My partner and I have separate houses, I commute to her at the
weekends, usually by bike, around 16 miles. My normal Monday is 16
miles home in the morning, then I work in the afternoon/evening, 24
mile round trip cycle commute, making 40 miles for the day.
My partner's house is at 150 feet, route home climbs to nearly 1000
feet, then 8 miles across the hilltops down to my house at 600 feet.
Yesterday as soon as I got past the 1,000 foot mark, there was a
headwind all the way.
Got home, realised I'd left my keys behind. After evaluating options,
decided I had to cycle back and get them (they have a memory stick
with them which is essential for work). Spare car key at partner's
house, so no point in breaking in to get it. Get mobile phone out to
call partner to check spare key for her house in usual place, battery
dead. Eventually find phone box that's still there (they've mostly
gone from rural areas). Can't get through to partner because she
hasn't logged in to her phone. 16 mile ride to her house, spare key
not there, so 3 mile round trip to where she works, get her key, back
to her house, retrieve my keys, eat large chunk of stollen.
Set off home, climb up to 1000', feels a bit tougher this time,
headwind still there, feels a bit stronger, some rain (no jacket, in
panniers left at home earlier), but get home OK, time for a rest
before setting off to work.
Headwind on way to work, no problem, I've had a rest, I have a descent
from 600' to 50' this time, and will have the wind behind on the way
home.
Average 13.5mph for this trip, quite pleased. Come out of work to find
wind has changed direction, so I have a headwind going home, feels
like hard work. Stop at pub halfway for refreshment, just before big
climb.
Come out of pub to discovers it's raining. Hard. Start up hill,
slightly surprised to see another cyclist (it's around 10.30). Do a
decent turn of speed, stay ahead until (s)he turns off. Notice road
feels rather bumpy, investigate, slow puncture in back tyre. Have
spare tube, but am now in dark, rain and wind swept suburbia. Choice
between (a) descending 200' back to town where there's plenty of well
lit sheltered places to fix it; (b) fixing it under a lamppost in the
wind and rain; (c) pumping it up and hoping for the best. Fear I will
fail to find cause of puncture with (b), can't face the re-ascent for
(a), so opt for (c). Get up the hill, then 4 miles across the hill
tops into headwind and heavy rain. 7 or 8 stops to pump up tyre, get
home at midnight, straight to bed.
Total mileage for day: 76 miles
Total ascent: 2,900 feet just based on starting heights and highest
points for each segment, considerably more with undulations.
I don't record rides, but I know I've done numerous 40 and 50 mile
days, a few 60s, and I think this was my fifth 70+ miles. No specific
aches and pains, but felt pretty tired yesterday. Poor eating/drinking
probably partly to blame as I wasn't equipped for such an epic.
Notes to self
(1) get head torch to keep in pannier, I do a fair amount of night
riding in unlit areas, holding a Cateye in mouth just to find valve to
put pump on is not easy (thanks to David Damerell for suggesting
that).
(2) when removing pannier, remember to put pump in bar bag. I had no
pump when returning to my partner's house, if the puncture had
happened then I would have been stuffed a long way from anywhere.
(3) Rear tyre has been on about 2.5 years and several thousand miles,
only one puncture in that time then two in two weeks. Inspection in
daylight shows it's looking the worse for wear, time to replace it
before another puncture.
(4) Must get round to doing an Audax this year. Those little 100k ones
must be easy.
(5) I really ought to get a new bike, my old hybrid is adequate, but I
feel entitled to something better. Just can't decide what, but that's
another topic.