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Feeling a bit better this
Feeling a bit better this morning. Just stopped in Glastonbury for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. I’m going to Ross-on-Wye today, which will be about 85 miles, then I’m going to do a rest day there.
Ugh. The hills at the
Ugh. The hills at the beginning of today’s ride from Chulmleigh to just south of Glastonbury had me questioning my fitness and my sanity. I walked up a couple, and a few more I stopped and rested a few minutes to get my heart rate down. My lowest gear is 30/34, which is pretty low, but with a 30+ kg loaded bike… I think I averaged 8.5 MPH in the first two hours.Eventually, though, the hills got a lot less steep and I was able to spin up at 5-10 MPH. I ended up at 10.4 MPH over 73 miles, and another 6000+ foot elevation gain day. Still, today took a lot out of me. I’m looking forward to a rest day after tomorrow.
I’m staying at the YHA Street. I walked into Street for a pub meal, over a 3 mile round trip, and am now back in my room after just one beer… which tells me I’m not feeling quite right.
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Fairly uneventful ride today
Fairly uneventful ride today from Wadebridge to Chulmleigh. At around 1 PM I happened upon a very convenient pub, the Rising Sun Inn. The menu was a bit upscale and expensive, but was really, really excellent.Another 65 miles with over 6000 feet of climbing. I had to use my emergency low gear (walking) on the last climb into Chulmleigh. Does it get worse? Currently having a pint and waiting for my steak and Stilton pie where I’m staying the night, The Old Court House.
https://strava.app.link/aWj1uukquMb
Tass Whitby wrote:
Have you booked your stay at Altnaharra? Think the posh hotel is the only option… there’s a ‘campsite’ further on but it has no facilities, catering for campervans and motorhomes only… (I think). We were hoping to do Edinburgh to JoG this year (so hubby could finish his LEJOG) and looked into the options – then dog broke leg, two days before we were meant to set off…
No, I’m just booking a couple of days ahead so that if I have to take an extra day I don’t have to change 12 bookings. I guess I’ll spend the money if I have to.Today’s is the best deal so far: The Old Court House in Chulmleigh, £50 including breakfast!
I had a later start than
I had a later start than planned today, made it from Penzance to Land’s End to Wadebridge today by around 6 pm. I stopped at a little bike shop/café called Empty Valley and bought a luggage strap, which has allowed me to lash my pannier nicely to my rack. I also enjoyed a flapjack there.A local cyclist caught up with me and rode with me for a few minutes. He described the area as “quite lumpy.” Understatement of the day. Land’s End to Wadebridge has nearly 6000 feet / 1800 m of climbing in 68 miles.
Probably 95% of drivers were courteous. I even had a BMW pull into a passing point to let me pass! I pulled over to the left a few times when going 5 MPH uphill to let cars past, and had nice words shouted out of the window for a change.
Had a nice fish & chips in Wadebridge, currently on my second beer back at the hotel. Cheers!
More photos on my Strava.
https://www.strava.com/activities/12270884131
https://www.strava.com/activities/12274512202.jpg)
Not an auspicious start, but
Not an auspicious start, but worked out in the end. Ripped my Ortlieb pannier off and broke both clips riding from my cousin’s house to catch my train in Didcot.Missed my connection in Reading when my train changed platforms and I couldn’t get from 7 to 8 fast enough going up and down the lifts.
I got on the next Great Western train to Penzance that I didn’t have a ticket for, and did not have any bike spots available to reserve. I didn’t get kicked off. I enjoyed a train beer (St. Austell Tribute.)
Couldn’t get my wheel with 48 mm tyres on the hook, so it had to sit like this. I was lucky when another cyclist got on that the man who’d reserved a bike spot for his baby buggy offered to move it so we could have two bikes in there.
Currently having a beer after a nice curry in Penzance!
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Updated itinerary. Bike boxed
Updated itinerary. Bike boxed, hopefully remembered everything, I fly out in a couple of hours!
29 Aug: Penzance – Land’s End – Wadebridge (77 mi)
30 Aug: Wadebridge – Chulmleigh (66 mi)
31 Aug: Chulmleigh – Glastonbury (75 mi)
01 Sep: Glastonbury – Ross-on-Wye (81 mi)
02 Sep: Rest day? – ( mi)
03 Sep: Ross-on-Wye – Market Drayton (89 mi)
04 Sep: Market Drayton – Mellor (82 mi)
05 Sep: Mellor – Sedbergh (53 mi)
06 Sep: Sedbergh – Langholm (77 mi)
07 Sep: Langholm – Peebles (50 mi)
08 Sep: Rest day? – ( mi)
09 Sep: Peebles – Perth (78 mi)
10 Sep: Perth – Braemar (50 mi)
11 Sep: Braemar – Inverness (82 mi)
12 Sep: Inverness – Altnaharra (76 mi)
13 Sep: Altnaharra – John o’Groats (74 mi)
Is this not essentially a
Is this not essentially a closed road event?
When they run the Isle of Man TT, do the motorcyclists stick to the speed limits, or is there some legal way around it? It doesn’t seem like it would be very exciting to watch if they obeyed the speed limits.
This morning’s Sun has a long op-ed by Howard Cox of Fair Fuel UK, complaining about how people being fined for being in a hatched yellow junction box is apparently an evil and ongoing war on motorists, so I suspect that old habits don’t exactly die easily…That doesn’t even make any sense. The yellow junction box rule is to prevent traffic getting jammed up at those junctions, so it helps motorists if the rule is enforced so that traffic can flow better. I mean, are they suggesting that drivers want to sit in a queue behind a car blocking the junction?
Each individual motorist would like to be able to block the junction with impunity. They don’t, however, want other motorists to do so.
Glad to see that the bridge is still open to cyclists, that’s on my regular weekend routeCyclocross opportunity!
Medieval bridge shut after
Medieval bridge shut after being hit by Uber
cardriver.The vehicle hit the inner side of the 15th Century bridge on the B4085 Honeybourne Road, Bidford-on-Avon, on Saturday before becoming jammed, Warwickshire County Council said.
Bonus photo of cyclist climbing over obstacle.
I haven’t found a way to describe a close pass that prompts action.Maybe casually mention in your detailed description that there was also an attractive woman walking on the pavement.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/expensive-driveway-tax-could-introduced-9437985Who wants a driveway tax?
We actually have one in my city since a few years ago. Our stormwater tax applies to all properties, residential or business, and is based on the impermeable area which includes buildings and concrete or asphalt driveways. Mine amounts to a bit over $60 (£45) quarterly for about 22% of my ~12000 ft² / 0.25 acre / 1100 m² property being impermeable. You can get discounts if you add significant water retention features.
We have a “combined sewer overflow” problem where a few times a year during heavy rain, an untreated combination of storm water and sewage goes into the major river that flows through town. The federal government (EPA) fines the city for each event. The tax is intended to fund fixing the system so that this doesn’t happen any more, but I haven’t seen much progress yet.
One person’s “loading bay” is another person’s bus stop…https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/dangerous-bus-stop-put-unfathomable-9431135
Here it is on Streetview:
Looks like the loading bay signs went up between 2014 and 2021.
David9694 wrote:
On this frame with no lever bosses, I’m pretty much committed to brifters (or maybe bar-ends).Gevenalle.