"Woo! Lovley morning! Cya in 15"
It's 4.45am and I am getting ready. I just had a quick shower and an energetic breakfast and I am about to meet Jamie. He is cycling to Plymouth and I would love to follow him, but I can't stay away the whole day, so I will ride with him for the first few miles. I think I will go as far as Bournemouth and come back. The air is cold but the sky is clear and the Sun is rising so we take off with no delay. Jamie is riding his road bike while I am on my
brakeless Gelatina. I just changed her tyres and chain, so she is really happy!
We cycle to the west. The trafic is still inexistent and in no time we already are cycling through New Forest. The only problem is the gusty head wind that will blow the whole day. The forest is amazing, still dark but with the top of the trees that are starting to catch the Sun and, as I say to Jamie, it is exacly how I imagine Canada. I don't now why buth this was my thought.
I am riding in front most of the time: I will cycle just a few miles, so it is my duty to fight the wind! Sometimes we ride side by side and chat a little bit, while the leggs start warming up and we find oureselves out of the Forest and into the houses of Christchurch. Everything is amazing and it is too early to turn around, so I decide to go ahead until 9 am. Then I will wish my good luck to Jamie and turn around.
We slow down a little bit through Bournemouth and Poole, while we look for the signs that lead us to route A35. It is a big road but at this time of the day it shouldn't be too much of a problem to follow it for some miles until we reach A351! Just before reaching the big road we have a "wee and energy" pit-stop and then we take off again. Remembering what happened
last year I have with me two sandwiches with honey, so I eat the first half: I will need most of the energy on my way back!
Our second stop is at Wareham for a cappuccino and a water refill. Then we catch route A352 and we follow it all the way to Dorchester with just two other strategic pit-stops. Dorset is amazing! Now the Sun is high and lits up the hills covered with crops. It looks like we are in Maremma (Italy)...what is it today with this geografic digressions?
The last few miles to Dorchester are really hilly. I have to stend up on the pedals while we climb, and spin my leggs really fast as we fly down, we are therefore relieved when we get to the town, just in front of a sandwich bar! It is 9.30 and we deserve a second beakfast! My beacon cheese burger is amazing, and I really have to thank It if I got home!
10.00- It is time to go back! I wish Jamie a good ride, tell him to take it easy, and hit the road. At fist the burger makes me feel a little heavy: the leggs don't spin as well as before. But after warming up everything falls into place again! Now the wind is on my back and the
Sun in my face, better than this is impossible. And in fact I zoom back through "Maremma" without stopping, I fly across Wareham and I start to fight with the cars on A35. The road is much more busy now and I don't like it. I just look the white line and push as hard as I can to get out soon.
As a consequence when I get to Christchurch I am a bit exausted and I decide that it is time to stop. I drink, I stretch, I eat a whole honey sandwich and rest a little bit. I have now to ride 20 miles to Lyndhurst and 10 more to Southampton, the sky is getting cloudy and I am starting to feel some pain on my back...I guess that Gelatina is not exactly of my size.
Fortunately the leggs are still behaving well, apart from my right ankle which I hurted last week playing football. As I cycle through the New Forest it starts raining, and it doesn't look like Canada anymore. I have another brake at Lyndhurst and then cover the last 10 miles doing my best to keep a high rithm: it is just 1.30pm when I walk into the University!.
At the end of the day I cycled 196km (122 miles) and climbed 812m. It took me 4h30' to get to Dorchester and, thanks to the wind, just 3h30' to head back (overall time, not ride time). The ride has been amazing, both for the landscape, the physical feelings and for the company. By the way, I last heard from Jamie at 2pm when he was in
Sidemouth...now it is 5 and I think he is facing the steep hills of Dartmoor!
Good luck to him! I hope he survives, since I am looking forward to other amazing rides!
We cycle to the west. The trafic is still inexistent and in no time we already are cycling through New Forest. The only problem is the gusty head wind that will blow the whole day. The forest is amazing, still dark but with the top of the trees that are starting to catch the Sun and, as I say to Jamie, it is exacly how I imagine Canada. I don't now why buth this was my thought.
I am riding in front most of the time: I will cycle just a few miles, so it is my duty to fight the wind! Sometimes we ride side by side and chat a little bit, while the leggs start warming up and we find oureselves out of the Forest and into the houses of Christchurch. Everything is amazing and it is too early to turn around, so I decide to go ahead until 9 am. Then I will wish my good luck to Jamie and turn around.
We slow down a little bit through Bournemouth and Poole, while we look for the signs that lead us to route A35. It is a big road but at this time of the day it shouldn't be too much of a problem to follow it for some miles until we reach A351! Just before reaching the big road we have a "wee and energy" pit-stop and then we take off again. Remembering what happened last year I have with me two sandwiches with honey, so I eat the first half: I will need most of the energy on my way back!
Our second stop is at Wareham for a cappuccino and a water refill. Then we catch route A352 and we follow it all the way to Dorchester with just two other strategic pit-stops. Dorset is amazing! Now the Sun is high and lits up the hills covered with crops. It looks like we are in Maremma (Italy)...what is it today with this geografic digressions?
The last few miles to Dorchester are really hilly. I have to stend up on the pedals while we climb, and spin my leggs really fast as we fly down, we are therefore relieved when we get to the town, just in front of a sandwich bar! It is 9.30 and we deserve a second beakfast! My beacon cheese burger is amazing, and I really have to thank It if I got home!
10.00- It is time to go back! I wish Jamie a good ride, tell him to take it easy, and hit the road. At fist the burger makes me feel a little heavy: the leggs don't spin as well as before. But after warming up everything falls into place again! Now the wind is on my back and the Sun in my face, better than this is impossible. And in fact I zoom back through "Maremma" without stopping, I fly across Wareham and I start to fight with the cars on A35. The road is much more busy now and I don't like it. I just look the white line and push as hard as I can to get out soon.
As a consequence when I get to Christchurch I am a bit exausted and I decide that it is time to stop. I drink, I stretch, I eat a whole honey sandwich and rest a little bit. I have now to ride 20 miles to Lyndhurst and 10 more to Southampton, the sky is getting cloudy and I am starting to feel some pain on my back...I guess that Gelatina is not exactly of my size.
Fortunately the leggs are still behaving well, apart from my right ankle which I hurted last week playing football. As I cycle through the New Forest it starts raining, and it doesn't look like Canada anymore. I have another brake at Lyndhurst and then cover the last 10 miles doing my best to keep a high rithm: it is just 1.30pm when I walk into the University!.
At the end of the day I cycled 196km (122 miles) and climbed 812m. It took me 4h30' to get to Dorchester and, thanks to the wind, just 3h30' to head back (overall time, not ride time). The ride has been amazing, both for the landscape, the physical feelings and for the company. By the way, I last heard from Jamie at 2pm when he was in Sidemouth...now it is 5 and I think he is facing the steep hills of Dartmoor!
Good luck to him! I hope he survives, since I am looking forward to other amazing rides!
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