Alzheimer's Century Ride #3 : Three cafes

For my third century ride, I considered the outcome of the first two and decided that I had to introduce an extra cafe stop to avoid too long a spell in the saddle. To be fair, I'd intended to do this on the second ride, but time constraints meant that I skipped the final cafe stop. I also intended to make sure the lunch stop consisted of a more "long day cycling" friendly fuelling, following the fish finger blow out at Whittington Castle. I'd plumped for a ride on the 15th as the weather forecast the day before suggested a dry day with light winds, however at breakfast the BBC weather forecast suggested showers at some point. With a soft curse I packed a rain jacket into my pockets and set off, beginning with a routine journey through Elworth and Wimboldsley with it's usual ups and downs, then headed towards Middlewich on the A530 before crossing the rather brown and murky Shropshire Union Canal at Stanthorne. As usual for a morning ride my head was discussing what I'd picked up from the news with myself, putting the world to rights, although this was making me cross so I started picking up more cues from the environment I was riding through. I headed into Davenham, turning left in the village to ride along the very busy A556 on the 'cycle path', in reality an uneven concrete surface covered in tree detritus, hardly something that will inspire people back on their bikes. I crossed the A556 into Hartford and onto the Weaverham Road. At Hodge Lane I turned left and passed Weaver Junction, where the West Coast Main Line crosses the Manchester - Chester line, with a line branching off the southbound WCML towards Manchester. I felt a couple of spots of rain here, but it didn't come to anything.

I crossed two lines, and in a couple of miles dived under the WCML to enter Weaverham, heading to Acton Bridge where I again crossed over the WCML, shortly turning left to start climbing up towards Norley. Half way along the climb I came to a junction with a sign for the Cheshire Cycleway, a 176 mile circular route around Cheshire. I'd seen many of these signs across my three century rides, which wasn't surprising given my spread of routes, and I wondered how much of the Cycleway I'd actually ridden on. From Norley I followed the road to it's end, turning left at the junction to head to Hatchmere where I took a right to go through Delamere Forest. Along the road I heard a high-pitched 'ee-ee-ee' noise, and looked around for what I assumed was a bird of prey, but couldn't see it in the trees. I rolled through the forest and turned left at the junction to reach my first cafe stop after 25 miles at Kelsall Cycles. 

Here I got a latte and bakewell slice, and made friends with one of the two small dogs that are ever present in the workshop. I knew I'd have the stiff climb of Yeld Lane on the restart, and as I set off I watched the grade on my computer going up - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 percent! The first half of the climb isn't too bad, but then it flattens for a bit before hitting double figures! As I toiled up the steep incline, I heard and saw four buzzards circling above the trees, perhaps waiting to pick off those unfortunate cyclists who don't make it all the way up the climb. As with all uphills, there followed a short, swift downhill into Kelsall where four more miles of gentle downhill followed. I passed Weetwood Ales Brewery and Distillery, where the bar was unfortunately not open (or maybe it was fortunate!). At Tarvin Sands I joined the A54 for a short while, turning off at Tarvin to climb through the village and out to cross the A51, the road taking me to a narrow traffic light controlled bridge over the River Gowy.

Shortly after this, I came across the intriguing Walk Mill, which offered a cafe and water mill, and made a mental note to return for a coffee on a future trip. A little further on I passed the entrance to The Crocky Trail, a mile long adventure trail for kids, which was presided over by a couple of large wire-frame figures pointing to the sky. Made a mental note NOT to visit that cafe! Soon I was entering Waverton, crossing the much lovelier looking Shropshire Union Canal on the very fine Egg Bridge, before turning left onto the busy A41 then left into Saighton Lane. The road crossed the Chester - Crewe railway line by the Stagecoach bus depot, which had a lovely old railway building with old style soffits. At Saighton I turned off to head north west towards Huntington along a pleasant traffic-free road, and at the end turned south east for Aldford. This was a  lovely road, lined with very green hedgerows and trees, and looking to my right I glimpsed a fine looking tower of some sorts. I rode through Aldford, which was a lovely village, and the houses gave me the impression I was cycling through late 30's / early 40's rural England - I half expected a Spitfire or Hurricane to fly over, or a couple of vintage cars or buses to pass me. After Aldford, I continued to Churton where I turned left into Pump Lane and headed towards Coddington along a road that was a little rough in places, at one point being passed by a younger and fitter racing cyclist on skinny tyres. At Coddington I turned for Aldersley, passing Aldersley Green Golf Club into Chowley and crossed the A41 to head into Tattenhall along Rocky Lane. At points along this road the banks on the right showed what looked like exposed sandstone layers, rather than grass or earth. 

I rode through Tattenhall towards Gatesheath, knowing that my lunch stop was imminent, and turned into Gatesheath Lane for Old Ma's Coffee Shop. Here I decided on scrambled eggs on toast to go with my latte, and very good they were too, nice and soft and not too heavy on the stomach. While I was enjoying my lunch I noticed out of the window that the flags in the courtyard were being buffeted by what seemed a much stronger wind than 'light'. Leaving Old Ma's, and feeling better than I did after last week's lunch, I headed towards Newton and the Ice Cream Farm, stopping to let a huge double trailer of baled up hay get past me. 

As with the stop at Kelsall Cycles, I knew a climb was forthcoming, and soon I was working hard up Bolesworth Road, past the entrance to Bolesworth Castle and up the 10% inclines to Harthill, where I paused for a couple of photos of the interesting buildings. I set off again, the incline becoming a swift downhill, which I was enjoying so much that I missed my turn off and had to brake hard and turn around. Resuming on the correct route, I crossed the A534 into Bickerton where I turned left for Cholmondeley, passing Cholmondeley Castle Farm and Shop, and the Castle and Gardens.

