The Buttons of My Mind

I’ve avoided going east from home until now for two reasons, I would have to repeat some of my commuting route and it’s hard to avoid busy B and A-roads. But this Saturday for a change I decided for variation to head east.

I’m not very good at planning for the wind as a strong and blustery SW wind was blowing as I headed NE to start the route on to the A417 at Culham (you’ll see why this was a bad move in a minute!). There is a cyclepath alongside the fast, busy A-road which I used. This is where the UK is so poor at accommodating cyclists, this path is VERY rough, potholed and narrow. A real teeth-rattler. In fact they’ve been patching it in recent weeks and, no exaggeration, the patched sections are actually WORSE than what they have replaced. Still it’s just about better than using the road but I don’t blame any cyclist for not using it.

Turning onto the busy B4015 cut through to the A4074 at Clifton Hampden, this is another road I have avoided until now, luckily it’s quite short and wasn’t too busy. I now had my first section of dual-carriageway since I started training from Golden Balls roundabout on the A4074. This is a short section though and I soon turned off onto minor roads at last at Nuneham Courtenay. I cycled through the Baldons, which reminded me of childhood Sunday afternoons with my siblings and Mum & Dad having a Coke and pack of crisps on the green watching the cricket or playing.

Crossing the B480 I then had the steep climb up to Garsington, this was the only hill I knew existed on this route as I wasn’t familiar with some of the roads I was going to be cycling, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever driven some of them either. At the top I turned down Denton Lane which was a steep downhill, smooth fast road. A scary moment at the bottom though as there was a 90º bend covered in water and mud, hoping the tyres would grip as I slammed on the brakes. Thankfully made it round although at one point I thought I might have to bail into the verge!

There was then an immediate climb up to Cuddesdon and another fast descent to the mill where I used to fish as a teenager on the river Thame. Straight back uphill again and towards Great Milton I joined the A329 through Little Milton. A minor road cut across to the B480 and Chalgrove and through Berrick Salome. One final steep hill on this stretch up from the pretty village of Ewleme. I descended to Crowmarsh Gifford and then I was on my commute route back home. Up via Wittenham Clumps and through Long Wittenham. This is where I should have done more wind planning before setting off as the final 5 miles were really hard work, straight into a strong wind I pushed hard to keep my speed up, it was fairly relentless though and maybe I should have headed the other way this week!

Not too bad a route, a little hillier than I expected, which isn’t that bad a thing, the first few miles on busy roads aren’t much fun but once I got onto the lanes I barely saw any traffic.

Distance :: 37.90 mi
Time :: 2h37m05s
Average Active Speed :: 14.48 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Cycling to and from work on my now regular 17 mile route via Appleford, Long Wittenham, Little Wittenham, Sires Hill, North Moreton, South Moreton and Cholsey. I can do this route without having to think too hard and it takes in a couple of moderate hills, one up to Wittenham Clumps and Cholsey Hill. There is another short steep hill in North Moreton.

Also got to test my new front light which is like having a headlight, made such a difference to cycling on the unlit country roads. It was a thoroughly miserable day though, the morning ride was overcast but dry but it poured down on the way home and I got soaked. Dark and wet winter cycling… hmmm…

I followed the cycle home by immediately going out to play table tennis in the Divisional Championships. I won my group but sadly lost in the semi-final.

Distance :: 17.17 mi
Time :: 1h10m34s
Average Active Speed :: 14.60 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Distance :: 17.19 mi
Time :: 1h09m28s
Average Active Speed :: 14.85 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

In my never ending quest for variation in routes I stole another route from the Wantage CTC. They rode this almost exact route on 1st November as their ‘moderate’ ride. I was interested to see whether I would keep pace with what they manage. They averaged 13.3 mph on the route, I did 15.02 mph which was faster than I expected. I wasn’t keeping track as I cycled as I wanted to see what it would be and I wasn’t especially pushing hard.

The route started in Sutton Courtenay and went via Milton and under the A34 and up Milton Hill. Using Featherbed Lane as a cut to the A417 there was a brief section on the A-road before turning thorugh West Hendred. Heading up to the highest point on the road close to Ginge and along the very quiet lanes to Ardington and Lockinge. Crossing the A417 onto Grove Park Drive fast downhill past Lain’s Barn. I took a short break where the road crosses the old Wilts & Berks Canal, I was looking for an OS benchmark which is on the old bridge access but didn’t find it. There was a brief heavy shower, the weather had been bright but breezy up to then. I then joined familiar roads through Grove, Denchworth and Charney Bassett. I had to cross the A420 at a staggered junction at Fyfield and then I was on the long fairly dull section through Appleton and Eaton I had done a few weeks before.

