Speaking of awesome achievements, you may remember that I did a ride from Bristol to Land's End last year, in fact, this very weekend last year, to raise money for Above and Beyond, the charity that supports the Bristol hospitals. Well, this lady, Shelley Cunningham, is doing something every bit as heroic as Cav, well, no, actually more heroic.
http://www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk/ctubh_news_details.aspx?ID=301
I'd read about Shelley in the newsletter from A & B that popped through my letterbox a few weeks ago. So it was a bit of a surprise to almost bump into her on the seafront at Lyme Regis today, as I was wandering off from our group to buy some food. So if you are looking for inspiration when faced with a challenge, think of Shelley, and count your blessings. Oh, and you could sponsor her too.
So you may be wondering what I was doing in Lyme Regis. Well eating chips by the seaside of course. And drying my very wet kit in the strong sea breeze. The same breeze that had been blowing rain into my face for the last 50 miles, when it wasn't blowing spray that is. It was actually very good fun. The Somerset Cycling crew had issued an invitation via the miracle of Facebook to "The Last of the Summer Runs", all welcome for an easy spin down to the coast.
Halfway through I was thinking it should have been first of the winter runs, we were all soaked though, covered in mud, and a bit deflated. Starting out from Burnham (although I rode down there), we didn't have long to wait before our first two punctures. This was a feature of the morning, as another couple had followed by the time we were just outside of Taunton, although thankfully this was the end of it. Although we were up to 18 riders at one point, quite a raggle taggle gypsy bunch of characters. Some peeled off to do other rides, or go back home having started a long way away, by the time we hit the hills above Chard we were down to a hardcore of 10, and that's how it stayed till Lyme.
Much like the ACG, we stayed as a group, with the stronger riders waiting at junctions and so on. Once in LR we all fell foul of the "anti cycling police" who threatened a fixed penalty notice for riding on the wrong bit of the sea front. After much grumbling and discussion I think we got away with it.
I think I made a mistake with the chips, my only real food of the day, as they were still digesting on the climb out of LR as we started our return journey. By now the weather had turned, breezy sunshine, of the tail variety, meant a lovely afternoon's riding. We split into a fast group and a slow group, and I fell somewhere in between. A great bunch they were, but it was also nice to head off on my own, and doubly nice to be going home by another route.
A few undulations took me through Crewkerne, Martock, Langport, High Ham, Pedwell Hill, Mudgely Hill and back home. At just shy of 110 miles, with about 6700 feet of climbing (depending on whether you believe Cateye, Charlie Garmin or ride with GPS) and three minutes off seven hours of riding time, today served as a useful preparatory ride for the Etape Cymru, which is similar climbing but less distance.
I also felt a bit icky before I went out, but copious quantities of Paracetamol plus kept the sore throat at bay, and the trapped nerve in the back seems to be under control thanks to the osteopath.
So if some of you contemplated going out this morning but were put off by the weather, well you missed a good ride. Some great company, a real good laugh, and some fantastic sunshine and scenery, even if you couldn't always see it.
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