My usual excuses

A regular Friday with a trip to work. Like all the riding I'm doing my best to vary the route because it does get tedious turning over the same roads time after time.

So this morning, and a wonderful sunny, misty Spring one it was too, I headed up through Congresbury, A370 and then turned off at Flax Bourton and up Belmont Hill, through Failand and down across the suspension (and best) bridge (in the world), down through Clifton and into work.

For the way back I took on the Alpe d'Huez of Bristol, or Dundry Hill the steep way, on the main road towards Chew valley. Whilst there are only four hairpin(ish) bends on it, I bet it's far steeper, it peaks at about 18.5% according to Charlie, and is pretty much never below 12% for about a mile. Rubbish comparison, but then there are probably few Citroen Saxos on Alpe d'Huez either, which generally makes cycling harder.

From there I headed through Chew Stoke and then wiggled past Nempnett and Butcombe, Blagdon, and Churchill, before climbing over the Mendips through Rowberrow and Shipham.

By the time I got home I was pretty tired for despite my best endeavours I hadn't really eaten enough in the afternoon and was exhausted. My speed on the way in had been pretty healthy, but it's really difficult to pick up speed in those narrow lanes round Butcombe, gravel on the descents, blind corners, and there was nasty headwind most of the time. OK I admit it, I'm trying to explain away a rubbish performance. But I'm sure the climbing practice will help towards my great leap forwards.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/413034



If you have managed to read this far, I'd like to ask you to sponsor me. I know you get loads of requests but this one is quite small. All I want is for a one pound donation. One of my rides in June is a charity one for the same oncology centre in Bristol that I raised money for last year. I'm doing a 100 mile ride, with 100 people so I thought if 100 people sponsored me 1 pound each that would mean a lot of people gave a little.

The link is here, and at the top of the blog. http://www.justgiving.com/mendiprouleur

Skip and I are out on Sunday, doing a flat and fast ride to the south west. We are going to a new cafe too, I bet Mark Cavendish doesn't have to worry about these sorts of things. Actually I was over his house last weekend. No, not a grammatical error, I was looking down on the Isle of Man, though a cloudless sky from 30,000 feet in an Easyjet plane. Looked pretty flat from there, no wonder he's a rubbish climber. Bet he's moaning now about the gravel, the wind, blind corners........