Back across the A420 at Bessels Leigh and through Wootton on the B4017. The wind was now against me for the final few miles through Sunningwell and Radley. The final stretch was through Abingdon town centre and along the A415 to Culham where it started raining again. But I was only a few minutes from home.

Not too bad a route, some of it is a bit boring and there aren’t many climbs, I wonder if the Wantage CTC average speed includes all the stops?

Distance :: 37.35 mi
Time :: 2h029m13s
Average Active Speed :: 15.02 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

The main distinction of this ride to work on a grey November day was that my front light is rubbish. I couldn’t see a thing on the way home as this was the first commuting ride since the clocks went back. I still did the full 17 mile route, but boy it was dark on the country roads! The picture isn’t my light, I have been using an old battery light, this is my new light! Normally £300 the nice man in Rides on Air in Wallingford sold me his last display model to me for £150! I was going to buy the £65 Cateye rechargeable light but couldn’t resist the bargain. Not had a chance to try it out yet but it looks pretty impressive.

The other thing to note today is that I officially broke the 500 mile training distance. So I’m halfway to John O’Groats already!

Distance :: 17.24 mi
Time :: 1h07m38s
Average Active Speed :: 15.29 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Distance :: 17.26 mi
Time :: 1h010m51s
Average Active Speed :: 14.61 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

 

After recent hilly rides I picked a very flat route for this Saturday ride. But this was wind-training rather than hill-training as there was a bitter and strong NE wind blowing. It was grey and drizzly as I cycled from home via Drayton to the Hanneys. The Hanney Road was extensively covered in mud from tractors, which was slippery in the damp conditions, and with the crosswind it wasn’t the most pleasant stretch. From West Hanney I turned north into the wind and cycled via Lyford and Charney Bassett to join the B4508. This is a very quiet B-road, I barely saw a dozen cars all the way through Hatford, Shellingford, Fernham and Longcot. This was the wind assisted stretch as I was heading southwest.

Of course that meant I had to head into the wind all the way back! Through Uffington and Baulking the weather was thinking about getting worse but it was a lovely stretch with the White Horse on top of its hill in sight all the way on my right. I had to join the A417 for a few hundred metres before turning through Goosey and Denchworth. Soon I was back in West Hanney to repeat the open stretch back to Steventon. With the wind coming from my left threatening to push me into the centre of the road and even more mud on this side of the road I was glad to get that bit done safely. I turned right in Steventon to take in the only hill on the entire route, the short but steepish hill up to Milton Hill which I descended on the A4130 and under the A34 at Milton Interchange. Through Milton and back home.

Shortly after getting back home the heavens opened for a truly miserable afternoon and evening so I got the ride done just in time.

Distance :: 38.03 mi
Time :: 2h31m30s
Average Active Speed :: 15.06 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

As I looked out of the window at 6.30am on the morning the clocks went back it was pouring with rain and the wind was blowing strongly. Did I really want to take my cold and cycle in this? I nearly didn’t but in the end the weather further north was nowhere near as bad and I don’t want to be a fair-weather cyclist!

I met up with my brother around the midpoint between our homes near Warwick services on the M40 at Burton Dassett Hills Country Park. At 8.45am it was wet and bleak on top of the hill but there was brightness to the north where the weather was coming from. We had worked out a route, partly from a route in an old book of cycling on Warwickshire lanes and partly out of my head (and to avoid the bridleway bit which I thought might be muddy!).

The Country Park is right on top of a hill and has a distinctive beacon visible from the M40. In the light rain we zipped down the hill to Northend and along the lanes towards Knightcote. A beautifully smooth and deserted lane (Hambridge Road) took us north. The lane only seems to serve a couple of isolated properties yet is one of the best maintained roads I have ever seen! We reached the outskirts of Bishop’s Itchington and turned the wrong way according to the route but decided to keep going as we could rejoin the route further on. Unfortunately this meant we missed cycling past the Bishops Bowl Lakes so we’re not sure what we missed there.

We cycled through Deppers Bridge and on to Harbury. The squat and spreading church looks interesting with it’s huge flying buttresses and Harbury itself seems a pleasant village as the rain petered out. After Harbury we cycled past Chesterton Windmill isolated on its hilltop and upon it’s stone arches and columns, a most unusual sight. Through Chesterton Green we diverted from the book route along a narrow lane labelled on the 1:25k OS maps as the Warwickshire Feldon Cycle Way. We navigated several cattle grids before the lane crossed the M40 and the rumbling traffic below. Lighthorne has a steep descent down and up again and the village is nestled either side of a narrow valley.

