it on the way back. A good run to Wrenbury then an assortment of climbs to Maesbury, some gentle, some steep. Many brightly coloured cyclists whizzing about, mostly the other way.
We followed NCN 455 which was erratically signposted. Between Maesbury and Whitchurch there were some stiffer climbs, then a long downhill to Whitchurch itself. We turned left at the inner ring road, then left very soon after for the station. It is very easy to whizz downhill past the access to NCN455 which is what we did before realising we’d passed under the railway bridge by the station. A swift about turn then back and we turned left into an estate road. Further along on the left was a shared pedestrian/cycleway sign which didn’t specify NCN455. After casting about we came across a narrow wooden bridge to the left through a wooded area which led to the cycle trail. This was the remains of the Ellesmere and Oswestry line of the old Cambrian Railway. It met the old LNWR line at Whitchurch to access Crewe and the North West. There must have been bridges here at one time to cross a couple of roads but now the path sloped steeply to the road with narrowly spaced barriers then climbed again. I can cope pretty well with my local barriers but these were awkward on the Linear. Some railway paths retain the railway ambience but this wasn’t one of them. There was an interesting marker near one of the barriers proclaiming the Mercian Way.
The path had been lifted in places by tree roots making it quite a jarring experience passing over them. A pity as the path was otherwise evenly surfaced. After an all too short distance the original line of the railway continued ahead as an overgrown footpath and the paved route turned sharp right downhill through another barrier to an estate. If the original railway alignment hasn’t been too broken up in the intervening years, the map shows a fairly direct route to Ellesmere, but if it was feasible to turn it into a cycle route surely it would have been done by now.
Out on to the road, left up what seemed a gratuitous climb to a junction which was signposted left on the NCN 455, on to Alkington Road down a long hill under a bridge on the bypass and up the other side. Somewhere along this road after climbing a couple more hills, while rolling along on the flat, a resonant twang came from the rear wheel. I stopped to investigate. As I suspected, a spoke had given way.
About two years ago I discovered a broken spoke while in the garage. I’d got some spokes cut to length in case it was a sign of more to come. I’d managed to replace it as a ”roadside repair” in the garage with the wheel in place and without losing the nipple inside the deep rim. That spoke was a non drive side one. I tensioned it by ear and tweaked some of the others while I was at it. No problems until today. It's surprising since I've used it a lot on non surfaced roads and even the roads have had some pretty gnarly potholes.
No easy fix for today’s spoke as it was on the drive side. I zip tied the broken spoke to the crossing of the adjacent one so it wouldn’t flap about or lose the nipple inside the rim, and checked the others while I was at it.
Under way again the hills eased and we found ourselves near Whixhall. It was obvious that we were going to have to turn back soon to meet Twiddler the Younger’s deadline. We came across Whixhall Marina and had a snack outside the cafe there. Inevitably one of the customers asked me if I built “that” myself so I gave him the spiel.
In the midst of the countryside with no shops, post offices or petrol stations it’s worth noting this cafe for future rides.
On the way back we got off the route but soon reconnected. Back in Whitchurch in good time despite the hills, back on the rail trail and out near the station. Having done the rail trail and got it out of my system, I’d take a more direct route next time.
Left, then right on the inner ring road then right again. Soon we were going uphill on a long climb. Stopped at some cemetery gates for water. Unusually, a plaque commemorated the presence of Commonwealth war graves here. We plodded onwards and upwards. A few more ups and downs. Funny how some of the hills seemed tougher on the way back. At one stage I got into the low range on the hub gear, and had to stop on the way up to get my breath back. Over the top, and a pair of cyclists flew out of a side road. I moved over to give them some space and found that I was keeping pace with them. Soon, another climb and they pulled away. Down a dip and climb and we passed through Marbury. The worst of the hills were over now, and we carried on steadily towards Wrenbury. A couple of water stops and a Kit Kat break then through Wrenbury en route for Nantwich. There was a headwind so despite the route being gradually downhill we were held back a little. Sooner than expected we heaved over the steep canal bridge and into Nantwich.
Suffering a little from Recumbutt. I replaced the seat cushion inner with some foam from a thick kneeling pad a few months ago but it hasn’t adapted to my shape yet. Perhaps I’ll try the local bed place for some offcuts of memory foam and fit that if it doesn’t settle down soon. Meanwhile, in the final few miles I found that stopping for a few minutes from time to time helped. Nantwich, Welshman’s Lane, across the fairly quiet Chester/Wrexham road to Wettenhall Lane. Eventually we approached the final dip and climb at Darnhall Bridge. Hanging back until an obliging car overtook us and triggered the lights, then riding like the clappers downhill to get momentum up the other side. Twiddler the Younger sailed past me up the hill as he always does, but I just dug in and twirled doggedly to the top. Soon, nearly home with the back gate in sight, then up the pavement, through the gate and into the garden.
Future plan: I will do it on my own next time, starting earlier. For the sake of an extra 10 miles or so each way, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. I haven’t done many longer rides this year, and was feeling the effects towards the end of the return journey. It’s nice to have company, but a solo rider can set their own (slothful) pace and timetable. I might have taken more photos too. At least I now have a better idea of most of the route. Feeling a bit more like a Proper Cyclist again now.
Distance 63.6 miles. Max speed 24.6. Average 7.7 mph. Do I need a more modern bike or new legs?
1,917 ft height gain, according to Strava. First Metric Century this year (62 miles) for those who are interested in that sort of thing.
Post Script. A couple of days later when the aches had subsided I decided to sort out the broken spoke. I spent a couple of hours wrestling with the Linear rear wheel. Got the wheel off, got the cassette off, managed to fit a new spoke using the old nipple without losing it in the depths of the rim. Cleaned up the cassette which was pretty mucky, (which was the most time consuming part). It’s actually silver! Reassembled it. It all went surprisingly smoothly. Ready for the next ride.
