Woke up to the best weather of the summer, not a cloud in the sky, completely calm and so there was no way I was missing out on a ride today!
I hadn't really planned a route and so just decided to see where I ended up, making sure I was home for 11:30 when Dad was arriving.
Began by heading to Betton Abbots, then climbed up to Cantlop and Pitchford, before arriving in Acton Burnell, where I paused to decide which route to take. I fancied a challenge and so decided to do the route up to Cardington, but from a direction I'd never done it in before. Having been down this route I knew there was serious climbing ahead and it didn't disappoint, as the first hill up to Ruckley got the heart pumping and I paused at the top for chocolate and a picture.
I continued to climb, enjoying the fabulous scenery, to Chatwall and then joined a road I hadn't been on before, to Enchmarsh. The views over South Shropshire were immense, but the steep climbing was relentless and by the time I reached the top I had climbed about 1200 ft in 10 miles and at 676ft Strava tells me I've been up my single biggest climb ever, beating anything I've even done in the Lake District before!! Worth it though.
I arrived at the junction for Cardington and paused for much needed water and crisps, with the avg speed only showing 9.9mph so far.
The return journey would be downhill and flat pretty much all the way, and it was great fun descending Folly Bank at 30mph and then cruising to Longnor, Ryton and Condover. I then took the lanes towards Betton Abbots and, as I reached the crossroads I wanted, a club ride from Stan's Cycle Shop passed the junction. I waited for them and a VW Golf following them, to pass, before I pulled out and followed them up the small hill. In doing so I witnessed the worst bit of driving I've ever seen whilst on my bike. The idiot in the Golf decided to over take the 12 or so riders, approaching a blind crest and in doing so met a Toyota Hilux coming over the crest. Both cars skidded as they met head on and I was waiting for the smash, but remarkably they stopped within what must have been inches of each other. Neither car had anywhere to go now, as they were alongside some of the cyclists, so they had to wait for the other bikes to undertake them, before the Golf could then pull back onto the correct side of the road, and then proceed to overtake around a bend instead. What a complete Idiot this driver was
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I arrived home having done 24.8 miles at 11.9mph, with 1269ft of climbing. Must have averaged about 14mph for the last 14 miles to bring the speed up to that, which is fast for me!!
Ready to go and watch Shrewsbury Town v Millwall this afternoon as the footy season is back