Some lovely cylcing lanes followed, unfenced in places with farm and heathland alongside and we descended into Kineton of which we only saw the very outskirts as we turned back north and through Chadshunt. Most of this road was walled and had some fast traffic but it wasn’t long before we arrived in Gaydon crossed the busy B4100 and onto another well-surfaced and tiny lane (amusingly called Pimple Lane for some reason) which crossed the M40 and took us back to Northend. Only the final steep climb back up to our cars was left. As we got back to the cars there was blue skies about to arrive and my initial fears of getting very wet and cold were unfounded.

It was great to meet up with my brother and see his Bike Friday in action, a complete contrast to my tourer but very capable as his NZ to UK blog attests! I look forward to further rides with him in the future.

Distance :: 23.52 mi
Time :: 1h57m27s
Average Active Speed :: 12.01 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Fairly uneventful cycle to and from work in glorious autumnal weather. On the way in I did a 17 mile route via Appleford, Long Wittenham, Little Wittenham, North Moreton, South Morteon and Cholsey. ON the way back I basically reversed the route but removed the loop via Little and Long Wittenham, this is almost 4 miles shorter which is quite surprising. Of course it’s almost dark by the time I get home now so don’t want to spend too long on the roads making the routes longer.

At the time of writing I’m currently running 7th on the Run.GPS Community Server for strongest calorie burner for October! Also 8th for total distance and total training duration. You can find me on their Hall of Fame.

Distance :: 17.26 mi
Time :: 1h08m18s
Average Active Speed :: 15.16 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Distance :: 13.41 mi
Time :: 0h53m23s
Average Active Speed :: 15.08 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile

Cotswolds last week and the Chilterns this week. This was the toughest training ride I’ve done. Not especially long but there were some ‘serious’ hills on this one. I borrowed the route from Bikely which basically crosses the Chilterns from west to east and back again in a circular route. I didn’t know many of the roads but I knew Watlington Hill was going to be a proper climb. In the end that one wasn’t too bad, it was long and steep but not really a problem.

Anyway, I started in Crowmarsh Gifford and headed north through Benson to Ewelme and Brightwell Baldwin. The route joined the B480 at Cuxham and went through Watlington and up the aforementioned hill, which measures out at 1 in 8 (13%), to Christmas Common. The ride along the ridge was great and crossed the M40 near the large chalk cutting at Stokenchurch Hill. A very short stretch along the wide A40 and back onto minor roads at Junction 7 of the M40. A very fast descent followed through Ibstone down to Fingest. Then another serious climb up Dolesden Lane, this one was quite deceptive as it gradually got steeper and steeper towards the top up a very narrow road in a tiny valley. It was only when I looked back when I got to the top then I got a real sense of how steep it really was, measured from a map the last 200 m are 1 in 6 (16%) and the whole hill averages at 1 in 10 (10%) over about 1 km.

After this it was nice to have a descent back down into the valley I had just climbed out of! The narrow roads took me to Fawley Bottom and another short but very steep climb back up the other side of the valley, only 300 m long but the average gradient is greater than 1 in 5 (20%). Again all the altitude gained was lost almost immediately in a fast descent back down to Lower Assendon, the lowest point on the whole route. I had now basically crossed the Chilterns from Watlington to Henley.

The last really big climb followed, up Bix Hill, again pretty short (less than 1 km) but averaging out at 1 in 7 (14%). This very minor road was a useful bypass to the dual-carriageway alongside which I hadn’t known about before. I was slightly surprised to then join a busy road towards Rotherfield Greys, my legs were getting a bit tired after the hills so it was with a slower pace that I cycled to Highmoor Cross and a short descent followed by the climb up to Stoke Row, I was on autopilot up this 1 in 10 (10%) hill and again looking back from the top showed me the scale of the ascent through the woods. I hardly appreciated the autumn colours. I took a well-earned rest at the Maharajah’s Well before the final few miles back to the car.

These are pretty wooded lanes and I was following the NCN 5 along part of the way down Berins Hill to Well Place. It was all plain sailing from here with the rolling countryside taking me to the final descent down Crowmarsh Hill and back to the Thames Valley.

The route was very pretty, the weather was a bit average, light winds but a couple of light rain showers. My legs knew I had done those hills by the time I got back to the car and this was easily tougher cycling than the previous weeks 60 mile route. I was pleased with the average speed though, on such undulating terrain glad I posted >10 mph, also no getting off and pushing anywhere, I cycled every metre of those hills (although I did rest halfway up a couple!).

Distance :: 38.85 mi
Time :: 2h59m43s
Average Active Speed :: 12.97 mph
Run.GPS Training Profile