Saturday's ride:
I'd missed out on getting my challenge ride in during the pretty much perfect weather last weekend due to a stinker of a bug so I made the most of a good forecast this time round. I was up and on the road by seven and headed out into a chilly morning on a hilly route to Bewdley.
This is a route that I know is short of the 100 miles needed for my qualifying ride so I started off heading in the wrong direction into Shrewsbury to do some extra miles through the Quarry, out to Uffington and Upton Magna then turning south through Atcham, Cross Houses and onto the road for Pitchford, Acton Burnell, up the climb to Folly Bank and down the other side to Cardington. This was all pretty straightforward with very little traffic on the roads early on a Saturday. I deliberately kept the pace easy knowing that I'd need to save something in the legs for later.
After Cardington I turned towards Wall under Heywood where I chose to cross Wenlock Edge via Rushbury and up Roman Bank. This is one of the climbs over the Edge that isn't too bad and is rewarded by a pleasant view at the top and a good descent where I got up to 36 mph.
After Beambridge I was heading for Tugford. The sign for it came up at the next junction but was pointed right rather than left as I'd expected. A quick check of the map showed that I could go either way and the distances were much of a muchness but the signed way is lumpier. I went left.
At Tugford the next climb starts. It had warmed up enough that I could convert the trousers to shorts then I wound my way up the hill on my way to Ditton Priors. I'd intended to pause by the church there to have my elevenses stop but there seemed to be a wedding going on so I went further on and found a gateway to stop in. The wind was picking up more than I'd expected by now and it would be a headwind from here most of the way to Bewdley. Fortunately, this section of the ride is characterized by long flowing descents interspersed with short steep climbs so I was able to make quite good progress. I had one annoying overtake not long after my stop where a large Mitsubishi squeezed past just where the lane narrowed, forcing me against the hedge and bouncing across a sunken drain cover. They then turned off only about 150 yards afterwards - pointless!
Through Stottesdonn and on towards Button Bridge the ride went better and the drivers were mostly more polite. I thought I was going pretty well on the flowing undulations through the Wyre Forest but just before Button Oak my legs cramped up horrendously at the crest of a climb and when I pulled over, wouldn't support my weight. The only real option was to get the weight back on the saddle and try to keep moving slowly in the hope that it would ease. Fortunately it did ease and as long as I took it
very easy on the short climbs I was still able to enjoy the fast (38mph) descent into Bewdley.
As usual on this route my plan was to head for the railway station to get a drink, have my lunch and watch the trains go by. If the line still connected to Shrewsbury it would have been very tempting to abandon the ride here but I felt better after having rested so carried on. The climb out of Bewdley up to The Lakes area of town is quite a drag but the legs felt okay provided I kept the gearing low. I was slow along the old Tenbury railway path then faced the long drag through the Wyre Forest back up to Button Oak. Again this was in a lower gear than usual but I got there alright even though the legs were giving the odd warning.
The lane to Arley has been resurfaced, which is brilliant as it had been getting teeth-rattlingly rough in all the places you can get up some speed. Meeting a group of cyclists spread right across the road as they climbed towards me removed the temptation to let the bike have its head though.
I stopped at the station despite being well behind schedule by this point and waited to see a train arrive before dropping down to the river crossing and preparing for another big climb the other side. A genuine sounding "I like your bike" from a young lad as I rejoined the road after the footbridge lifted my mood and helped a lot with the ascent to Nash End. I got some surprisingly good speed up on the way to the Severn Valley Country Park, which was very busy, then dropped back down to river level before joining the path alongside the railway to Hampton Loade station where I handily got to my favourite viewpoint just as the auto-train was pulling out.
After a bite to eat in the picnic area at the station I had another steep climb to tackle. Dropping into third from bottom gear got me up the steepest bit of the hill but not without the legs protesting a little. I set out just before a guy on a classic moped and could hear the engine revving behind me but nothing came past. When I looked back I realised that it was too steep for the machine so the chap was powering it up the hill while he walked alongside. That made me feel a bit better.
Getting up to Chelmarsh, you don't have long before having to drop down the hill again. I decided to stay on the main road rather than following the signed cycle route and it turned out to be a great choice with a fairly straight steep descent on a reasonable surface. I hit my highest speed of the trip (40.4 mph
) before crossing the railway again near Eardington Halt - first under then over. I spotted a few people in the fields alongside the road and thinking that another train might be due I parked the bike up in a gateway at a good vantage point and went to have a look.
Rejoining the signed NCN route I got through Eardington village alright but the legs cramped again not long after. It was really tempting to shorten the ride and I did stop to check the map for options but I didn't know whether I'd end up missing the century as a result so I dropped into Bridgnorth as planned. I was dreading the climb up into High Town but in a low gear I managed it alright. I couldn't face the rough track and the extra miles if I went to Ironbridge but the only other option was the hilly way to Much Wenlock. I can't have been thinking straight as I went for this route and cramped up yet again on the first climb.
After a rest and a drink I managed to carry on very slowly and paced it so that the cramp didn't come back.
The climbing up to Barrow feels like it goes on forever, apart from a couple of descents into valleys where you get some good speed up but then have to regain all the height you've just lost. It was busier than I'd hoped as well, although nobody did anything stupid. At one point a car came up behind me and I could hear the engine being revved, which I ignored. When it did come past it was a car with P plates on with a young driver at the wheel and he proceeded to crunch the gears badly after going by which makes me think it was just inexperience. The road surface on this stretch isn't brilliant either - at one point I feared that a motorcyclist was coming off his bike when he hit a large pothole just after overtaking me.
At Much Wenlock I was able to enjoy another break and bite of flapjack. It's a bit more climbing out of town then there is a nice descent of Wenlock Edge to Sheinton and Cressage. I thought Shore Lane would be a struggle but in a suitably low gear I crested it alright today. I took an alternative way through Acton Pigott to avoid a couple of steep climbs by Cound Moor and took the main road route after Condover to finish.
105.05 miles this time at 11.5 mph moving average. I was out for a full 12 hours including all the stops which is ridiculous for the distance covered. So, the September qualifier is done and I hope to goodness that the October one isn't as hard as this has been.
Early in the ride, a nice floral display on Victoria Quay in Shrewsbury.
Village school at Rushbury.
Lookingh back towards Wenlock Edge on the lane between Tugford and Ditton Priors.
Clee Hill nicely framed. Between Stottesdon and Bagginswood.
Bewdley.
Riding through the Wyre Forest on my way to Button Oak for the second time today.
Churchward 2-8-0 No. 2857 arrives at Arley. Those who know the station might wonder why the colour round the bay window has changed. Apparently it's for some filming which has been taking place over the last few weeks for a big-budget movie due out next year.
Following the lineside cycleway to Hampton Loade.
Taw Valley makes easy work of climbing Eardington Bank. Wish I was.
Much Wenlock.
