Sit down, stop pushing and spin those bloody legs!!!
Well, today has been challenging! What was supposed to be a shorter day (115miles) turned into 124miles, with a detour around Bristol for lunch with an old friend. So not really any shorter than yesterday, or any less hillier either...
Today started with an awesome breakfast at the B&B (Howden House in Tiverton; I would definitely recommend it to anyone passing through!!); porridge with rhubarb, followed by scrambled eggs on toast. Delicious!!! I packed up and was ready to ride by 8am. I headed out of Tiverton towards the M5 before joining the A38, which I spent most of today on. The A38 is great, nice and wide, and mostly single-carriageway. You can tell it used to be the main trunk road before the M5 was built, and is wide enough for a cycle lane along large parts of it.
My legs felt tired when I got on my bike, I could tell they had been working hard yesterday. I got moving, they loosened up and for the first 30 or so miles through Taunton and Bridgewater they felt quite good. But this didn't last all day.
From miles 50 to 60 I hurt. The road wound its way around the edge of the Mendip hills; despite going around the edge this obviously involved hills... I spun my legs as much as possible and dragged my sorry ass along, thinking about how terrible the next few days would be. I wanted to stop on the grass and cry; was this really what I wanted to do?? Fortunately food and cola kicked in, and my legs seemed to ease ( that and a nice downhill into Bristol which helped). After racing into Bristol, I headed west across the bottom of it to meet an old friend, Ross, for lunch. It was nice to stop and sit in the sun and catch up (it had been a while; 4, 5 years??). It was also nice to use his foam roller!!! It was the first thing I spotted when I walked inside, then proceeded to lie on the floor and use whilst making funny noises. A lunch of couscous and salad, washed down with tea, then it was time to get moving again.
Ross accompanied me to the cycle path over the river Avon (next to the M5) to save me getting completed lost, then my Garmin helped me find my way back onto the A38. Mostly I just use it to record my rides, preferring the old fashioned paper map, but it certainly has its uses in cities and I was glad I'd programmed my route in for that bit. Once back on the A38 things seemed to fall back into place nicely. My legs felt great and I was able to increase the pace a bit. I'd been told to expect hills, but they never appeared. The miles rolled by nicely until I reached Gloucester at approx 100-110 miles. I then turned off onto the A417, sad to leave the A38 with its wide carriageways and cycle lane. As seems to be the norm, the A417 was hilly, just at the end of the day when tired.
Anyone who rides with me will know I am crap at spinning. I have a tendency to push hard and get out of my seat on hills in far too hard a gear ( you don't get thighs this big by spinning!! I think though I'd rather spin properly and have smaller thighs...). This trip for me is supposed to be about learning to spin, taking it steady and not pushing up hills. Easier said than done when your legs are feeling tired and heavy. I'm trying though, but occasionally need to shout at myself to remind me.
After a final slog from Gloucester to Ledbury I found my room for the night (in someone's home, booked via AirBnB) then ventured out to get some food from Tescos to cook. Milkshake and some cold meat (protein right...) which I stopped to eat on a bench in a beautiful garden outside Ledbury Baptist Church, then a ready meal and some fruit. Frankly I just feel sick after it! Tomorrow the place I'm staying has a full kitchen I can use rather than just using a microwave so I'm looking forward to eating something a bit more fresh and healthy.
I'm tired now, but satisfied. Today ended better than I had hoped during those middle miles. My legs are sore and they won't get any better now until after I've finished and rested. It did cross my mind that I could try and get a sports massage in Wigan tomorrow night but logistics mean no! My back is also sore, but I've got some ibuprofen gel (thanks for the great idea Jo otherwise I'd have left it at home!) and a few stretches should help. Time for more fluid and then an early night.
Tomorrow I'm heading up to Wigan via Leominster, then up at A49. It should be fine until Warrington, then I suspect things will get a bit sketchy as there are a lot of big roads in a small space; I suspect I'll be turning my garmin map function back on then...
As I keep saying, I'm raising money for Orchid (I'm sorry if it gets repetitive, but it's such a good cause, close to my own heart). Please, if you have any money to spare, think about how lucky you are not to have to get up tomorrow and cycle another 125 miles (or else how foolish I am) and sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/nikkisommers thank you!
The stats:
Distance; 124miles
Ascent; 1580m
Av speed; 15.5 mph
Ride time; 7hr59mins
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