Concrete Block time again!

The 16th of July is fast approaching, the day I leave to ride north. First stop is Bridgwater (88miles), then Yarkhill (near Ledbury) (92miles), then Wrexham – (82miles). (I’m exhausted just talking about it!) Then it’s a short one to south Manchester (48miles) and a well earned day off!

I will arrive at Skipton after riding due north through the city centre on the 22nd July – 59miles. All this will be with my trailer in tow containing all my gear. I’ve yet to make a list of the stuff and assemble it all together and as I’ll be away from home for two weeks, there will be quite a bit required, not least of which will be this laptop!

In an effort to train myself, I rode out today with Trailer, but that’s not all. In it, I carried a 40lb concrete block. 17miles into the Devon hills took me 1hr 38mins – average speed of 9.7mph. I must add that this ride has a total ascent of over 1,700ft. The route is a sort of favourite of mine, and I do it quite often, it usually takes me 1hr 15mins – ave sp 12.5mph. Towing a trailer is obviously slower than not towing, but actually quite efficient. Up hills are slow, but down hills are FAST!

When I assemble all my stuff, I’ll be weighing it, and hopefully it won’t weigh more than 40lbs! I should be “travelling light” this time – as when I was last away, I was on Chopper and that leviathan weighted a massive 44lbs by itself, so any weight I carried was a only small percentage of the total all-up weight. This time on a 531c lightweight greyhound, I’ll be more careful what I take …….. but we’ll see.

I hope this weather holds for the ride, it’s wonderful out there at present – lovely cool wind and fluffy white clouds, not hot, just warm and summery. Please, Weather Gods, be kind.

From Skipton, I’ll be heading back to south Manchester, then Hathern, near Loughborough (73miles), to Bedford (69miles) for another day off, then Uffington, near Swindon (76miles), to Bridgwater again (86miles) before making it back home on the 30th July.

Phew!

Regards to all, and happy cycling.
Mick.