A little further on, the road went through a fantastic avenue of tall pine trees, with the scent of pine in the air. Crossing the A49, I soon turned left onto the familiar Nantwich Road and I knew I'd be turning off to head for my afternoon cafe stop along here. I headed through Chorley, passing a wooden sign warning of cats crossing and continued on for what was seeming a longer time than I'd been expecting. I finally reached my turn off and headed towards the A534 again, which I joined for a short while before turning left into Long Lane. This was a very well named lane, around four miles of variable surfaced road, into the teeth of a headwind that made a mockery of the forecast of light winds. At one point I noticed a small sign warning of hedgehogs crossing, at the right level for hedgehogs but maybe less so for car drivers! Several times the strong wind blew into my face, forcing me to adopt my tried and tested method for dealing with such an occasion - telling it to go away (in a choice selection of obscenities!). 

Finally I came to the Yew Tree Inn, where I turned right into Bunbury, past Darkie Meadow (wondering on the origin of that particular name), and rolled up to Tilly's Cafe, where I settled for latte and bakewell slice (predictably, maybe). Refreshed, I set off again, and rode over the Shropshire Union Canal (again), with a fantastic downhill to the canal bridge, into Alpraham where I joined the A51 for a short while, turning off into Long Lane (a different one this one) and then to Calveley and Cholmondeston. Here I turned south to cross the Shropshire Union Canal (Middlewich Branch) by Venetian Marina, with a cafe I've never been to but which looked fairly reasonable, so will put it on my 'to visit' list. The road took me past Reaseheath Agricutlural College and Crewe Alexandra's training ground to the busy A51, where I crossed onto Welshman's Lane. I saw a large object in the road in the distance, which resolved itself into a dog as I got closer. I couldn't quite distinguish the type, but hoped it wasn't going to be a vicious terrier, as there didn't seem to be an owner within sight. I realised with a little relief that it looked a softer dog, of the Tricky-Woo type (the dog with the 'pencil' in All Creatures Great And Small) and relaxed as I got closer, until at the last minute it suddenly decided to run towards me! Fortunately it didn't jump or attempt to bite, otherwise it could have been interesting! 

I rode through Nantwich, crossing the Crewe - Shrewsbury railway line at the level crossing (bump bump bump), to head towards Wybunbury. Entering the village, I noticed the sign proclaiming Wybunbury as 'the home of the leaning tower'. Take that Pisa, I thought. Further along I came to said tower, which didn't look as wonky as the famous one in Pisa, but is one of those 'hidden' local landmarks that you never know anything about unless you delve. It has a very interesting history and does actually lean to the north (see the Wiki page on St Chad's Church Wybunbury). Just after the tower I turned left and took the rolling road to Wrinehill, where I turned north and looked forward(!) to eleven miles of headwind home. By this time I was feeling knackered, and found myself staring at the road just in front of my front tyre more often than not. However, the sun was shining, so it wasn't all bad, and I soldiered on, through Betley and Weston and up the final stiff climb of Old Park Road to drop down into Haslington. Through Winterley, I crossed the surprisingly quiet A534 into Wheelock and turned for Ettiley Heath and home.

Although I felt exhausted again, it had been a bloody good ride, passing through a wonderful variety of scenic Cheshire countryside, and bringing new and exciting places to my attention for future visits. I hadn't been rained on (so no need for the bloody rain jacket then), and for the most part the roads had been fairly light of traffic. And of course I had had three coffee and food stops to fuel the adventure!

The friendly dog at Kelsall Cycles

Alzheimer's Century Ride #2 : Whittington Castle

For my second century ride in the challenge I picked a course created by a local cycling club for an Audax event - Audax being the long distance cycling association. The ride to Whittington Castle was described as "not particularly hilly", which sounded great, and I'd already ridden part of the route to Whixall Marina as a warm up at the end of July. The weather looked fairly pleasant with light winds and no rain forecast, so I set off in high spirits following the same start as last week's ride through Winterley and Haslington, before turning off to Weston. It has a couple of inclines to get the heart going, but nothing too strenuous, and from Weston I headed to Wybunbury, where rather than turning right to go through the pretty village as I usually do I turned left to cross the A51 and head to Audlem. The road was winding and slightly undulating, taking me past lots of fields full of tall maize, before a climb into Hankelow had me puffing into Audlem.

Audlem has a pretty centre, and turning right onto the A525 I crossed the Shropshire Union canal and descended out of town, a short climb then taking me to turn right onto Coole Lane. I turned left shortly, following the Cheshire Cycleway, along a nice lane passing some farm buildings, with a couple of dips for fun. At the end I turned left and crossed the A525 onto another narrow quiet lane, albeit with a bumpy, potholed stretch to start with. 

Turning right, and then left, I noticed a rather cute windmill on a house fence, of a black cat riding a bike. As I was taking a photo of it, two cyclists went by in the direction I was heading, one male and one female. Starting off again, I hadn't gone far when I paused to allow a tractor and following car with trailer to come past, the lane was fairy narrow at this point and it would have been a tight squeeze for us both to be on the same part of the road. A little further on I passed the two cyclists - the gent was having a wee against a gate, and as it would have been rude to acknowledge this I didn't say Hi again. The road seemed to go on forever, through verdant farmland, until I eventually came to Ightfield, and from there briefly joined the main road before turning off to Ightfield Heath. The glorious countryside continued, and I felt that I could have been looking at a pre WWII countryside scene, half expecting to see old style tractors and people helping with the harvest. 

