The ride would see us covering 39 miles across road, cobbles and gravel surfaces and hoping my mountain bike skills would transfer to the road I set off with a group of 4 other riders.
The first few miles saw us building up speed and working together to get the speed up. The first section of cobbles were fantastic. I have never ridden on cobbles before so when we came into Grappenhall Village, I hit the front and hit them fast. The feeling of bouncing around on a road bike where my full sus mountain bike would soak up everything was very odd but keeping the pedals turning at the same speed helped keep some control.
We joined another group of our riders and rode with them for few miles until we hit a section which saw our group put the peddle down and set off time trial style to get past. The following decent saw 27mph flash up on my computer and I suddenly wished I had my disk brakes when I saw a red traffic light.
As we hit the the Trans Pennine Trail we were now onto a gravel surface which to to start with was a bit nervy not knowing how my tyres would bed into the surface but soon the confidence was flowing and we were flying along.
A pit stop and get together at a cafe at Dunham Massey where a much needed cake and cup of tea were gladly consumed and we were back on the road and cobbles. The second half of the ride saw all 5 of us flying along in one big group. I have never felt so good as we were flying along the country lanes of North Warrington. As we were heading to the finish my legs started to protest but as I was loving the feeling of riding this fast and in such a good group of people I flicked up the gears to spin the legs a bit quicker but with less resistance helping stave off the feeling of knackered legs as much as possible.
As we pulled in to the Swan pub for the finish I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. The ride had been fast, bouncy, uncomfortable but for me one of the best rides I have ever done. After riding to the start and back home I had covered 51 miles and was shattered. A big thank you to our club secretary Giles and Adam for putting together such a fantastic ride.
My Stats for the ride (taken from Cyclemeter on my Iphone
Rdide Time 3hrs 7 minutes
Distance 51.53 miles
Average Speed - 16.53mph
Fastest Speed - 31.94mph
Total Ascent 1795 feet
Calories Burnt - 3011
Recovery - I dont recover well. I had got in drank a pint and half of water and drank a sports drink to help put back in what i had used in terms of sugar and salt but I couldnt shake the feeling of tiredness. After a quick trip to get some shopping I could feel myself falling asleep on my feet. As soon as we got in I climbed onto the sofa and slept for a solid 2 hours. This happens every time I ride and I dont know if its because I am not eating enough or consuming enough water while riding.
I really do need to sort this out though. Plus side I have finally dropped below 15 stone and am very very happy with that!!!!!!!!!!
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