Still got it.

I have just come back from a relaxing week in south Devon, relaxing in a small, traditional family-run hotel in Hope Cove. It's by two fantastic beaches, and we have stayed there for a number of years. It's great to have someone else cook the food for a week, and although not cheap, it's fantastic value, and just what I needed.

I say "relaxing" but that includes a lot of charging about the beach making sure my now "I have no fear of water" son doesn't drown whilst body-boarding in the fair-sized waves. Not to mention keeping Mrs MMAM happy, with trips to the local craft shops timetabled in between rock-pooling and of course eating!

It also meant no cycling, quite frankly there was no room for the bike, in all senses of the word, and it was part of a plan for a mid-season break. The big question is would all this indolence have made me less effective in the bike department. To confuse matters slightly, jumping off the hamster wheel of life for a week also meant I contracted a terrible dose of flu (OK a slight cold).

Skip and I had hatched a plan to enter a 56 mile ride, called "The Great Weston Ride" from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare, with the addition of riding to the start and riding back from the finish, to make a total of 85 miles for your truly.

Good job there was no doping tests, I'd have failed on multiple fronts. Phenylephrine, cafeine, anti-histamine, ventolin, flixotide and good old paracetamol were all in the system as I set out at just shy of 7AM to meet Skip, for once not in the Square, but at the end of my road. Joining us today was GW, I've yet to come up with a good name for her but give it time. I considered "Rosa", after her her red hair and love of anarchists, Rosa Luxemburg being kind of one of those. Anyway, she is scarily quick, but it was OK for she hadn't been on a bike for a while and was a bit tired.

The trip to Bristol was my chance to show Skip and Rosa (sounds like a folk group) my commuting route, how exciting, and it was fairly pleasant as we were the only people up that early on a Sunday. We were in good form too, making it to the Park and Ride at Long Ashton in just over an hour. We picked up our numbers, with tiny cable ties, necessitating a horrendous crime of an off-centre number, and then another crime, back the way we had just come for a few miles.

We then headed south-east through Barrow Gurney, where we overtook a couple pushing their cart-cum-bike contraption, fortunately they were not going to do all the hills. It looked like we had been fairly early starters, and we passed a few others, and it began to feel quite good for the ego as our train powered on. Up the A38 for a half-mile before heading up towards Winford and then down to Chew Stoke and past the lake to the bottom of the Mendips.

We then did that horrible up-down bit of road through Compton Martin, Ubley and Blagdon, before arriving at Burrington Coombe and a rather quaint DIY feedstation. The drugs continued to work their magic and I felt good going up the Coombe, but the weather was now drizzly and a bit cold. As well as windy, so jacket was donned as we crossed the tops of the hills to Priddy and descended to Rodney Stoke.

I followed a chap on a fixie as I came down, he was pedalling like mad (because he had to) while I tried to dodge the copious amounts of petrol that appeared to be on the road.

From then on it was all flat, and I was beginning to flag. The second feedstop at Hugh Sexey's school in Blackford, had a wonderful array of cakes, coffee as well as the usual cycling fare. Although this, combined with another two lemsip max strength tabs, perked me up, it didn't do wonders for the digestion and I spent a lot of the rest of the day with a very active tummy! Skip and Rosa were now doing the bulk of the work, especially Skip, who seems to be turning into a time triallist. We zoomed through Highbridge and Burnham, and now with the wind behind us, headed into the official finish at Weston sea front.

Instead of the usual goody bag of cycling goodies, we got a free trip on the Weston Eye. This is much like the London Eye, only smaller and the view is not quite as famous. Or scenic. But Rosa was very excited about it, and I guess it had to be done. I wouldn't pay for it though. Nor would I have liked to get in our pod after us, after 15 miles it was not fragrant.

All that was left for us was a short dash back through Bleadon and Loxton, before Rosa peeled off towards Wedmore, Skip to Axbridge, and I crawled home. Just shy of 85 miles at an average of 16mph, but it felt faster. A great day, and although I was a passenger a bit more than I'd have liked, given the flu, sorry cold, I can say that I've not lost it.

Here's Charlie:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40860215