Saluki
World class procrastinator
- Location
- ...Norwich over the water.
It's raining and horrible out there. The last mile and a half today were soggy and very very cold. I needed to ride 8.5 something today to reach my January 100 mile target that I set for myself. I was only a bit adrift, so after work - when it was rather warm and sunny - we changed and headed off out.
The plan was to ride to Taverham and back but the temperature dropped as the sun went in and the blue skies vanished. We got as far as Drayton and said 'stuff this' and headed back. Knowing full well that it's only 5 and a bit miles there and back we went straight on (ish) at the end of our bit of the Marriotts Way and headed toward Sloughbottom Park on the outskirts of the city. Once at the park gate we went right instead of left into the park, up the wee hill which I am sure isn't quite that sharp when I'm walking the dogs, and then right again and followed the path to Waterworks Road. Along this path, we stopped for 5 minutes and chatted with a nice lady with a big shaggy Lurcher, a gorgeous black Greyhound and a little Lhasa Apso type dog, all bundled up in their duvet coats.
From Waterworks Road we could have gone straight over the roundabout, up the hill and to home but felt that it would leave us nearly half a mile adrift, and going straight over that roundabout and dying was not on my 'to do' list today. We went left at the roundabout - there is 40 yards of cycle path for this very purpose, and up that hill instead then turned right at the lights onto Bowthorpe Road and along to where the cycle path starts again. Hubster spotted a brand new LBS - or at least one we've never noticed before - but it was raining quite hard now and our feet were very cold in their thermal socks so we didn't hang about.
We got home just as it really decided to stair rod down and are now in the warm with a cuppa.
8.64 miles averaging 10.7mph, which we are happy with. The mud on the marriotts was horrible, like cycling through porridge. Mmmmm porridge, there's a thought.
The plan was to ride to Taverham and back but the temperature dropped as the sun went in and the blue skies vanished. We got as far as Drayton and said 'stuff this' and headed back. Knowing full well that it's only 5 and a bit miles there and back we went straight on (ish) at the end of our bit of the Marriotts Way and headed toward Sloughbottom Park on the outskirts of the city. Once at the park gate we went right instead of left into the park, up the wee hill which I am sure isn't quite that sharp when I'm walking the dogs, and then right again and followed the path to Waterworks Road. Along this path, we stopped for 5 minutes and chatted with a nice lady with a big shaggy Lurcher, a gorgeous black Greyhound and a little Lhasa Apso type dog, all bundled up in their duvet coats.
From Waterworks Road we could have gone straight over the roundabout, up the hill and to home but felt that it would leave us nearly half a mile adrift, and going straight over that roundabout and dying was not on my 'to do' list today. We went left at the roundabout - there is 40 yards of cycle path for this very purpose, and up that hill instead then turned right at the lights onto Bowthorpe Road and along to where the cycle path starts again. Hubster spotted a brand new LBS - or at least one we've never noticed before - but it was raining quite hard now and our feet were very cold in their thermal socks so we didn't hang about.
We got home just as it really decided to stair rod down and are now in the warm with a cuppa.
8.64 miles averaging 10.7mph, which we are happy with. The mud on the marriotts was horrible, like cycling through porridge. Mmmmm porridge, there's a thought.
Felt cold again after leaving there, and not long after the rain started. I stopped at Egham to get my wets on, then headed out through Virginia Water and Lyne before getting home.
but I needed about 22.5 miles to hit 1000km for the month. So managed the 3 miles north to Hornsea into the wind & rain then turned & that was pretty much the last i had of full on headwind until the last couple of miles. Headed down through Goxhill, onto Sigglesthorne & towards Long Riston when i felt the front going flat 
never a good time, but when its lousy weather & you're running out of daylight, so changed tube & cleaned rim & hands on the nice cold wet grass 
& off I went again. Headed to Long Riston, onto Rise (Sarah Beeny territory) up to Hatfield, down to Withernwick & lap of the village to ensure I got the required mileage & then back home, by which time it was getting dark, so didn't have time to stop at the local 