Eventually I came to the busy A41, and carefully crossed over to enter Prees. I headed past the houses and came to a junction at the pretty church of St Chad, where I turned right to descend under the A49 and cross Whitchurch Road to leave the village, After a mile I came to Prees railway station, where I had to stop due to the level crossing barriers being down, red lights flashing. After what seemed like an eternity (I swear it was at least five minutes!) a four car unit sped past heading for Shrewsbury, the barriers lifted and I continued on my way. A left at the next junction, then a right into Post Office Lane took me to Whixall. Shortly after I passed an old man on a small wheeled bike at a junction, consulting a map, and in a short while the first pit stop of the day appeared - Whixall Marina Cafe. 

I stopped off for a coffee and a flapjack here before resuming my journey, turning right at the next junction in Northwood to graze the Welsh - English border. On my previous visit to Whixall Marina I had turned off here into Wales, but today I went straight on, remaining in England for the time on new roads. In a short while, I turned left following the blue cycle signs for Oswestry (17 miles) and Ellesmere (6). The road turned into a very leafy lane, with tall hedgerows and trees either side, where I again stopped to give way to an oncoming vehicle. 

At the hamlet of Lyneal, my route took me right and then left into another long, leafy lane, rather aptly called The Avenue, which took me to Colemere, where I came across the old man with the small wheeled bike again. At Colemere there is a mere (Cole Mere not surprisingly) and I also noticed some vines growing in a field, something you'd expect to see in France, not in north west England! Apparently you can get Colemere wines, red, white, rose and sparkling versions all available, as well as vineyard tours (www.colemere.co.uk). Further along the road I came across a warning of Heavy Plant Crossing, and rode past a huge sand quarry on my right, with what looked like a processing plant on my left. Hands down the ugliest part of my ride so far, and a stark contrast to the gorgeous countryside that I'd ridden through all day. At the junction with the main road, I crossed over and cycled past White Mere (base for Shropshire Sailing Club) and on to Lee, where I turned right at a junction (with a rather large articulated lorry reversing towards me on my left) and then left towards Tetchill, where I finally came to a road that was capable of two vehicles side by side (not that I had been missing one at all!). The road continued through Tetchill and on to Hordley, all the while the hedgerows were quite tall which prevented me seeing much of the countryside, although I was getting the occasional glimpses of the Welsh hills brooding in the distance. Soon though, having passed Rednal, I noticed a canal to my left - the Montgomery Canal - and the road followed this dead straight to Queen's Head, where indeed there was a pub called The Queen's Head. I turned right here, and right again to head towards Whittington and lunch. Along the way, I felt the call of nature, and found a fairly secluded spot for a wee, at which point I heard a bird going eee-tut-tut-tut over and over, presumably telling me off for peeing in public.

In Whittington the twin towers of Whittington Castle came into sight, and I dismounted to walk over the bridge into the castle itself. It is the UK's only community owned castle, although there isn't a great deal left of it to be perfectly honest. I decided on Jumbo Fish Finger sandwich, with chips (not salad), and when it came I suspected that it may not have been the wisest of choices. It was huge, but fabulously tasty, but I did wonder how I'd feel back on the road again. Forty-five minutes later I found out, and it wasn't brilliant. I felt stuffed, and struggled with turning the pedals after my stop. Having left Whittington, I turned right down another undulating quiet lane, at one point seeing a dog apparently on its own and wondering if it was friendly, before relievedly seeing it's owner who called it to heel. At the end of this lane I turned right into St Martin's Road, crossing the Shropshire Union Canal Llangollen Branch and coming into St Martin's itself, where I passed a huge Nisa Extra called Stan's Superstore! After St Martin's I rode through Street Dinas and Sodylt Bank before crossing into Wales unheralded at Shellbrook Bridge. No sooner was I in Wales than I hit some roadworks at the bottom of a hill, and of course was stopped by the red light! Setting off again, I struggled uphill and passed Knolton Farmhouse Cheese, looking more like a large factory than a farmhouse, which intriguingly advertised a cheese machine. In a short while I turned left on the A528 to Overton, where I crossed over and through to pick up the Bangor Road. 

I passed Bangor-On-Dee racecourse and rode alongside the River Dee for a short while, although it was mainly hidden by hedges, before entering Bangor-On-Dee (or Bangor-Is-Y-Coed). After riding underneath the A525 main road I came across St Dunawd's Church with its associated cemetery, looking very stately in the cloudy weather. I'd been to Bangor twice before, and had seen the church, but not from this viewpoint, so stopped for a photo. From this point I knew there was some serious climbing up to Malpas - I'd ridden from Malpas to Bangor before and seemed to remember a long steep downhill, so was looking ahead with some trepidation. Setting off again, the road climbed for a mile and hit a maximum of 9% before a mile of downhill gave some respite. I road through the pretty village of Worthenbury, with a pretty church, after which the road started climbing again, and continued climbing for five miles to Malpas. 

