Thirteen hours later.

My alarm went off at 05:30, groan! After a short pillow rebellion I got up and was off by 06:30, buy the time I was fully awake it was almost seven, the sun was out it, was a beautiful morning and I was well on my way. My legs did feel a bit heavy, especially on any uphill sections. I was taking the fifty odd mile familiar route through Turners Hill, Lindfield and back through Ashdown Forest.

I took this photo at Chelwood Gate on the A275 in Ashdown Forest, you can click on the picture to enlarge it, showing what a great morning it was. It is so much nicer to be out these days than it was earlier in the year. I knew I could push myself as the next day was a much needed rest day but it still was not a fast ride as I made it back in just under three hours. Needless to say, my usual breakfast of porridge banana and sultanas went down very well.

Did flossy the sheep have Bird Flu

Target 100 miles, as per map on previos post, down to Battle in East Sussex and back. I should have left early, I would have had the better weather, but it was not to be. Finally got away just after half past eleven. It was a still day, but no sunshine and all I could think of was that I had to do another 50 miles the next day, I had to fight the urge to take it a bit easier. The objective of a 100 mile ride followed with another ride the next day it to train my body to work while fatigued. Yeah great!, that is an almost permanent feeling these days.
I did plan to take some photos of battle, but unfortunately I only skirted around it, so I have found some Battle Abbey photos instead.
As I was passing a field going rather slowly uphill, there was a sheep by the fence, having what looked like a sneezing fit, the first thing that crossed my mind was ahh... hay fever. I quickly dismissed this idea, who ever heard of flossy having hay fever, sheep live in fields filled with grass pollen. So I concluded it must be bird flu.
The sky was getting darker and darker and the clouds looked menacing, just before I reached Royal Tunbridge Wells it started to pour with rain, luckily it was a brief shower and soon passed, or I rode out of it.
As I left Tunbridge Wells I could sense home but realized I would be four or five miles short of a hundred, so I had to do some detours through East Grinstead and Godstone on the way home to make up the distance.
I have definetly concluded that Sussex is a hard training ground, these rides are very undulating and seem to sap my stamina far more than the two rides I have done from Guildford and Yeovil. I still made it home before 17:30, which is not a bad ride time for me.