Weekend Double

2 rides completed this weekend - Saturday was a 50 mile round trip out to Cheswardine & Norbury Junction, Mike came down from Nantwich to Join us - great route, great weather really enjoyable.

Sunday was a new 55 mile route up to Ellesmere & back - this route has been remapped from last year - sticking to as many country lanes as possible. Ended up doing 59.4 miles in total after a minor detour when my GPS lost satellite signal?? Fantastic route on fast sweeping lanes - tough 15 % climb a mile or so out of Ellesmere on the return but thankfully not too long.

A couple of points to mention are the rail crossing at Wem, the road is marked as 'No Through Road' but carry on to the Rail Crossing which is a foot crossing to continue. Then there is a rather over zealous dog at the village 'Hundred Steps' thankfully behind a tall gate but he was very close to jumping over.

Mixed bag on the weather front - started in good sunshine - rained at Ellesmere [time for tea at the Cafe] & for 15 minuyes or so after tea stop - then back to warm sunshine with the odd rain spot here & there.

So that means a total of 110 miles this weekend - the legs & lungs in good order - no sign of the cramps that blighted my sportive ride last Month at Jodrell bank - encouraging for the Midlands Monster in a fortnight.

Daily Commute

My daily commute to work has restarted, if you can call 7 miles each way a commute?

Mondays are rest days after weekend rides, rode Tuesday Wednesday & today Thursday, tomorrow will be another rest day prior to two weekend rides - the weekly mileage has now started to creep up towards the 150+ mark. Despite it being a bit chilly early doors I've really enjoyed getting out early & finishing early to beat a bit of traffic is quite good as well.

Training for Midlands Monster

With my New York birthday trip out of the way it's time to ramp up the training for the Midlands Monster Sportive next month. Over the next 4 weekends I am planning to ride Saturdays & Sundays gradually increasing the mileage by 5-10 miles with commutes to work thrown in for good measure. So, Saturday was a easy ride around country lanes up to Wistanswick [Nr Hodnet] I had changed the route slightly to make it 36 miles, only to find that a small section I had added was more accustomed to mountain bikes than road bikes - the tarmac disintegrating into gravel & pots holes deep enough to swallow you whole, we then found ourselves in the middle of a farm yard, passed morning pleasantries with the surprised farmer before continuing on our route. I think a minor change to the GPS route will make this a very pleasant ride.

Sunday's was a 42 mile ride out & back to Montford Bridge [Nr Shrewsbury] but once again having change dthe route slightly we found our selves on a country lanes marked 'Not suitable for Motor vehicles' - how bad could it be? Could it bad as bad as yesterday? hhhmmm. Well it didn't have as much gravel & the pot holes weren't quite as big but my GPS route will be having another tweak as this section wasn't really suitable for road bikes.

Never the less I enjoyed both rides & the weekend weather has been fantastic - also on that note & the dry weather I finally got to break out my new Sidi shoes - most excellent.

Central Park Bike Tours

You'll never guess where I was cycling last Saturday [or maybe you will from the title] - Central Park New York USA.

We were on holiday for a milestone birthday [50 keep it to yourself]. It was only a 6 mile guided / recreational ride around Central Park but it was a great way to see the sights & Joel our guide for the afternoon was a wealth of knowledge & entertainment [American history & films]. Here's a link to the route

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ny/new%20york/803127118824468552