One big circle

For reasons that need not concern us today was my last ride for 2010. I'm pleased to report that I have completely overdone it on the food, drink and late nights, and celebrated Christmas with great gusto. To be fair, one of the reasons I was up at 4.30AM this morning was to take my mother-in-law to the airport, and it was nice to see the snow and ice turning to slush and hear the drip, drip, drip of what I hope will be a permanent thaw.

Round about this time last year, I sat at this very desk and did a post called "Best year ever". For many, 2010 has been an annus horribilis, but for me on the cycling front at least, my dreams, hopes and goals all came true and I really have had my best year ever. Including today's 35 mile loop, I finished the year having done the grand total of 5107.05 miles. I did wonder where they all came from and although I did a fair few on the commuting run, it only amounts to about 24 round trips to work, so that would be around 600 miles.

About a third of the mileage came in sportives (1767), and the two multi-day trips I did, the Raid Pyrenean and the Three Moors Tour down to Land's End. So that leaves around 2500 miles of pootling about, ACG rides and just having fun. Of the rest of my activities, there have been a few goes on the Exercise bike, some walking and earlier in the year some football, but for once it is about the bike.

Last year my best acquisition was Charlie, well this year it's my red new bike. Now safely in hibernation for the winter, it is an extravagance I don't need. But it sure is fun, and I hope to corner like a downhill expert on it by the end of next year.

This post is not about achievements but I can't end the year without looking back for one last time before drawing a line firmly under what I have done. The Raid Pyrenean was obviously the focus and the highlight for the year. But the 3 Moors Tour was also important. I met some new cyclist, rode for three days in a row, and raised money for a worthy cause and a special memory.

Three of the sportives stand out- White Horse challenge fed my ego by the award of my first ever silver classification, Dartmoor Classic, where I got a bronze that means something but more importantly I actually enjoyed a beautiful day in the hills, and of course Cheddar. OK, I only rode 100K rather than the full distance, but my ego was further stoked by the gold classification- but I was so fit after a week’s rest from RP, I feel I could have done anything that day. Very vainly I have bought my one and only photo of me from that day. It shows me coming down High Ham, concentrating, and looking fab on my shiny red bike and in my ACG gilet. Like I said, vain. I really need people to keep taking me down a few pegs please (step forward Wonderboy, your role is now).

Honourable mention to the Tour of Wessex (when I first realised RP was doable because I could do 3 days hard riding in a row) and to Exmoor Beast because it was tough, the weather was foul but I never doubted I could do it even though my knee hurt, and tiredness had kicked in. They did from halfway through 3 MT really.

My favourite moment? No contest. It was that magical early-morning climb of the Col de Port, described in the RP post. There's a photo up top.

So what of today? Well the thaw has started and it was just possible to ride to the A38 along a narrow tram line of tarmac, between the slush-covered humps of ice on our road. I just wanted to ride for a couple of hours really, and until the roads are well and truly clear of ice I decided to stick to main roads and avoid the hills. There was also a strong south-easterly wind which I wanted at my back on the final leg.

So I headed out to Sandford, cut across to Worle, then down to the sea-front, down the A370 past Sanders Garden World, left turn to Mark, Blackford and Wedmore, before finishing with a protracted sprint up to Cheddar and home. Once or twice i had a look at a couple of back roads but they were still too icy. A big circle in fact, almost all flat, and I think I saw one other cyclist. But as you can see from Charlie I kept up a reasonable speed and cadence for the whole way round. Bit like this year really.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/60809184

The roads are covered in an indescribably grime. One thing hasn't changed-I still hate cleaning my bike. Today took longer than usual for the sheer mixture of salt, grease, farm-muck, you name it, all of it had attached to my chain. Over the next few days all the slush and ice piled at the side of the roads is going to melt and turn the roads into a horrible mess. The only respite will be after a few day's of rain. And that won't be nice to ride in, despite the warmer temperature.

All of this is my re-framing exercise, because I'm leaving the country for a few days, somewhat surprisingly. Early in the summer when I mentioned to Mrs Mendip Rouler that I'd love to go and watch Cav win on the Champs Elysees, I think she didn't hear the crucial part of the sentence. Still, I'm sure we will have a great time, France is rapidly becoming my second-favourite country after all.

So before I end the year I'd like to say a big, big thank you to everyone who has encouraged me, laughed at me, ridden with me, or just read this. Most of all to the people I hope consider themselves friends (hopefully you know who you are, put it this way, if you are in the ACG, that's you), but also people I’ve met, casual acquaintances and more longer term buddies. Most of all to Bunny (you are married aren't you Bunny?) and to Skip. I think I must have done most of those miles with those two, it is a pleasure to eat the grit from your wheels.

I love that ACG photo from the Cheddar sportive, hope it's the first of many.

Next year will be less about goals and targets and more about fun. For starters there is Ireland, new land to be explored (on an old bike, really must get new tyres for it), and I also want to go to the Pyrenees again and ride different cols for the fun of it.

But I also want to go faster in 2011 than in 2010 in events like Tour of Wessex, Dartmoor Classic, White Horse challenge and of course Cheddar. There are also some new rides-Mad March Hare for one, who knows what else? (If I can find a computer with Internet access on Thursday night I hope to enter the Dragon ride). Judging by all the fitness work and determination going on, just keeping up with Knight, Boots, RPM, Wonderboy and of course Skip will be enough. They have all got very serious recently, just as I want to be less so! As Bunny (you are married aren't you Bunny?) runs off into marathon land, I’m still very much on the bike.

Allons-y mes braves.