What a difference a week can make.

Friday 19th May: Ooops slept in, more like I've been hibernating, looks like a mid-autumn morning out there, very wet and windy. Waited until it had dried up a bit and finally set out at 09:00. The plan: to do three lap of the route on the left, about 52 miles each. This meant that I could return home every time to replenish my drinks and Maxim gels and bars.
The first lap was great, other than a bit of road rage from a van driver who felt the need to pull over and wait for me so he could shout abuse, not quite sure why.
Arrived back just before midday and within five minutes was off again, it was getting harder, the wind really does make it like pedalling with the brakes on.
Took this photo for the spectacular colours, (and the excuse for a two minute rest).
It did not come out, but in the background was a St. Georges Cross flag flying straight out in the wind.
This lap was uneventful, arrived back home and left again before three o'clock.
As you can imagine I was getting tired into the third lap, so when a woman escorting four young children stepped out in front of me I was not best pleased. I skidded and narrowly missed them, just squeezing through the middle of them. I shouted at them and a passer by wanted me to stop so he could have words with me, fortunately for one of us I was in a hurry.
The total distance I covered was 157 miles in 8 hours 55 minutes in the saddle, about 15 minutes stopped. My last lap was 15 minutes slower than my first, could I have done another 83 miles?not sure, I think I could have done another lap but it would have been slower still.
All in all I was quite pleased, conditions were rough, and this is a tough circuit, my under 15 hour target for Truro to Guildford seems achievable.
This is the windmill at Outwood, I had to use a very high shutter speed so it would not be blurred because it was spinning so fast. Another excuse for a two minute rest. Next road training 24th May - 150 miles (again)

What happens when it all goes WRONG!

Friday 12 May.
The route:- Honiton to Guildford 138 miles.
Spent most of Thursday evening getting all the necessary drinks food and equipment packed in the car ready for the morning.
Drove to the Samson centre, cycled to Guildford station, caught 06:55 to Woking, took these photos of the commuters on the platforms waiting for their trains to take them to work. It was a beautiful day and I was going for a bike ride, hehehe. Should have known better, this was not a day to gloat!
Arrived Honiton at 10:00, set off straight away raring to go.
I soon realized that it was warmer than any other day I had been out so far, still this was not a problem I had three litres of drink on board and enough powder for another three. I planned to make my first stop in Salisbury after about four hours. I stopped after three to swap my empty front bottles with the full ones behind my saddle, I could not do this on the move as having lost three bottles in as many rides they were now being held in by a hi-tech device (an elastic band)!
This is when I first noticed I had a problem, my drinks were warm and unpalitable, I was sweating heavily and I was thirsty. I arrived at Salisbury on schedule, but not very happy, I was just over half way and feeling pretty knackered. It took me twenty minutes to buy water, and replenish my bottles, I made the mix slightly weaker, and drank the left over water. John had said he would meet me at the Samson centre, so I sent him a txt advising I would be there at about 17:45, I needed to set a target and a reason not ease up.
It's a bit of an uphill slog from Salisbury to Winchester, which wasn't helped by me not being able to drink anything, the warm goo made me feel sick, I felt I needed to give my stomach a break, so for about an hour only took very small sips.
Arrived at Winchester to a very warm welcome from the local school children as they finished for the weekend, one of them throwing his empty can at me from the top of a double decker bus and scoring a direct hit on my helmet, bless IT, such high spirits. IT lives and breathes today only because the bus was going the other way uphill!
It was a hard slog back, arrived at the Samson Centre at 17:50, happy to see John, but pretty much wiped out. Compared to any other ride this was by far the hardest, not so much the distance, but the warm weather upset my normal fuelling balance.
Even so, by quickly re-fuelling with protein, vitamins and a couple of cans of cold coke which I had a gasping desire for, I was back to normal in three hours.