Just before Threapwood a road signed announced I was arriving in England, and I stopped for a photo. Although the road was continually climbing, it wasn't as bad as I had feared, and I was able to keep a good momentum up. The last little bit into Malpas reared up, and I entered the town and turned left at the next junction for a little more climbing out of town, which shortly became a nice little descent into a tight left hand bend before continuing downhill to Tilston, where I turned right towards Carden Park. At the park, I cycled past the golf course, where retired men and women were enjoying their games, and crossed the A534 at Crutton towards Chowley. Crossing the A41 onto Rocky Lane, I headed towards Tattenhall where a right and then left brought me to roads from last week's ride, only in the opposite direction. I recognised the building site that I had passed last week, thinking how strange it was to be seeing things from the other way. In a short while I turned right and came to Manor Farm, and Old Ma's Coffee Shop. I stopped, but only to text an ETA home, as I didn't want to be home too late and it was looking like a 5:15 return without a stop. Setting off again, I headed straight on at the next crossroads and rode past a busy Ice Cream Farm before reaching Tattenhall Lane, where I rejoined last week's route (in the right direction this time). At Beeston Castle I left last week's route, and followed the road through to Bunbury, passing St Boniface's Church and crossing the Shropshire Union Canal at the Staircase Locks. Reaching the main road at Alpraham, the traffic seemed backed up by traffic lights heading towards Calveley, but I nipped into a gap and got through fairly quickly. Turning left shortly after, I hooked up with last week's route again on Long Lane, and followed this to Wettenhall, Cholmondeston and Church Minshull to negotiate the stiff climb out of the village, which I managed reasonably comfortably. At Minshull United Reformed Church, where a Yorkshire flag was flying, presumably in recognition of the recent Yorkshire Day, I turned left for Minshull Vernon and then left again for the A530 towards Middlewich. More roadworks stopped me on the climb of the railway bridge, but after negotiating these it wasn't long before I turned off on Chapel Lane to take the last little undulations down Forge Mill Lane, then left into Warmingham, right into Crabmill Lane and left into Hall Lane to reach the final drag up and over the canal bridge. Under the railway bridge and right into Elton Road, and uphill (slightly, but it's a bugger at the end of a long ride) back to the house. 

It had been a hard, but very enjoyable ride, through some lovely traffic free lanes, although the last hour or so found me not looking at the scenery so much due to being somewhat knackered! I'd only done two stops again, although in contrast to last week, where I had a long drag in the middle section of the ride, this time I did the last fifty miles without a break. Maybe for the next ride I'll look to get a third stop in, and will almost certainly NOT have a huge lunch at the midpoint. 

Alzheimer's Century Ride #1 : Tour de Cheshire

For my first 100 mile ride in the challenge I used a route that I'd planned a out a while ago when I was thinking of doing a century ride. I hadn't studied it too closely for this ride, as I didn't want to worry too much about what was coming up many miles ahead! After a decent breakfast I set off, pausing for the obligatory photo, and rode out of Sandbach for Alsager just after half past eight. The weather was fine, with a little wind (due to pick up around lunchtime) and only a short spell of rain forecast (again, around lunchtime), so I stuffed a rain jacket in my middle top in readiness for it. Food-wise I carried three energy bars and four gels, along with two 750ml water bottles.

On the climb up to Alsager I kept reminding myself that it was a marathon, not a sprint, and took it fairly steadily, not wanting to use all my energy in the first half of the ride. Despite feeling a little tired when I woke up, the ride itself felt fine and it was good to be riding through leafy lanes, Coming into Alsager I was passed by a female cyclist wearing a GB Age Group tri suit. A little further on she was stopped at some road works and we had a little chat before setting off again. She disappeared fairly quickly, and I found myself having to ease off a bit, having caught the "got to keep up with the cyclist that just passed me" bug! I was expecting to head through Alsager and turn left onto the A50 for Holmes Chapel and Knutsford, but was surprised when the route turned left in the centre of town, eventually bringing me out at the familiar Borrow Pit Meadows, and from here through Hassall Green on familiar roads to Smallwood. After Smallwood my route took me to Congleton and down a nice 10% drop, from which of course there was a similar short uphill to Somerford Booths! A left turn at the top took me past the World Famous (at least here in Cheshire) Clonter Opera, then to Lower Withington and past Jodrell Bank. The radio telescopes were sadly not upright, which would have made for a decent picture, but flat. At the roundabout at Chelford I passed the Village Hall, which I'd visited a few times in my time-trialling days, and went under the railway line to Gatley Green, along Welsh Row to face the start of the biggest climb of the day - up Artists Lane to The Wizard, nearly two miles at an average of 3.4%. I toiled my way up, and at the top headed over the road to the first pit stop of the day - The Wizard Tearoom.

Here I had a capuccino and a sumptuous raspberry and oat rye muffin, still warm! I checked my bike as it had developed an annoying rattle after Chelford and found my rear mudguard had come loose at the seat stay bridge. I quickly fixed this and prepared to set off at eleven o'clock. I overheard the staff at the cafe saying that it was raining, bang on time, although my forecast only had rain from twelve. Fortunately it didn't come to much, and I set off down the hill into Alderley Edge. I hadn't been down this road for a long while, as there were too many potholes, but to my surprise I found the road a lot better, and dropped into Alderley much happier than previously. At the bottom of the hill I crossed over into Chorley Hall Lane, where there used to be a football pitch on which I once scored a goal for Barclays Radbroke Hall Sunday team. From there I headed to Lindow End, past Wilmslow Golf Course and on to Ollerton, where I joined the Knutsford Road. I had ridden along this road many times in my time trialling days, and indeed my only 100 mile TT would have used this road. I headed through Knutsford with grey ominous clouds overhead, and took the route through Tatton Park, where I saw a group of male deer lying under a tree. At this point the rain was starting to fall and I took the opportunity to stop, have an energy bar and put my rain jacket on. 

The rain became persistent, but not that heavy, and I left the park and headed to Rostherne, on new roads for me. Although wet it was quite a pretty route with some lovely buildings and lots of greenery. At Rostherene I turned left towards Bucklow Hill, which I had been a little concerned with as it used to be a very busy junction before the M6/M56 link road was built. Now though, the traffic lights have gone (save for a set of pedestrian crossing lights) and I sailed through towards High Legh easily. Eventually I came to the busy A50, and headed into High Legh, turning left at the garden centre. I crossed over the M6, where a group of people were standing on the bridge with cameras in hand, for what I do not know! A little while later I stopped to take my rain jacket off, as the rain had now stopped and there were signs of it clearing. Continuing on, I passed signs for Arley Hall and Great Budworth Alpaca Walking. This was another nice, green section of the route, and at one point a dragonfly flew out ahead of me. Entering Great Budworth the road was atrocious, with so many pot holes, but the village itself is pretty, with a nice church.

