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I posted this to uk.rec.cycling on 31/07/05:
With Catherine having taken the kids to stay with her sister for a week, this weekend offered an ideal opportunity for a ride. One friend of mine (Jamie) was keen to try NCN route 41 between Bristol and Gloucester, so we decided to take the train to Gloucester and ride home.
Richard arrived at my house at 08:50 and we set off to Temple Meads to meet Jamie. A visit from the p+nct+re fairy going through Fishponds meant that we were too late to catch the train that we were aiming for. Thankfully, she left us alone for the rest of the day. Richard timed my tube change at 12 minutes - at least half of that was spent getting the tyre off the rim, and I broke a tyre lever in the process.
With Wessex Trains' policy of a maximum 2 bikes on a train, the three of us were relying on luck and on the guard being in a good mood. We had both (otherwise, we were ready to travel up on separate trains or to do a different ride). We caught a Virgin Intercity from Temple Meads to Cheltenham, where we were fortunate that the bike carriage was at the back. We couldn't fit both recumbents in the designated cycle space, and if the carriage had been at the front of the train then Jamie's Speed Machine would have been blocking the driver's emergency exit.
The guard wished us a great day when we left the train. We then caught the Wessex Trains service one stop from Cheltenham to Gloucester. Richard's hybrid fitted into the bike space with no problems, but the recumbents completely blocked the gangway between two carriages. I had to lift the Street Machine on end 3 times during the 10 minute journey to allow the conductor to pass. He didn't seem to mind at all.
Getting out of Gloucester was a challenge, retracing our tracks after several wrong turnings. The railway station didn't appear on Jamie's official route guide, the map that I downloaded from the Gloucester City Council website was slightly misleading (sending us the wrong way down a one way street, and being unable to take account of building work that had diverted the route) and the signposting was poor (even where there wasn't building work going on).
The drizzle started while we were in Gloucester. The weather was perfect for riding the narrow off-road section of the route, being just damp enough to keep the fair weather cyclists away.
The Anchor Inn in Epney provided good food, good beer and a table with a good view of the bikes (locked to a post supporting the fire escape). Recommended. The drizzle got heavier while we were eating lunch, made obvious by the beads of water forming on cables. Jamie and I both had our Airflow seat cushions, so after lunch we were sitting in puddles.
Somewhere along the route, Richard decided that his saddle was twisted. He thought that perhaps it might be to do with his seatpost suspension. There was a knob to play with to adjust it, but after fiddling with the knob for a moment he announced that it was rather stiff. He then removed the seatpost and announced that he had a couple more inches than he thought. Having raised his saddle slightly, he set off and approvingly commented that this gave more power to his stroke. Needless to say, I giggled through much of this chapter.
By the time we had covered 30 miles (including the ride to the station), Richard was struggling (not helped by being perched atop one of those funny upright things, rather than sitting on the comfy chair of a proper bike). His previous longest ride was 45 miles.
Despite the distance ridden from Gloucester, we hardly seemed to be any nearer to Bristol. The NCN route is *very* indirect. Somehow, Sustrans have managed to take in all the little villages to the South West of Gloucester, while avoiding all the village shops and petrol stations. Which meant that most of the second half of the ride was spent vainly looking for somewhere to get more water and some painkillers for the headache that Richard had developed.
The circuitous route cleverly manages to avoid any real hills, but there is some gently undulating terrain. There were quite a few little hills that Jamie and I would hardly have noticed if Richard hadn't had to stop for a rest.
By the time we got into Bristol it was dark. The cooler air helped to clear Richard's head and he started to feel better (I think the long rest afforded by the ride down the Portway helped). On the approach to the Portway, I couldn't resist getting up some speed on the downhill stretch of the Shirehampton Road. I was still accelerating when I spotted the red traffic light ahead. My computer showed a maximum speed of 37.5mph. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do the same going down the Portway, because the others preferred to use the shared use pavement alongside :-(
Richard and I parted company with Jamie in the centre of Bristol, then carried on to the Bristol-Bath cyclepath. We didn't quite run out of water, though we would have done if not for the fountain at Lawrence Hill. The last few miles included several more stops, during one of which I felt something cold and slimy on my toes and looked down to see that a snail had crawled up the front of my sandal.
Richard and I parted company about 300 yards from our homes. I arrived home about 23:20, with my computer showing a distance of 66.55 miles, riding time 7 hours and 8 minutes, average speed 9.3mph. Next time we take Richard out, we'll pick an easier ride!
Danny
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