This weekend I planned to ride over to see Elly in Warrington. I thought it didn't sound too bad - just over 60 miles each way. I thought that would be around 4 hours' riding.
For some reason on Saturday morning I accepted an invitation to go mountain biking, thinking that if I was back by 12 this would still leave plenty of time to get Warrington. As it turned out the ride went on til 1:30pm which had the double whammy of putting my start time back and making me more tired before I'd even started the long ride! Mountain biking was great, though - I've got some really good trails very near me that stretch right out into the Peaks.
I left for Warrington at 2:40pm. The route I had chosen took me up the infamous Winnat's pass which was so hard in Saturday's heat that a group of walkers gave me a round of applause when I went past them! There was a huge downhill after that where a car drover right behind me all the way down. As I got to the bottom of the hill he drew level with me I wound his window down. I thought he was going to give me a load of grief for holding him up but he actually just stuck his thumb up and shouted, "52 miles per hour mate!"
It turns out that the ride to Warrington is very hard. Crossing the peaks means going up and down a lot of BIG hills. Fortunately, the last 20 miles (across the Cheshire plains) is pretty much all flat. I was tired by this stage though and those 20 miles seemed to last a lifetime (really regretted mtbing in the morning!).
Incredibly ( I thought anyway), I made it to Warrington in 3hrs 40 mins.
The next day my legs were very tired and Elly gave me a lift down the road so I missed the first 10 miles of flat and boring road. I set off in the blazing sun and prepared myself for a gentle start to the ride in preparation for some of the monster hills I knew were happening.
Then my plan was ruined.
As I rode through a place called Wilmslow I got caught up with a string of cyclists racing in the Wilmslow Triathlon. As much as I tried to resist it I couldn't help myself! I raced passed them all at breakneck speed cheerfully saying "hello mate, keep going!" as I passed. I was so pleased to finally leave the race route as I was going hell for leather and I didn't know how much longer I could keep it up!
I was really pleased that when I hit the hills I was still able to attack them with some energy despite expending so much energy so early.
These place names might not mean much to you but after I went down Winnat's pass and into Castleton, then through Hope I thought, "in 5 minutes I'll be in Hathersage then it's one last climb then downhill all the way to my front (back) door". Then I saw the diversion sign. And it was some diversion 10 miles of the hilliest roads ever took me past Tideswell (!!!) then back to Hathersage. I could have cried! All the miles I saved with Elly's lift were added on in cruelest way possible; I'd have taken the flat boring road over these massive hills any day.
I made it home in just over 4 hours, so exhausted that I could barely see!
And I realised this morning that I arranged with a friend last week that I would go cycling with him tonight... Arghh!
PS: I have an incredible tan line from yesterday's scorching sun combined with cycling top.
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1 comment:
I have only one thing to say 'YOU'RE MAD'
Although I'd take my hat off to you, if I had one to take off, not many people could do what you did and still be able to go out for more bike rides a few days later. Did you work out your total distance on Saturday?
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