33 miles. On a bike!

On reflection, the dog training yesterday was a bad idea...  8 or 9 runs over 100m with Not So Freaky Running Dog at full tilt while she leapt over jumps wasn't exactly the 'day not training' I had planned.    Which meant that this morning my legs ached.  Before I'd even started.

As well as my normal pre-event preparations (paint toenails and make a picnic) I also checked my bike over, tweaked the gears, lubed the chain, cleaned it and made sure the brakes were working.  OMG I'm turning into Fit Mark!  Except that I remembered to take BOTH my wheels...

Pedalling Paula and I met up somewhere near Bath and I followed her in to the centre (which was just as well as if she'd followed me we'd still be going round in circles) before we made our way to the start of the Bath Cats & Dogs Home Bath & Chew Valley Bike Ride 2013.  Snappy title.

We posed for a lovely photo in our fab T shirts that Pedalling Paula had organised:

Look!  That's the Royal Crescent in the background!

And I took a photo of Pedalling Paula's fab* back of the T shirt too:

[*Message to my clients:  Obviously I don't agree with this sentiment.  At all.]

Our first mission was to find a loo which wasn't still locked (thank you Bath Council Very Helpful).  Pedalling Paula whizzed off through the nearby car park at a rate of knots and I messed around with my gears and completely lost her.  She was quick....  

Then we were off.  On a course described as 'undulating'.  At least, that's how I remember it being described although all evidence has now been wiped from the web....  'Hilly' might describe it better for next time chaps??

 See?  That's 'hilly' not 'undulating'.  Just saying.

I have no idea where we went.  There's a signpost here that says Keynsham, Stanton Prior, Marksbury, Saltford and Bath.  It was on the top of a hill.  Somewhere.

We also ended up remarkably near Bristol Airport - I could read the registration letters on the Squeezy Jet coming in to land...

We had a pit-stop at a lake (very nice - it looked FLAT) where Pedalling Paula had an energy gel (apparently revolting) and I had a Snickers Bar (lovely).  We rode through some really pretty villages, I nearly got knocked off my bike by a mad woman in a car who clearly didn't want to slow down on a very narrow lane, and we got overtaken by a horse when we were going up a long steep hill.  Pedalling Paula and I agreed that we would say it was galloping.

It was galloping.

And we did it!  We cycled 33 miles in 3 hours and 25 minutes and we survived.  We had a really lovely time and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We got passed by a lot of Lycra and sinewy looking blokes.  And a horse.

And, yes, the photos are rubbish.  That's because we took better ones on Pedalling Paula's camera and then I brought it home with me in my rucksack.  Honestly, we haven't got one working memory between us....  So here's another random photo from very early on in the day:  Best 20p Pedalling Paula's ever given me:

Pedalling Paula did the ride on very little breakfast, a newly bought helmet (she forgot to bring hers, see what I mean about the memory?) and with her customary elegance and good cheer.  I did it with virtually no training, peanut butter sandwiches and legs that ached before I started.

I enjoyed it so much that I'm now going to do another bike ride.

I'm going to enter Ride London 2014.  It's 100 miles.

Eeeeeek!