As well as riding, I was able to catch a talk from the entertaining and informed duo of Ned Boulting and Tim Moore, there to talk about their new books from Boulting on the 2014 Tour de France and Moore about riding the route of the 1914 Giro d’Italia in period costume and on a 100 year old bike. Both were informed and interesting , covering the state of cycling in the UK and various anecdotes and stories from Moore’s ride and Boutling’s experiences with the pro riders such as Cavendish and Wiggins.
Both are excellent value and you should take the chance to see them speak if you get it.
Back to the riding. I consulted the weather forecast and aimed to be ready to ride as soon as the sun broke through. Sitting in the car it looked dubious.
Setting off in pretty much winter gear into the rain I instantly fell on the first climb, strangely already forgetting how to ride slippery mud. The going was challenging with a thin layer of mud over the dry ground and the flint and chalk geology of the Chilterns combined with wet roots was a reminder of what we’ve been missing.
I settled in, riding through the lethargy. I was debating making the ride a bit of a mini epic and had to make that decision shortly after the first steep downhill. With the rain still pouring I seriously thought of keeping it short, but despite my doubts I hung a left and headed out to Pishill. Still in the rain I headed through more beech woodland and hoped for the best. Luck was on my side and I emerged from the woods into sudden clear skies just in time to hit the Ridgeway in lovely autumn weather rather than bleak rain.
After a cruise towards the M40 there was a brutal climb to the ridge, a swooping downhill, with more climbing as the distance started to take its toll on the further climbs. I ground out the ups and let as much as I could hang out on the downs pushing myself to a rewarding 50KM in the hills that left me felt tired and satisfied and remembering what winter riding will be like.
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