target was to do 3 days on the trot commuting to and from work then rest for a couple of days before doing an 86'ish mile ride with a pal from work on saturday from emsworth to brighton and back
the commute wasn't too bad 27ish miles each way, a couple of firsts this week
Managed to do every journey without stopping for the loo and therefore avoiding the risk of being arrested for exposure in the process
I didn't get lost, i had a couple of moments where i wasn't sure at junctions and checked the sat-nav but i reckon that doesn't count as i didn't actually increase my journey mileage due to going the wrong way
the weather was pretty much perfect, slightly overcast and about 20 degrees with no wind to speak of so i churned out the mileage without too much trouble, although i was quite please to be home on wednesday night knowing i had a couple of days rest.
this weeks wildlife picture is another cute one for the girl's...baby swan's....all together now aaaarrrr
windsor great park again, just outside the post office
The resting period was a surprisingly achey one, friday was particularly sore, leaving me feeling a little concerned about the ride on saturday, which was to be my longest ever ride
saturday started well by getting up late meaning it was all a bit of a rush but i got to my pal Jon's house in reasonable time so we were ready to set off from Emsworth about 10:45. The day before i had purchased a few accesories to try out which i thought would be good for the big ride, these were in the form of a couple of small bags, they were almost perfect so i am chuffed with those.
Anyway, Jon had worked the route out so that it was hilly on the way to Brighton, crossing over the south down's way i think it was a couple of times and then a flat route back following thr cost road. Surprisingly the 2000'ish ft ascent on the way to brighton was quite enjoyable, it was tough but rewarding, the weather was sunny to cloudy and a plesent temperature, my new friend "Chamoix Butt'r" was performing well, the same could not be said of my cheap Karrimor cycling shorts as the padding sat in the wrong place and started to introduce some aching.
reaching the highest point was great, the views were fantastic, this is me feeling pleased but looking gormlessinterestingly at this point we noticed that there was some kind of camping festival thing going on...to my left as you look at the picture, camping in more ways than one as it was Gay Pride weekend in Brighton, this was to be an interesting day indeed
It was down hill from here, we were both looking forward to some grub and seeing the seaside
and here it is
it was beautifull, although we both felt a little uncomfortable mincing about in Lycra
We found a great sandwich bar run by a mountain biker who was struggling to concentrate due tot he passing pedestrian traffic.
the sandwiches were massive and cheap, i'd recommend it if i could remember the name of the place.
So we sat in the park ate our sandwiches and then got back on our bikes
It this point the story takes a more miserable turn, what followed was a mostly flat ride into 15+mph winds virtually all the way back, it was miserable with a capital VERY. i had a headache within 5 miles, a combination of dehydration and the howling wind i think, the only interesting thing to look at was all the kite surfers struggling in the gusty conditions!!!! About 20 miles in in poured with rain, mile shoes filled up with water instantly which i coped with in fairness quite well, my feet only got cold within 5 miles of the finishing, oh yer that'd be the same time i got a puncture. My pal Jon dragged my along to a final average speed of 15.1 mph, which is the fastest i have ever ridden anywhere but i was a broken man, if only i didn't have an hour and 45 minute drive home!
This day was a rwal eye opener leaving me with some positive experiences and some lessons learnt, i'm sorry to say it also left me feeling really apprehensive about the task ahead......Our first day would be half as much again on the 28th...mmmmmm..more training i think
