Holidays and other distractions mean't that I’d only done about 150km in the 3 weeks leading up to this, so I was glad that at least the weather was looking kind. Training just consisted of a trip to the Wantage Tesco express to learn how to use the self-service check-out, ignorance of which had cost me a lot of time in Chepstow last year.
My plan to hold onto any pelaton to Woodstock worked, lots of good chat to take my mind off the cold, and I arrived in a group of about 12 in a silly time (for me) of 2:45. The cold had clearly got the better of me, as half the riders seemed to have changed into teddy bears, but I must have been imagining this. After a superfast beans service, I fixed up my wayward front mudguard with a cable tie, and I went onwards with Geoff who I had earlier done the Dean* with.
Geoff and I made good progress to Tewkesbury, appreciating the "Road closed" sign Chris had put up just after Winchcombe to keep non-bikes off the road. There seemed to be a bit of head-wind on the next stage, and I was tempted to join Rich T for a drink at the Penny Farthing pub. Yat rock was long, with the bridge frustratingly only marking the half way point. The granny ring and MTB cassette of my hybrid came into their own on this ascent, and it didn’t feel as energy sapping as the undulating Cotswold stage.
Geoff filled me in the history and architecture of the local castles, which was quite fascinating, and then suggested an extra stop on the road coming into Chepstow. I hadn't realised that the road is actually on the top of a (very) high cliff, and just 10yds to the right is a stunning viewing point over the Wye, well worth stopping for next time. (Looking on streetview I think its at 51.66, -2.66, just after the sharp left hand bend coming into Woodcroft, by the two black bollards just before a big pinkish house on the right) Unfortunately on the final descent into Chepstow there was a ping of something serious sounding hitting the road, which turned out to be the end of his Compag front mech shift lever. The bit that was left was too short to be able to move it, and so for the second part of the ride changing gear meant either pulling the cable on the downtube, or stopping and pushing the cage over. It was now impossible to shift it onto the big ring, but even so he kept up an impressive speed to the end. He's definitely a slightly stronger rider than me, and so his occasional stops generally evened things up, but it can't have been at all pleasant to do 200km like that. As ever, lights on the bridge into Chepstow were on red, and then we did a raid on Tesco, eating in the car park al fresco café. There may have been cars and exhaust fumes around, but I was too jaded by this stage to notice or care.
After crossing the bridge, we made good progress, this time using the routesheet, rather than my local "knowledge" that had got us lost both going in and out of Malmesbury a few weeks earlier. Hawkesbury hill came and went, and we soon reached the Mace services where we joined a larger group of now 7 riders, most of who made it to Membury at about the same time. As is traditional, we missed the entrance the first time around, which I compounded by leading us the wrong way out of the Services. I was certainly feeling tired by this time, with multiple signs to Wantage and a nice hot bath just too tempting, and so I just wanted to get to the end fast.
Looks like we had an identical conversation about routes as Peter Turnball and co did just a few minutes later, with 4 of us opting for the A4 option. Apologies if there were any muddy fingerprints on the road atlas you borrowed… I was nervous of pot-holes on Streetley hill and so went for the flat option, although the A4 had quite enough to keep us entertained. I’d stuck my Hope LED light to my helmet, which worked really well as a long distance pot-hole spotter, although it was only really effective when you were on the front, which I confess I was getting less fastidious about. There were also multiple garages open, and even some mobile kebab joints – we eventually picked on a Wild Bean café and declared the chilled food aisle to be the seating / lying down area. But by now my muscles objected to being in anything other than a cycling position for too long, and so it was on the bikes again before sitting around was too unbearable. Apart from somehow losing the road in the middle of Reading, I thought this “cityscape” route was a great way to finish a night ride, as its well lit and there are lots of buildings and things to keep you amused. If anyone picked up the half packet of “traditional welsh cakes” that jumped out my barbag somewhere in Maidenhead, they were a bit of a disappointment weren’t they?
We clocked in together at 2:55, which was a pleasant surprise, as without a watch I was clueless as to the real time, although this made for a more relaxed ride. Top marks to Chris for the great organization and flawless route sheet. + 1 for Noon, which also got me around the circuit in reasonable shape. Tri-berry is best.
* After my experience in 2008, the Dean was most enjoyable, but ultimately pointless. If you’re modifying an existing ride, don’t assume that the total is what it says – I got caught out because as I now know, the stated distance may be based on the old rules that use the then 5% tolerance allowance. So when its re-calculated, even for a small change in distance, this allowance is lost, and hey presto, its under-distance. Apologies to Danial for wasting his time, but sort of mollified by realizing that another rider from my area had also fallen into the same trap. Anyway, a good excuse to ask for a day pass for a replacement 300km later in the year….