Leaving Great Budworth downhill, I crossed the main road to go uphill towards Comberbach, where I turned left towards Marbury. Here there were signs saying the road was closed, which caused a bit of concern. I pressed on though, as often there is a way through for cyclists. I passed Anderton Boat Lift and Marbury Country Park, and eventually came to the road works on Soot Hill which confirmed the road was closed, "except for cycles" - result! I turned left at Winnington Swing Bridge into Northwich, and then right on Winnington Avenue, past what used to be a large ICI works, towards Weaverham. The wind had picked up by now, and had become a head wind, and it started to get hard. Through Weaverham and past Acton Bridge, the road became rolling and rough, which didn't help with the strong head wind, and going uphill through Kingsley was a real struggle. Eventually I came to a crossroads, and headed straight over to continue climbing for a short while before dropping down to Hatchmere, where I turned right on the forest road through what looked to be a very busy Delamere Forest. The forest road (actually Ashton Road) is a nice switchback through the forest, and momentum gained downhill helps with the next uphill section. Ashton Road became Delamere Road, and at the end of this I turned left towards Ashton Hayes where I turned into Duck Road, onto Kelsall Road and onto the busy Kelsall Bypass for a short while, finally turning left into Kelsall itself. This was another grind, and I'd expected to be turning right for Weetwood Brewery, however my route took me onwards and upwards(!) to eventually turn right to where I knew the old Kelsall Cycles was. After a bit more climbing / struggling, I cycled past Willington and enjoyed a good downhill blast to the A51 at Clotton. Here, I crossed the busy road into the aptly named Corkscrew Lane which twisted and turned towards Huxley. At Huxley, I knew where I was and, more importantly, where the next pit stop was going to be! I started thinking about what I was going to order, settling on a nice teacake with jam and a coffee. At the end of Huxley Lane I turned left into Red Lane, and more short, steep climbs to hurt my legs. Finally, I turned right into Newton Lane and after a short while the welcoming sight of Manor Farm and Old Ma's Coffee Shop brought a welcome and much needed rest to proceedings.

Here, I found an amendment to the rule about knowing when the cafe closes - know when the kitchen of the cafe closes! It closed at Old Ma's at 2pm, so at 2:26 my hopes of a teacake went up in smoke. I settled on a piece of chocolate cake instead - not the same. I stretched my legs as I ate and drank, thinking that the next, and final, part of the route would be with a wind mostly favourable. Setting off again just before 3pm, I had a short stretch into the wind before turning back on myself for home. Riding through Tattenhall, I had a good idea where the route would take me now as I'd been that way before, and it wasn't long before I was turning left into Bird's Lane heading towards Beeston. Every slight incline now was beginning to feel like Alpe D'Huez, although I was still going well on level ground. Soon, Beeston Castle came into view ahead of me, which meant more climbing. That was tempered though by what I thought would be a reasonable ride home after I'd passed the castle. 

No such luck though! A little while later, my computer told me to take a left, then another left, and I knew what was coming up! Passing underneath Beeston Castle, I turned off on the descent of Bates Mill Lane towards the Shropshire Union Canal. It was good to get a rest from pedalling as I flew downhill, but I knew that an equal uphill awaited after the canal, followed by a long drag into Tarporley. 

I stopped to take a picture at the picturesque canal bridge, then pushed on to attack the uphill. Strangely, I found this to be not as bad as expected, and after joining the main road and turning for Tarporley, the drag up didn't seem as hard as anticipated either. I went through Tarporley and took Eaton Road for Eaton (no surprise there!) where I turned into Edgewell Lane and onto an old familiar road for me, and I found I was still keeping up a good pace. Eventually I turned left into Alpraham Green and at the end turned left into Long Lane. This brought me out at Wettenhall, where I turned right for Cholmondeston, and here I turned left for Church Minshull. I knew the climb out of Church Minshull would be a killer, so took it easy for a while to try to save energy. At Church Minshull I was stopped at the bridge before the climb by traffic coming through (and ignoring the Give Way to Traffic Leaving The Village notice, or following the It's OK To Ignore Signs If You Are Following Another Car rule), so had to set off from standing start. It's a slog on a rough section of verge at times, so I had to weave a little, but I kept going and made it over the climb and the subsequent nasty little stinger of the canal bridge, and then followed the road round to the traffic lights at Minshulls Garden Centre. Here I turned left, then right to avoid the closure of Flowers Lane, feeling not too bad as I rode along. In Leighton I turned left, crossing the railway bridge (sting in the legs), and following the road past the White Lion at Coppenhall Moss (what wouldn't I give for a beer now!). I'd switched from map view to time / distance on my computer by now, and watched as the three figures clocked up on the display - 100 miles! A short while later I turned right into Hall Lane for the final leg home, took the last stinger of the canal bridge climb in my stride, went under the railway and turned into Elton Road - home, slightly under eight hours since I'd set off! 

It had been a good day out, although I was bloody knackered at the end. I was pleased with the final time, given I'd not done a hundred mile ride in thirty years, and am looking forward to the next one with a little less trepidation now.

