South Western Road Cycle

I'd  ridden to stay with an old college friend near Oxford the day after my ten mile PB, I could feel the racing effort in my legs as I towed along my winter bike with panniers and mudguards (weather has been that unpredictable I thought it best) and made it there just over four hours for the 75 miles. I sat in the garden & looked at the route to Plymouth, first week of the holidays its bound to be busy on the roads where ever I go but I plumb for heading south to the coast (Portland) and then along the Jurassic coast Lyme Regis, Exeter and then Teinmouth and Totnes, I'd look at the route back in a few days.

Heading South into Oxfordshire

The Chapel at Abbotsbury (Jurassic Coast)

Once past Swindon (M4) and Marlborough on the old Bath road I was onto the Salisbury Plain where the odd military tanker passed me but no sight of the tanks (must be well camouflaged) and a few attack helicopters watching my progress to Salisbury for lunch (55m) I pressed on to Blanford (Forum) and Thomas Hardy's (Tess country) memorial just before Dorchester. The last part to Weymouth was getting busy so it was great to get a dedicated cycle path the last five miles which i shared with a couple of Triathletes and commuters as well as people out for the evening, no potholes, parked cars or annoying sudden ending just like being on the continent, Magic!
I stayed at the Youth Hostel on Portland in the old Military Police station the whole area was military until a few years ago as the 'functional' housing attested but there was lots of new apartments being built on the strength of the Olympic action to take place in the area in a years time. 115m in 7Hr

Chesil Beach to Portland in the distance

I knew the next day along the Jurassic coastline would be the hardest so as I retraced my steps along the narrow connecting sandbar to the mainland and climbed along the ridges overlooking Lyme Bay to the West and it tries to rain on me, after ten miles the road took a sudden right and climbed for ten minutes (in bottom gear 39 x 26) to a viewing point along the straight of Chesil Beach to Portland Bill, it was a good view but I could have done without the drop in speed as it put me under 13mph for the only time in the ride, this was supposed to be a ride done at tempo to help my time trial preparation at these speeds it wasn't going to do the business. The morning continued with annoying traffic on twisty roads until just outside Bridport where a lorry had broken down on a particularly narrow hill road, I passed every car,van & lorry that had passed me in the intervening journey and 5 miles of traffic in the other direction standing outside their cars and calling "Whats up"? "At least two hours" my gleeful reply, revenge as they say is mine! I know the names of these towns & beaches from childhood holidays Branscombe, Beer & Salcombe.  Lyme Regis a bad climb to get into and out of does not reward (similarly Dawlish later) but just a haven of tourist tat and traffic, I didn't even bother to unclip. From Sidmouth I move inland and the roads flatten out as I steer through the Exmouth delta, I stop for a delayed lunch and then take the flatter coast road to the Teign Estuary which has the feel of the highlands but I'm coming into commuter traffic around Torbay and my solitude does not last for long. Last part from Dartington is all uphill to South Brent where I am staying with Dan & Lou for a day before the journey home but for now I can rest, its been a hard day 95m 6:30

My day off I get to sit on Bantham Beach next to Burgh Island and watch the crowds mill about doing the holiday thing, I'm never here in the summer and these beaches are never full like today, Dan is a surfer but the surf is non existent so we have lunch and I head off to visit friends in nearby Noss Mayo & Newton Ferres. The next day the effort to get here has begun to kick in, it's funny how it takes a day for your legs to realise they can relax, I guess that's why the tour riders ride on the rest day, your body needs to know its got something to challenge it, maybe its psychological but I'm in two minds as I have put my body under allot of stress in the last week but as I said before you have to just go for it. I would like to go back via Bristol or Bath to cut across the traffic that flows to the SW but only accommodation at Salisbury means its the dreaded A38/30/303 route, eventually I leave after lunch hopefully the traffic will drop away and I will get a good few hours. And that is the way it pans out after a frantic couple of hours at 20mph through Exeter to Honiton once I get onto the A30 and on the way to Chard & Crewkerne its almost pleasant. By Shaftsbury which was the last major climb of the day It had turned into a pleasant evening and I met up with a couple of riders and was able to tag along all the way back to Salisbury. 120m 6:30

Leaving Salisbury YHA last push

The last day was a retrace of my journey to Swindon and then a hop onto the Fosse road at Stow but the weather had turned for the morning and I had my cape on for an hour and I was glad of mudguards but I was more miserable as I was into a headwind and would be all day,  these days prepare you for the mental as well as the physical duration of the 12 hour and if the day is bad then it's difficult to put a positive spin when you're tired. The reverse  way across the Plains I had a black hawk helicopter for company only added to my paranoia and I could hear firing in the distance. Once onto regular roads I perked up a bit and my speed picked up over the last two hours as I was determined not to be under 17mph, I stopped at a pub for coffee and got a whole cafetiere for £2.20 the bargain of the week with my hot X buns my staple for this sort of thing. I made it back to Leicester to greetings from Fiona, I have survived (1 x punt) and although pretty tired I feel better than I have in ages, my back and torso have taken a pounding from the pressure but my legs feel remarkably good, now have two weeks to finish preparation half day event. Some hard work to take on a bit of speed a couple of more events and a taper and 12 hour here I come 120m 6:50 (Total 550m)