But there's a fire inside

Mark Cavendish won it easily in the end, and that Australian bloke did quite well too. Even in his moment of greatest triumph, Cav still came out with this:

"If you sit back on what you have done, you're not going to progress"

OK, not original, not surprising, but how many of us would be thinking about the next challenge, right after we have won the green jersey, the Champs Elysee stage (for the third year in a row, first time it's been done by anyone)?

And as for Cadel Evans, well he has just been the embodiment of tenacity and determination. Someone described him as like a diesel, consistent, reliable and powerful. His TT performance yesterday looked like someone had lit a fire in his engine, never mind put diesel in it. A worthy winner, and at 34 gives all of us grey-hairs hope.

This morning I was up early to meet Skip for a hilly ride. As I know how much she likes a plan, I made one, involving a fair few climbs and about 47 miles. Of course, she won't listen to entreaties to rest or take it easy, and I think after her riding in the last couple of weeks she was a bit bushed. Although I was a bit surprised to see her right behind me as we crested Shipham Hill, and my third climb of Burrington in 7 days was the most pleasant one yet, as we chatted away about this and that.

But at the top Skip decided to bail, wisely I think, meaning that I no longer had to stick to my plan, although I kept to it for the most part, just added one or two extras in. I had thought that the descent down into Blagdon, which is about 16% at its steepest, had been resurfaced. Well, only the bottom bit has, so it was a bumpy ride past the pub at the bottom, where I saw the NEG outriders having a chinwag. I think they must have been shepherding the Colin Carfield Memorial Road Race, run by Somer Valley CC.

From Blagdon, I headed down past the reservoir and then to Butcombe and up the hill to Row of Ashes. This was where I changed my plan and decided to add in a trip to Wrington, up over its eponymous hill, down Goblin Coombe, up Brockley Coombe and then back on track towards Winford.

From there it was into Chew Magna and then the long way round to Bishop Sutton, former centre of the coal-mining industry, and not to be confused, perish the thought, with Bishops Sutton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_Sutton

I always love a new hill, but they are hard to find. Next ACG route, I will get my own hill, because I can take them up the road that goes to Hinton Blewet. Be afraid, for it looks like a bump on google, but turned out to be a nasty short 12% climb, even steeper going down into the village. I'll have to spring it on you now.

Then it was Litton, Chewton Mendip and up the long drag to the hill above Wells on the main road, and I was starting to flag. Still, a super descent down into England's smallest city, followed by half of the climb up Old Bristol Road. I say "half" because I wanted to recce a back lane from Wookey Hole back to OBR, in preparation for the Tour of Britain stage in September. I have another plan, that's two this week, which involves seeing the stage in three places during its course. It will require a certain amount of flexibility, and grippy tyres and good brakes, but it's doable.

So down into Wookey Hole, village not caves, and then the sting in the tail, Ebbor Gorge. Not the steepest, it maxes out at 17%, but it is narrow, cars come down and up it with regularity, and it's one of those ones where you can't get going again if you stop. Which I didn't, but I certainly went slowly.

From there it was pretty much downhill to Cheddar, where I succeeded in scaring the wits out of grockle about to cross the road in front of me. No, that's not accurate, she didn't have any wits to start with.

As I came up the bypass, past Axbridge, I realised I'd have to do a circuit of my village to top 100 km for the day (the download doesn't show my first 2 miles into Axbridge, just in case you are really into the detail), and so I finished with the Alpe d'Huez of Winscombe, yes Winscombe Hill the hard way. (Expect more reference to the famous hill in the weeks to come! I'm half thinking of suggesting the Alpe d'Huez of the Pyrenees to Bunny).

So fairly slow all round today, just over 14 mph, but a shedload of climbing, if the Mendips had categorised climbs I'd say there were a smattering of all categories in this lot, including the HC of Burrington and Ebbor. And my neck and back are better too, just got to get some good brakes though, somehow I don't want to go to France without them.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/101366710

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/327455