How to ride 100 miles (1) : Don't

The last time I rode 100 miles it was non-stop, a time trial, and I completed it in 5 hours 1 minute. I was miffed, as I wanted to do it in "evens", a time trialling term for 20mph average, so to miss out by one minute was incredibly frustrating. It was the only 100 mile time trial I did. I was around thirty then, today I'm ecstatic if I average 16mph, and usually do less. Still, it's more about the enjoyment and surroundings now (and the cake) rather than the speed. I've been hankering at doing a century ride for a while, and now with the Alzheimer's Society 100 mile in August challenge I've the perfect excuse. So, how do you ride 100 miles? 

1 : Don't. I have a course planned that will split the distance down into a series of manageable chunks, so the idea is to ride for a while, stop for refreshments, get back on and do some more, stop for more refreshments, and so on until reaching the century. My typical ride is around two hours / thirty miles, so I'm looking at three chunks of around thirty miles, each of which will be a less daunting ride than a straight one hundred.

2 : Cafes. Refreshment stops are to be an experience, not a necessity. Why drink a takeaway coffee and snack standing up at a Nisa Local / Tesco Express / Garage when you could be sitting on a comfy chair with a cup of decent coffee and a sizeable slab of cake? Much more relaxing and revitalising, and if the weather is inclement much more cosy. The only down side is you could be tempted to stay too long, with the risk of seizing up and facing a struggle to get going again. So, plan your route to include a good cafe at the end of each split. And remember to check opening times of your intended cafe - there is a cracking looking cafe in Devon that I planned to stop at on my Devon Coast to Coast ride only to find that a) it didn't open on Monday (when I was going South) and b) it closed a quarter of an hour before I arrived on the Tuesday (going North). 

3 : Progress goes up, not down. Tick off the miles as they go past, rather than looking at how far there is left to ride. It's better to celebrate completing twenty miles than think that you've still got eighty miles to go. 

4 : Be a mobile cafe. Carry extra food in your pockets, and drink lots of fluid. I'll probably take two or three Eat Natural bars of different flavours and textures, a couple of Trek White Choc and raspberry protein bars (other brands of bars are available of course!), a couple of energy gels and take two large water bottles on the bike, which I'll refill with water at the cafe and pop a hydration tablet in. These will supplement the cafe stops and will ensure you don't run out of energy miles from the next cafe stop. Not too many though, it'll be a struggle to fit into your pockets and unwanted weight.

5 : Don't look at the road. Enjoy the surrounding scenery and countryside, take it all in. Don't slump and stare straight ahead at the road - it'll make the ride seem longer and more of a struggle. Obviously keep an eye on where you're riding though - you don't want to end up in the ditch or in a huge pothole! 

6 : JFDI!

So that's the theory - next step is to put it into practice with my first ride on my take on the Alzheimer's Society 100 miles in August challenge.

Another ride with fish & chips and beer

Setting off to the coast on a sunny Bank Holiday Saturday doesn't sound the most sensible thing to do, and indeed the traffic was heavy going up the M1. My sat nav diverted me off in what appeared to be the wrong direction at Garforth, but to my surprise I ended up joining the A64 at Tadcaster. Traffic was heavy here too, but always moving, and after turning off onto the A166 there was a further hold up at Stamford Bridge. After this it settled down, and I got to the Wold Top Brewery a quarter of an hour after registrations had opened. I signed in, picked up my camping token (they knew I'd attended last year's event for some reason), set up my tent and put my wheels onto the bike. At this point I found my back wheel seemed to be rubbing in the brake, but there was no time to sort it out before the start.

We set off just after one on a very warm day, with not a cloud in the sky. Whereas last year's event had an easterly wind helping us out on the outward leg, this year we had to content with a niggly headwind, making it hard going in places on the undulating Wolds roads. As usual the countryside was magical, with lots of green fields, hedges and trees in blossom. 

The road climbed steadily for the first fifteen miles, culminating in a high point before a nice 10% descent of Cowcliff Hill brought us to North Grimston, where we joined the B1248 for a while before turning off down Cordike Lane. Here I stopped to tighten my rear skewer which looked open - didn't want my wheel to come loose at speed downhill! We went through Langton which had a huge wall of a hedge, then through Eddlethorpe and down a 14% descent into Kirkham, past the Abbey and over a lovely stone bridge, from which a group of lads were jumping into the River Derwent. Over the bridge and across the railway, the road rose sharply at around 10% for a short lung-busting stretch, with a glorious scent of wild garlic, after which we turned off towards Crambe and along Riders Lane to re-cross the railway. At the end of the lane we turned left to head back for home (and the food stop of course!). We crossed the Derwent again at Howsham Bridge to look forward to five miles of climbing, at times up to 14%. We went past Ryedale Vineyards (who knew there was a vineyard in t'north?) and past the Jolly Farmer Inn, where a couple of the riders had decided to stop for a beer break. 

We reached the high point at Aldro Plantation, and then started a fabulous descent through glorious countryside, passing a herd of Highland Cattle (with calves feeding), sheep and lambs, flowering gorse and blossoming trees which ended all too soon at the welcome food stop at Thixendale.

Here I had a coffee and various goodies, a rest and bit of a stretch, before setting off again for the last twenty five miles. We followed a gently descending lane for four miles, which had the occasional rough stretch with potholes to catch the unwary, and I passed a couple of water bottles on the road which had obviously been jettisoned from bottle cages without the owners noticing! After a short climb into Fimber, we turned left on the B1251 for a nice downhill towards Sledmere, and after crossing the B1248 Beverley Road resumed normal climbing up towards Sledmere. 

