Sunday ride

Six riders turned out for the 9:30 Sunday ride. The weather was warm with little wind (a slight headwind on the home leg) - near perfect conditions. In a change to Dinton Pastures, we headed out towwards a garden centre in West Wycombe. The hilly way...


We headed north out of Maidenhead to the Bisham Abbey roundabout (reached max trip speed of 32.4 on the descent), over the suspension bridge into Marlow and up the Hilly 30 route to Frieth. From there we went straight on at the crossroads (where the Hilly turns left to the finish at the village hall) through Fingest and Ibstone. Then the route climbed up through a beech wood towards Christmas Common - a tough climb up a winding narrow lane where the top is always the next corner. A poor gear selection left a couple of riders trailing & I was glad of the Rockhopper's granny ring (5mph on middle ring, changed to granny and upped the cadence to achieve 8mph).

The distance was beginning to tell by this point, I was in real need of some food. Eventually we dropped down the A40 into West Wycombe and the garden centre/café for banana & cookies. After half an hour break, we saddled up for the home leg - right through Wycombe town centre (lots of stop/start) before the gentle drop through Wooburn Green and Bourne End.

Heart rate Monday morning was still elevated "Training Effect", so a gentle 10 ride to ease out the legs & evening off was in order and this AM it's back to normal.