Post by davidp on Jun 16, 2014 12:49:04 GMT
Spent Sunday 15th having a very pleasant ride in the Beacon RCC Cotswold Audax, accompanied by my eldest son Matthew. Since it was his first ride !!! since doing Perth to Sydney last summer, and I am enduring yet another nasty cold, we took our time.
Starting from near Kings Norton we rode mainly in a small group on a myriad of country lanes southwards to the first checkpoint in Welford on Avon. Some refreshments were taken in and then we headed off to Honeybourne before turning into the breeze and round the northern flank of the Cotswolds. It was a shame there was no sun but it is high summer in the UK right now so much as expected. We nearly went off route after the small climbs but found an organised bunch who did know where they were going and sat in with them most of the way to Charlecote and the 2nd checkpoint. It was noticeable how much better the roads are in Warwickshire than Worcestershire, very little surface dressing (loose gravel) and most of the lanes had been properly tarmacked, smooth, and level, so no being bounced all over the place as at home. Matthew pulled a muscle just before the stop on the last little climb so we had a longish wait for him to recover a bit and it gave me the opportunity to have a good coughing fit too, and some cake!
Stocked with some food and drink we set off on the last leg, into a cool breeze and thickish cloud which turned to drizzle not long after. Soon we were passed by a purposeful rider with route card on his bars which we followed for several miles before losing site of him so we stopped at the next junction to check our card to find we had been led off course, so a retrace for a couple of miles to get back on track just as a small group came through. We followed them for a good way before it got a bit too much for Matthew and his lack of bike miles and they disappeared just before we hit a main road. Again we found we had been led off course, by quite a few miles this time, annoying as we were getting a little tired, and damp, but eventually we did get back on route thanks to Matts use of a sat nav app on his 'phone which enabled us to locate where we actually were and where the route was; I would have gone the wrong way at that point. We also later saw the errant group appear from a road not on the route card, so they did a few extra miles as well.
It's all a bit of a drag back to the finish which is in the same area as the Mad March Hare sportive so anyone who has ridden that will know what I mean. There is a maze of lanes and turns too but riding with the route card in one hand I was able to get us back without any more mishaps. We ended up doing about 125 km instead of 108, but it was a good day out despite some of the little problems. Next time together we should be riding out to see the TdF in Yorshire, hoping the weather is nice for that.
Starting from near Kings Norton we rode mainly in a small group on a myriad of country lanes southwards to the first checkpoint in Welford on Avon. Some refreshments were taken in and then we headed off to Honeybourne before turning into the breeze and round the northern flank of the Cotswolds. It was a shame there was no sun but it is high summer in the UK right now so much as expected. We nearly went off route after the small climbs but found an organised bunch who did know where they were going and sat in with them most of the way to Charlecote and the 2nd checkpoint. It was noticeable how much better the roads are in Warwickshire than Worcestershire, very little surface dressing (loose gravel) and most of the lanes had been properly tarmacked, smooth, and level, so no being bounced all over the place as at home. Matthew pulled a muscle just before the stop on the last little climb so we had a longish wait for him to recover a bit and it gave me the opportunity to have a good coughing fit too, and some cake!
Stocked with some food and drink we set off on the last leg, into a cool breeze and thickish cloud which turned to drizzle not long after. Soon we were passed by a purposeful rider with route card on his bars which we followed for several miles before losing site of him so we stopped at the next junction to check our card to find we had been led off course, so a retrace for a couple of miles to get back on track just as a small group came through. We followed them for a good way before it got a bit too much for Matthew and his lack of bike miles and they disappeared just before we hit a main road. Again we found we had been led off course, by quite a few miles this time, annoying as we were getting a little tired, and damp, but eventually we did get back on route thanks to Matts use of a sat nav app on his 'phone which enabled us to locate where we actually were and where the route was; I would have gone the wrong way at that point. We also later saw the errant group appear from a road not on the route card, so they did a few extra miles as well.
It's all a bit of a drag back to the finish which is in the same area as the Mad March Hare sportive so anyone who has ridden that will know what I mean. There is a maze of lanes and turns too but riding with the route card in one hand I was able to get us back without any more mishaps. We ended up doing about 125 km instead of 108, but it was a good day out despite some of the little problems. Next time together we should be riding out to see the TdF in Yorshire, hoping the weather is nice for that.