We passed Sledmere Pomnik and Wagoners Memorial, and Sledmere House and then turned onto the Yorkshire Wolds Way at Croome Road for five miles of mostly downhill rising. It had become a little cloudy by now, which was better for rising, and with the wind at my back I was making good progress. Eventually we reached the Main Road at Helperthorpe and turned right back towards the brewery. Now we could have stayed on this road and retraced our route to the brewery, but the lovely people who designed the route clearly thought we needed some more climbing, so shortly after Weaverthorpe we turned off and headed up White Sprunt Hill (not sure what a sprunt is), turning right at the end onto the B1253. Crossing the B1249 Scarborough Road near the East Riding Cemetery we were treated to four and a half miles of descending, including a 10% drop into Wold Newton. Here we crossed the Main Road again and paid for the downhill fun by enduring a mile long climb at up to 9%, then a short, sharp descent into Fordon. Here we turned right onto the road to the brewery, and the final, cruel, climb up the brewery driveway at up to 12%. 

Ride done, I signed back in, dropped the bike off back at the tent and went back for my fish and chips, and a pint. 

The clouds hadn't lifted, and so I wasn't expecting a sunset like I'd experienced the previous year, however as the evening wore on a gap appeared on the horizon, and I was able to sit and watch the sun disappear behind the Wolds for the day. It was the perfect way to end another very enjoyable Sundown 60 ride.

Crewe, Nantwich and South Cheshire RNLI Three Shires - no lifeboats needed......

I first noticed this event last year, what struck me wasn't "ooh that's close" or anything like that but "why is there a branch of the RNLI in deepest Cheshire, 50 miles from the sea? Having looked further it appears there are several fundraising branches around the country that are miles from the nearest set of waves, so ours isn't unique by any way. Having spent many years living by the seaside and supporting the RNLI, it made sense to join in this years event. 

A bonus was that it started and finished at Sandbach RUFC, so I had a nice gentle warm-up / cool down to look forward to! The day dawned with lots of sun, although a little chilly to start with, so set off with arm warmers with the intention of losing them half way round. There were quite a few riders at the Rugby Club already when I got there just after half eight, but I registered quickly and then took my place in the queue to go. I set off at the back of the group and settled into a steady rhythm, picking off a couple of smaller groups on the way. Turning into Cledford Lane in Middlewich I had a nice surprise - the road had been resurfaced! Previously it was crumbling down the left hand side, so the new tarmac was a pleasure to ride on. At the end of the lane another pleasant surprise - the traffic lights at the A533 went green for me within a few seconds of my arrival, usually they seem to ignore me for a minute or so. Through Middlewich and Warmingham I passed another couple of groups, and past Leighton Hospital I stopped at the road works lights for the usual long wait! Past Minshulls Garden Centre and down Eardswick Lane I got passed by a fitter cyclist, who I'd get overtaken by later in the day. Through Church Minshull and out the other side, there was a triathlon cycle leg taking place, and I marveled at the lack of athletic looking bodies (and bikes) who were participating. Have to say a big kudos to them though, even though I probably could do a tri, there's no way I would! 

A little later on we were directed right, off the Nantwich road, and following a couple of farm lanes the route brought me onto Wettenhall Road at Poole, where we joined the actual triathlon course for a mile and a half. We'd been warned about this, and I kept checking behind to see if there were any triathletes speeing up behind me so I could keep out of their way. It turned out there was only one that passed me! Crossing the A51 into Welshman's Lane, I found myself at some traffic lights in Nantwich, where a group of walking ladies in keep fit gear gave me a cheer and said 'keep going' - I wonder if they thought I was in the triathlon (ha ha). The route then followed a very picturesque trail through Acton, Swanley, Stoneley Green, Wrenbury-cum-Frith, Sound, and past Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker (not so secret now), and over two stretches of canal, busy with narrow boats. A short while after the bunker came the first pit stop at Overwater Marina, where I refilled a water bottle, had a banana and removed the arm warmers, it being very warm now.

Setting off again after the pit stop. my legs seemed very heavy and it was hard work pedalling for a while, but thankfully I soon settled down back into a decent rhythm. The route then went into Audlem and through the village, rather than turning left for Swanbach as I'd expected. This led to a stiff climb out of Audlem, which wasn't that welcome! A little while after Audlem the route turned right through more small lanes, and over another stretch of canal, to join the road to Adderley at Swanbach. At Adderley the route turned off and I passed another small group who that stopped at the side of the road, before enjoying a roller coaster of a lane that went over a disused railway line (not much evidence of the line other than the bridges that crossed it!) on the way to Norton In Hales, where the route turned back north again. This stretch of the route climbed for two miles before descending again for a similar distance through narrow lanes in part shade, which caused a couple of moments where I held my breath as small potholes were hidden by the dappled shade, only becoming visible at the last moment. Fortunately I avoided any disaster and crossed Woore Road towards Hankelow, passing another couple of riders on the way, and being passed by a group of five who seemed to be treating the event as a race! 

At Hankelow we turned right onto Audlem Road, and shortly after turned off at Birchall Moss onto a lovely scenic stretch of road, with lot of greenery and flowers. I passed a home made sign advertising honey, and shortly after was assailed by a fantastic aroma of flowers in bloom, better than anything Airwick or Glade could come up with. I'd been aware of another cyclist behind me coming out of Hankelow and fully expected to be passed at any time. Knowing you have another rider on your tail always makes you not want to slow down, so I continued at a reasonable pace along the undulating road, which in hindsight may not have been my most sensible move! More undulations followed as the road dived under the Crewe London railway line, and I knew we weren't far from the next pit stop at Betley. 

