I didn’t blog much – as there wasn’t much activity. I wasn’t too well during the four day Easter break and I spent my time (mostly) sleeping. The only significant development in between my last ride and now was the receipt of a brand new wheel with a SON dynohub built into it. That was very exciting, but of little use without the light… A few days later I also received the light, the Busch and Muller IQ Fly Senso Plus light, which is reviewed here.
The light is so bright it can easily blind you if you look at it directly, and it illuminates a dark road nearly as good as a car light would do. I am no longer afraid to go on a long ride and get lost in the dark, as nearly happened to me on my last ride.
115Km is quite a distance for me, and I tried to prepare as well as I could. Unfortunately, the BBC weather forecast wasn’t very accurate, and the ‘promised’ showers never materialised. Moreover, not a single drop of rain fell! Within few Km of the start I found myself sweating profusely and I realised I must get ONE of my layers off. The choice was obvious, and I took the sweater off. The problem was that it was bulky and would not fit into any of the compartments that I have on the bike. So I had to improvise, and I happened to have a large number of Velcro pieces. I tied them together, wrapped around the garment and attach the bundle between the two front tubes. I was very pleased with the result, as it did not obstruct my leg movement and it was very secure.
Other than that, the ride was quite good. The weather was, actually, glorious, and I made good progress. I lost my way just once, as a ‘sign posted’ left turn was NOT, in fact, signposted. Luckily, the road ahead became cul-de-sac after just one km, so I could not get lost for too long…
So here is where I went:
the first half (ignore the A and B direction – they were, of course, reversed…)
The whole thing was well organised, and there were people in the three ‘controls’ on the way, rather than the ‘question type’ control I got used to. I think I was drinking too little water, which I must remember to rectify in my next rides.
That ride was the very first one were I NEARLY got cramps in my legs. The signs were unmistakable, and the protesting muscle was between my legs (not one that I thought was working too hard, but it obviously worked harder that it was used to!). At the end I finished without a problem, had a cold and refreshing diet coke and a bit of a rest and headed home.
My average speed was just 18.5km/hour or thereabout, and I really don’t see how I can ride longer distances when I manage only that speed. It is well within the limits of the AUDAX rules, but a quick calculation shows that for the ‘standard’ 200 km I will be on the road for nearly 12 hours. Gee – that’s a lot of time to be on a saddle… I am hoping (and planning) to get fitter, so perhaps the devil will not look so intimidating.
I remember how apprehensive I was before my first 50 miles ride (London to Brighton), which I managed to finish without any difficulty at all, but I don’t think that the difficulty is ‘linear’, so we’ll see.
I prepared a ‘check list’ for my next rides and I hope that the preparations will not be so time consuming. Next week it is just a Barnet meeting (TUAG – Turn Up And Go), which is really sedate in comparison, and then another AUDAX. This time it’s quite a journey away from home, to a place just after Oxford. Here is the description from the AUDAX web site:
The Harlequin Hack
Northmoor 108 km
A modest excursion into the Cotswold hills followed by a gentle wander through the watery lanes of the upper Thames, the Evenlode and the Windrush.
There is also a 600m climb included for good measure. I am not sure, but i think after today that this is probably quite a lot 🙁
On the plus side, maybe I’ll visit Shani while I am at it???