Here I refilled a water bottle and had a banana, and as there were biscuits on offer felt it rude not to take advantage: 2 bourbons and 2 hobnobs! As I stood eating and drinking, I couldn't help but notice the RNLI flag above the gazebo which was suggesting the last eight miles were going to be into a not inconsiderable gusty headwind! Also noticeable, or rather unmissable, was the tandem carrying a child and music player which was pumping out favourites such as The Wheels On The Bus and Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes! 😁

I set off again and was definitely feeling a little tired now, my previous exertions catching up with me. That, and the head wind, made it tough going in places, and every little incline began to feel like Alpe D'Huez. Indeed, after leaving Betley we were treated to a mile of climbing before descending down through Balterley and Barthomley to Alsager. Here, as I rode through the town, fate played a cruel trick on me by wafting delicious roast dinner smells under my nose! After Alsager we went over the Trent & Mersey Canal (another little climb) at Hassall then through Malkins Bank before climbing up to Sandbach to join the Alsager road at The Hill, promising a lovely freewheel down to the junction with the A534 Wheelock Bypass. Crossing over we climbed past St Mary's Church and The Old Hall, onto the cobbles of the High Street for a taste of Paris Roubaix, past the Hightown Drinking Fountain and Raffaele's, where punters were enjoying their drinks, and made our way back to the Rugby Club where we were given a warm welcome by the volunteers. 

I signed back in, picked up my bright T-shirt and medal and headed to get my free pulled pork bap (very tasty). As I stood eating this, I reflected on a lovely day out riding through some of Cheshire's (and Shropshire's and Staffordshire's) finest countryside on a beautiful day. I made a point of thanking the volunteers at the marshal points, pit stops and at the headquarters, who had given their free time willingly so that the cyclists could have their fun, and will certainly look to make this a regular outing. As I finished my bap, and prepared to set off for the two mile ride home, my last thoughts were of the committee meeting at the Rugby Club that had agreed on the name of one of the ends at the main rugby ground - The Bell End| 😂

2023 first quarter retrospective

How often have I wondered where the time went, and now again at the start of May I am thinking how fast the year has gone. 

It started off badly, we lost Sandra's Dad mid January after a short illness. It was unexpected and devastating, and for a while it took over almost all our time. I did a lot of train chasing last year, cycling to reasonable spots where I could take videos of steam trains on the mainline, and I would always send the videos to my father-in-law, who loved trains and was a train spotter in his younger days. After the funeral I had a chance to get a video of a steam train passing by Sandbach, and whilst I walked to the canal and got a decent video, it wasn't the same with no-one to share it with. I will miss his presence on my rides this year, even though he was never with me on any of them - he will be there in spirit.

January was a sparse month for cycling for obvious reasons, and February started slowly. I'd planned a 60+ mile ride on the 11th, but didn't feel like I could complete it early on, so aborted the original route and carried on with a view to a much shorter ride. Not long after I'd made the decision though, I found I wasn't feeling too bad, and kept on plugging away until I got to the point where I realised I could manage 60+ miles. When I got home, I'd ridden just over 64 miles, and although I was understandably tired it was no worse than other rides I'd previously done. The rest of the month was made up of the usual set of rides of just over 30 miles.

March saw me covering the usual roads, with a couple of 50 mile rides thrown in. One of these took me to Kelsall (for a cuppa at Kelsall Cycles) after which I rode to Beeston, one of the more scenic destinations in my portfolio, stopping to take photos at Beeston Castle and the bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal Main Line. I bought a new front light at Kelsall Cycles, and was so impressed I went back the next day to get a front light, this time going north from Kelsall to Mouldsworth for another 50 mile ride.

April saw me resuming the train chasing rides, and the first of these was on the 5th. This was to get a video of the LNER A4 Pacific Sir Nigel Gresley - my father-in-law's favourite and hence a special moment for me. It was a bit of a grey day, and indeed after I'd got the video, on the way back it started raining and didn't stop until I got home. Fortunately I was prepared and was wearing my rain jacket, but it wouldn't be the last time that would happen this month! On the 10th I checked the weather forecast and saw that the morning was showing dry, with rain appearing around lunchtime. I set off for a two hour ride before nine o'clock, and after an hour the first of the sharp showers hit me! A couple more followed before the full on rain set in, and I arrived home looking and feeling like a drowned rat! Fortunately Sandra was waiting for me with towels and a cup of coffee! Another train chasing trip to Wrenbury took place on the 16th (with light showers on the way home), followed a couple of days later by a double! I'd planned my route meticulously, a ride to Dunham on the Hill, a stop for lunch in Beeston then a second video at Wrinehill, back by three! Unfortunately the first train was 45 minutes late, so I had to cancel my lunch stop and head straight to Wrinehill, all the time hoping I'd make it in time. Fortunately I had a couple of energy bars with me, and I made it with around ten minutes to spare. 

I'd noticed to my shame that I hadn't ridden my mountain bike for over six months, so on the 20th I took off to the Peak District for a very pleasant circuit covering the Tissington and High Peak trails and Carsington Water. Despite it being a very sunny day it was quite cold and a strong wind made for hard work in places, but as I loaded my bike into the car at the end I reflected on an immensely enjoyable day. 

On the 23rd I had entered an Audax ride organised by my old cycling club, the Weaver Valley. Audax are long distance rides, usually of 100 / 200 / 400 km, and they have time limits for completion rather than being races. This one was a 100k event (actually 108k), and I'd considered riding to the start and back home to turn it into a 100 mile ride, however looking at the forecast common sense prevailed and I drove the the event HQ. It was a good ride, and although the day was forecast to be showery I didn't get a spot of rain until a couple of miles from the end. It did turn heavy though, so although I didn't get too wet before the finish, it would have been a nightmare having to ride home. The month ended with another train chase, timed to perfection as I only had five minutes to wait, in a superb idyllic setting, and back home in time for lunch. 

I'm looking forward now to some warmer and sunnier weather for the next few months, as although I don't mind being out in the cold and wet, cycling is definitely better with a warm sun on your legs and arms!